Earlier this week, Avengers 4 directors Joe and Anthony Russo teased that the film's title should scare fans, and we at CBR suspect we know why. In order to top Thanos and the Infinity Gauntlet from Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers 4 demands a villain that would cow even the Mad Titan -- and we know just the guy: Annihilus. If Annihilus does indeed rise in Avengers 4, we can probably expect the film to be called Avengers: Annihilation.

Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Annihilus first appeared in 1968’s Fantastic Four Annual #6. The villain rules the Negative Zone, an antimatter filled parallel universe that reoccurs throughout the Fantastic Four’s adventures. Annihilus also possesses the Cosmic Control Rod, which allows him to extend his life and augment his abilities. The villain played a key role in The Annihilation Saga, a multi-title event that propelled the modern Guardians of the Galaxy to their fan-favorite status ahead of their big screen debut.

There's a good reason why Annihilus hasn't shown up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe yet, despite his importance to the Guardians mythos. According to Guardians of the Galaxy writer-director James Gunn, the rights to Annihilus have been at Fox with the Fantastic Four. Last May, Gunn revealed that he wanted to use the character, but couldn't because Marvel didn't have him: “I think that there’s a good chance that if we had all of those characters -- I really like the character of Annihilus. And there’s a chance that I would have done Annihilus as a villain in one of the movies.”

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However, Marvel has already set a precedent for trading with Fox. Prior to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Marvel and Fox reached a surprise agreement: Ego the Living Planet in exchange for permission to change Negasonic Teenage Warhead's mutant powers from telepathy to explosive abilities in Deadpool. It's possible, then, that Marvel and Fox have struck another deal for Annihilus -- or, perhaps, Annihilus was part of the earlier deal. Regardless of how Marvel may (or may) not come into possession of Annihilus' rights, we know for certain that Gunn -- who is definitely involved in Avengers: Infinity War and likely Avengers 4 -- has wanted the villain in the MCU for some time now. (Note: Although Disney acquired Fox last December, the acquisition is expected take 12 t0 18 months to complete and won't impact the MCU until after Avengers 4.)

So far as the Negative Zone goes, Marvel probably doesn't have the rights to that either, as it was introduced in a Fantastic Four comic. However, the MCU has built in a failsafe for that. Beginning with a tease in Ant-Man and later expanded on in Doctor Strange, the MCU introduced the concept of a multiverse; that is to say, an array of parallel universes. Since Agamatto, the first Sorcerer Supreme, Earth's magic wielders have defended the MCU against inter-dimensional threats like Dormammu of the Dark Dimension. They even harness mutlidimensional energy to perform what is known as magic.

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To date, the MCU has established alternate dimensions like the Astral Dimension, the Mirror Dimension, the Dark Dimension and the Quantum Realm. Annihilus could easily hail from any of those instead or even from another, completely original world. In February, Doctor Strange star Benedict Cumberbatch teased that the mutliverse is about to get even bigger: “What we’ve seen happen within the Marvel Cinematic Universe is this ever-expanding coterie of superheroes, and I think now we’re at the stage where this universe, even within our world, has gotten quite crowded and it’s just about to explode into other dimensions.” As such, we know for certain that Marvel plans to explore the multiverse, and what better way to institute the dangers of such a multiverse than with a threat like Annihilus?

Page 2: Annihilation's Influence on Avengers: Infinity War



Then there's the matter of story. In Marvel Comics' 2007 Annihilation event, which reinvigorated the publisher's line of cosmic books, Annihilus bulldozes through the universe with his Annihilation Wave, wiping out any planet within his reach. One of Annihilus' first acts is to destroy Xandar and the Nova Corps, leaving Richard Ryder as the last Nova in the universe. With a little help from Drax, Ryder forms a resistance, which builds into a full-scale war.

As Ryder builds alliances with Ronan the Accuser, Super Skrull and Guardians members Peter Quill and Gamora, Thanos joins forces with Annihilus. Annihilus tells Thanos that his goal is universal balance; since the Marvel Universe is constantly expanding, it is encroaching on the Negative Zone, and so Annihilus seeks to "take back what is mine." While Annihilus' true endgame is later revealed to be "universe-wide extinction," this idea of universal balance is key for one simple reason: it's Thanos' goal in Avengers: Infinity War.

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“[Thanos] is from a planet called Titan that’s no longer inhabited because of things that he thought he could help prevent, and he was not allowed to do that,” Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige said in an earlier interview. “What he feared most happened, and the planet and everybody on it basically went extinct. He vowed not to let that happen again. He thinks he sees the universe going down the tubes. He thinks he sees life expanding outward unchecked. That will bring ruin, he believes, to the universe and to that life.” The similarity here -- particularly in the bolded section -- is striking.

