Fanboys Anonymous

Hey, hey, hey Dacetacular Nation! The Dace Man is back after a very long hiatus from the nerdiest of realms Fanboys Anonymous. Now I know I haven't been here in a long while so I hope you still have the desire to read what The Dace Man thinks...even if it is madness.

One thing yours truly has been mulling over, is where does the Marvel Cinematic Universe go after 2019's blockbuster Avengers: EndGame. Now I know most people are spending time speculating what is going to actually happen in the fourth Avengers installment. Aside from the eventual write-off of the original Avengers who have become some what of a financial burden to Disney or those who wish to not portray awesome characters anymore, the movie has a sense of predictability to it coming up.

Black Panther, Spider-Man (which will also include Nick Fury and Maria Hill) and Doctor Strange all have announced sequels, so that's five characters guaranteed to return from the snap of doom. Not to mention prior to the James Gunn debacle at Disney, the Guardians were teed up for a 2020 release which means they will return as well in some form assuming Dave Bautista still wants the Disney money without his friend directing.

So with the exception of a few of the OGs the Marvel Cinematic Universe won't take too large of a hit, especially since the two suspected to sacrifice it all have had SEVERAL exits from the comic book source material. Some one will enter phase four with the Captain America mantel and I'm fairly certain some one will be running around in a suit of iron.

I have several theories on those two topics that I will explore in another article at some point. However as of right now there doesn't seem to be a direction that would call for an Avengers 5, once the squad handles Thanos that underlying threat that has been there for three phases is gone. So lets take a look at what could be in store for Earth's Mightiest Heroes.

A New Captain In Town


In the history of the Avengers there have been several instances of either Steve Rogers or Tony Stark being the leader of the Avengers. The Marvel Cinematic Universe handled it beautifully, essentially making their version of the Avengers lead by co-captains. Don't believe me? Captain America: Civil War is the prime example of the avengers having co-captains since it split the team right down the middle. Now assuming both Steve Rodgers and Tony Stark make the their exit from the main story lines in Phase 4, either by death or some other kind of creative writing, the leadership role of the Avengers will be open.

Enter Carol Danvers. We get our first look of Captain Marvel in early 2019, but without a doubt she's got the credentials to lead the team. Speculation among fans point to her being a key factor to the end of the mad titan Thanos, she has been noted as the most powerful the MCU has had to offer when it comes to heroes, plus she's a captain. Not to mention with the recent women's empowerment movement playing out in reality it would be huge for a female leading some of the highest grossing films in history. I also have read the comic runs of Carol Danvers and I definitely have a bias towards her running the Avengers in the future, plus Brie Larson for the win!

Acquisitions Assemble

Luckily Disney has made some moves in the world of reality that could setup three major villains that would not have been a possibility a mere three years ago.

First up would be a character they currently have secured based on a deal made with Sony Pictures. Norman Osborne has been a thorn in not only Spiderman's side but the Avengers too. Playing off the current theme that was set into play during Captain America: Civil War, Norman can easily play off the fears of, "If The Avengers were not a team, these threats would not plague Earth." mentality. Secretary Ross has already played the card with the Sokovia Accords so it's not to far fetched to believe this story line. From the seeds of this Norman can form the Dark Avengers and play out the comic run, that saw the good guys and bad guys swapping positions in the public opinion.

Another villain who will potentially be available in 2019, assuming the FOX and Disney merger is finalized, is Magneto. Now the one weak point of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has to be the introduction and inclusion of the Inhumans. Clearly all the big wigs in Marvel yearned to have the mutants find their way home, however due to 20th Century Fox owning their rights they settled for the little-known Inhumans. That experiment fell flat on its face. First a movie was announced to include them into the big screen line up, but the small screen took a crack at them first and seemingly foiled the plans of the big screen team. Then they decided to put them in their own series on TV and that was the death of the Inhumans.


Now with the Mutants back on the home team we now have a chance for the Avengers to square up with the baddest mutant out there Magneto. What would be the most fun is exploring Scarlet Witch and her connection with Magneto, assuming they change the word "Miracle" to "Mutant" for her. Then maybe we can get a House of M scenario going and instead of "No More Mutants" we can wipe out the Inhumans...Sorry Blackbolt.

Lastly is the nemesis of the soon to be acquire Fantastic Four, Doctor Doom. Victor Von Doom has stirred the pot on several occasions that caught the attention of The Avengers. Considering the Fantastic Four has been the weakest performer over at FOX it would most likely be the easiest to integrate into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Also with titles like Guardians of The Galaxy and Doctor Strange it's not crazy idea to have the Fantastic Four pop up... or another one of their greatest foes...Galactus.

The possibility are endless, with the new acquisitions, but none of these villains really have an multi-movie plot line appeal in my opinion. With the three previously mentioned they could all play a role that calls forth a large threat requiring The Avengers to pull out the big guns once more.

Kang the Conqueror Cometh

Thanos has been the big baddie in the background for almost 6 years. The army supplied to Loki in the original Avengers movie was by the mad titan and the stones he so desired played a part in the majority of the individual film's plots. One of the other big threats to the Avengers was Ultron, however he was dismissed after a single film and even had dialogue at the end that implied he wouldn't be coming back despite his ever nagging presence in the comics.

With two of the biggest threats in The Avengers history already down and out by the closing credits of Avengers: EndGame, who could that leave?


Welcome the conqueror. Kang has been held hostage over at 20th Century Fox but with the acquisition rumored to be complete as early as January 2019, he will be fair game again. A descended of the great Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four, Nathaniel Richards develops time traveling technology that allows him to travel to the past. Time travel has been hinted via the quantum realm in Avengers: End Game so how cool would it be if Kang appeared at the end of EndGame and captured Steve Rodgers or Tony Stark rather than actually have them die or something dumb.

Kang could be introduced as an unknown side-effect of reversing the Thanos snap. Thanos has warned several of our heroes about the universe out growing it's available resources. Who would better experience the effects of limited resources than a conqueror from the 31st century. Kang could appear later than originally intended, because after all it would be his first jump back through time, and out of frustration kidnap an Avenger or two until he figures out how to get back earlier than his initial jump. Think about it.

Well, anywho... we have another few months before we put a cap on the first three phases of the Marvel cinematic universe before we have to start worrying about the future. This, however, is definitely food for thought though. With the merger of 20th Century Fox and the deal in place at Sony, the future has unlimited possibility. I mean with the exception of a solo Hulk movie, but that's not a big deal.

So...let's see if I still got it.

As always, check back regularly to see what Chris "The Dace Man" Dace is looking at (and no, not just porn), as well as all of the other bloggers here at Fanboys Anonymous. Remember, keyboard warriors: leave your feedback! Until the next time, for the few, the proud, and, of course, the Dacetacular, grab a beer—and in this case your thinking cap—and check out what's going on here in the Dace-Sphere. See ya next time!

Nailed it.

What's up Dacetacular Nation? Chris "The Dace Man" Dace back again with another post Avengers: EndGame speculative article! Join me as I guess and get everything wrong!

Pending the release of the articles, you may or may not have read my hypothetical situations for Steve Rogers. This is going to be essentially the same article but focusing solely on the man who kicked off the Cinematic Universe, Tony Stark. Now you may notice I didn't include a recast option for Tony Stark, and that's because I feel like that is highly unlikely, even more so than Captain America. Public image at this point is Robert Downy Jr. is Iron Man and I believe we are a long way off before talks to recast this pivotal role can be thought of. With that being said let's jump in and figure out how to replace that arc reactor sized hole Mr. Stark may potentially be leaving us with.

