When Marvel released the first Iron Man in 2008 they began the process of assembling a massive cinematic universe. In order to organize these films, Marvel elected to separate each film into chronological "phases." Phase One of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) introduced four characters in their own solo films (Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, and Captain America) and eventually brought them together in a crossover film called The Avengers. Initially, there were some doubts that an undertaking this large would even be possible. But when Marvel released their first ambitious crossover in 2012, they silenced all their doubters and raked in a ton of money. Phase Two of the MCU was focused on following up with these heroes in their solo adventures, laying the groundwork for the second Avengers movie, expanding its roster and introducing the Infinity Stones. This phase concluded last year with Avengers: Age of Ultron and Ant-Man.
Personally, It has been quite a treat to watch this universe expand right in front of my eyes. I've watched all of the movies in theaters and I look forward to continue my foray into the Marvel world when Doctor Strange is introduced in November. But, this post is not about Doctor Strange, at least, not directly.
Each film and each phase of the MCU has continuously upped the ante in the action and amount of characters on screen, and I have reason to believe that the powers that be at Marvel Studios are setting the stage for an unlikely expansion of their universe. There is a very real possibility that by the end of Phase Three that the most significant addition to the Avengers roster won't be a superhero at all. In fact, it won't even be a character owned by Marvel.
Phase Three
In order to understand where I'm headed with my argument, it's important to look back at October of 2014, when Marvel first announced the films that would fall under the umbrella of Phase Three:
Captain America: Civil War May - 2016
Doctor Strange - November 2016
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - May 2017
Thor: Ragnarock - July 2017
Black Panther - November 2017
Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 - May 2018
Captain Marvel - July 2018
The Inhumans - November 2018
Avengers: Infinity War Part 2 - May 2019
Since the initial announcement, Phase Three has experienced a lot of fluidity and change. Part of the changes have to do with Marvel's acquisition of Spider-Man from Sony and some of them have to do with the somewhat surprise success of Ant-Man. As it stands now, Phase Three looks like this:
(Changes marked in bold)
Captain America: Civil War - May 2016
Doctor Strange - November 2016
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - May 2017
Spider-man: Homecoming - July 2017
Thor: RagnarockNovember - 2017
Black PantherFebruary - 2018
Avengers: Infinity War May - 2018
Ant-Man and the Wasp July - 2018
Captain MarvelMarch - 2019
Untitled Avengers May - 2019
Within the past week, Joe and Anthony Russo, revealed that the next Avengers adventure would no longer be a two parter which is now reflected in the Phase Three schedule. Joe explained this change by siting that, "the movies are two very different movies." Now, there could be several reasons for this change in direction and this change in story. But it is my firm belief that the Russo brothers are playing coy. They report that they simply do not know what they are doing with the title of that fourth Avengers movie, but they are lying. And I might have the evidence to prove it. So let's go ahead and dispel of this fiction once and for all that the Russo brothers don't know what they're doing. They know exactly what they're doing.
Who Will Join The Avengers?
We don’t presently know a lot about Avengers: Infinity War, but we do know that it will primarily focus on the alien artifacts known as the Infinity Stones, and the main villain will be an intergalactic thug known as Thanos. Thanos plans on collecting all six stones, unlocking their combined power, and taking over the galaxy. If the Avengers are going to have any shot at stopping Thanos, they can't just expand their roster for the sake of expanding their roster, they will need to expand their roster in the right way.
So who will join them in their fight to save the galaxy? The X-Men? Unfortunately, no. Fox Studios owns the rights to any and all mutants and it doesn’t look like they want to share with Marvel.
What about the Fantastic Four? They are also owned by Fox Studios, but after seeing their latest cinematic adventure, I don't think anyone really wants them fighting to save Earth, let alone the galaxy.
What about Batman and Superman? No. Those two are from a rival comic book universe, and Warner Brothers definitely will not be willing to play nice with Marvel. And even if by some infinitesimal chance they could find their way to Marvel Studios, they would need to sort out their own issues first. However, as I said before, the answer may lie outside the realm of the Marvel universe, and within a sister film studio.
As most of you may know, Marvel Studios is not an independent studio. It was actually bought by Disney in 2009. Since then Disney has been able to use Marvel characters in their cartoons, video games, merchandise, and films. Clearly, Marvel and the House of Mouse can play rather nicely with one another. If they can get along, then it stands to say that Marvel could potentially align itself with other film studios within the Disney brand as well: like Lucasfilm.
In 2012, Disney added Lucasfilm to their empire, in the same way they added Marvel in 2009. With this purchase, Disney not only bought the rights to any future Star Wars movies, they also acquired the rights to any and all characters under the Lucasfilm name. Which means that they have a certain archaeologist at their disposal.
Yup. That’s right. Untitled Avengers is not just an Avengers movie. I firmly believe that it is also an Indiana Jones film.
The Fedora is Coming to Marvel
Now before you say I'm crazy, think about it for a minute. There is absolutely no one more qualified to join the ranks of the Avengers. He’s dealt with ancient artifacts like the Ark of the Covenant, he faced aliens in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and let's also not forget that he probably ran into his fair share of Hydra Agents while fighting off Nazis, which makes him an excellent ally for Captain America. He is literally the perfect man for the job. You might think he’s too old to help out now, but you’re forgetting that he drank from the Holy Grail in "The Last Crusade" which essentially granted him immortality. He might not have any super powers, but neither does Black Widow or Hawkeye, and he’s already way more interesting than both of them.
Think I'm still nuts? Think I'm completely off base?
Well, Disney already confirmed that they were making a new Indiana Jones movie starring Harrison Ford. It's release date is July 2019 which is just a month after Untitled Avengers. The set up is simply too perfect. The fourth Avengers movie will introduce Indiana Jones into the Marvel roster, Phase Three will draw to a close, and then Indiana Jones 5 can pick up right where Untitled Avengers left off and kick start Phase Four. It's so simple! Disney has already been dropping hints! Wake up, people!
Sure. It’s a little far fetched, but who else can simultaneously pull off a Fedora while not look like a loser, and also save the world from the forces of Evil? The only acceptable answer to that question is either Tom Landry, or the immortal Indiana Jones.
Maybe I’m off my rocker. Whose to say? But if I were you, I’d reserve my tickets for Indiana Jones: Infinity War right now.
