“The best stories have a definitive ending.”
That’s MCU chief Kevin Feige there, speaking to Toronto Sun on the eve of Avengers: Infinity War back in April. Indeed, that interview resurfaced on Reddit overnight (h/t MCU Exchange), and it certainly makes for interesting reading as we approach the grand cinematic event that is Avengers 4.
Pegged to arrive in May of next year, the so-far untitled MCU sequel has been described as many things – 2019’s most-anticipated movie, an unmissable blockbuster… you name it – but in the eyes of Feige, Avengers 4 is a “definitive ending” to this current installment of the MCU.
The best stories do come to an end. Return of the Jedi was an ending for a long time and as a 10-year-old in 1983 that carried me through 30 years until there was a sequel. That hasn’t happened before in the superhero genre. A new actor comes in and a new storyline starts right away. We wanted to do it this way because we think that the best stories have a definitive ending to a storyline. That’s certainly what’s going to happen next year with Avengers 4.
It’s a quote that has no doubt been dissected ten times before, but now that Ant-Man and the Wasp has come and gone, and we’re only one MCU film (read: Captain Marvel) away from Marvel’s grand finale, the speculation surrounding Avengers 4 has only jumped into overdrive.
We already know that big-name heroes like Iron Man, Thor and Captain America are fast approaching the end of their tether, while Marvel Studios has already mapped out plans to explore other key figures (see: Black Widow) via standalone prequels.
So it’s pretty clear that Avengers 4 will signal the end of an era when it arrives on May 3rd – for better or worse. Our advice? Pack some tissues for what is undoubtedly one of Marvel’s biggest ever releases.