The King Continues to Reign

Robert Downy Jr. is absolutely the king of kings when it comes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. So much so it is kind of hard picturing life after Tony Stark in Marvel Movies. In fact he has been in the most Marvel films (I Absolutely do not count the post-credit scene in Ant-Man for Captain America, it's just a clip of Captain America: Civil War no impact to Ant-Man plot). When I entertain the idea of RDJ sticking with the Tony Stark character, I picture just that. He's retired from the Iron Man suit and is a mentor to others like Peter Parker. In the comics he's even assumed the role of Secretary of Defense at one point and the head of SH.I.E.L.D. so those are two viable options as well if Tony is killed off.

Ms. Potts to the Rescue

Let us make the painful assumption Tony Stark does in fact bite the dust. A character that seems to have been positioned for her debut is Rescue, a.k.a. Pepper Potts in an Iron suit. Rescue had a decent run in the comics and even managed to hold her own. So let's go off the assumption Pepper will be there as Tony takes his last breathe, with a renewed vigor to actually fight the fight rather than complain about unavoidable confrontation, Rescue has potential to be pretty kick-ass. On the off chance Tony lives but is badly injured and can't perform the Iron Man duties she would be a logical padawan for Mr. Stark.

The Iron Heart...Shuri 

Now this one could be a bit far fetched if they decide to have Shuri stand out as her own but I feel like there have been small teases at her becoming Iron Heart. I realize that Iron Heart was a completely different character in the comics but it's not a stretch to transition Shuri into that role. They have already pointed out her knack for technology and even outshining Bruce and Tony a bit in Avengers: Infinity War in regards to Vision's construction. She already has the gear we've seen in Black Panther that uses similar propulsion technology Iron Man's Suit does. If they needed an Avenger to replace the missing Iron Man she would have my vote especially if they go the route of just retiring Tony rather than killing him off. Imagine scenes with RDJ and Letita Wright....amazeballs right?

Dead is Dead

I said this with Cap and I'll say it again with Tony, dead is dead. Now this would be the worst option for any one who's been with the MCU since it's 2008 inception but unfortunately the most logical. Robert Downy Jr. will be 54 when the next film comes out, so he's has the potential to turn into a creepy billionaire playboy philanthropist. Not to mention if he's playing his actual age in the movie, his fight scenes would be as painful to watch as an Undertaker match these days. Additional RDJ is the highest paid actor in the MCU to date. Stack all these things on a kill/don't kill sheet and our boy is dead.

The positive to come out of this will be a full payout of the character though, when we first met Tony he was a drunk egotistical jackass who wouldn't make the tough play. By the end of Avengers: EndGame we could see the finalization of the complete 180 for the character. I hate saying this, but I think this is what is going to happen this April. His death would have the biggest impact on the MCU in a way that could be reflected as a positive. Killing Cap is just gonna suck if it happens.

So what do you think is the fate for the other guy burdened with knowledge, Tony Stark?

As always, check back regularly to see what Chris "The Dace Man" Dace is looking at (and no, not just porn), as well as all of the other bloggers here at Fanboys Anonymous. Remember, keyboard warriors: leave your feedback! Until the next time, for the few, the proud, and, of course, the Dacetacular, grab a beer—and in this case your Arc Reactor—and check out what's going on here in the Dace-Sphere. See ya next time!

What is crack-a-lackin Dacetacular Nation? Chris "The Dace Man" Dace back again here at Fanboys Anonymous to do what I do best...speculate with little to zero merit.

So with Avengers: EndGame on the horizon, it's time to let speculation run wild! One of the thing that has the Fanboys Nation in a loop is the fate of Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Actor Chris Evans has dropped enough soundbites and blurbs to indicate that the next Avengers could possibly be the end of him as Steve Rodgers. With that being said there are a few options on how to handle the departure of the First Avenger from the cinematic Universe and I have a few ideas.

Steve Rodgers Retains the Title

Here's the angle I personally hope for the most, out of all the options you are about to read. Chris Evans can step away from the character for the time being but that doesn't mean we have to kill off Cap to do so. It is very well plausible after all the things Steve has been through in his life time enough is enough and it's time to retire, he is in his 90s after all. Why not have Steve fight the good fight and then hang up the shield? Bucky can stay as the newly attained White Wolf moniker and no need to have Sam stray away from the Falcon gimmick. This also leaves the option open that if Evans ever wanted to reprise his role as the First Avenger it would be there waiting for him.

Bucky Barnes as Captain America

The next logical choice in my opinion, is Bucky picking up the shield and running with it. Bucky has been Caps oldest friend, hell Cap went against the stars and stripes for the man. If Cap were to perish in the next installment of the Avengers franchise, his old pal Buck should be the next inline to carry on the legacy. Another point is Bucky really hasn't done squat in the Marvel cinematic universe to stand out on his own. Sure Civil War breaks out partly because of him and Winter Soldier is named after him but Bucky has yet to have that redemption moment to make the audience buy into him. Picking up the mantle would surely do it.

Sam Wilson as Captain America

If Bucky doesn't pick up the stars and striped banner, Sam definitely should. In the off chance the Marvel Cinematic Universe has more in store for the White Wolf persona Bucky was sporting in Avengers Infinity War the door is wide open for Sam. Sam has been Caps modern-era B.F.F., following Cap on any crusade the man goes on and never really having a personal investment in the outcome. The Falcon also deserves a shinning moment for himself too, though I personalty think it would be better suited as The Falcon, Sam has gotten the raw deal in almost all movies thus far.

First he gets his butt whooped trying to help Cap take on Hydra-S.H.I.E.L.D. Secondly head into his Avengers Debut and he has a brief cameo talking about tracking Bucky and isn't even called to help against Ultron despite the hell he went through during the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. Next in an Ant-Man Cameo he gets upstaged by Ant-Man....Ant-Man. He ends up in jail at the end of Captain America: Civil War and then lastly is snapped out of existence in Avengers: Infinity War

To loosely quote one of my favorite comedies..."Sam's a Peacock Falcon, Captain! You gotta let him fly!"

Recast Steve Rodgers

Here's one I'm really hoping they don't do, recast. Now If you would have asked me back at the start of this all my feelings on Chris Evans as Captain America, I would have scoffed at the idea. How can a guy who was an evil ex in Scott Pilgrim v.s. The World and Johnny Storm in The Fantastic Four going to pull off the God-Fearing Clean Cut Steve Rogers. Well I've eaten crow and almost 8 years later I'm begging for the man not to go. Names have been jokingly thrown out there to recast the role, like John Cena, but hopefully they are just jokes and not serious. However it's an option, not a good one, but just ask Terrance Howard.

Dead is Dead

Lastly the super morbid way out of the roll...death. Steve Rogers is a man who absolutely lays it all out on the field each time he heads into battle so why wouldn't he do so to bring back half the universe. The ultimate sacrifice would be a heavy price to pay not only for the fictional character but as well as the audience watching in the theaters. One would think after the depressing ending of Avengers: Infinity War it's sequel would have a much more lighthearted ending. However knowing what we know about real world implications on our fantasy worlds it is a real possibility that dead will in fact be dead for Steve Rogers.

So what do you think is the fate for the star spangled man with a plan?

As always, check back regularly to see what Chris "The Dace Man" Dace is looking at (and no, not just porn), as well as all of the other bloggers here at Fanboys Anonymous. Remember, keyboard warriors: leave your feedback! Until the next time, for the few, the proud, and, of course, the Dacetacular, grab a beer—and in this case your Captain America gear—and check out what's going on here in the Dace-Sphere. See ya next time!

