Avengers Infinity War is one of the best movies Marvel has made to date. It also is the first of two Avengers movies that will provide an ending to the first ten years of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
With less than a year until the forth Avengers movie arrives in theaters, we still don’t know much about the movie.
That includes the title.
What we do know is that Kevin Feige mentioned the title for the upcoming movie is a spoiler for what happens in Infinity War.
Armed with that knowledge and some research into Marvel comic book history, here are the odds for six potential titles for the next movie.
If you haven’t seen Infinity War SPOILERS AHEAD!
Infinity War ended on an extremely bleak note. Thanos collected all six Infinity Stones and turned half of everyone in the universe turned to dust, leaving the remaining heroes utterly defeated. With Thanos appearing victorious, the remaining Avengers have their work cut out for the them if they want to bring back everyone they lost.
Luckily, the Avengers have a long history, both on screen and in the comics, of saving the world. So, if we believe they will ultimately set things right, what will the movie be called?
Infinity Gauntlet
Artwork by George Perez
The Infinity Gauntlet comic, published in 1991, was one of Marvel’s first big cross over events. Its link to the Infinity War movie make it a strong candidate for the title of the next movie.
The series begins with Thanos snapping his fingers (sound familiar?) and wiping out half of existence. The remainder of the issues cover that event‘s aftermath and finds most of the Marvel heroes teaming up to gain control of the Infinity Gauntlet and reverse the damage Thanos caused.
Plus, the sequel to The Infinity Gauntlet series is . . .
The Infinity War
While the most recent Avengers movie shared very little in terms of plot with The Infinity War comic, it would be a great nod to fans to reverse the order of the titles.
The one knock against Avengers Infinity Gauntlet as the name for the forth movie is that it doesn’t seem like much of a spoiler. Thanos wearing the Gauntlet was featured heavily in the promos for the current movie, so most fans wouldn’t be surprised by this title.
Overall odds: 40 percent.
Infinity Crusade
The Infinity Crusade was the third part in the original Infinity comic book trilogy. The six-issue series centered around Adam Warlock (who was teased at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2) and the other Marvel superheroes battling Warlock’s good side, the Goddess.
While Adam Warlock has yet to be officially introduced into the MCU, just as the Infinity War movie didn’t follow the plot of The Infinity War comic, even if the forth movie was called Avengers Infinity Crusade I imagine the plot would share few if any similarities.
Besides being an interesting title and sharing a little corporate synergy with Indiana Jones, using Infinity Crusade makes some sense. After being nearly wiped out, you could make the case that the remaining Avengers will need go on a crusade to bring everyone else back. Plus, you could argue that Infinity Crusade is a minor spoiler for Infinity War. Because why would there need to be a crusade if the Avengers defeated Thanos?
In addition to that, the idea of having another cosmic force, even if it isn’t the Goddess, to battle makes sense. Thanos pretty clearly won at the end of the current Avengers movie and with all six Infinity Stones, it doesn’t seem like the current roster of Avengers will be able to defeat him. So, having a threat to Thanos himself may be the key to defeating him.
Overall odds: 40 percent.
Secret Wars
The original Secret Wars series debuted in 1984 and was Marvel’s first major cross over event. More recently it was updated and reissued in 2015.
The thrust of the series deals with a cosmic entity called the Beyonder creating an alternate universe called Battleworld. The Battleworld universe is at the intersection of all the other various Marvel universes. Beyonder then brings in numerous villains and heroes (sometimes multiple versions of the same person) to fight.
The issue ultimately ends with the destruction and rebuilding of the Marvel universe. The idea of a definitive ending is something Kevin Feige has said is a key part of the next Avengers movie. Plus, what better way to bring back everyone that turned to dust then to travel to a parallel universe?
While the cosmic threat and multiple universe story line seem like they would be a good fit for the plot of forth Avengers movie, there are better options than Secret Wars for the title.
Overall odds: 30 percent.
Avengers Disassembled
Artwork by David Finch
The Avengers Disassembled crossover series saw some major changes to the Marvel universe. Not only did Tony Stark stop being Iron Man, but it also saw the death of Thor, two characters that are rumored to not be long for this world in the MCU.
Another interesting hint that Disassembled could be the new title revolves around Scott Lang’s daughter and the Young Avengers.
In the comics, Ant-Man is saved when is daughter transports him to the future. This plot point fits in nicely with the recent news that Emma Fuhrmann has been cast in Avengers 4 to play an older version of Cassie Lang.
Plus, the end of Avengers Disassembled saw the creation of both the New Avengers and the Young Avengers, which Cassie was a part of. Add to that the news that the actor who portrayed Harley Keener in Iron Man 3 with be in the Infinity War sequel and you have the start of a Young Avengers spinoff.
But the biggest clue that Avengers Disassembled will be the title of the next movie is how well it mirrors the title of the first Avengers movie. While in North America the movie was simply titled The Avengers, in other parts of the world, it was known as Avengers Assemble. Bookending ten years of Marvel movies with Assemble and Disassemble would be a great way punctuate that this really is the end of an era.
Overall odds: 70 percent.
Secret Invasion
Secret Invasion was a universe spanning event that picks up after the Kree-Skrull War. In the series, after the war ended many of Earth’s heroes confront the Skrulls warning them not to interfere with Earth anymore.
Later it is revealed that the Skrulls have kidnapped and impersonated individuals on Earth, including Elektra and Henry Pym.
We have already seen the Kree in Guardians of the Galaxy and the Kree-Skrull War will be a major plot point in the upcoming Captain Marvel movie. So, while it’s possible Marvel could pull from the Secret Invasion storyline, it seems highly unlikely. Imagine how confused the audience would be if it is revealed that many of their favorite heroes turn out to be an alien race they met only one movie earlier.
Overall odds: 10 percent.
Annihilation
Artwork by Gabriele Dell’Otto
Next to Avengers Disassembled, Annihilation is the strongest candidate for the title of Avengers 4.
The Annihilation series takes place in space and actually doesn’t include any of the Avengers. However, it does involve Thanos and the Guardians of the Galaxy. The story centers around a cosmic entity from the Negative Zone named Annihilus who wants to extinguish all life.
Despite the comic not including the Avengers, using Annihilation as the title for the next film makes a lot of sense.
First is the fact that Annihilus is a larger threat than Thanos. While Thanos wanted to bring balance to the universe, Annihilus wants to complete wipe it out. Forcing Thanos to team up with the remaining Avengers to stop an even bigger threat would be an interesting twist.
Then there’s the concept of the Negative Zone. Essentially it is a parallel dimension to Earth. While it hasn’t been mentioned before in the MCU, the upcoming Captain Marvel movie could change that.
In the comics Kree Captain Mar-Vell is bonded with Rick Jones whereas one of the them exist in the Negative Zone and the other on Earth. In the Captain Marvel movie, Mar-Vell will be portrayed by Jude Law and will be an integral part of Carol Danvers gaining her powers and becoming the titular character.
The ending of Infinity War saw Nick Fury paging Captain Marvel for help. Could it be that she has been in the Negative Zone this entire time fighting Annihilus or some other cosmic villain? It would explain her absence in the MCU thus far.
Overall odds: 65 percent.
Picking a Winner
The Russo Brothers have mentioned that fans should be scared by the title of Avengers 4.
Both Disassembled and Annihilation could be seen as evoking sense of fear. While they both would be equally great titles, Disassembled seems to fit just slightly better based on Marvel’s overall plans.
With Avengers 4 simultaneously being the end of one era and the beginning of another, using Disassembled just makes more sense.
What do you think the title will be?
