Will Avengers 4 Be A Hard Reset For The Marvel Cinematic Universe?
With the sequel to this week's Spider-Man: Homecoming beginning just moments after Avengers 4, [...]
With the sequel to this week's Spider-Man: Homecoming beginning just moments after Avengers 4, some fans are already wondering just how much of a status quo shift that movie might be -- and whether the next Marvel film might pick up right after it in part so that the movie can pick up the pieces.
Everything for nearly a decade has been building to a climactic battle with Thanos, and that battle -- expected to take place over the next two Avengers team films, released a year apart -- will deal with massive, cosmic themes that could plausibly change the face of Marvel's movie universe.
That isn't lost on anyone, especially as so many key players in the current crop of Marvel movies are only contracted through the end of the fourth Avengers film. And those twin notions have worried and excited fans who wonder: after this, what's next?
We know the Guardians of the Galaxy will return for one last go-'round with no ties to Avengers 4, with a plot that's "dependant" on the Infinity War saga. After that, Star-Lord and company will be sent off to pasture, with director James Gunn rumored to take on a larger role in helping to shepherd the post-Thanos Marvel Cinematic Universe forward.
Beyond that, we don't know a lot.
Sooner or later, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is going to have to deal with something that is fairly unique to the kind of movie they're creating: re-casting major roles, some of whom are completely identified with the actor currently playing the role, while explicitly retaining the existing continuity of the previous films, and likely many of the actors who have played alongside the actors being recast for some time.
It seems clear there will be no hard reboot post-Infinity War; Tom Holland will still be Spider-Man, the Guardians will be impacted but not totally changed, and on and on.
If there's one thing Marvel fans know, though, From Marvel NOW to "Dark Reign" to "Legacies," it's that there need not be a reboot for there to be a reset. And right about now, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is feeling awfully vulnerable to a "Dark Reign"-style status quo shift that ushers a number of characters on and off-stage while changing up the overall dynamic and maybe even the aesthetic of the universe a bit.
Spider-Man: Homecoming was recently Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, with our own Brandon Davis calling it the best on-screen film about the wall-crawler yet.
You can find the official synopsis for Homecoming below, which has a 4.13 out of 5 on ComicBook.com's anticipation rankings.
A young Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland), who made his sensational debut in Captain America: Civil War, begins to navigate his newfound identity as the web-slinging superhero in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Thrilled by his experience with theAvengers, Peter returns home, where he lives with his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), under the watchful eye of his new mentor Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.). Peter tries to fall back into his normal daily routine – distracted by thoughts of proving himself to be more than just your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man – but when the Vulture (Michael Keaton) emerges as a new villain, everything that Peter holds most important will be threatened.
The cast includes Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Zendaya, Donald Glover, JacobBatalon, Laura Harrier, Tony Revolori, Tyne Daly, Bokeem Woodbine, with MarisaTomei, and Robert Downey Jr. It also includes Jon Favreau, Martin Starr, KennethChoi, Michael Mando, Selenis Leyva, Isabella Amara, Jorge Lendeborg, Jr., JJ Totah, and Hannibal Buress.
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- Tom Holland On Why Tony Stark Doesn't Want Spider-Man In The Avengers