This post contains SPOILERS for Thor Ragnarok
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The promotional push for Avengers: Infinity War is getting started this week with a cover story in Vanity Fair, so it's time to see what the outlet has revealed during their coverage. Set up as the culmination of the Marvel Cinematic Universe so far, Joe and Anthony Russo's latest franchise production is going to be a film event unlike any other, bringing together essentially every living character in the property thus far for a showdown against the Mad Titan, Thanos. Marvel Studio started revving up the hype train over the summer when they showed a sizzle reel at the D23 Expo and San Diego Comic-Con, but the general public has been left in the dark.
That is about to change in a major way. Marvel boss Kevin Feige promised fans the first Infinity War trailer would arrive before the end of the year, and now the countdown as we wait for official footage. As a primer, the MCU was the subject of Vanity Fair's latest cover story, and much like the magazine's reporting on The Last Jedi, there are several interesting nuggets of information for viewers to enjoy. We're doing a rundown of the biggest items here, beginning with Marvel's future.
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Avengers 4 Is A 'Finale'
While Infinity War is commanding most of the attention now (for obvious reasons), its untitled sequel due in 2019 is also a hot point of discussion. That film marks the end of the MCU's Phase 3, and it will be quite different from the conclusions of the previous two phases. Feige himself stated this will be "a finale," meaning a definitive end that closes the books on one incredible run. The cover story mentions "at least some of the original characters who sit at the center of the billion-dollar Avengers team will be hanging up their capes and shields," so there should be some emotional farewells. However, Marvel will still be going strong.
Marvel Has 20 Movies Planned After Avengers 4
Marvel Studios is noteworthy for planning their release slate years in advance, formulating a plan that comes into fruition. That being said, few would have expected they would be thinking this far ahead. By the time Phase 3 wraps up, the MCU will be 22 movies in, and 20 more will be on the way. Obviously, details were not revealed at this juncture, but we do know a Spider-Man: Homecoming sequel is on deck for 2019 and James Gunn is busy writing Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and those two should set the stage for the following decade. It will be exciting to learn what else Marvel has in store, as it sounds like they'll have plenty of material to sustain Hall H panels from now until the end of time.
Marvel Studios Has The Rights To 7,000 Characters
The MCU has turned obscure properties like Guardians of the Galaxy into household names, but Fiege and his team have barely reached the bottom of the barrel in regards to finding more movie ideas. Disney CEO Bob Iger told Vanity Fair Marvel Studios has the rights to 7,000 characters, and in the future, the MCU will be taking viewers to whole new places they haven't seen before. Even if the House of Mouse never strikes a deal to acquire 20th Century Fox (which would allow X-Men and Fantastic Four characters to fall under the MCU umbrella), they're not about to experience a content shortage. And with Marvel developing a sterling reputation over the past decade, they shouldn't have any issues making even more lesser-known characters big stars.
Thor's Hammer Is Gone
As one of the founding members of Earth's Mightiest, Chris Hemsworth was part of the photoshoot, dressed as Thor sporting his short Ragnarok haircut. Interestingly enough, the actor was holding his trusty Mjolnir prop, causing some to wonder if the God of Thunder is reunited with his hammer, which was destroyed by Hela in Taika Waititi's film. That does not appear to be the case, as Vanity Fair notes that even though the hammer and Thor's cape are in the pictures, "that doesn't mean they'll return in Avengers: Infinity War." As for why they were included, then, it's most likely on Marvel's part to preserve Ragnarok spoilers. It's already been confirmed Thor's eyepatch will be back in the team-up (he lost an eye to Hela, too), and Hemsworth very clearly has two peepers in the photo gallery.
More Hulk, Less Banner
As for Thor's Ragnarok cohort Bruce Banner, moviegoers should be prepared to spend more time with "the other guy" than the brilliant scientist. One of the consequences of Banner staying as the Hulk for a period of two years (becoming a celebrity on Sakaar in the process), is that Bruce risks losing control of his duality to the enormous green rage monster. In Thor 3, Banner even says that if he transforms into Hulk again, Banner might cease to exist and never come back. In the cover story, it's mentioned that while filming Infinity War and Avengers 4, Mark Ruffalo spent more time in his motion-capture suit than before, so it might just be all Hulk all the time.
Black Widow and Captain America Are On The Run
At San Diego-Comic Con 2017, Infinity War artwork debuted new looks for MCU veterans Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff. The former was in complete nomad mode with a fully-formed beard, while the latter's iconic red locks were dyed platinum blonde. Many presumed this was connected to the ending of Captain America: Civil War, where Tony Stark warned his old friends that they would be fugitives on the run from authorities. With Scarlett Johansson showing off her fresh 'do, it's further confirmation she and the rest of Team Cap are trying to keep a low profile by altering their physical appearances. It won't be long until they're thrust back into the spotlight, however.
Paul Rudd's Busy Schedule
Signing on for a Hollywood tentpole film takes serious commitment, as a grueling production schedule (oftentimes in physical roles) is combined with a globetrotting press tour before one gets any time off. For Paul Rudd, things were even more time-consuming this year. The actor, who portrays Scott Lang, not only had his standalone sequel Ant-Man and the Wasp to film, but he was also shooting Avengers 4 simultaneously. This is just another illustration of how much Marvel Studios has grown in recent years, with multiple films rolling the cameras at once. For Rudd, it's amazing to consider he kept things straight, jumping back and forth between two different crews on different films with different tones.
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Vanity Fair is promising more Avengers and Marvel content throughout the rest of this week, so we will update this post as more information comes in. Stay tuned to Screen Rant for the latest!
Source: Vanity Fair [2]
