What Avengers: Endgame Means For The Future Of The MCU
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Unless you've been living in a cave with your fingers in your ears the past few days, then you're well-aware that Avengers: Endgame has hit theaters and broken box-office records. If you have been living in a cave, welcome back. The climax of the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe film will drastically change the landscape in the future. While there are a few folks out there who may not be ready for change, it's coming, and it's something we should get excited about.
Warning: If you haven't seen Endgame yet, you may want to avoid this until afterwards. In the meantime, check out our spoiler-free review and learn when the best times are to use the bathroom during this three hour long movie.
There are going to be some major changes in Phase 4 of Marvel after the events of Endgame, and change can be hard to accept at first, especially when you've devoted dozens of hours to these Marvel movies. However, the future isn't dim by any means. There is a ton of potential for new stories and characters, and I'm pretty excited. Here's what will probably change within the MCU after Endgame.
Who Will Lead The Avengers?
Out of all the original Avengers team, there are three members still in action. Thor is adventuring with the Guardians of the Galaxy, so that really only leaves Hawkeye, an emotionally fragile character who got his family back--after killing so many people along the way--and Hulk, who has melded with Bruce Banner to make a "Smart Hulk." Something isn't sitting right with me there in regards to Hulk. Sure, you could say that Nick Fury is around too, but I don't see Samuel L. Jackson signing on to do a whole lot more in the MCU.
Since Hawkeye and Hulk are such different characters, they could join forces to become the leaders the young upstarts need. However, the most likely scenario is that Captain Marvel returns to lead the team in the wake of Endgame. She's had the most experience in the role as a superhero, but my personal worry is that Endgame painted her someone who had her priorities shifted from the main battle. Yes, the problems affecting Earth were happening everywhere in the universe, but Earth was the focal point for all this madness, so why didn't she hang out instead of playing the deus ex machina superbeing? Ok, I've hit a pointless rant. Back to the point, Captain Marvel will most likely lead the new team.
Captain America And Tony Stark's Legacies
Tony Stark and Captain America were both the heart and soul of The Avengers, and that's why both of them passing on--Tony through death and Steve through time travel plot holes--leaves the Avengers in a peculiar place. Luckily, Steve passed on his Captain America shield to Sam "Falcon" Wilson and gave the Cap mantle to Wilson in the process, so the world will always have a Captain America.
As for Tony Stark, he has a kid, his wife Pepper Potts, his friend and protege Rhodey (War Machine), and that kid from Iron Man 3, all of whom attended his funeral. The chances of Iron Man becoming a mantle of any sorts or anyone close to him becoming a hero is slim to none, but he has left an everlasting impression on the people of Earth, which will result in inspiring new superheroes. Iron Man will inspire a kid with powers to become a hero in the same way Papa Shango putting a curse on Ultimate Warrior inspired me to write WWE fanfiction.
The New Avengers Team
Aside from the aforementioned Hawkeye, Hulk, and Captain Marvel, there is still a strong team of superheroes who can come together to save the day. It's a combination of newer and more experienced heroes, and there are plenty of characters to carry the Avengers torch all while making room for new members. Here is who is available to pull from for future movies:
Potential Future Avengers:
- Sam Wilson/Falcon
- Winter Soldier
- Scarlet Witch
- Valkyrie
- Doctor Strange
- Wong
- Scott/Ant-Man
- Hope/Wasp
- Rhodey/War Machine
- Black Panther
- Okoye
- Shuri
- Spider-Man
- Nick Fury
- Maria Hill
- The Guardians and Thor
Guardians of the Galaxy
Gamora may be absent, as it's unclear whether she is alive after Endgame or just missing, but the Guardians of the Galaxy should be fine for the next Phase of the MCU. It was set up quickly that Peter Quill is searching for her, which could be the focus of The Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Now, Thor has joined up with the team, which makes me wonder if Korg and Miek will be along for the ride too. Thor is the perfect fit for the team, considering where the character is at. He's lost his home and passed the torch to Valkyrie to lead the Asgardians on Earth, and a Valkyrie solo movie is totally something I could see happening in the future. Where will this team exactly go next? Who knows? But aside from searching for Gamora, there's that whole dangling plot thread of Adam Warlock's creation from GotG2 to finish up.
Future Hints Of Villains
Now that the Infinity Saga has come to a close, Thanos is no longer a threat, and there's no reason to go back to that well. That leaves the doors extremely open for future villains. Better yet, now that Disney has acquired a ton of Marvel properties once owned by Fox, there a couple of huge standouts. There is the planet-eating spaceman, Galactus; the mystic leader of Latveria, Doctor Doom; and the king of Atlantis, Namor.
In Endgame, there are actually a couple of hints towards both Namor and Skrulls being a part of future MCU stories. Additionally, there are quite a few other villains we feel would fit perfectly into this universe like Kang The Conqueror and Annihilus.
We Get To See These Characters On A Smaller Screen
While all of Marvel's Netflix series got the axe, we will still be getting original series from Marvel characters on Disney's upcoming streaming service. There are four Disney+ live-action Marvel series coming in the first two years of the service: The Falcon and Winter Soldier, Loki, Hawkeye and Kate Bishop, and WandaVision. Considering what we saw at Star Wars Celebration for The Mandalorian, I have high hopes for the production of these shows because the footage shown for The Mandalorian felt like I was watching a Star Wars movie, not a cheaply made TV series. After these series air, we could see more Marvel TV shows come to Disney+ as well, which will only strengthen the brand.
The Future Is Bright
While we may dread that the future for the Avengers and MCU is going to be rough because everything will change, was there ever any normalcy to the Avengers? They were only truly a functioning team for Avengers: Age of Ultron, since the first Avengers movie was more about learning how to work together. There has never really been, nor will there ever be, a "return to form" for the team since it's an ever-changing group, depending on the circumstances.
That being said, once your brain gets over that hump--which is admittedly very hard to do--you can see that the future is full of potential, and there isn't a singular plot thread the movies have to specifically follow--that we know of. While the Infinity Saga was a triumph in longform storytelling, even if Endgame was filled with weird plot holes, this next Phase allows for growth and for the ability to take chances again. We could get another film like Black Panther or Thor: Ragnarok that bravely goes in a different direction, which is a super good thing. The doors are open wide, and I couldn't be more excited.