We're coming up on a very exciting time for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Following Ryan Coogler's Black Panther, almost every major character from the shared universe will appear in Avengers: Infinity War, as well as the untitled fourth Avengers film. The Russo Brothers are helming both projects, and have the daunting task of juggling the large ensemble cast in the blockbuster, without it being weighed down by exposition and a long runtime. Its seems like just about any Marvel character could pop up, and now Chris Hemsworth seems to have confirmed the return of Benicio Del Toro's Collector.
Chris Hemsworth recently appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to promote his myriad projects. Of course, the conversation eventually turned to Infinity War, which is one of the most anticipated films in history. During their chat, Fallon listed off some of the all star cast that will bring the blockbuster to live, and included Benicio Del Toro, to which Hemsworth agreed. And just like that, it looks like The Collector will finally return to the shared universe after his hilarious appearance in the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie.
Rumors about The Collector's inclusion in Infinity War began about a year ago, when the film was first beginning to shoot. Josh Brolin is finally getting to play Thanos in the upcoming movie, and in a livestream on social media he showed Benicio Del Toro was among the actors he'd get to work with. We've also seen the Collector's lair in Avengers: Infinity War footage, but Marvel Studios hadn't expressly confirmed his inclusion; which is why this note is good news. Thanks in part to Jimmy Fallon himself, it looks like we have a concrete confirmation.
Narratively, The Collector popping up in Infinity War makes a great deal of sense. Through the events of Guardians of the Galaxy, it was revealed that The Collector was in possession of the Reality Stone aka the Aether. He also very nearly procured the Power Stone as well, before his plans went awry thanks to the Guardians. This should make Thanos very happy.
Thanos' main mission is to collect the Infinity Stones in order to give him seemingly unlimited power. Because The Collector seems to be keeping tabs on the Stones, Thanos will likely use The Collector to locate them, and to hand over the Reality Stone. Benicio Del Toro may not be as big of a character as the likes of Tony Stark or Steve Rogers, but he'll still be a welcomed presence in the film.
Benicio Del Toro's upcoming Infinity War appearance comes off the heels of his role as DJ in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Unfortunately, his role was tied to the Canto Bight plot line, which is arguably the most poorly received aspect of Rian Johnson's sequel. It's unclear if DJ will come back up in Episode IX and beyond, although his fate was left open-ended in the wake of the film's ending.
Avengers: Infinity War will arrive in theaters May 4th, 2018. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your trips to the movies in the New Year.
