Phase 3 may have set up “Annihilation” as the plot of fifth Avengers movie will happen, but if it does, it could follow the story of the comic and serve as the MCU’s next major crossover.
“Annihilation” was a Marvel Comics story arc published in 2006. Instead of centering on flagship heroes like Spider-Man, Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, and the X-Men, “Annihilation” was a storyline that focused primarily on the cosmic side of the Marvel Universe. Among the main characters featured in the story were Thanos, Nova, Drax the Destroyer, Silver Surfer, Galactus, Ronan the Acc, and more. The main antagonist of the comic was Annihilus, an old foe of the Fantastic Four who spent many years trapped in a dimension known as the Negative Zone. Some time after obtaining his freedom, Annihilus lead a powerful army called the Annihilation Wave, for the purpose of conquering the universe. The story of the battle with Annihilus was told in a six-issue miniseries and multiple tie-ins.
“Annihilation” is just one of several crossovers from the comics that could be an option for Marvel when it comes to creating its next major, overarching storyline. The previous crossover was an adaptation of the 1980s miniseries, Infinity Gauntlet. The story took years of buildup, and finally culminated in a two-movie battle against Thanos (Josh Brolin) in Phase 5. Here’s why Marvel could already be building toward “Annihilation” in Avengers 5.
MCU Needs A Big Crossover To Follow Infinity War
Marvel would be hard-pressed to top the scale of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Marvel clearly understands that every movie can’t be as massive as Infinity War and Endgame. But while what they’re doing with Phase 4 is a good strategy to follow, that doesn’t mean Marvel should lean away from crossovers entirely.
The fight over the Infinity Stones has created a hunger for these sorts of high-stakes team-ups. Plus, the two movies combined brought in a sum that’s close to $5 billion at the worldwide box office. Taking a break is a good move, but after enough time has ed, Marvel should gather together another assortment of MCU heroes for another large-scale crossover. Avengers 5, which could release anywhere between 2023 and 2025. By that time, Endgame will have been several years in the past, and audiences will be greatly anticipating another crossover.
MCU Already Set Up The Skrulls & The Kree
Two of the building blocks Marvel needs for “Annihilation” are already in place: the Kree and the Skrulls. Guardians of the Galaxy introduced the Kree Empire, and Captain Marvel explored the Skrulls, so MCU fans are already familiar with both alien races.
Since the coming of Annihilius in “Annihilation” was a threat to everyone in the universe, both the Skrulls and the Kree found themselves in a rare situation. After being at war for centuries, the two civilizations were forced to put their differences aside and team-up. In the miniseries, both races had representatives serving as key players in the fight against Annihilus. Ronan the Acc and Super Skrull, who had reputations as villains, actually had to fight on the side of the heroes for a change. Seeing the Skrulls and the Kree working side-by-side in Avengers 5 could be fun to see, and though the MCU’s Ronan the Acc is dead, it could still include Super Skrull (presumably before he steals the abilities of the Fantastic Four), and potentially Talos (Ben Mendelsohn) as well.
Nick Fury's Disney+ Show Can Further Set Up Annihilation
Marvel could use Nick Fury series on Disney+, which is reportedly in development. In fact, the plot of Fury’s new show could revolve around SWORD establishing relations with other civilizations in an effort to properly prepare for the Annihilation Wave. Knowing that it’s coming, Fury could be in a rush to make sure Earth has allies that can fend off Annihilus.
Why Annihilation Should Be The Next MCU Crossover
Marvel’s next crossover should fit with where Marvel is currently headed. With Marvel putting more and more emphasis on cosmic adventures in Phase 3 and Phase 4, “Annihilation” fits right in with what they’re doing. Also, since Marvel should avoid trying to repeat or top Endgame, it’s important that Marvel try a different approach to its next crossover, which should be comparably smaller. Instead of encoming all corners of the MCU, the story that Marvel chooses should have a narrowed focus.
The last two Avengers movie had massive casts of characters across every MCU franchise, but Avengers 5 doesn’t need to do that. If they adapt “Annihilation”, they can use less characters without making the story feel any less epic. Like Infinity Gauntlet, “Annihilation” is a story that puts everything on the line. The difference is that only some characters will be needed, since most of the action is likely to take place off Earth. The main characters could be cosmic heroes like Thor, Captain Marvel, and the Eternals. Depending on who gets introduced between now and then, Nova, Adam Warlock, and Beta Ray Bill could play key roles as well.
How Annihilation Can Happen Without Thanos
In the comic version of the story, Thanos starts out as an ally of Annihilus. After defeating Galactus, Silver Surfer, and others, the Mad Titan is killed by Drax. However, it was revealed that Thanos secretly betrayed Annihilus by creating a way for Silver Surfer escape before his death. Ultimately, Thanos helped the heroes stop Annihilus from accomplishing his goal.
Of course, the MCU’s “Annihilation” would have to do things differently when it comes to Thanos, since the character was killed by Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.). Thanos’ death could be seen by some as a problem for "Annihilation", but Marvel also adapted Infinity Gauntlet without Adam Warlock, its main protagonist and Thanos’ greatest enemy. With this mind, Avengers 5 could easily replace Thanos with a different Marvel Comics villain, or remove the role altogether.