On the premiere edition of Fanalyzed, host Tony Mango breaks down his thoughts on the recent comments J.J. Abrams made at the Tribeca Film Festival regarding who Rey's parents are in Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens, diving into his theory on just why Luke Skywalker is still the top choice despite how many are calling this the smoking gun that disproves their connection.

Watch the video below for yourself and make sure to subscribe and leave your comments below telling us what you think of this mystery and what will happen in future Star Wars movies.

We're only a few weeks away from the premiere of Star Wars: Episode VII—The Force Awakens, so the time for predictions is coming down to the wire. While I've been trying to stay away from spoilers and only check out official trailers and such, I can't help but to have my own predictions going forward, and one of those things in particular is about who is going to die.

In nearly every film in the Star Wars saga, a noteworthy character dies. This is especially true in the first and final installments of the trilogies, and since this is the beginning of a new set of films, I wholeheartedly expect there to be a handful of deaths. In fact, I'm going so far as to say we will see at least five deaths that will resonate with the audience in one way or another.

Who will those five deaths include, though? Let's break them down.

1) The Rebel Pilot Death

In Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope, one of the deaths that is overlooked but shouldn't be is Biggs Darklighter. Biggs is a childhood friend of Luke's who is essentially set up as a sort of big brother to him. Luke looks up to Biggs, and when he's killed by Darth Vader, that's when things get dire for Skywalker and the fun stops.

Right now, you might be thinking that Poe Dameron—the most widely advertised member of Black Squadron—is the easy target for this section, but I think he'll be making it out of this film alive. We haven't seen all that much about Poe, but he's been said to be an important character. My guess is he'll be the love interest for Rey (if her love interest isn't Finn), so he'll be sticking around for a few more movies, even though he's being tortured in the trailer by Kylo Ren.

Instead, I think Greg Grunberg's character is the one that will fill this role. I can see him being someone that Poe is friends with and filling sort of a Wedge Antilles position in the cast as someone who will be remembered, but not spoken about often. Grunberg is such a likable guy, so in a short time frame, he could make the audience care about him and then feel bad that his ship totally gets blown to pieces instead of us laughing like when Porkins wasn't quite alright or not remembering Dack's name most of the time.

2) A New Republic Figurehead

Leia is clearly going to be one of the primary faces of the New Republic considering how important she was during the original trilogy and how she was a well-known political figure from Alderaan. In fact, she might be at the top of the pecking order already, but if by some chance she isn't, I'm confident in saying she will be by the end of this movie.

Admiral Ackbar is confirmed to be in the film and I can't imagine him getting much more screen time than what he got in Return of the Jedi, which was pretty nominal. The same goes for Mon Mothma, who may be in the movie as the leader of the New Republic above Leia. If that is the case, Mothma will die to make room for Leia to move up in the ranks. If Mothma is already taken out of the equation before the events of the film, then I'm expecting Ackbar to turn into fried Mon Calamari. The death of one of the most distinguished generals will be a big loss for our heroes.

3) The Helper on the Sidelines

If you're a character who helps our heroes and you only appear in a few scenes, there are two ways in which your story can go. If you're lucky, you're someone like Dexter Jettster, who gives Obi-Wan Kenobi some information and then goes back to his stupid '50s diner. If you're Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru, you end up a charred skeleton. None of the handmaidens die in The Phantom Menace, but one of them serves her purpose (even though she says she failed, but that's another discussion for another day) in Attack of the Clones. Her name was Cordé, aka "the one that wasn't played by Rose Byrne" who gets blown up in an assassination attempt on Padmé. Even Shmi Skywalker only lasts two films before falling victim to Tusken Raiders.

Although we don't know too many details about their characters, I think the two that could fill this role are those played by Max von Sydow and Lupita Nyong'o. The former is supposedly playing Lor San Tekka—a villager with information. The latter's character, Maz Kanata, is a pirate who has been around for a long time and could also be spilling some information before spilling her guts. One of these two, if not both, are definitely going to be destroyed by the First Order. I'm 100% positive about that. I expect them to not even still be alive by the midway point of the movie as their deaths could be great tools to show how dangerous our new villains are.

4) The Big Villain Death

As dangerous as they'll be, it's not just heroes that die in these films and we can't forget about the obligatory comeuppances for greed and evil. In A New Hope, countless Imperial forces are killed when the Death Star explodes, but none of them are as featured as Grand Moff Tarkin. Losing the various governors, admirals, captains and so on just to see them replaced by someone else in the next installment is a staple of this franchise, so I'm putting a lot of faith on General Hux going up in flames when Starkiller Base is invaded.

Although I'm not as confident in my next prediction, I do think that there's a good chance Captain Phasma is killed off as well. While Hux is someone who Poe Dameron can waste in an X-Wing, Phasma's death would be better served at the hands of Finn, if she's his superior officer while he was a Stormtrooper. That would be the ultimate sign that he's ditched his former alignment and fully joined the side of good. You may think that she's too important of a character to be killed off in the first movie, but many other characters didn't make it past their first film. Sure, Zam Wesell and Greedo are nothing, but Jango Fett and Darth Maul are huge deaths that Phasma would be on par with.

Look, we all know Kylo Ren isn't going anywhere, nor would they introduce Supreme Leader Snoke and have him not be quite so supreme. Phasma and Hux are the two most expendable of the main baddies, and even if one of them makes it to Episode 8, the other one won't.

5) The Main Hero Death

Sadly, the first film of both trilogies has seen the death of a mentor character for our heroes. The main example of this is Obi-Wan Kenobi's sacrifice in A New Hope, as he fades away to become more powerful than Darth Vader can imagine, despite how he really doesn't live up to that hype. In The Phantom Menace, it's Qui-Gon Jinn who fails to fade away on-screen because he's yet to finish the last chapter in his book "How to Become a Force Ghost For Dummies" and saves that for another time.

Since both are bearded Jedi, one would think that Luke Skywalker fits the trope, but I think he's safe. Instead, I'm worried about not one, but two of the most popular characters in the Star Wars franchise: Han Solo and Chewbacca.

Exhibit A is the image of Rey crying over someone's body in the trailer.

Or maybe someone just sprayed her with a water gun. I mean, a water blaster.

Clearly, this is someone who she is enamored with in some fashion. The four most likely candidates from the information we know so far are Finn, Poe Dameron, Han Solo and Chewbacca. Why? Well,we can see that brown is the predominant color. We all know Finn and Rey interact with each other, and Finn has been seen wearing the same brown jacket that Poe wears. We can assume it's the same jacket. Also, since BB-8 is Poe's astromech droid and we have seen BB-8 and Rey together, it's fair to assume Poe and Rey cross paths. However, those two aren't likely to be set up as the new faces of this franchise and then die, so I'm ruling them out.

We also have seen shots of Rey and Finn in the Millennium Falcon and spending time with Han Solo and Chewbacca—both of whom are no stranger to brown as that's half of what Solo's wardrobe consists of and all of Chewbacca's, obviously. That part on the right side of the photograph could be Chewie's bandolier.

Han Solo makes so much sense to me that as soon as Harrison Ford was announced to be in the film, I was speculating how he would die. Lest we not forget that he was almost killed off in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, so there's a precedent for this sort of story to be told. Han also makes sense because he'll be the mentor for Rey and Finn (as well as possibly Poe) and that position just screams sacrifice. Although I don't know how much stock to put into the rumor, I had heard rumblings that Han could be killed in a way where he has to trust Luke telling him that that's how things have to be. This could be a scenario where Luke has a vision of what's to come and passes that information along to Han, breaking the bad news that it's time for him to die in order to prevent a bigger disaster. I will be beyond shocked if we don't hear Han say "That's three you owe me, junior."

