Marvel Studios
- Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said "you can sort of do the math" as to why the original Avengers survived the end of "Infinity War."
- Feige said the series is heading toward a conclusion with next year's "Avengers 4."
- This doesn't mean the end of the MCU, but an end for the "Avengers" era of the franchise.
Hawkeye fans rejoice.
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has addressed why certain characters, especially the original Avengers, survived at the end of "Avengers: Infinity War." Feige told io9 that "you can sort of do the math" as to why the original members made it out of the movie alive: because the "Avengers" series is heading toward a conclusion.
"I think for a film series that is going on 10 years and is gearing towards a conclusion with 'Avengers 4,' which you don't usually have in these kind of movies, you can sort of do the math," Feige said. "And realize it's the original Avengers that are left."
We knew at the end of the movie that the original members (except off-screen Hawkeye) definitely survived the Thanos snap which wipes out half-of-humanity. We also knew that "Avengers 4" would mark the end of an era for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But Feige's frankness is what's surprising.
His comments also seem to confirm that Hawkeye, who did not appear in "Infinity War," is alive since he was an original Avenger. Fans will be happy to know this, as Hawkeye's whereabouts were a topic of concern leading up to the film's release.
This doesn't mean that the MCU is concluding. The franchise has two movies confirmed after next year's "Infinity War" sequel - "Spider-Man: Far From Home" in July and "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" some time in 2020. Disney also has nine release dates for still-to-be-announced movies locked between 2020 and 2022.
The MCU is far from over, but the same can't be said for the "Avengers" series.
Disney CEO Bob Iger has said that a "new franchise beyond 'Avengers'" could carry the MCU into the future. That could mean that the next phase of the universe could build up to "event" movies similar to "Infinity War" that don't necessarily revolve around the Avengers. Veteran actors with the franchise like Chris Evans have even expressed that they are ready to retire from their roles.
With that in mind, we can assume that "Avengers 4" will be the Avengers reunion we've all been waiting for - and maybe the last hurrah for some.
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