7 Great Marvel Storylines for After 'Avengers: Infinity War'

Secret Invasion

This is our first suggestion, pretty much because it's the one storyline that has already been floated as a possibility for Phase 4.

"Secret Invasion" sees the Skrull Empire exact revenge for Earth's role in the Kree-Skrull War by launching a long-term scheme of infiltrating and replacing key figures on Earth to pave way for a full-on Skrull invasion, with a new line of Super-Skrulls leading the charge.

Captain Marvel will establish Earth's intervention in the MCU Kree-Skrull War during the '90s, so lots of fans expect the fourth Avengers to end with a post-credits reveal that one or more of the character deaths in the film was actually a Skrull agent posing as a hero. The best thing about "Secret Invasion" is that it truly could last for several phases of MCU storytelling.

Secret Wars

Since Avengers: Infinity War is already borrowing from acclaimed writer Jonathan Hickman's work (i.e., the "Infinity" crossover event) it might be good to follow the film with one of Hickman's other storylines, "Secret Wars."

In that tale, the various realities of the Marvel Multiverse collide and are about to be eradicated; it's only through an uncharacteristically noble act by Doctor Doom and Doctor Strange that existence is saved. The pair (with help from Molecule Man) preserve elements of the entire Marvel Multiverse in one realm, known as Battleworld, where Doom rules. The twist comes when Reed Richards and other key Marvel heroes arrive in Battleworld, having escaped eradication. Naturally, they don't take too kindly to a world where Doom is god.

"Secret Wars" is a good pick for the next phases of the MCU as it will take a long buildup to get to the full storyline, and it clearly would serve as a sure method of bringing both the X-Men and Fantastic Four into the MCU.

Dark Reign

"Dark Reign" was a storyline that began after "Civil War" in the 2000s, and it centers around one simple premise: the villains of the Marvel Universe disguising themselves as the heroes. This occurs after Thunderbolts leader Norman Osborn is promoted to run the new replacement organization for S.H.I.E.L.D., known as H.A.M.M.E.R. Osborn takes the Thunderbolts concept (villains re-branded as heroes in government service) and applies it in a much more nefarious way: Osborn takes up the mantle of Iron Man for himself, and disguises the rest of his Thunderbolts team as heroes like Thor, Wolverine, Hawkeye, and Spider-Man.

The fun thing about "Dark Reign" being brought into the MCU would be getting a whole new set of characters and potential villain-centric franchises to drive things, while slowly transforming the superhero franchises into stories of the heroes on the run, trying to survive in Norman Osborn's topsy-turvy world. If Marvel wanted to take some sly jabs at the current political order, this would be it.

Secret Empire

This recent Marvel Comics crossover wasn't exactly the most beloved event the publisher has put out, but it could definitely find redemption as an MCU storyline!

"Secret Empire" saw HYDRA resurface to take over the Marvel Universe, bringing some long-term schemes to fruition, such as activating Steve Rogers as a longtime HYDRA sleeper agent. HYDRA's leadership seizes control of the world, enforcing a fascist doctrine that sees things like mutants and Inhumans being segregated to their own sectors of the country. The rest of the Marvel heroes have to band together and form a resistance, to take back the world from this evil empire.

Clearly, there are enough prior storylines already woven into the MCU to start us down the path of "Secret Empire" in Phase 4, especially if the events of Avengers: Infinity War and the fourth Avengers leave the world weakened when it comes to heroes to defend it. It would also give Chris Evans plenty of reason to stick around, and explore a new facet of his character.

Annihilation

This mid-2000s crossover event saw the Marvel Universe threatened by a dark new threat: The Annihilation Wave, an insatiably destructive armada led by Annihilus, ruler of the dark realm known as The Negative Zone. The appearance of the Annihilation Wave forces the heroes and villains of the Marvel Cosmic Universe to band together in order to stop Annihilus from consuming the universe. A sequel story, "Annihilation Conquest", had much the same arc, only with Ultron leading an army of techno-organic aliens known as The Phalanx.

With the MCU having now established a clear and successful cosmic brand with franchises like Thor and Guardians of the Galaxy, the "Annihilation" stories would be a prime way to take the established MCU and expand it with franchises like Captain Marvel, and Nova while giving characters like Thanos and Adam Warlock a spotlight, as well.

Avengers vs. X-Men / Uncanny Avengers

Uncanny Avengers was the comic book series that saw the Marvel Universe heroes confront an uncomfortable truth after the death of Charles Xavier and the "Avengers vs. X-Men" storyline: the Avengers had never championed the cause of mutant rights, often leaving their colleagues the X-Men to suffer the burden of bigotry. In an attempt to correct this oversight, an Avengers/X-Men mixed team was created.

This storyline would be a great slow burn way to bring the X-Men into the MCU, and then deal with the reality of what that substantial change means for the world. It would be a create way for the MCU to deal with some deeper societal themes, while still giving fans an exciting "event" to witness.

Onslaught

Before we get to an Avengers vs X-Men showdown, it might be good to establish a firm foundation for why the X-Men and mutants get tagged as major threats to the world of the MCU. "Onslaught" would definitely help achieve that goal!

The story came from an X-Men mystery in the '90s, which saw the team being plagued by a shadowy figure named Onslaught. It was eventually revealed that Professor X was actually "Onslaught," a psychic entity born when Xavier was "infected" by a piece of Magneto's psyche, as a result of erasing his rival's mind. Onslaught eventually manifested into an independent entity and left Xavier behind, causing both the X-Men and Avengers to suffer some serious losses. Later on, the Onlsaught entity resurfaced when Red Skull took possession of the dead Xavier's brain, the Uncanny Avengers had to once again defeat the evil figure.

The beauty of Onslaught is that he's a villain who comes from a slow-burn mystery buildup that's very exciting, with a payoff that's definitely worth the journey. It would be a great backdrop to the aforementioned "Avengers vs. X-Men" and "Uncanny Avengers" story arcs, kicking off the X-Men / Fantastic Four MCU intro with a suitably exciting bang.

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What Marvel Comics storylines would you like to see in Phase 4 of the MCU? Let us know in the comments!

Marvel Studios' Black Panther is now playing in theaters. Avengers: Infinity War hits theaters on April 27, 2018. It is followed by Ant-Man and The Wasp on July 6, 2018, Captain Marvel on March 8, 2019, the fourth Avengers movie on May 3, 2019, the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming on July 5, 2019, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in 2020.