And then there's Chewbacca. It sounds like blasphemy to say it, but let's face the facts—without Han Solo, there's no reason to keep Chewbacca around. Now, perhaps Han won't die, but Chewbacca will, and Han will be paired up with Lando for Episode 8 or just interact more with Leia, Luke, or even Finn/Rey/Poe. However, with Peter Mayhew's health in concern, I can't imagine Chewbacca continuing on. There really isn't much of a reason to keep him around. Chewbacca is a textbook supporting character. He doesn't offer much to the plot and the cast in this movie is so overloaded. How can we find time to properly utilize Luke, Leia, Han, Chewbacca, C-3PO, R2-D2, BB-8, Poe Dameron, Rey, Finn, Kylo Ren, Captain Phasma, General Hux, Supreme Leader Snoke, Maz Kanata and more? The most expendable of the bunch is Chewbacca, who has been killed off in the now non-canon Expanded Universe before, so it's not as though he's too sacred of a character to kick the bucket.

I would not be surprised to see Chewbacca honor his life debt to Han Solo by sacrificing himself around the 3/4 mark and for Han to be killed at the very end, or carry the guilt of Chewbacca's death into Episode 8. Killing Chewbacca would be like killing a dog. There's no way the audience won't feel a pit in their stomach seeing him breathe his last breath. He's too loyal of a hero to not evoke the feels when he passes the ultimate test of loyalty.

Those are my theories, but where do you stand? Who do you think will end up being killed off in The Force Awakens? Do you agree or disagree with my list, and if so, why?

Tell us your predictions in the comments below!

Over the years, the Star Wars story has changed many times. Once, it was a tale from the Journal of the Whills about characters like The Starkiller family (Kane, Deak and Annikin) along with General Luke Skywalker, Clieg Whitsun, Governor Crispin Hoedaack and more. Eventually, it became what it is today. But even when the first film came out, it was clear that the audience was being dropped into a world that had already been lived in, but we weren't privy to all the details. What were the Clone Wars? How did the Jedi go extinct? What the hell got into those Tusken Raiders to make them so grumpy? (We would later find out it's likely because they're Sand People and sand gets everywhere.)

Claim as much as he wants that he's had plans all along, obviously George Lucas has made some things up along the way, as evidenced by the kiss between Luke and Leia in The Empire Strikes Back despite being brother and sister. Either they weren't siblings until Episode VI or Lucas has some weird issues to work out. But when the prequel films came out, some big twists were thrown into the mix. The story suddenly shifted massively with the inclusion of a plot device: the prophecy.

WHAT WE KNOW

In The Phantom Menace, we're introduced to Anakin Skywalker and quickly, Qui-Gon Jinn can tell that he's sensitive to The Force. Upon testing his midi-chlorian count, it was apparently "off the charts" and measured at over 20,000—whatever that's supposed to mean. Currently in the official canon, midi-chlorians are microscopic lifeforms that act as symbiotic carriers of sorts for The Force that connect sentient beings together. They originated on a planet in the center of the galaxy which was also the source of life itself. Anakin was theorized to have been conceived by the midi-chlorians, resulting in his mother Shmi's virgin birth a la Jesus Christ parable.

Looks pretty barren, but it's still a better sight than Alderaan. What, too soon?

When the topic is brought up, Qui-Gon speculates that Anakin is "The Chosen One." Mace Windu helps clarify things to the audience by stating: "You refer to the prophecy of the one who will bring balance to The Force. You believe it's this boy?"

Suddenly, Star Wars is a drastically different story. Sure, nothing changes about what we've seen before like Greedo shooting first and then with an edit, the events that transpired are different, but an undercurrent of a story was added that we never knew existed before. Originally, Anakin Skywalker was good, turned bad, and then turned good. Now, it was actually the story of how The Chosen One fell from grace, but was able to turn things around and fulfill his destiny. Anakin didn't just so happen to destroy Emperor Palpatine, it was his literal reason for existence and what he was created to do. He was meant to do this and just took a detour. Heavy stuff.

Mission accomplished.

However, this is all very vague. Just how exactly does someone "bring balance" to this universal consciousness by destroying all of the heroes along the way? To many fans, they interpret this as a numbers game where at one point, Darth Vader and Darth Sidious were the only two users of the Dark Side (due to the Rule of Two—go look it up if you need more info on that) while Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda were the only two Jedi left on the Light Side. To those people, balance is a 2-vs-2 scenario.

To me, the numbers theory never made any sense, as Luke and Leia are clearly at least marginally using The Force at this time, making it 4-on-2. Then, when Kenobi and Yoda die, it goes back to 2-on-2, only for the scale to be tipped in the wrong direction again with the deaths of the Darths. At the end of Return of the Jedi, we're left with two Jedi on the Light Side. That's not a balance.

George Lucas has gone on record in saying that the prophecy is that Anakin will defeat the Dark Side. That simple. In the Expanded Universe / Legends telling—which exists in a limbo state now that all of these stories have been decreed as not officially canon nor not-canon until proven or disproven—it is described as such:

In the "may or may not be canon until something proves or disproves it" stories of the Expanded Universe, now dubbed Legends, the prophecy states the following:

In the time of greatest despair, a child shall be born who will destroy the Sith and bring balance to The Force.

Again, that's still pretty vague, and now that the stories are continuing, we're left questioning how this could be true if there are still Dark Side users as villains going forward.

You've sat through a lot to get to this point, but we're finally here. This is my proposal for what the prophecy really means.

DECIPHERING CLUES

The prophecy revolves around Anakin being born with the sole purpose of destroying the Dark Side. All of the miscellaneous details that people attribute to this are left up to interpretation, but not necessarily fact. Despite how there's a chance the Jedi were wrong and there really is no prophecy, which would retcon six films, if we assume that this is the most basic foundation, that's where we'll work from as our starting point.

Birthright is the central theme. Anakin had no father and the biggest twist in movie history was the revelation that he was Luke's father. Vader tells Luke that it is his destiny to rule the galaxy with him as father and son. Palpatine was a father figure to Anakin. Jedi Masters and their Padawan learners are like parents to children (or in some cases just as in real life, if the parent is killed, a big brother has to step in to raise his little brother, like what happened to Obi-Wan and Anakin) and every living being is a child of The Force. Even Dwayne Johnson, since Yoda explains that it exists between "the tree, The Rock, everywhere!"

Trust your instincts. Don't think, just smelllllll what Qui-Gon is cooking. (insert funeral pyre joke)

In Revenge of the Sith, Palpatine tells Anakin the story of Darth Plagueis, who was able to create life and learn how to prevent death. Palpatine doesn't know this power, but he dangles it in front of Anakin to lure him to the Dark Side, as Anakin has had traumatic visions of Padme's death. The last time these prophetic dreams happened, it was his mother Shmi's death, and it came true. Now, it's the mother of his children. Obviously, I don't need to explain how parentage comes into play here.

However, it's interesting to note that the main villain of the series is the man who killed his father figure who could create life and is destroyed by his surrogate son (with the help of his surrogate grandson) who was created to kill him.

Plagueis did something abominable by messing with The Force and manipulating it in a way it shouldn't have been manipulated and unlocked the ultimate secret of life that no being other than The Force itself has control over, by being able to set off a Big Bang in so many words. That's way too dangerous to be in the wrong hands, so The Force directly involved itself to create an equal and opposite reaction to put a stop to it: Anakin.

