Look, we get it. If you’re Marvel Studios and your last film “killed” fan-favorite characters in a cliffhanger ending that won’t get resolved for a full year, you’ll want to try to steer fans away from guessing the inevitable comeback story. So, when Spider-Man, Black Panther, and every Guardian minus Nebula and Rocket “died” at the end of “Avengers: Infinity War,” a rational movie-goer knows that those fates are all temporary. However, the Russo Brothers, who directed the film and its upcoming 2019 sequel, are trying their best to convince us otherwise.
In a recent interview with The Huffington Post, the Russos talked about how upcoming post-‘Avengers 4’ sequels seem to confirm the returns of fan-favorite characters, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re back from the dead. We’ll allow Anthony Russo to explain:
“Here’s the thing, I think it’s important to remember anything is possible in the MCU [Marvel Cinematic Universe]. Just because there’s a sequel on the books doesn’t mean … people become accustomed to time moving linearly in the MCU. That doesn’t necessarily have to be the case. There’s a lot of very inventive ways of where the story can go.”
His brother, and directing partner, Joe added, “There’s four years between ‘Guardians 2’ and ‘Infinity War.’ That’s a long time, and a lot of Guardians stories to tell. Again, as Anthony said, don’t expect everything to move forward in a linear fashion in the Marvel universe.”
Once again, the creative minds at Marvel Studios have effectively lied without lying. The next two films in the MCU do actually take place in the past, with “Captain Marvel” taking place in the ‘90s and everyone assuming that “Ant-Man and the Wasp” taking place pre-Thanos Snap. However, the implication that “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” (which will be released AFTER ‘Avengers 4’) will somehow take place pre-‘Infinity War’ is just silly. The only reason they’re saying this is because both Dave Bautista and Chris Pratt have confirmed they’re part of the eventual third film that shoots next year.
Does that mean that the announced and dated sequel to “Spider-Man: Homecoming” is a prequel? Obviously not, as it’s been confirmed by president Kevin Feige that it’ll take place over the course of Peter Parker’s next school year. And yes, the announced “Black Panther 2” could feature someone like Shuri in the costume, but Disney/Marvel Studios is a business and there’s no way that Chadwick Boseman will not be the star of that film.
So, while we respect the Russos doing their best to throw us off the scent and preserve some sort of surprises for ‘Avengers 4,’ we’re not buying it.