So now that we have had a chance to process Avengers: Infinity War, I feel like there is a lot we can dissect and speculate about the film and its lead-up to the final film of Phase 3 in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Here are some of my (and in some cases, already well-known) theories about Avengers: 4 that could happen in the film and what direction the MCU can take from here.

“Avengers: Endgame”

Avengers: Endgame is the most likely title that I could come up with for the upcoming Avengers movie along with “Avengers: Secret Wars”, but I feel that will be an arc that is built to rather than just thrown in to the biggest movie we’ve seen thus far. It makes sense that this would be the title of the film, as the word ‘endgame’ has played a bigger role in the Avengers than we initially may think. The first time the word was used and popularized in the MCU was after Tony Stark had his vision in Avengers: Age of Ultron, to which he referred to the cosmos as ‘the Endgame’. Doctor Strange then says the phrase ‘we’re in the Endgame now’ on Titan while the heroes await Thanos’ arrival. It seems incredibly fitting that this outing would be titled in this manner, seeing as how the MCU likes to tie itself together in many ways.

Trapped in the Soul Stone

Watching the end of Avengers: Infinity War made the most hardened of film veterans cry like babies. Watching characters that you’ve grown accustomed to and have grown to love over the last decade crumble to dust before your very eyes was a scene that essentially took a part of our very souls. HA! You see what I did there? In all seriousness, thanks to a few hints in the film, we may be able to infer the fates of the half of the universe that were unlucky enough to be dissolved into dust. When Thanos snapped his fingers, he was teleported into a strange orange place where he found a much younger version of Gamora. Gamora, of course, died earlier in the film when Thanos threw her over the edge of a cliff in order to obtain the soul stone. With her making an appearance here, it can be inferred that this area could actually be soulworld, a realm that dwells within the Soul Stone. And with her presence there, it can also be theorized that the rest of the universe whom were killed by Thanos were taken to soulworld instead of outright dying.

Adam Warlock

Adam Warlock has been heavily speculated to be correctly introduced to the MCU at any time now. Obviously, we got a taste of him during the end credits scene of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, but we haven’t seen anything from him since that time. Considering that Adam Warlock has such a strong connection to the infinity stones in the comics, namely the soul stone which looks like it will be focused on a decent amount, he may make an appearance in the 4th Avengers outing in efforts to help. It would be awesome to finally see what he can do after his teased reveal, and it would be interesting to see his motives due to the fact that he was just born into the world as it was being plunged into chaos.

Nova

With Thanos destorying the Nova Core as well as Xandar before the events of Avengers: Infinity War, it led to the perfect setup for the introduction of Nova. Nova, for those who don’t know, is a hero that was given the power of the Nova Force when the Nova Core fell by Rhomann Dey. We’re already familiar with Corpsman Dey from the Guardians of the Galaxy films, as he is played by John C. Reily (a great casting choice in my opinion.) With Reily’s character getting a respectable amount of screentime in the first Guardians outing, it wouldn’t bee too difficult to picture Nova’s backstory incorporating the character. It would be awesome to see Nova in the frey avenging his homeworld and giving it his all against Thanos, and I would love to see him develop over the next phase of the MCU and possibly become an Avenger. Only time will tell.

MCU Reboot

This theory feels incredibly cheap, but not impossible. Imagine if a hero got their hands on the Infinity Gauntlet and didn’t know how to use it. We already saw how damaged the gauntlet became after Thanos snapped his fingers, so we can probably safely assume that it can only withstand one more universe-bending snap. The protagonist who snaps their fingers brings everyone back from the dead, but wasn’t able to revert things exactly as they were. We go back in time all the way to before the Battle of New York and we are now introduced to a world where the X-Men and Fantastic Four always existed in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Granted, this theory relies heavily on the Disney/Fox merger becoming successful, and if the Russo brothers feel like being gigantic A-holes of course. It wouldn’t please a lot of fans, but that is definitely an option that is on the table.

The Original Avengers As We Know Them Die

It has to be more than coincidence that nearly the only heroes that survived Thanos’ infinity snap were the original Avengers. This has to be the beginning of the setup for us to say our final goodbyes to our most beloved on-screen heroes. In order for the heroes that are still alive to retrieve their fallen friends and allies, wherever they might be, they might have to make the ultimate sacrifice to bring them back. Anything around this subject is touch-and-go, especially considering what Gwenyth Paltrow mentioned in an interview just the other day (POTENTIAL SPOILER) when she said that Tony and Pepper had been on this long journey together and now they’re married and have a child. Maybe it’s a misdirection and another attempt to psych out fans, but im not sure I buy all that.

Regardless of what happens to these heroes in Avengers 4, I don’t think it will be the last we’ve seen of most of the mantles at least. Captain America has two potential suitors to take his placed in the stars and stripes in Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson. Ironheart, despite being relatively new to the comics, could be a surprise alternative to RDJ’s Ironman, and She-Hulk could even make an appearance down the line to sub out Banner. A limitless amount of possibilities for these characters await us, but which ones do you think will come to fruition?