Think of Plagueis and Palpatine as a virus that gets introduced to a host body and starts taking over. The course of action to fix that problem is to send in an antivirus to wipe it out.

Slow down, Palpatine. Wrong idea here.

But if the Dark Side continues after Palpatine's death, how is the prophecy fulfilled? Well, it isn't so much that Anakin has to stab the Dark Side in the heart and kill it, but that he sets off a chain of events that will ultimately work out in the end.

THE CHAINS OF REACTION THAT SURROUND US AND BIND US

Shmi is a vessel—a test tube in which Anakin is born as an anomaly. Therefore, Anakin is the first true starting point in the Skywalker lineage that has an asterisk on it. All members of the family that come after him are direct descendants of not just Shmi, but The Force itself. Basically, if The Force is God and Anakin is Jesus Christ, then Luke Skywalker is Jesus Christ Jr. and the same applies to Leia. If either Luke or Leia have a son or daughter, they're following in the same footsteps.

Anakin is too old to begin the training, as are Luke and Leia, but that doesn't stop them from being extremely powerful, because it's in their genes. The Skywalker family is working with a genetic gold mine of Force potential to the point where not even the most powerful evil in the galaxy can match them.

The Jedi Order was dissolved because it was getting in the way of itself and had its head up its own ass. One of their rules is that you can't form attachments because emotions are easy to be manipulated, which makes it easier to succumb to the Dark Side. That is true, but there's something to be said about how a life without love is no life worth living. Anakin even says to Padme that from his perspective, they are "encouraged to love" despite what the rulebook says. You know why he can go offbook like that? Because he's Anakin f'n Skywalker—manifestation of The Force. Qui-Gon says that the midi-chlorians talk to them and this is The Force telling Anakin to ignore the bureaucracy of the Jedi Order and go with his gut and listen to what they have to say.


Padme's potential death being ignored by the Jedi Order leads to Anakin making a rash decision to defy them and turn against them, which sets Padme down the path of her demise. All things considered, an alternate universe could have seen the events unfold differently, where Yoda and company ensure that Padme is safe during childbirth, they take down Palpatine, the Jedi Order survives and the love between Anakin and Padme proves to be a lesson. They learn by Anakin's example and open up to the idea of love.

Since that didn't happen, the responsibility fell on Luke's shoulders. Luke's love for Leia and his friends propels much of the plot. Anakin's love of Luke saves the day. Qui-Gon is the first Force-user to come back from the dead as a ghost and that's because he defied the council and went with his heart. Obi-Wan Kenobi loves Anakin and that's why he's such a prominent role. Qui-Gon's father figure is Count Dooku, who was trained by Yoda. It all connects and boils down to love. The Jedi Order neglected this and needed to be rebooted. Now that Luke is the one responsible for dictating how things go, he's someone who knows more than anybody how powerful love can be and in the Expanded Universe, he eliminated this doctrine and allowed Jedi to marry.

The movies are now going to be broken up in two ways with Anthology films and Saga films. The former will be spin-off titles such as the upcoming Rogue One while it's been stated that the Episode ___ movies will continually focus on the Skywalker family. That's because the lineage is the most important thing.

Anakin is the Chosen One because he is the one to create the bloodline that will forever right the wrongs of the universe.

If the Dark Side is parasitic, then the midi-chlorians are white blood cells. If someone like Palpatine was a virus, then Anakin was the antivirus. Luke and Leia are the current holders of the mantle of Chosen One and when the Dark Side amasses enough power to become a threat to the galaxy (which we'll see in Episode VII on December 18th), then they and their surrounding friends they are connected to via love will correct the errors in play.

Whenever things get too dirty, a Skywalker will be there to act as the soap to clean it up. Anakin's removal of the Palpatine virus was the first bath and a new evil rises in the First Order. That is why The Force Awakens and decides to take a shower again to cleanse the galaxy of the Dark Side. Luke, Leia, and I'm assuming Rey if not Finn as well are the white blood cells now that Anakin is gone.

White blood cells, eh? Look familiar?

This way, the stories will continue and don't have a definitive end unless the Dark Side is completely and utterly eradicated for good. If there is ever an evil in power, a Skywalker will keep it in check, and it all started with Anakin—the boy who was created out of an absence of love, became the man whose actions were dictated by love, brought about some tough love to teach the Jedi what they were doing wrong, and was able to keep his love going on for generations through his children.

TL;DR = Anakin brings balance to The Force by being the first in a bloodline of guardians of the collective consciousness, all in the name of the one thing that joins us together, love.

What do you think of this interpretation? Am I completely insane and will be proven wrong in a few weeks when Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens comes out? Am I thinking way too hard and this is just a plot hole that Kathleen Kennedy is hoping we'll ignore so Disney can keep on making lots of money?

Tell us what you think and if you have any other theories on the prophecy in the comments below!

When it was originally announced that we would be getting a new Power Rangers film, I was skeptical but optimistic. As a kid, I loved the original series before tuning out during the Zeo phase, but it's still remained a fond memory and something of intense nostalgia that I wished could be resurrected.

The potential was all there for them to make a more serious incarnation that could take the franchise to the next level for a brand new generation, but with recent reports about the casting, I no longer have as much faith as I previously did.

Collider has reported that the film's budget is $35 million—which seems a bit low for something that would require a big special effects battle between a giant monster and the Megazord—and that the title has been changed to Saban's Power Rangers—which just seems ridiculous to me. Yes, it's not as silly as Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, but what was wrong with Power Rangers by itself sans the accreditation?

Before I rant too much on that, there are bigger stories to dive into. So far, four of the actors for the project have been announced along with the colors they will be representing. Naomi Scott will be the Pink Ranger, Ludi Lin will be the Black Ranger, RJ Cyler will be the Blue Ranger, and Dacre Montgomery will be the Red Ranger. The Yellow Ranger has yet to be announced, for some reason, but should be coming soon.

It was speculated that there would be changes to the characters to avoid the jokes of the past where the Asian girl was the Yellow Ranger and the black boy was the Black Ranger, and once Ludi Lin was revealed, we could tell that things weren't the way they used to be and there was a chance that these characters weren't the original ones at all.

Now that more information has been released, things are getting interesting, and there's one thing in particular that I have on my mind.

That's a bombshell that we'll get into in a bit, but first, we need to backtrack. The announcement I'm referring to deals with the names of the characters who will make up our new team of Power Rangers.

Ludi Lin's Black Ranger, instead of Zack Taylor, will be Oscar Fernandez. RJ Cyler's Blue Ranger will be named Brian Olson rather than Billy Cranston. Gone are the days of Kimberly Hart being the Pink Ranger (though she will remain in the hearts of every male who had a crush on her, such as myself), as our new Pterodactyl, Naomi Scott, will be Priya Patel. Our uncast Yellow Ranger will not be Trini Kwan but Teyana Jones. Most importantly, the leader of our team, the Red Ranger Dacre Montgomery, will be Callum Oliver.

Hold on a second—Oliver? For those who don't know or can't remember why that detail stands out, I present to you something that you do know:

The man.

That right there is the face of the franchise; the most legendary Power Ranger of them all; the biggest badass this side of the Morphing Grid. That man is Tommy Oliver, who came into the series as the Green Ranger but would eventually lead the team as the White Ranger, White Ninja Ranger, Zeo Ranger V (Red), Red Turbo Ranger, and Black Dino Ranger, and somehow find time to be a paleontologist.

