Avengers: Infinity War is one heck of a significant film in the grand scheme of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The 19th entry overall, it marks the first time that all of the heroes from the various sub-franchises will team up, just in time for the MCU’s tenth anniversary, too. It’s not only a celebration of how far things have come, though, but an ending as well.
Co-director Joe Russo described Infinity War as being like the final chapter of the MCU’s story so far while speaking at a recent press event. It’s an ominous phrase, though the filmmaker promised that there will be a new beginning for the franchise in the near future.
Here’s how he puts it:
“If Marvel’s been writing a book for the past 10 years with these movies, Infinity War is the final chapter of that book. Then there’ll be a new book written, and that will be the next phase of Marvel.”
It’s interesting to note that Russo describes Infinity War as the final chapter, and not its sequel. Once upon a time, the film was just part one of a two-movie event. However, it was later retooled as a single story in its own right that will nevertheless lead into next year’s still-untitled Avengers 4. If nothing else, Russo’s comments only further suggest that Infinity War isn’t just a precursor to the final battle.
As for what that next book that the director speaks of will contain, Marvel’s keeping a lid on that for the foreseeable future, and understandably so. That being said, we know that Spider-Man: Homecoming 2 (or whatever it’s called) and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 are on their way in Phase 4, set to arrive in 2019 and 2020, respectively. It’s also reported that an Eternals movie could be on the cards. Oh, and we’d imagine there will be a Doctor Strange 2, as well.
Closer to home, though, we’ll get to see if this final chapter ends the story on a high when Avengers: Infinity War hits theaters in just 12 days, on April 27th.