On one hand, Avengers 4 heralds something of a fresh start for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as the Powers That Be switch gears for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and a direct sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming.
And then there’s the small matter of closing the book on a 10-year cinematic legacy. Yes, it almost goes without saying that Joe and Anthony Russo face a tall order if they’re to deliver a worthy follow-up to Infinity War, and that’s before we even factor the threequel’s devastating finale into the equation.
The inside scoop? Thanos won, essentially, and eviscerated half of all life in the universe. His mass genocide left only a few members of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes remaining, who are now expected to pull together their resources and save the world. Or, failing that, avenge it.
Doing so won’t be easy, of course, but there is one possible solution: time travel. It’s the one rumor that refuses to go away, and it seems a curious Twitter user may have solved the riddle surrounding Tony Stark’s reunion with the imprisoned Loki. Tin-foil hat at the ready.
Still with us? If you’ve been following the development of Avengers 4, you’ll know the likes of Captain America (Chris Evans), Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), Bruce Banner/Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) were all pictured in their Phase One attire for what appeared to be a recreation of the Battle of New York – otherwise known as the finale to The Avengers.
Well, we now have reason to believe that said recreation will feature not one, but two Tony Starks, as future Tony travels back in time to acquire the Space Stone from Loki.
I’M LATE BUT I just realised that this has to be time travel and not a flashback because there are two Tonys in the same place?? (see the door behind loki and tony) ALSO someone removes the muffle and the shackles from loki’s wrists I swear if present Tony talks to past loki IM- pic.twitter.com/FuHOQGqg41
— ☀️I love you 3000 (@Lokieed) May 14, 2018
The first picture is unclear so here you can see the shackles on loki’s wrists and this is the Tony’s possible time travel outfit pic.twitter.com/ltOfb0ELqY
— ☀️I love you 3000 (@Lokieed) May 14, 2018
It’s a pretty compelling theory, as it would help explain Tony Stark’s next steps after the mass devastation brought on by Thanos and the Infinity Gauntlet, though whether his plan involves a second Gauntlet is still subject to debate.
Beyond Ant-Man and the Wasp and Captain Marvel, two MCU prequels that look set to deep dive into the Quantum Realm, Marvel’s fourth Avengers movie will see a release on May 3rd, 2019.