Avengers: Infinity War is finally out in cinemas, to rave reviews, box-office smashes, and shocked audiences, making an even greater debate about how far everyone should go to protect major plot points from fans who haven't gotten to see the film yet.
The cinematic event saw the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy team up against Thanos and his diabolical scheme to assemble all of the Infinity Stones and wipe out half of the universe's population.
The film leaves us in a place where we have never been before, one that quite frankly needs some serious resolution.
As time goes on we are already asking what will the originally titled Avengers: Infinity War - Part 2 bring us in terms of story and characters, but perhaps more importantly, when is it out?
The Mirror Online is here with coverage for what promises to be the end of the first age of Marvel's Cinematic Universe...
SPOILER ALERT FOR AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR
Are you sure?
Okay then, let's get started...
When is the release date?
The film will be released in the UK on April 23, 2019, and almost one year on from the release of Infinity War. A US release will follow on May 3, 2019.
What is the title?
This has not been officially announced as it will spoil plot elements for Infinity War. However, we have been warned to be very afraid. We have considered possible titles ourselves below.
Who will be directing?
Anthony and Joe Russo directed Infinity War and its sequel back-to-back, following on from their success helming the acclaimed Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War.
Who will be writing?
The script for Avengers 4 will be written by screenwriting/producer duo Christopher Markus and Stephen McFreely, who previously wrote the scripts to the entire Captain America Trilogy, Thor: The Dark World, and Avengers: Infinity War.
Who is in the cast?
The majority of the cast of Infinity War has been announced to return. However, this does not necessarily mean any of them are safe from biting the dust in the preceding Avengers film. These are who are officially returning, and their situation post-Infinity War.
Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man/Tony Stark. Alive, but stranded on the planet Titan.
Chris Hemsworth as Thor. Alive, in Wakanda.
Mark Ruffalo as Hulk/Bruce Banner. Alive, in Wakanda.
Chris Evans as Steve Rogers. Alive, in Wakanda.
Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff. Alive, in Wakanda.
Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Stephen Strange. Turned to dust by Thanos at the end of Infinity War whilst on Titan.
Don Cheadle as War Machine/James Rhodes. Alive, in Wakanda.
Tom Holland as Spider-Man/Peter Parker. Turned to dust at the end of Infinity War by Thanos whilst on Titan.
Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther/King T'Challa. Turned to dust at the end of Infinity War by Thanos, just after the Battle of Wakanda.
Paul Bettany as Vision. Killed by Thanos as he extracted the Mind Stone.
Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff. Turned to dust at the end of Infinity War by Thanos, just after he killed Vision.
Anthony Mackie as Falcon/Sam Wilson. Turned to dust at the end of Infinity War by Thanos after the Battle of Wakanda.
Sebastian Stan as White Wolf/James "Bucky" Barnes. Turned to dust at the end of Infinity War by Thanos after the Battle of Wakanda.
Tom Hiddleston as Loki. Strangled to death at the start of Infinity War by Thanos.
Pom Klementieff as Mantis. Turned to dust at the end of Infinity War by Thanos, whilst on Titan.
Karen Gillan as Nebula. Alive, stranded on Titan.
Dave Bautista as Drax. Turned to dust at the end of Infinity War by Thanos, whilst on Titan.
Zoe Saldana as Gamora. Dropped to her death by a conflicted Thanos, in exchange for the Soul Stone.
Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts. Unknown, but we expect she will be a survivor of Thanos' deeds.
Josh Brolin as Thanos. Last seen enjoying a sunset after achieving his goal of wiping out half of the universe's population.
Chris Pratt as Star-Lord/Peter Quill. Turned to dust at the end of Infinity War by Thanos, whilst on Titan.
Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye/Clint Barton. The archer wasn't in Infinity War after all, but we expect he will show up here as one of the few survivors of Thanos' actions.
Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan. Tony's bodyguard and driver wasn't in Infinity War after all, but we expect he will show up here as one of the few survivors of Thanos' actions.
Paul Rudd as Ant-Man/Scott Lang. The miniature hero wasn't in Infinity War, but will appear here.
Letitia Wright as Shuri. Unknown, but we did not see her turned to ashes by Thanos.
Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury. The S.H.I.E.L.D. director was turned to dust along with Maria Hill in the post-credits scene of Infinity War, but after sending out a distress call to Captain Marvel.
We also suspect to see some other faces from Infinity War return too, having seen the roster above. These could include the surviving Okoye (Danai Gurira), Thanos victim Groot (Vin Diesel), survivor Rocket (Bradley Cooper), and Wong (Benedict Wong). Former Black Panther enemy M'Baku (Winston Duke) also survived so should likely return.
Additionally, we will have some newcomers to the Avengers series with the new installment...
