The Last Avenger is the latest in a long line of would-be Avengers 4 titles to sweep the internet. It may very well be the title of next year's Infinity War sequel, thanks to one fan's dogged efforts to decipher Mark Ruffalo's spoiler-filled bleeps on Late Night Starring Jimmy Fallon.
Except it probably isn't.
Marvel is known for its red herrings. This is not the first time the studio has deliberately dropped something distracting to tear attention away from potential spoilers. Moreover, Ruffalo's appearance on Fallon was clearly dubious -- too brazen to be real and too obviously scripted to have been spontaneous. It felt more like a marketing stunt than an official announcement.
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And yet, there is something endearing about ending the Marvel Cinematic Universe's introductory arc with a film entitled The Last Avenger. Thanos' much-hyped invasion truly began back in 1942, when Steve Rogers, a skinny young man who had flunked out of the Army enrollment tests, geared up to become Captain America, the world's first superhero and the "First Avenger."
Ending that arc with The Last Avenger is not only endearing, but also poetic, allowing the story of the original Avengers to come full circle. From a purely literary perspective, it's a clear indicator of when the first arc ends and when the next chapter begins. Any other title might feel less appropriate, even lacking.
Compared to titles like "Endgame" or "Annihilation," The Last Avenger is propitious and inspiring, allowing the arc to end on a hopeful note rather than a bleak one. It implies one of the original founding Avengers will survive Thanos' onslaught and live to tell the tale.
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Who will it be? Probably the most consequential Avenger to leave behind. This could be anyone from Captain America to Iron Man, or even less integral Avengers like Thor, Black Widow or Bruce Banner. Regardless of who it might be, whoever manages to survive the endgame will serve as our personal guide to a future without the Earth's Mightiest Heroes, ferrying viewers from Phase Three to Four.
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If true, that person will become more than just a guidepost. Whoever this "last Avenger" might be will rise to become a symbol of a time long gone, our last remaining link to the MCU's glory days, inspiring a new generation of Avengers to continue fighting the good fight. This person might even end up mentoring them as a way of personally handing off the torch. A lot of stories with definable arcs start and end this way, with one character continuing on into the next chapter while the others move on. This method of storytelling expands on a preexisting world instead of just ending it, establishing a larger continuity.
Marvel is big on continuity, and has always been careful not to obfuscate its timelines to Fox levels of cinematic disorder. Knowing the studio's modus operandi, it wouldn't be entirely implausible to assume Phase Three will be ending the same way.
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As it so happens, there is a Marvel comic book entitled The Last Avenger, where Ultron and Kang the Conqueror join forces to destroy the Earth's Mightiest Heroes. In this iteration of the Ultron mythos by Peter David and Ariel Olivetti, the founding Avengers are either dead or missing, or physically incapacitated, as in the case of Hawkeye. The last Avenger turns out to be Captain America.
If Avengers 4 intends to follow the same path, having Chris Evans publicly announce his exit only to have Mark Ruffalo intentionally "leak" the title would make for the ultimate smoke screen. Maybe Steve Rogers truly is the last Avenger -- the original relic of "a time long gone" -- and all this publicity is a way to distract fans from that possible (or inevitable) outcome. Since the title for Avengers 4 has yet to be confirmed, this remains purely speculation... but brilliant, if true.
Red herring or not, titling the end of Phase Three The Last Avenger would be a stroke of genius, and in many ways the perfect conclusion to the original Avengers' cinematic journey. The Last Avenger provides fans with not only gripping devastation but also some degree of hope, and is symbolic of the MCU's 10-year legacy.
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Unfortunately, it's more likely Ruffalo was bluffing and the title of Avengers 4 is probably something completely different. That's a shame, considering The Last Avenger might just be the best fake title Marvel has ever conceived. Every other title already feels like it will pale in comparison.
Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, the untitled Avengers: Infinity War sequel, tentatively titled Avengers 4, stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Don Cheadle, Josh Brolin, Jeremy Renner, Paul Rudd and Brie Larson. The film hits theaters on May 3, 2019.