Marvel currently reigns supreme in the realm of comic book movies, but we've only scratched the surface of what the studio is capable of on the silver screen. The Marvel universe is as broad as it is eclectic, and that means every movie represents an opportunity to introduce some brand new, colorful characters. Without question, the biggest Marvel movie of the next year is going to be The Russo Brothers' The Avengers: Infinity War, and according to Marvel god Stan Lee: we can expect some major character introductions during the game-changing story arc.
During a recent appearance at a Q&A session in Des Moines, Iowa (via Gamezone) Stan Lee hinted at some significant Marvel Cinematic Universe developments in The Avengers: Infinity War. Although the people with him prevented him from revealing too many details, the Marvel icon hinted that at least one (and possibly multiple) fan-favorite Marvel characters will be introduced during the events of the upcoming Avengers movie. Unfortunately, reports indicate his publicist stopped him before he continued, meaning the news is as vague as comic book news can get when we consider the sheer size of Marvel's library of characters. Still, it at the very least suggests that Infinity War will change the existing Marvel landscape in some notable ways.
This is where we dive in and try to figure out exactly which characters Stan Lee is referring to in his statement. Some rumors associated with the film have suggested that Peter Dinklage is portraying Pip the Troll, but few concrete details about new characters have received definitive confirmation. Also, while James Gunn has denied that Adam Warlock will appear in Infinity War (after his tease at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2), we're still not ruling out the possibility that the cosmic Marvel badass could somehow factor into the equation in some way. Then again, it could be someone entirely different altogether.
However, it's also worth noting that other comments made by Stan Lee during this Q&A session could potentially indicate even greater changes for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Specifically, Lee spoke about (and lamented about) Marvel not having access to all of its characters -- insisting that he wants to see properties like Fantastic Four and X-Men return to Marvel. On that note, recent rumors have suggested that Fantastic Four villain Doctor Doom may be hinted at during the events of Infinity War, and if that's the case, then it's entirely possible that we're about to see the hinges blown off of the Marvel door in a major way. With less than a year left to speculate, it's time to start getting excited.
The Avengers: Infinity War will hit theaters next year on May 4, 2018, and the fourth Avengers film will debut the following year on May 3, 2019. If you're currently on the lookout for more information related to the rest of this year's biggest film releases, take a look at our movie premiere guide!
