Spoilers ahead for Avengers: Infinity War.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has always produced quality movies, but the success of Phase Three has been unprecedented. Every single blockbuster has been a critical and box office darling, and the entire shared universe came to a head with The Russo Brothers' Avengers: Infinity War. In addition to awesome new crossovers, the insane ending put the entire future of the MCU into question. All will eventually be answered when the still untitled Avengers 4 hits theaters in a year, upending the shared universe as we know it in the process. While the contents and title of Avengers 4 are a mystery, The Russo Brothers are convinced it is their best Marvel film to date. As Joe Russo recently told it:
You know, we're very proud of it. I think ultimately Avengers 4 may be our best work for Marvel. I think we've grown with every movie that we've made there. We've grown with the characters. We've grown with the cast. As filmmakers we're very happy and very excited with the movie.
Do you hear that? It's the increased heartbeat of ever fanboy out there. Avengers: Infinity War exceeded all expectations, so the idea that Avengers 4 somehow surpassing that blockbuster and The Russo's past with the Captain America franchise is really saying something.
Joe Russo's comments to Deadline show how methodically the Russo Brothers have approached their myriad MCU movies, while also keeping the hype rolling for Avengers 4 in the process. The directors have taken bits of knowledge and experience from each of their projects, starting with their massively successful debut with Captain America: The Winter Soldier. All of their movies have perfectly balanced action with an emotional plot, and the stakes are certainly high enough for Avengers 4 to deliver the latter in spades.
Joe Russo also spoke about trusting his instinct within the MCU. And since Infinity War and Avengers 4 were filmed essentially at the same time, he and Anthony are able to release the untitled blockbuster without worrying about fan response.
You know, it's always an agenda of ours to block out the outside noise because it can lead you to make some bad choices with the material. We've learned over the years just to listen to ourselves, and it's great that there's two of us that we can have conversations with each other. We can really stay insulated and reinforce one another in our belief in the story that we're telling. I feel like with Avengers 4, because it was made before there was any response to Avengers 3, it's really pure in that regard. The storytelling is very pure. It's without any sort of external noise creeping in.
Avengers: Infinity War had plenty of shocking moments, but fans couldn't have predicted the absolutely devastating way the film ended. Thanos actually succeeded in his task, and acquired all of the Infinity Stones. With a snap of his finger, Josh Brolin's villain wiped out half the galaxy, including a mass of beloved Marvel heroes. Fans were left mouths agape in theaters, and wondering how the MCU could possibly continue after such a horrifying loss.
This sense of loss will likely inform the action of Avengers 4, as the few remaining heroes will grapple with the guilt and anger associated with Thanos' victory. The OG Avengers must team up with survivors like Rocket, Nebula, and newcomer Captain Marvel in order to somehow reverse Thanos' snap. Or The Russos could throw us for another loop, and change universes altogether. We'll just have to wait and see.
All will be revealed when Avengers 4 arrives in theaters on March 3rd, 2019. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
