Now that Thor: Ragnarok has given the God of Thunder a popular rebranding, Chris Hemsworth’s first two Marvel solo efforts are feeling more and more like the product of another time for the MCU. Nonetheless, a lengthy new theory on Reddit makes the case that 2013’s Thor: The Dark World foreshadowed some pretty huge developments in next year’s Avengers 4, and it all has to do with the seemingly mad ravings of one Erik Selvig.
Just a couple of weeks ago, the internet seemed so confident that the first trailer for Avengers 4 would be coming our way by the end of the month, but now that December is looking awfully close, the fans are starting to have their doubts. But regardless of when this long-awaited teaser finally drops, one user on Reddit has suggested that perhaps we saw a clip from the upcoming film as early as a year ago.
A few days ago, popular leaker DanielRPK shared an excerpt from a social media exchange involving T.J. Miller, in which the controversial actor and comedian responded to the mention of Deadpool 3 with the sign-off, “I’m not in it. Gooobye!” Since this apparent confirmation started making the rounds, however, the Silicon Valley star has taken to Twitter once more to clarify his statement.
Last year’s Thor: Ragnarok served as a pivotal MCU entry for the God of Thunder for a variety of in-universe reasons, but from the perspective of audiences, Taika Waititi’s film was also important for its rebranding of Chris Hemsworth’s character as a more overtly comedic figure. It’s a change that carries through into the subsequent Avengers: Infinity War, where the pairing of Thor and Rocket was an ongoing source of comic relief, but in the early stages of the ensemble movie’s development, Marvel’s concept artists were unaware of the shake-up that Ragnarok would bring.
The surprise cameo from Maul in Solo: A Star Wars Story made it clear that Lucasfilm is perfectly willing to bring back characters from the prequels, despite the continuing infamy of these three films. Nonetheless, there are surely limits to the kind of nostalgia-hits that J.J. Abrams would be willing to try, and just as you shouldn’t expect an appearance from Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars: Episode IX, there’s plenty of reason to doubt this new rumor that Padmé Amidala will be featuring in the next movie.
For Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. fans, Phil Coulson is a character with a long and eventful history in the Marvel universe, but as far as your more casual MCU consumer is concerned, the man's story pretty much ended with his death in 2012’s The Avengers. Fortunately, with Captain Marvel taking things back to the ‘90s, filmgoers can enjoy more from Clark Gregg’s character without having to be clued in about his later adventures, and according to this new fan theory, his return to the big screen could herald an important role in Avengers 4, and perhaps even a continued presence in the franchise as a whole.
Thor actor Chris Hemsworth has been known to post the occasional workout video that demonstrates how the Australian star maintains a physique worthy of the God of Thunder. But in a clip shared via Brie Larson’s Twitter account over the weekend, the Captain Marvel lead threw down the gauntlet while bringing down the hammer, goading the man known for wielding Mjolnir with a display of prowess handling a similar tool.
The return of Red Skull in Avengers: Infinity War was the kind of fan-pleasing twist that you’d normally expect to be reserved for the most out-there of forum theories, but now that Johann Schmidt has joined the likes of Thanos and Loki as one of the rare MCU villains to last beyond a single movie, the question is raised of whether this comeback might continue in next year’s Avengers 4.
Following on the heels of those red-and-blue helmet illustrations shared a few days ago, we now have a new batch of Captain Marvel promo art which show off the MCU’s most powerful hero in her classic costume.
It’s now been just under two weeks since the news broke that Stan Lee had passed away, and we're still seeing the emergence of some new and creative tributes to the man who helped make Marvel what it is today.