It's far too coincidental for them to have chosen the Oliver surname and for this report to refer to these characters' powers as Tyrannosaurus, Pterodactyl, Triceratops, Mastodon, and Sabretooth Tiger—the original lineup. Nothing of the sort has been confirmed, but all signs seem to point to Callum Oliver being Tommy's son in this new film. I don't know how old Dacre Montgomery is, but Jason David Frank (Tommy) is 42 and the character of Callum is supposed to be 17. The age difference is enough where Tommy could have had a kid at age 25 with either of his love interests (Kimberly Hart and Katherine Hillard), and Callum would be at the right age now. Also, since both of his potential mothers were blonde, that could explain where Dacre gets his looks, since he doesn't resemble Tommy to a super remarkable level.

Although I haven't watched any of the numerous seasons since the Zeo group, I've kept up with the lore to an extent, and the way Tommy is viewed in later incarnations is basically as a god among men. They speak of him as being the greatest to ever lace up the boots and look at his example as what to strive for. He's been brought back multiple times to help out, provide wisdom and guidance, and get the fandom to go SQUEE!!!

While most cast members from the franchise have either faded into obscurity or moved on to other projects and put this behind them, Jason David Frank has still kept a good rapport with the fans and the creators. Similar to how Leonard Nimoy was used in the reboot for Star Trek, he could be brought in for this new film in that fashion, and he's hinted at making an appearance multiple times. At the very least, he could be used to endorse this new team so the audience can accept them a bit more, but what if the plans for him are much greater? What if Callum is his son and that's even more of a reason why he would appear? For that matter, what if Tommy is killed off by the new villains to show just how powerful they are? He could sacrifice himself à la Obi-Wan Kenobi and instead of being a Force ghost, he could be the new Zordon who brings back the original powers instead of this being a full-on reboot that acts as though what came before it never happened.

As much as I fear what's going to happen with this movie, the name Callum Oliver and the potential for Tommy's legacy to carry on has calmed some of those fears. Until the finished product is released—or at least more information is leaked—I won't be sure whether I should buy or sell this new film, but at the very least, it's keeping my attention.

What do you think of this theory? Would you like to see Callum Oliver turn out to be Tommy's son, or would you rather see a completely fresh reboot? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!

Greetings, Fanboys and Fangirls! This is Sam Lascio, bringing you the latest rumors surrounding the 2016 film Suicide Squad! We have several casting/character rumors to discuss, so let's jump right into it, shall we?

• Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Killer Croc

His name may be a mouthful, but Akinnuoye-Agbaje is rumored to make an appearance in the film as none other than Waylon Jones, aka Killer Croc! Akinnuoye-Agbaje portrayed Kurse in the Marvel film Thor: The Dark World, so fans should expect a very powerful enemy in Croc if this rumor holds true. I imagine we'll see the character in a prison cell, whether it's Blackgate or Arkham Asylum (or Belle Reve?), while Amanda Waller seeks out the Joker. Although there's always the chance that the Suicide Squad will be sent against another team of supervillains that includes Killer Croc. How do you think Killer Croc will appear in the film?

• Raymond Olubowale as Amanda Waller Agent/King Shark

This character is probably far less familiar to the average Joe than even Killer Croc. Before the New 52, King Shark was born Nanaue in Hawaii. His father was a Shark God, known as the "King of the Sharks." The character has been a member of the Suicide Squad, and in the New 52 continuity is one of the original members. This could mean that we see some of the members die and get replaced during the course of the film. This might go without saying, but just in case, King Shark has faced off against Aquaman in the past, so this MIGHT nod to rumors that Amanda Waller is in possession of Arthur's trident. It should be noted that the rumors are saying that Olubowale will play one of Amanda Waller's agents (most likely of A.R.G.U.S.) and only do the motion capture for King Shark. Another actor could be providing the voice. Do you think we'll see King Shark join the Suicide Squad? Or will he be in a prison cell like Killer Croc? Let us know!

• Karen Fukuhara as Plastique

Okay, I'll come right out and say it. This one is probably the least likely of the rumors to have come out surrounding the movie. Granted, all of these rumors could be totally bogus, but I don't know that the studio would waste time on such a minor character, especially when the rumor says her role will be very small. Plus, a lot of what I'm reporting has come from Umberto Gonzalez (@elmayimbe), so take what I say with a grain of salt. But she was seen recently with Enchantress actress Cara Delevingne and co-producer Andy Horwitz via Delevingne's Instagram, so this at least confirms that we'll see Fukuhara in the film in some capacity. DC fans will remember the character of Plastique, aka Bette Sans Souci, appearing in an episode of CW's The Flash played by Kelly Frye.

• Scott Eastwood as Steve Trevor

The son of actor-director Clint Eastwood is rumored to be playing Colonel Steve Trevor in Suicide Squad. Some of you might be asking who Steve Trevor is. Well, his character has taken up far more prominence in the New 52, where he acts as a liaison between the Justice League and, well, the rest of the world, as well as heading A.R.G.U.S. with Amanda Waller. Although it isn't explicitly stated that Warner Bros is going with the New 52 as inspiration for the DCCU, I'd be shocked if we don't see Steve Trevor along side Amanda Waller in Suicide Squad, as well as pining for Wonder Woman. Yeah, in case you didn't know, Steve is in love with Diana. I guess we'll have to wait and see if that will play out in the DCCU.

It seems like new rumors about the movie are coming out every other day, and we already know that Jared Leto has arrived in Toronto for filming. As more rumors come out or become confirmed/denied, you can count on us to keep you informed! Do your theories about the film differ from mine? Do you agree? We'd love to hear from you in the comments section! Thanks for reading, everybody. My name is Sam Lascio, and I am a Fanboy!

Today was one blockbuster announcement after another as Marvel Studios rolled out the lineup for the next 5 years of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

The slated films are as follows:

2015 = Avengers: Age of Ultron + Ant-Man

2016 = Captain America: Civil War + Doctor Strange

2017 = Guardians of the Galaxy 2 + Thor: Ragnarok + Black Panther

2018 = Avengers: Infinity War Part I + Captain Marvel + Inhumans

2019 = Avengers: Infinity War Part II

Kevin Feige stands in front of a line graph representing billions of dollars

Also, don't forget about the three television series that will be going on during this time period: Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Agent Carter, and of course the multiple connective Netflix shows that will all lead to The Defenders and will feature Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist.

Wow.

Some information about these movies has been confirmed or damn near been confirmed out of pure logic. What we know so far (or what we can be confident in assuming):

• Age of Ultron—Tony Stark will create Ultron as a means to make up for the lack of S.H.I.E.L.D. due to the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
• At the end of Age of Ultron, the Avengers team will split with Captain America and Iron Man on opposing sides.
• This will lead into Captain America: Civil War, which will pit Steve Rogers and Tony Stark against each other. Somewhere in the mix, Black Panther plays a part.
• Everything is leading up to Thanos kicking ass with the Infinity Gauntlet in Avengers: Infinity War.

So what's going to happen to lead us to Infinity War Part II, and what will happen after that in Phase 4? Fasten your seat belts, 'cause this is going to be a bumpy ride and your brain is going to bounce all over the place.

Let's get some more details out of the way. Andy Serkis is obviously playing Ulysses Klaw in Age of Ultron, which will at least in part feature Wakanda. If he's not, then by all means, rip this post to shreds in the comments, because that will mean all logic has been thrown out the window, including the sheer fact that he looks exactly like the character in more ways than one.

Andy Serkis as Ulysses Klaw in Avengers: Age of Ultron

More than likely, when the team splits up and sends various members across the globe, the one who will be sent off to the mission in Wakanda will be Captain America. This will connect him to Black Panther to allow for his presence in Civil War, where T'Challa will probably replace Peter Parker as the middleman between Rogers and Stark before having his solo film later on.

