When it comes to comic book movies, fans have an insatiable appetite for scraps of news
about what might happen to their favorite superheroes.
And considering the super-cemetery we got at the end of Avengers: Infinity War, it's
probably no big surprise that Marvel movie fanatics are even hungrier for news about
the highly anticipated follow-up.
That's why we're spinning up the rumor mill once more to see what the Russo brothers have
in store for Avengers 4.
Want to avoid finding out what might happen in the next Avengers movie and the whole MCU?
"Spoiler alert."
Then you shouldn't have clicked on this video, you big dummy!
The death of Tony Stark
One Redditor claiming to have connections with, quote, "a reliable source," has reportedly
been told that Spider-Man: Far From Home will open with Peter Parker mourning the loss of
his mentor, Tony Stark.
According to the Reddit post, the movie's plot will revolve around stolen Stark technology
that Spidey has to retrieve.
Whether the Reddit post is the real deal or not, it wouldn't be much of a surprise to
predict Tony Stark's demise.
As Marvel fans all know, Robert Downey Jr.'s contract with Marvel Studios is finished after
Avengers 4, so the longest-serving member of the MCU may go out in a blaze of glory
as a result.
Could you think of a better way to retire from being a superhero than biting the dust
to save the world?
Didn't think so.
Sorry, didn't mean to say 'dust'.
Pepper Potts suits up
Ever since Pepper Potts briefly donned Iron Man's Rescue Armor in Iron Man 3, fans have
been dying to see her suit up and join the action again.
She came to Stark's aid during the attack on his Malibu mansion, proving herself more
than able to slip into some armor and help out.
Given that half of everyone Tony knows has suddenly disintegrated, Stark is going to
need all the help he can get as he attempts to undo what Thanos has done.
So will Pepper Potts be among the new recruits?
Gwyneth Paltrow's Instagram suggests she will be.
In a 2017 post that the actress has since made private, Paltrow shared a potentially
spoilery picture of herself getting a foot massage on set, which also revealed she was
clearly wearing a motion capture suit on her legs.
She didn't turn up in any kind of GCI getup in Infinity War, so the only logical explanation
is that she was filming scenes for Avengers 4 at the time.
The actress all but confirmed this was the case during her 2018 appearance on The Late
Show with Stephen Colbert.
"When you were working on the movie did you thrust your hand towards someone wearing like
a blue suit with ping pong balls glued on it?"
"Yes!"
Is Nebula the main villain?
Nebula, played by Karen Gillan, has been on the periphery of events so far, but the daughter
of Thanos could turn out to be a crucial player in Avengers 4, with her arc potentially coming
full circle.
She started out hating her adopted sister Gamora, but they reconciled before Gamora
was killed by their so-called father in Infinity War.
The third Avengers outing borrowed heavily from 1991's Infinity Gauntlet comic book series,
and Nebula plays a huge part in its conclusion.
In the six-issue story, Nebula is captured by Thanos and sadistically tortured, a moment
we've already seen play out on screen in Infinity War.
She's the one who's eventually able to turn the tables on Thanos, stealing the Gauntlet
from him.
The problem is, Nebula is so messed up at this point that she ends up being even worse
than Thanos with the Gauntlet, forcing the intergalactic warlord to team up with the
Avengers in a bid to stop her.
Gillan has dropped hints in the past about the films potentially staying true to the
source material.
She explained in a 2017 interview with ScreenRant:
"When I was preparing to play Nebula the first time, I read The Infinity Gauntlet.
I loved it because it was like the most Nebula-heavy comic."
She added that it would be amazing if the movies were to follow the same arc, and said,
"I don't know yet, very big secret.
But I'm hoping."
Shuri steps up
Wakanda made a valiant attempt to halt Thanos' invasion of Earth in Infinity War, but the
fictional African nation sustained devastating losses in the process, and that was before
the Mad Titan even used the Infinity Gauntlet.
King T'Challa was one of the unlucky souls turned to dust when Thanos snapped his fingers,
leaving Wakanda without a leader going into Avengers 4.
The stage seems set for T'Challa's younger sister Shuri, played by Letitia Wright, to
accept the Black Panther mantle and rally her people for round two with Thanos.
This exact thing has happened in the comics.
In Reginald Hudlin's 2009 Black Panther series, T'Challa falls into a coma after a battle,
and Shuri takes over as the hero of Wakanda.
It's a premise that could certainly unfold in the planned Black Panther sequel, or Avengers
4.
Wright herself has expressed an interest in following Hudlin's story.
She told ScreenRant in 2018:
"If the opportunity came about, then why not?
It would be comic book accurate.
Yeah, that would be amazing.
It means more training, more learning and it would really be an amazing adventure.
[...] I'm excited!"
Recently revealed concept art from the first Black Panther movie confirms early designs
for Shuri's Black Panther outfit already exist, so it's starting to look like a matter of
when she'll become the new Black Panther, not if.
Loki fakes his death?
Again?
Back in Thor: The Dark World, we saw Loki fake his death.
And plenty of Marvel fans think that was just a preview of him pulling it off again in Infinity
War, despite Thanos saying:
"No resurrections this time."
In fact, leaked set photos seem to confirm that Tom Hiddleston will indeed return as
Loki for Avengers 4 in some capacity, though whether these images reveal a flashback or
some kind of time travel mechanics is anybody's guess.
Red Skull and the Infinity Stones
Not many people expected to see Red Skull pop up in Infinity War, but it turns out the
-sympathizing villain could have closer ties to the MCU's overarching plot than we
realized.
Real name Johann Schmidt, the former HYDRA boss was the main antagonist in 2011's Captain
America: The First Avenger, but he vanished at the end of that movie after touching the
Tesseract with his hands.
His whereabouts became a mystery, but we know exactly where he ended up.
When Thanos arrives on Vormir in search of the Soul Stone in Infinity War, he discovers
that Red Skull has become the stone's guardian.
"I too sought the stones.
I even held one in my hand.
But it cast me out, banished me here."
Thanos acquires the Soul Stone by sacrificing the person he loves most, Gamora.
Now that he has it, is Red Skull free to go about his business?
According to the Russo Brothers, he is, and his hunt for the Infinity Stones might not
be over.
As part of Vudu's Infinity War viewing party, the Russo Brothers took questions from fans,
one of whom asked about Red Skull's future.
They explained:
"Red Skull is free to leave Vormir, and he is also free to pursue his desire for an Infinity
Stone."
So could he still have a part to play in Avengers 4?
Avengers: End Game?
In June 2018, hint-hungry fans noticed that cinematographer Trent Opaloch had added the
fourth Avengers movie to the credits section of his personal website, casually dropping
what appears to be the title of the movie in the process.
Opaloch, who worked with the Russo Brothers on Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain
America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, listed the upcoming Marvel tentpole as
Avengers: End Game, a title that might have just been foreshadowed on a few other occasions.
A post on The Independent points out that the phrase "end game" has popped up in a few
Marvel movies before now.
For example, there was Tony Stark's angry monologue in Age of Ultron:
"We're the Avengers.
We can bust arms dealers all the live-long day but that up there, that's...that's the
end game."
Then, there was Doctor Strange talking to Tony after he gives Thanos the Time Stone
in Infinity War:
"Why did you do that?"
"We're in the end-game now."
Opaloch has since deleted the "End Game" part of the title and now has the movie listed
simply as Avengers 4.
But let this be a lesson to all you aspiring cinematographers, if you're working on one
of the biggest movies in the world, maybe check with your bosses before you update your
online resume.