Warning: Minor SPOILERS ahead for Avengers 4 and MAJOR SPOILERS for Avengers: Infinity War
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Marvel Studios did an incredible job of keeping set before the events of Infinity War, we're unlikely to learn much from them.
What we do know about Avengers 4's plot has mainly been gleaned from the characters confirmed, some intriguing set photos, and occasional hints dropped by the actors and creative team in interviews. Now that Infinity War is in theaters we know that Avengers 4 will deal with the fallout of Thanos' catastrophic finger snap, but even that doesn't tell us much. Here is everything we know (and a little that we've guessed) about the plot of Avengers 4.
- This Page: Overall Plot and Returning Characters
Avengers 4 is a 'Finale' For the MCU
In of Avengers 4's overarching plot, it will change the timeline, or that it will permanently disband the Avengers, or that core characters like Iron Man and Captain America will be killed off, or a combination of these things. What we do know for sure is that Avengers 4 will bring the Avengers' story full circle by returning to where the team was born: in the Battle of New York.
It's a Time Travel Story
The travel back in time to the Battle of New York. Moreover, since Avengers: Infinity War killed off more than half of the superheroes in the MCU, some kind of time travel will surely be necessary in order to bring them back.
Characters Who Were Killed Off Will Return
Infinity War really Vision will be back, despite dying after the Mind Stone was ripped out of his head, and if Tony and his surviving friends go cruising back through the timeline, it's likely that we'll see just about everyone again.
There Will Be a Massive Scene With 'Everyone' In It
If Infinity War brought together the largest collection of Marvel heroes we've ever seen, Avengers 4 just might outdo it. Not only will the characters who were killed off be returning, but we'll also see characters who were missing (like Ant-Man and Hawkeye) the fray, along with new characters like Captain Marvel and Janet van Dyne (the original Wasp, played by Michelle Pfeiffer, who will make her debut in Ant-Man and the Wasp). According to Bucky Barnes actor Sebastian Stan, there is one scene in particular where just about every Marvel character under the sun is brought together:
"There was one scene, I think, we had where everybody was there. I can't really talk about that scene, but I knew it took them three months in planning this scene to have everyone there. You look around and you just saw everyone from Samuel L. Jackson to Michael Douglas to Michelle Pfeiffer. Everybody was there."
Related: What We Know About Avengers 4's Every Character' Scene
Clint Barton Will Return as Ronin
filmed some scenes in Japan, with a few set photos emerging from the shoot in Tokyo. Scarlett Johansson was involved in filming those scenes, so if we had to guess, we'd say that Black Widow hears that Hawkeye has adopted a new identity and goes to Japan to re-recruit him into the Avengers. As for why Hawkeye would take up this new name and mantle - well, Thanos did wipe out half the universe, so Hawkeye almost certainly lost some of his family in the process, possibly even all of them. The ensuing cocktail of anger and grief may end up driving him out of retirement and back into the superhero business.
Tony May BARF Again
At the start of Captain America: Civil War, we saw Tony Stark reliving a memory from his youth using a new kind of technology called Binary Augmented Retro Framing - referred to by the unfortunate acronym BARF. Set photos from Avengers 4 showed a crew member carrying an orange case with the BARF label on it. Now, this doesn't necessarily guarantee that we'll see BARF used again in Avengers 4. For starters, the case could simply have been given the label as a joke (it's written on in Sharpie, and cases like this are commonly used on film sets for carting equipment around). But since the technology does exist in the MCU, it wouldn't be surprising if it showed up again. Some have speculated that the Battle of New York scenes are actually just recreations using BARF, rather than the result of time travel.
Why didn't anyone tell me this was not right side up?
A post shared by Atlanta Filming (@atlanta_filming) on
Thanos Will Return
Thanos may have retired in peace after achieving his goal of "balancing" the universe, but that doesn't mean he's out of the picture altogether. After all, if the Avengers begin trying to undo what he considers to be his greatest achievement, you can bet that Thanos will return to try and stop them. We've known for a while that the Mad Titan would be back for Avengers 4, since Brolin has talked about filming the movie and been seen around set. But if you want official confirmation, well, look no further than the end credits of Avengers: Infinity War, which promised that "Thanos Will Return."
when the screen said thanos will return' the dude behind me just went WELL MAYBE HE SHOULDNT' and that was a mood
EVA // SAW INFINITY WAR x2 (@stupidforstark) April 27, 2018
While the obvious assumption is that Thanos will be the villain again, it's also possible that he'll have a change of heart (as he does in The Infinity Gauntlet, the comic upon which the movies are loosely based) and decide to help the Avengers. After all, he was pretty devastated by the loss of Gamora, and clearly feels some remorse. Infinity Gauntlet saw Nebula taking control of the artifact, and Thanos helping to defeat her before she imposed her will on the universe. Could Avengers 4 have a similar twist?
Related: Marvel's Secrecy Around Avengers: Infinity War Is Unprecedented
We'll See Mjolnir Again
The Russo brothers Thanos-killing weapon made on Nidavellir, but a time travel element would allow the legendary hammer to return. It's worth noting that the priest holding the hammer is the Dean of Durham, not an actor, so we can be pretty certain that he's not actually in the movie. In this case, Durham Cathedral is most likely serving as a stand-in for a location on Asgard, which means that Thor could get to see his homeworld again.
Captain Marvel s the Fight
Fans in the audience for Infinity War were shocked when the main credits titles ended and there was no mid-credits scene - as is now expected for Marvel movies - but the movie does have an extra scene at the very end of the credits. Maria Hill and Nick Fury are driving through New York when suddenly a car swerves in front of him, and when they look inside the driver has disappeared. Then Maria disappears, and Fury realizes they're in serious trouble. He also disappears, but not before sending a message via an old pager - which displays the logo for Captain Marvel.
Brie Larson was originally supposed to debut as Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel in Infinity War, but the movie ran out of room and so her involvement was instead pushed back to Avengers 4. Captain Marvel, her solo movie, will release next year before Avengers 4, and will be set in the '90s, telling her origin story. The fact that Fury's distress call was framed as the Avengers' last hope for defeating Thanos indicates that she'll play a pivotal role in the events to come - and after the Titan wiped out so many of them, the world is sorely in need of new heroes.
Theory: Avengers 4 Will Begin With a Time Jump
Now, this is just a theory that's based mostly on Tony Stark sporting blond hair in the Avengers 4 set photos, but it makes sense that the sequel would begin with a time jump. This would allow us to see the devastation wrought by Thanos' finger-snap and the long-term impact of it on the world, rather than simply the immediate ensuing panic. It would give more impact to Infinity War's ending than if the Avengers found a way to get everything back to normal right away. It would also give the Avengers and their allies time to formulate a plan, now that they're no longer in a race against time (and Thanos).
More than anything, it would be very interesting to explore the aftermath of Thanos' act, since he believed that it was a short-term act of evil that would lead to long-term good. Would wiping out half of all life on an overpopulated planet actually allow that planet to survive where it might otherwise have died (like Titan)? And even if so, would that justify the cost?