Doctor Strange was mentioned in The Winter Soldier. Woo! Easter eggs! Clearly, he's been a potential threat for a while if he had already been on the radar back then. Marvel has actually even said that Doctor Strange won't be an origin film, so while I'm sure we'll see flashbacks that explain his origins, it won't be done according to the standard operating procedure, where the movie is entirely about his rise to become Sorcerer Supreme. Likely, he'll have already achieved that role by the time the movie starts, or at least he'll be close and achieve it at the end of the film. Magic is going to be explained in the MCU as a manipulation of quantum mechanics, grounding it more in science, similar to how the Thor series has explained Asgard as a dimension, the gods as aliens, and so forth. There is no sequel to Doctor Strange slated, so his inclusion must be more supplemental rather than instrumental in the events that will come. Cameos over the next few years will suffice rather than having another solo film be a necessity.

For that matter, notice how Ant-Man has no sequel. Marvel had sequel plans for Guardians of the Galaxy well in advance because they knew it would be a hit. Clearly, the same confidence is not there for Hank Pym. Oh wait, excuse me, I mean Scott Lang, because Hank Pym's being pushed aside for the lesser character in this clusterfuck of a movie that could be more of a nuisance than a benefit to Marvel. Incredible Hulk and Iron Man 2 have their detractors, but Ant-Man could be the first true failure if the way things have gone so far are any indication. The only production that has seen as many or more problems in comparison is Fantastic 4, but we'll talk about that later.

An even bigger joke than Captain America: Serpent Society

We know that, unlike the comics, Hank Pym will not be the creator of Ultron. That role is going to Tony Stark, which neuters the purpose of Ant-Man to begin with. If you are a big fan of that series and you were hoping that out of the blue, you'd get an announcement that Pym plays a big part in Age of Ultron and the MCU in general, you're going to be disappointed. The best you can hope for is a decent movie that doesn't get completely pushed aside when the bigger movies dominate it. After all, what the hell is an elderly Hank Pym going to do when the majority of the films coming out are cosmic in nature?

Let's backtrack some more, because we have some non-humans to talk about. In The Avengers, Loki is wielding a staff that has some sort of gem inside it. Fans have been trying to figure out whether this is the Mind Stone or something else ever since. One theory is that it may be a Terrigen Crystal, as it's supposedly used to grant powers to Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch on behalf of Hydra as evidenced in The Winter Soldier. In these plans for the next few years, no spinoff was announced for the twins. However, Inhumans was. In the comics, Quicksilver uses the Terrigen Mists to restore his powers. More importantly, the Inhumans race is tied in with the Mutants of Marvel lore because they are an offshoot of homo sapiens as well. Could the twins show up in Inhumans, potentially as the protagonists or at least in a cameo to help establish a connection and get some more screen time out of Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen?

In the Q&A from this press event, Kevin Feige was asked how Marvel will introduce the Inhumans without the use of the Fantastic 4, as they aren't under their control. Feige said that there have been seeds planted and that an answer to that will happen sooner than many fans will expect.

Captain Marvel will be the other film along with Inhumans to take place between Part 1 and Part 2 of Infinity War. Current rumors point to Carol Danvers (Captain Marvel herself) showing up in some fashion during Age of Ultron. Since that movie is a few years away, I wouldn't bet on her having her powers at this time. She'll likely be just Carol Danvers and either a former (or current, depending on how you look at it) member of S.H.I.E.L.D. or just thrown in the mix of the Avengers Academy somewhere. We've seen the Kree built up in Guardians of the Galaxy and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (if that's truly the direction for where the blue alien and the GH.325 serum that resurrected Coulson is leading).

When I tagged this as "topless", I didn't mean the blonde bombshell Carol Danvers. Sorry.

Since Captain Marvel's powers are Kree-based, less work needs to be done to set these events into motion. In fact, there may be a lot of ties between Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and Captain Marvel, considering the use of Ronan as the villain in the first film. Perhaps GOTG 2 will not only feature Adam Warlock, but will also establish more about the Kree Empire in preparation for Captain Marvel and even be the vessel-film for Carol to get her powers. Kevin Feige made it a point to reiterate that although Carol's powers are alien based, she still has roots to Earth. A plotline going on in the Guardians of the Galaxy series is Peter Quill's father and the connection between alien heritage/environments versus Earthbound origins. You can see where I'm going with this.

Then again, that's not the only film that balances Earth and the extraterrestrial. Thor: Ragnarok is obviously going to take place at least partially on Earth. Ragnarok is the end of all things (or at least the gods) and there are three villains that everyone should bet on seeing:

Loki—Obviously, Loki will be a villain in this story. If you didn't see what happened at the end of Thor: The Dark World, then what are you doing reading this article?! Loki usurped Odin's throne and, as much as fans love him, the people within the MCU aren't friendly with him. He's an evil, manipulative force who will undoubtedly be the driving force of the events in this movie as a puppeteer to the following two names.

Surtur—There aren't too many primary Thor villains who we haven't seen yet. The Wrecking Crew is a low-level threat. Ulik the troll…please. Amora the Enchantress and Skurge the Executioner are cool, but they haven't had a purpose yet.

When it comes to a character that is a necessity with the Ragnarok storyline, Surtur is at the top of the list. He is the ruler of Muspelheim, which we have really yet to see outside of some quick glimpses here and there. For those who don't know, Muspelheim, while not the underworld itself (which would be Hel), is basically what everyone pictures as Hell with endless caverns of fire and brimstone.

If you have Ragnarok, you have Surtur, because there isn't much more that signifies the end than a big-ass fire demon. Look at this mother fucker! Look at that sword that he's carrying!

No wonder he is instrumental in "the time when you should shit yourself because you and I and everyone else are totally screwed."

Jormungand—Also known as the Midgard Serpent or World Serpent, this enemy is inextricably tied into Thor's fate. A prophecy states that Thor will battle this creature during the events of Ragnarok. He will be successful in killing Jormungand, but after the fact, Thor will walk nine steps and then die from his wounds and the deadly poison from the Midgard Serpent.

Not your average garden snake

All of the events of the MCU as far as Thor is concerned have been leading to his rise to become king. At the beginning of Thor, he reveled in the idea that he would take the throne, before learning humility. By the end of the movie, he knows that he's not ready to rule, but Odin reassures him that he will be a wise king eventually. During Thor: The Dark World, Thor actively circumnavigates attaining the position and gives it up willingly to spend more time on Earth, but that results in Loki being able to take Odin out of commission. With Frigga's death and Thor on Earth, nobody is there to stop him. Thus Thor will be forced to man up and put an end to Loki's scheme, stop Ragnarok, and become the true ruler of the Asgardian realm at the end of Thor: Ragnarok. His new position as one of the most powerful beings in the universe will come into play heavily for Infinity War. Not only will his responsibilities be magnified, but who's to say that this changing of the guard isn't itself a catalyst for some of the bad events coming to the MCU? Any time the regime changes, there are plenty of risks. The new people are confused and not sure what to do while they're adjusting to their positions, which is a vulnerability Thanos can exploit if not just to break into Odin's vault and steal the Infinity Gauntlet.

Odin and Thanos love their bling

Speaking of rulers, we are dangerously close to The Illuminati in the MCU as well. While we don't have a representative for the Mutant race in either Professor X or Beast, that's okay, because they don't exist in this series and the films have never attempted to be direct adaptations. We're missing Reed Richards and Namor (at least for now), but we'll have Black Bolt, Tony Stark, T'Challa, Stephen Strange, and we could easily throw Thor in there to represent Asgard due to his position of power at the end of Thor: Ragnarok. These are the people that are responsible for overseeing the Infinity Gems in the comics. Coincidence?