In fact, the Thanos of Annihilation is distinctly anti-genocide. When he realizes Annihilus wants to destroy all life in the Marvel Universe, he calls the Negative Zone ruler crazy: "A universe-wide extinction event... The creature is mad." This is a far cry from the Thanos of Infinity Gauntlet, who happily killed half the universe just to win the affection of Mistress Death.

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What's more, Annihilation's Thanos actively works against Annihilus to stop him. After Moondragon revealed Annihilus' real plans, he worked to free Galactus from their capture, so that Galactus would turn on Annihilus and destroy him and the Annihilation Wave. Thanos lost his life in the process, murdered at the hands of Drax, but Moondragon and the Destroyer were able to finish what he started. Thanos' final act turned the tide of the war.

Of course, in the comics, the Avengers aren't involved with the Annihilation event, which took place close to the time of Civil War. However, that isn't to say they weren't considered. At one point, Ronan offers his thoughts on the matter to Ryder: "Even if your champions were capable of acting in unison... your world would still fall." If Avengers 4 is indeed Annihilation, a sentiment like that doesn't bode well for Earth's Mightiest Heroes.

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Interestingly enough, Marvel Comics is in the process of reprinting the entire Annihilation event. The first volume of the event, which features tie-in series like Drax the Destroyer, Annihilation: Nova and Annihilation: Silver Surfer, went on sale in March. The second volume -- collecting the Annihilation saga and tie-ins for Ronan and the Heralds of Galactus -- hits stores later this month, just in time to coincide with the release of Avengers: Infinity War. Though this doesn't confirm that the MCU will tackle Annihilation, the publisher has been known to reprint collections associated with Marvel Studios films around the time of their release. If Avengers: Infinity War ends with a lead-in to Annihilation, Marvel Comics may be hoping to catch a few fans whose interest was piqued by the film.

Page 3: How Captain Marvel Could Factor in to Avengers: Annihilation



Notably, another MCU film is set to hit theaters between Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers 4: Captain Marvel. Like many of its predecessors, Captain Marvel will draw inspiration from a particular Marvel storyline, namely The Kree/Skrull War -- which, as it were, features a quick cameo appearance from Annihilus himself. Little is known about how Captain Marvel will adapt this storyline, outside of the fact that it takes place in the 90s, but it's interesting that the movie will draw more attention to two alien races that are vitally important to Annihilation. In the comic, Annihilus wipes out the Skrull Empire and causes mass casualties for the Kree, completely upending their status quo in the meantime. Further, Captain Marvel will further explore Ronan the Accurser, an important piece of Annihilation. Since the film takes place in the 90s, it could very well set the stage for what we see in Avengers 4.

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Of course, it's worth pointing out that the MCU hardly ever does a straight adaption of its sources. Rather, the Marvel movies tend to draw inspiration from their namesake or source. For instance, Captain America: Civil War -- also written and directed by the Russos -- was a major departure from Mark Millar and Steve McNiven's Civil War event series. The motivation was altered dramatically to fit the MCU, even though the baseline -- and the conclusion -- was similar. This will likely be the case for both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers 4. So, if Avengers 4 does indeed adapt Annihilation, expect for it to draw elements from the comic rather than the whole plot.

It's hard to think of a scarier title for Avengers 4 than Annihilation. After all, Richard Ryder defined it rather succinctly after witnessing the power of the Annihilation Wave: "Complete. Total. Utter. There aren't enough words to describe this level of devastation." Annihilation is far more frightening than several of the titles that have been suggested so far: DisassembledSecret Invasion, Secret Wars, Fear Itself, etc. They simply don't carry the weight of Annihilation, which implies that no one will survive what comes next. Plus, the title Annihilation would resonate with casual MCU fans who don't read the comics, as the word transcends both mediums; thus, it would appeal to a broader audience, not just comic book fans.

Between Gunn's desire to use Annihilus, Fox and Marvel's secret trade deals, the MCU's burgeoning multiverse and the story of the event comic itself, it seems more likely than ever that Annihilus could raze the MCU in a fourth Avengers film -- perhaps titled Avengers: Annihilation.


The fourth Avengers film is set to be released on May 3, 2019, but beyond the general cast, nothing is known about the plot, the villains, or even the name of the film. Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, Avengers: Infinity War stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johansson, Paul Bettany, Anthony Mackie, Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Olsen, Tom Holland, Benedict Cumberbatch, Chadwick Boseman, Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Tom Hiddleston and Josh Brolin, among others. The film hits theaters April 27.