First off, a major spoiler alert ahead for those who were not among those joining the $630 million opening weekend for "Avengers: Infinity War."
If you haven't seen the film, you might want to click out of this story now!
You have one final chance...
Read: 'Avengers: Infinity War': Recaps of last 18 Marvel Cinematic Universe movies Related: 'Avengers: Infinity War' smashes box office records with $630 million opening weekend... OK. Well, after the galaxy-shattering events of "Infinity War," droves of Marvel fans are wondering, where does the cinematic universe go from here?
At the end of the film, the mad titan Thanos succeeded in wiping out half the universe just like that, by snapping his fingers after collecting all of the powerful infinity stones and uniting them in his gauntlet.
Heroes like Black Panther, Spider-Man and more all vanished and ceased to exist. So, what's next?!
1 - Take a breath
You can breathe easy. If you paid attention, most of the new talent was killed off, which means they will live to fight another day. With sequels in the works for both "Black Panther" and "Spider-Man," they will most certainly be back. What was also clear was most of the old guard like Captain America and Iron Man lived.
What this means isn't certain. Will these veteran heroes risk their lives to bring back the younger talent? Maybe, that sure would be a stand-up-and-cheer moment in 2019 when the follow-up "Avengers" film is slated to come out. It would also be a nice way to say goodbye to Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. after they helped usher in the superhero era in film.
2 - Here she comes to save the day!
What is also clear is female empowerment will take center stage in 2018 and 2019 for Marvel.
In the post-credit scene, Sam Jackson's Nick Fury decided to call on Brie Larson's Captain Marvel for help. Her solo film is slated to come out early next year and as one of the most powerful heroes in all the galaxy, you can bet Captain Marvel will be one to lead the charge to get our favorite heroes back post-Thanos!
Another film set to come out before the next "Avengers" is "Ant-Man and the Wasp," which is out later this summer.
In that film, Paul Rudd's pint-sized hero will be joined by Evangeline Lilly's the Wasp to create the coolest duo of size-changing heroes you've ever seen. Lilly's mother in the film will be the original Wasp, played by Michelle Pfeiffer. That's two absolutely kick-butt women sharing the screen opposite Rudd and Michael Douglas.
3 - What's after the next 'Avengers' in 2019?
Well, I am glad you asked.
It's not totally clear, but The Hollywood Reporter says Marvel is currently mulling over a Black Widow picture, which would be Scarlett Johansson's first headlining film in the MCU.
This will most likely be some kind of prequel origin story to her Russian spy days, but fans have been clamoring for her to get a solo picture since she first appeared in "Iron Man 2" way back in 2010.
It's worth noting she also survived the purge at the end of "Infinity War," so maybe she factors in big, along with the fact she is military, just like Captain Marvel, who was an Air Force pilot before she became a superhero.
4 - What about Scarlet... !
That was a close call! Fans also want to know about Scarlet Witch, played by Elizabeth Olsen, who had a very major plot line in "Infinity War."
She and Vision had become a couple and, at the end, she was the only hero standing between Thanos and his getting his hands on that last infinity stone. She managed to stop him, but he used the old-time stone and went back in time to change things. What a cheater, huh?
She was also wiped out with half the Avengers during the purge, but I think she'll be back and in a big way.
Olsen was one of the young leaders in the Marvel Cinematic Universe's phase 3 after the events of "Age of Ultron" and shook things up a bit. She's also one of the most powerful heroes in that universe and could be a force to be reckoned with alongside Captain Marvel, Black Widow and even Danai Gurira's Okoye once they figure out how to stop this Thanos guy.
We got a little taste of that team when Okoye, Widow and Witch all tangled against one of Thanos' sidekicks during "Infinity War." It's a scene fans have applauded and raved about since the film's release.
Witch gets her powers from Vision's infinity stone, so it will be interesting to see how she factors in if she returns to the fold.
All these ties to the future of the universe and her really emotional arc in this film point to her coming back!
5 - Hey, you forgot Gam--- (Shhhhhh!)
Another close call! "Infinity War" also said goodbye to the fiercest "woman in the galaxy," as Thanos killed his daughter, Gamora, played by Zoe Saldana.
Aside from "Guardians 3" being announced for 2020, it's likely Gamora can return, and here's why. Her death is tormenting Thanos. He killed her to get the soul stone (the old soul-for-a-soul thing), but she really is the only other being he's ever loved besides himself.
In the comics, Marvel's heroes were not able to beat Thanos once he has all the infinity stones. He literally can lose only by mistakes he makes or if he gets bored with having almighty power. (It's worth noting his guantlet, which holds the stones, did get destroyed at the end, so maybe he can't use the stones anymore.)
But it's a safe bet that Thanos might want to change things back (using the time stone) after grieving over his daughter's death at his own hands.
Well, these are all theories and only time will tell what will happen over the course of the next 12 months and three Marvel films!
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