Once the credits began rolling on Avengers: Infinity War, and Marvel fans basked in a post-credits stinger dedicated to Captain Marvel, it became abundantly clear that Thanos, of all people, had emerged victorious.
That’s right, after umpteen movies about costumed crusaders overcoming great odds, Infinity War flew in the face of convention and allowed Josh Brolin’s Mad Titan, the ultimate Marvel bad guy, to win. The cost? Only half of the frickin’ universe, and his estranged daughter, given the events that transpired on Vormir.
But make no mistake, using the fully-armed Infinity Gauntlet really done a number on Thanos, as Infinity War scribe Christopher Markus tells Collider:
Yes he did. Now, I think that’s an immense amount of energy and there is a reason that other people haven’t done this because it could kill you. So the strongest guy in the universe would have to be the one to do it, and I don’t think he is going to be doing much with that arm [from now on].
That begs the question: if this week’s alleged story leak is correct, and Avengers 4 largely centers on a quest to build a second Infinity Gauntlet for Tony Stark, can we expect to bid farewell to Iron Man come 2019? It’s certainly possible, as Robert Downey Jr. has long been tipped for an early MCU exit. And, well, after watching the helpless Peter Parker disintegrate before his very eyes, we imagine Stark will get a little desperate during round two.
Chalk that up as conjecture for the time being, though, as Joe and Anthony Russo have ensured any and all details relating to Avengers 4 remain under lockdown – and given Infinity War is still playing in theaters, perhaps that’s a blessing in disguise.
