It's no surprise that Avengers: Endgame is shaping up to be the most highly anticipated comic book movie of all time. Following the shocking ending of Avengers: Infinity War where Thanos snapped half the galaxy out of existence, to call this a grudge match would be quite the understatement.
We know the Mad Titan is looking to rest after balancing the universe in his own twisted way, but that's just not the case for Chris Evans' Steve Rogers, Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man and the rest of the Avengers as they aim to rebound with a new iteration of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. With that in mind, let's look at what you need to know for the upcoming clash.
WHICH HEROES ARE INVOLVED?
This time around, the Avengers will boast the heavy hitter known as Captain Marvel as a potential equalizer to the Mad Titan. We know Iron Man will come back to Earth and reunite with the original crew of Captain America, Black Widow, Thor and War Machine. Bruce Banner's in the fray as well, and hopefully he'll be bringing the Hulk for a Thanos rematch.
As for the other heroes, Clint Barton returns as Ronin/Hawkeye. Okoye will be joining with the rest of the ranks, including Nebula, Ant-Man and Rocket Raccoon. Wong, Happy Hogan and Pepper Potts (rumored to be suiting up as Rescue) are set to join the fray too, with Valkyrie also entering the mix, all in mysterious roles. Of course, these valiant numbers could all increase depending on which heroes return from the afterlife.
WHICH VILLAINS WILL FACTOR IN?
Well, so far, everything seems to revolve around Thanos once more. His Black Order was wiped out in Infinity War, but, ultimately, he got what he desired with his snap. So, seeing as this movie was always envisioned to be the second part of one giant Infinity War story, it's unlikely that focus will be placed on anyone but Thanos as the Avengers come for revenge.
One alternate trailer did hint that the Outriders could be back, but other than that, unless Loki returns as the evil god of mischief, Frank Grillo's Crossbones comes back with very heavy firepower or Red Skull returns from Vormir with a bang, more than likely it'll once more be the Thanos show. Seeing as he still has his broken Infinity Gauntlet, presumably all the Infinity Stones in tow and a new double-edged blade, he's still as lethal a threat as ever, though he'll now have to face the Avengers trinity of Iron Man, Captain America and Thor at the same time, as revealed in the film's ticket announcement teaser.
WHAT'S THE OVERALL PLOT?
Details have been kept very secret, as expected, but we do know Cap and his legion will be looking to "Avenge the Fallen." They've got some mysterious plan in place, with some theories suggesting they'll be traversing the timestream to find Infinity Stones of their own to weaponize.
Other bits of speculation suggest they'll use the Quantum Realm to find pockets that allow them to travel to other worlds and dimensions. This could also lead to the heroes bending the space-time continuum for whatever their agenda is. What we do know is that Cap doesn't really have a contingency plan if this ultimately fails. As for who'll be resurrected and who won't, that's also very much up in the air, as we can't put it past the studio to sling another surprise our way in the film's climax.
WHAT ABOUT THE AFTERMATH?
This movie will be the end of an era, wrapping over a decade of stories since 2008's Iron Man. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige dubbed this the conclusion to the Infinity Saga, and he hasn't even officially said what Phase Four will be called. All we know is it's a fresh start, with July's Spider-Man: Far From Home starting minutes after this movie ends to officially begin a new age.
What's for certain is that, with contracts up, the likes of Cap and Iron Man may die or retire. Also, given the box office successes and critical reception to Black Panther's social justice message about inclusivity, and Captain Marvel acting as a powerful feminist vehicle, Marvel will undoubtedly be pushing more progressive stories.
Whether reality is altered or rebooted, we do know that Feige will be shaping the future around the themes of possibility and diversity. This will surely result in younger heroes, more heroes of color and even gay heroes leading the way forward once Thanos' reign of tyranny comes to a grinding halt.
Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, Avengers: Endgame stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Paul Rudd, Brie Larson, Karen Gillan, Danai Gurira, Benedict Wong, Jon Favreau and Bradley Cooper, with Gwyneth Paltrow and Josh Brolin. The film arrives April 26.