Except...you know...screw Professor X, Namor, and Reed Richards

By the end of Infinity War Part II, we'll see an absolutely enormous cast of characters interacting with one another. Naturally, the Illuminati will be overseeing the convergence amongst this giant team. Assuming none of them perish in the process, we could have a lineup of these heroes, if not more:

Original Avengers: Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Nick Fury, Maria Hill

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Phil Coulson, Skye, Leo Fitz, Jemma Simmons, Melinda May, and the rest of the cast of the television series

The Defenders: Daredevil, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist

Guardians of the Galaxy:  Star Lord, Gamora, Groot, Rocket Racoon, Drax, Adam Warlock, plus the entire Nova Corps

New Avengers from Phase 2 & Phase 3: War Machine, Falcon, Winter Soldier, Ant-Man, Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, The Vision, Black Panther, Captain Marvel, The Inhumans (a team?), Doctor Strange, and possibly even Wasp

…all against Thanos. The most fun thing about this? They're still horribly outmatched when fighting the Mad Titan!

Let's just emphasize the holy shit scope of this once again. All of these movies and all of these television shows are interconnected. Agent Carter is a prequel that will help set up the back story for certain plot elements we've already seen, such as the butler version of Jarvis showing up as the inspiration for the J.A.R.V.I.S. system, which of course becomes The Vision in Age of Ultron. Obviously, events that transpire in something like Jessica Jones aren't going to be the biggest factors for Infinity War, but the presence of The Defenders will no doubt have implications on the Superhero Registration Act in Civil War. Everything matters. Everything. Tony Stark says in Age of Ultron that it is the end of the path that he set them on, but this goes well beyond the events of Iron Man. Chronologically, this goes back even further than Captain America: The First Avenger or even the beginning flashback of Thor. This all started with the Celestials as seen in Guardians of the Galaxy. We are dealing with threats not just to Earth, not just to the galaxy, but to the entire universe when Thanos wields the strongest sources of power in existence—unless, of course, Marvel decides to toss the Heart of the Universe into things, but let's not get ahead of ourselves here.

Translation: fucked.

That's all assuming that this is it and we're not getting anything else.

Spider-Man is in a weird position. While I personally thought The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was a fun film (albeit flawed in several ways), audiences did not gravitate to it as Sony had expected. Now, the movie that had originally been intended to set in motion a series of spinoffs including Venom, Sinister Six, possibly a Black Cat film and of course The Amazing Spider-Man 3, may be going a different route. Speculation has been running rampant for weeks that Sony is retooling their plans or possibly even getting rid of them entirely. There's more talk than ever that Spider-Man could end up back in the possession of Marvel Studios, which would be absolutely huge.

Don't forget about Fantastic 4, either. As rough of a time as Spider-Man is going through right now, Marvel's first family has it even worse. The previous two films were heavily chastised for being just awful, requiring a reboot for this new film to distance itself as much as possible. However, Fox seems to be distancing itself from more than just those two movies. This new film has been criticized for the entire cast—not especially Michael B. Jordan, which annoyed many fans who don't like the dynamics of the team being changed up by not having Johnny Storm and Susan Storm as full-blooded siblings. On top of that, there have been so many missteps in promotion that it's hard to find any positives about this project. Remember when people were stating that the comics have almost no influence on the material in the film? That's how you win back those fans who are mad that you're changing things. Everything from the tone of the movie to the rushed production spells disaster, and it doesn't help that Marvel itself has essentially washed its hands of it within the comics industry. Even the blind can see that this movie is being killed off before it makes its way to theaters.

The biggest problem with Spider-Man and Fantastic 4 being tossed into the mix is that there is no room for them. Marvel has enough balls in the air to juggle, and if the box office receipts are any indication, those two entities are not needed for Marvel Studios to succeed. On top of this, how do you add them into the continuity without causing too many problems?

That is where this whole post is leading, and I applaud you for battling through it to this point.


The comic book industry is no stranger to flexible continuity. Every couple of years, a new event takes place that changes certain elements. It's a necessity to keep things going. Tony Stark used to be tied to the Vietnam War as opposed to being captured in Afghanistan. Captain America was originally able to go through the Cold War, but in the MCU continuity, he had to be thawed out well beyond that. How many times have people been killed and brought back to life (other than Uncle Ben)?

With the Infinity Gauntlet, there is an opportunity for Marvel to do a soft reboot of sorts. Marvel would be stupid to stop the stories after Infinity War Part II, but by that time, so many of the actors are going to be too old to continue playing their roles. They've recast characters in the past, but this will be a chance to do a big sweeping change. We'll have the proper deus ex machina to allow people to alter the events of the MCU within the continuity itself by reshaping elements of the plotline to fit into whatever scenario is necessary for Phase 4 to move along. Marvel has said in the past that while they have no plans to change the actors any time soon, they're looking at the characters in the same way the James Bond franchise operates, where you can recast and you don't have to fully reboot. The MCU has more connectivity than the 007 franchise, sure, but that doesn't matter. What happened when Don Cheadle replaced Terrence Howard as Rhodey in Iron Man 2? Nothing. The stories just kept being told. An even better indication of what could happen is how Marvel handled The Incredible Hulk, which could be described as a "requel" to Ang Lee's Hulk film. It did not keep the same continuity by being directly tied to that movie, but it did work under the assumption that fans had already seen it. Instead of redoing the birth of the Hulk character, some quick flashbacks reestablished that the basic idea of the first Hulk film happened, but only certain elements.

No movies have been announced for the point beyond Avengers: Infinity War Part II in 2019, despite Marvel releasing three films per year. That is because by the time that movie comes out, it will have been 11 years in the making. That's more than enough of a reason to take a breath of fresh air and reset things a bit.

Don't be scared—this doesn't mean that the next film would have to start all over again. On the contrary, there are plenty of stories left to tell. Thor can fight Amora the Enchantress and Skurge, or even Ulik or the Wrecking Crew. Red Skull was obviously teleported instead of killed in The First Avenger, so he could show up, or maybe Cap faces the Serpent Society as was playfully joked about during this press conference. Hell, maybe he fights Flag Smasher? Red Hulk hasn't been on screen yet, nor has Madame Masque or MODOK or a multitude of other characters.

On second thought...let's not do MODOK

In the comics, Thanos actually sort of wins both times he's in a position of power. It's a rare situation where the heroes are completely outmatched and do indeed fail to an extent. In particular, what happens when Thanos merges with the Heart of the Universe? He realizes that there is a fundamental flaw in the universe and the only way to repair it is to destroy the universe and reconstruct it. In the emptiness of nothingness, Thanos contemplates that The One Above All (Marvel's version of God) orchestrated the entire event to fix this flaw as he sacrifices himself to restore the universe.

While it may not go down exactly like that in Infinity War Part II, that does sound like quite an epic ending and a perfect means to do a soft reboot of the films, does it not? From then on, new actors can play the parts that have been associated with Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Robert Downey Jr., and so forth for a decade. Minor continuity problems can be fixed by having been erased from the timeline (such as the Fake Mandarin fiasco). And maybe—just maybe—by this time, Marvel will have acquired the rights to Spider-Man, Fantastic 4, and possibly even the X-Men characters. One can hope, right?

Even if Kevin Feige, Joss Whedon, and everyone else in charge of the MCU don't currently have a plan for what to do after the events of Infinity War are over with, they will figure one out eventually, and it will be marvelous.