Evangeline Lilly as Wasp/Hope van Dyne. Having appeared in Ant-Man and made her super-heroine debut in Ant-Man and the Wasp, the shrinking hero with a sting will join her partner in crime-fighting, Scott Lang, in the Avengers sequel.
Brie Larson as Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers. Marvel's first solo female hero will make her Avengers debut here, having made her first appearance a couple of months prior in her own film, Captain Marvel . Fury sent a distress call to her before his death in the post-credits of Infinity War.
Ty Simpkins as Harley Keener. The young boy who Tony Stark bonded with in Iron Man 3 will join much of Stark's supporting cast in the film.
Hiroyuki Sanada. The Lost star, soon to be seen in Westworld, will appear in a yet to be determined role.
What is the plot?
At present all plot analysis is speculation. However, we do know that the film is very much a continuation of Infinity War, with Thanos being the chief antagonist still, but at the same time will remain distinct from the preceding chapter.
The film will continue on from the shock cliffhanger that saw half of the world's population, including half the cast, being decimated by Thanos after he obtained all of the Infinity Stones. There should be some version of a dystopia here, as how on earth would everyone deal with this disaster?
The remaining cast survivors are mostly made of the original Avengers line-up so it could really be a finale for these guys as a team.
Many have also called it an end of an era for the MCU, so expect some emotional curtain calls.
Read More
Avengers: Infinity War
What are the theories and speculation?
- Time travel will be a key element. This is the major theory doing the rounds online, as it would allow various characters to appear, including dead ones. This would be made possible thanks to the time stone being used, and potentially open up the chance for alternate timelines and parallel futures. We reckon this will be the key to undoing the majority of deaths in Infinity War, especially the decimation of half the population in the final sequence. There's a chance that some deaths, like Loki and Heimdall, may still stick though.
- We will be introduced to the multiverse. This would also link to the time travel element, as it would allow the exploration of multiple universes within the Marvel canon. This could work well for the MCU, as long as it doesn't get too bogged down in the high-concept sci-fi side of things.
- Bucky will become Captain America. This has been assumed by many Marvel fans for a while, as Bucky has taken an increasingly prominent and heroic role, along with the fact that in the comics Bucky took on the mantle of Captain America after Steve Rogers was killed off for a while. The only other alternative is Falcon, who was also Cap in the comics too, but Bucky has got the most attention so far. Both Bucky and Sam Wilson were decimated in the finale of Infinity War, but there's no way that those deaths are gonna stick!
- The Kree and Skrulls will appear. This is a possibility considering their cinematic debut in Captain Marvel, but we doubt they will get the same level of attention as in that film. It would also continue to show the increasing size and scope of the MCU going ahead too.
- An Avenger will be revealed as an undercover Skrull. This would be more laying the groundwork for an eventual adaptation of the Skrull assault in Marvel's comic event Secret Invasion, and maybe a post-credit scene revealing an Avenger has been impersonated by a Skrull invader for a while would be great.
- Pepper Potts will become her comics alter-ego, Rescue. This has been seriously hinted at by Gwyneth Paltrow herself, as she has been wearing a green-screen suit, indicating she will have a CGI outfit on, and she's hinted at being more involved in the action. In the comics, Pepper gets her own armour and becomes the heroine Rescue, so will she get to fight alongside her fiancé Tony in their armours.
- Thanos will redeem himself and undo his destruction. As the crew and Josh Brolin have emphasised what an emotionally complicated and rich character Thanos is, it would be great if he somehow redeemed himself at the end of the whole saga. In the comic event Marvel:The End, Thanos destroys the universe but undoes it out of loneliness and love for his unrequited amour, Lady Death, but loses his life in the process. This would be an emotional climax that doesn't devolve into the standard CGI punch-up, but with the absence of Lady Death, we think it could be born out of his complicated relationship with Gamora.
- Tony Stark and Steve Rogers will be written out of the MCU. Many have already assumed that Steve Rogers will be written out of the MCU, and Chris Evans has pretty much confirmed it himself. This is logical as it would move the franchise ahead and all of his arcs are more or less tied up or ready to end. There was more uncertainty about Downey Jr.'s future, but with Pepper, Happy and the young Harley from Iron Man 3 making a return, are these characters mainly present for Tony Stark's swan song?
- The New Avengers line-up will be revealed, including the new leader. This is definitely going to happen, with the MCU being changed forever, so we are already speculating on who will be left in the line-up. Beyond perhaps Black Widow, we doubt any Avengers will remain from the original line-up, with more of a focus on the next generation, such as Spider-Man, Captain Marvel, Bucky's Cap, Falcon, Ant-Man and the Wasp, and maybe Vision and Scarlet Witch too if Thanos' actions get undone. In terms of leadership, many have touted Spidey, but would a kid really get the prized position? We think Captain Marvel is a stronger contender, or perhaps the King himself, Black Panther, and maybe a new base in Wakanda?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below on where you think the MCU will go in Avengers 4!
