One of the main questions we were all left with at the end of The Avengers was, of course, what comes next? The answer, we believed, would have something to do with Thanos. That brilliant post-credits appearance just couldn’t have been more tantalising. So naturally, the anticipation is riding on high for Joss Whedon’s The Avengers 2, which will be closing out Phase Two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2015.
*Spoiler Alert*
Best not to read on if you don’t want to know much about Phase Two or beyond.
Speaking at a recent red carpet premiere for Shane Black’s Iron Man 3, Whedon spoke a little about Thanos, and his comments would suggest that The Avengers 2 isn’t going to feature the be-all end-all mighty showdown between The Avengers and the Titan. It sounds like that could still be some ways down the line.
The video below, and the original article from DesdeHollywood, makes reference to Whedon saving Thanos for The Avengers 3. But it’s important to note that Whedon makes no explicit reference to The Avengers 3 whatsoever, and that that is entirely speculation. Personally, I’m hoping Thanos won’t fully come into the picture until beyond The Avengers 3.
Q: The Avengers are very powerful. Why they should be concern about someone like Thanos?
JW: Well, Thanos is more powerful. He is so powerful he is not someone you can just try out and punch him. Like he did in the comics, you want him to threading through the universe and to save the big finale for ‘the big finale’. But he’s definitely a part of what I have got going on.
The thing about the Avengers is that they are very powerful but not very stable. So, there will definitely be some people that will shake them up in the next instalment.
Whedon also talked a little about the recent talk that has been floating around about the possibility of Robert Downey, Jr. hanging up the Iron Man suit, and seems to confirm that he will at least be back for more in The Avengers 2.
I am not the guy who should worry about him being replaced. He is Iron Man at this point. When I heard he was cast, I just knew that something has changed, and I don’t usually know stuff like that. I said, “Now we are into a new phase.” The way he embodies it… I love working with him. Shane captures it so perfectly in this movie.
I’d like him to be playing it forever. The great thing is that he has a flying metal suit. It’s not like in those Charles Bronson or Roger Moore movies, when you are like, “Dude, you can barely stand.” He’s got some fight in him. At the same time, if Robert decides to hang it up, he has a perfectly good excuse.
I don’t know about you, but it’s comments like these that just make me love Whedon and his work. The Avengers 2 is by far my single most anticipated movie currently slated for 2015 (the anticipation of which can only be paralleled if Warner Bros. announce Justice League for that summer), and I love that Marvel and Whedon are already thinking beyond it.
If Thanos is indeed going to be saved for the big finale, I don’t want that to come as soon as 2015. We’ve still got so much to look forward to from Phase Two, with Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and Guardians of the Galaxy all following Iron Man 3 and coming before The Avengers 2.
And with Edgar Wright’s Ant-Man set to kick off Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in August 2015, there’s already much more to look forward to following this current cycle. And I love that it sounds like Whedon is effectively developing (or masterminding, if you will) an arc for Thanos to take from The Avengers, The Avengers 2, and most likely beyond, quite possibly with an appearance between the first two in Guardians of the Galaxy.
No films get me quite so excited as those in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The next few years are going to be so awesome.
[yframe url=’www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue52oeAnlKw’]