Gamora and Vision Are Resurrected (Sorry Loki)

There are a lot of deaths in Avengers: Infintiy War that are going to have to be undone in the fourth installment. In the long run, not very many people from Infinity War are going to stay dead, and here is some speculation as to why. Apart from the snap of his fingers which wiped out half the universe, Thanos killed a few individuals with his bare hands. 2 of which happened to be Gamora and Vision. I feel like these two are going to be able to be resurrected in Avengers 4 for a few reasons. We see Gamora in Soulworld at the end of Avengers: Infinity War, which is where half the universe is speculated to be residing after the decimating finger snap. If all the residents of Soulworld are freed in Avengers: 4, that means Gamora will be freed as well. While Gamora’s death was tied to the Soul Stone, Vision’s was linked to the Mind Stone, which was believed to have powered him and given him life. However, one of the more important subplots in the film came in the form of separating Vision from the Mind Stone without killing him. Shuri said it was possible, and with a mind like that at the helm of such an operation, I’m sure she can find a way. She seemed to have saved the files to her operation, or even a backup plan from her computer before the operation room was attacked, so we may see that come into play later down the line to restore Vision. Loki, however, I don’t see coming back. He had no connection to the stones or the finger snap at the time of his death. It sucks, but not everyone can come back from the dead this time.

Infinity Stones Destroyed/Separated

After Thanos’ eventual defeat, Earth’s mightiest heroes will have to decide what to do with the Infinity Stones. Regardless, I feel like they would be deemed too powerful to be expelled throughout the cosmos again, lest a figure like Thanos come out of the woodwork again. I see one of two things happening for this decision. The heroes still alive after the defeat of Thanos can keep the stones safe by distributing them amongst themselves and form the Illuminati, as seen in the comics. This would stay true to the form of the source material, and exponentially increase every member’s power based on what stone they possess. Or, another option would be to destroy the stones altogether. WE’ve already seen Scarlet Witch destroy the Mind Stone once, what’s to say that the Infinity Stones can’t be destroyed for good? In my opinion, this is the most likely scenario, as I can definitely see the MCU wanting to move forward with their storytelling instead of hanging on the the Infinity Stones. That, coupled with a strength complex where the heroes in possession of the Infinity Stones would be too strong, ultimately lead me to believe that the Infinity Stones will be destroyed.

Skrull Involvement

As of this writing, there is only one main thing that we know about the upcoming Captain Marvel movie…that the Skrull are slated to be the main villains of the film. Aside from the introduction to Captain Marvel, there may be a reason why the Skrull are receiving such screentime in an MCU film. Another theory of mine is that the Skrull are going to be playing a larger part in Avengers 4, and even the entire MCU as we know it. With Captain Marvel taking place in the 1990’s we know the Skrull are on Earth before the events of the first Avengers film, and even before Ironman. This means that the Skrull could have planted the seeds for a Skrull Invasion during the Captain Marvel film, and we could see the reveals of many of our most beloved heroes being Skrulls the entire time. This could also lead into a Secret Invasion/Secret Wars storyline, which would be amazing to see on the big screen.

New Avengers Formed

With the team that we have been accustomed to probably being non-existent by the time the end of Avengers 4 rolls around, its probably safe to assume that we will see the ‘New Avengers’ take the helm at the end of Phase 3. Not only would this signal a change in phases, but it would be good for the fluidity of the MCU as a whole. As more heroes begin to fill the roster, naturally, some will have to be filtered out. In forming the ‘New Avengers’ it will give the MCU a new group to focus on, rather than focusing on a plethora of heroes that have been introduced in the MCU. It could function relatively like an animated series, where different heroes make different cameos in different films, while the main focus stays on the ‘New Avengers’. This could be made up of Captain Marvel, Spider-Man, Ant-Man, Captain America (Sam Wilson or Bucky Barnes), and Black Panther, while heroes like the Guardians of the Galaxy and Doctor Strange could stay on their own.

Captain Marvel will be the MVP

Out of everything we’re speculating about Avengers 4, one thing is for certain. Captain Marvel will no doubt be the MVP of the entire film, similar to how Thor was the MVP of Infinity War. With the Russo brothers already stating that Captain Marvel will be the strongest hero of the MCU to date, it will be pretty surprising if she doesn’t have a significant impact in the film. Also taking into consideration that out of everyone, she was the one that Nick Fury called in his dying seconds, that just screams badass. I’m excited to see exactly how she’s going to bring the fight to the mad titan, but it’s going to be absolutely epic. Will she get her hands on the Infinity Gauntlet? I hope so.

And those are my theories for Avengers 4! Comment down below what you think! If you like what you saw here, don’t forget to follow The Bandicoot Banter on Facebook and with your E-mail!