By now, you're no doubt well-aware that
Avengers: Endgame leaves each of the original six Avengers in a very different place to where we found them when the movie began. Some lived, some died, and some have been put on a new path that will drastically alter the Marvel Cinematic Universe's future.
It was a bold move by Marvel Studios but arguably a necessary one. With contracts expiring, new characters being lined up for their own movies (including the X-Men and Fantastic Four), and Phase 4 set to begin, changing the status quo of Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Black Widow, Hawkeye, and The Hulk was pretty much essential in order to keep this shared world feeling fresh.
However, the question now is, what comes next for the original six? While some of them are no longer with us, their legacies look set to live on in some unexpected and exciting ways. As for those whose stories will continue, they're likely to pop up where we least expect them.
So, to find out all about that and more, all you need to do is hit the "View List" button below!
Captain America
Steve Rogers is now an old man so I don't expect much more from him moving forward (despite the fact his comic book counterpart became actively involved in leading S.H.I.E.L.D. when he was reverted to his true age). Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if he quietly dies off screen similar to Peggy Carter ahead of
Captain America: Civil War in the original timeline.
However, just because Steve's story has come to an end, that doesn't mean Cap's story is over.
At the end of
Avengers: Endgame, the Star Spangled Avenger hands his shield over to Sam Wilson and it's clear that he's now going to become the new Captain America just like in the comics. Expect that story to play out in the Disney+ TV series revolving around Falcon and The Winter Soldier!
Iron Man
Iron Man is dead so his future is pretty bleak to say the least. His sacrifice can't be undone and after being part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe since 2008, Robert Downey Jr.'s tenure as Tony Stark is obviously at an end.
However, just like Captain America, that doesn't mean we won't see Iron Man live on in some way.
Harvey Keener's presence at Tony's funeral is definitely telling and if the formation of the Young Avengers is something that's in the works, then I could easily imagine him suiting up. Alternatively, if Marvel Studios is willing to play a waiting game, Morgan Stark could quite easily take over the mantle from her father. Based on comments from Gwyneth Paltrow, Rescue is probably done.
Thor
After deciding that New Asgard should be ruled over by Valkyrie, Thor boards the Guardians of the Galaxy's ship and proceeds to bicker with Star-Lord over who is going to lead the team.
Shrugging off the fact that he's meant to take his father's place as Asgard's ruler, the God of Thunder now seems intent on having fun and travelling throughout the cosmos being the hero he knows he's meant to be. Now, we can expect to see Thor factor into
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 but what that means for a fourth
Thor movie is impossible to say.
Either way, Marvel Studios is clearly embracing a comedic approach to Thor's future adventures and that could mean he will retain that gut as he does look like a total Viking badass now. Regardless, it sounds like the Guardians' mission will revolve around finding missing Asgardians...and Gamora.
Black Widow
Just like Gamora, Black Widow suffers a very definitive death when she leaps from that cliff on Vormir in order to help Hawkeye acquire the Soul Stone.
Avengers: Endgame makes it clear that those who take that fall won't come back and it seems as if Natasha's story is now well and truly over.
Wait a minute, what about the solo movie for the character which is in the casting stages?
Well, it's now clear that will be an origin story for Black Widow which explores her past as an operative for the Red Room and how she ended up meeting Hawkeye and joining S.H.I.E.L.D.
Hawkeye
After spending years brutally murdering those who he believed should have died when Thanos snapped his fingers, Hawkeye has been given a second chance because his family is now alive and well.
When
Avengers: Endgame ends, he's returned to them and gets a happy ending but it's already been confirmed that Marvel Studios is developing a series for the character which will air on Disney+.
In that, it's said Hawkeye will train Kate Bishop to be his replacement and that might just point to the show being his official retirement. Either way, it will be fun seeing where that show takes him.
The Hulk
During the five year time jump, Bruce Banner found a way of turning himself into Professor Hulk and now has both the brawns and brains. However, after using the Infinity Gauntlet to bring everyone back, his arm has been left horribly damaged and that's bound to have an impact on how well he's able to smash things moving forward.
It's unlikely that he'll be able to recover and it's not clear whether the damage will worsen and ultimately kill the Green Goliath.
There's a lot more mileage to be had with this iteration of The Hulk and even though
Avengers: Endgame offers no sort of insight into where he'll pop up next, it will hopefully be sooner rather than later because the potential for more stories is definitely there.
For a recap of how things ends for the rest of Avengers: Endgame's
key characters, simply continue reading below!
Captain Marvel
With a new costume, haircut, and sash, Carol Danvers attends Tony Stark's funeral but that's where things end for her. However, considering the fact she spent most of the movie in outer space, it seems as if her future adventures will mostly take place there rather than on Earth.
Ant-Man
Cassie Lang is now five years older than the last time we saw her and clearly ready to become the Young Avenger known as Stature. We'll have to wait and see on that front, of course, but the last time we see Scott Lang, he's spending time with his daughter and Hope Van Dyne, clearly enjoying being reunited with the ones he loves.
Valkyrie
Appointed the new leader of Asgard by Thor, Valkyrie now looks set to rule over "New Asgard" and with the God of Thunder part of the Guardians of the Galaxy now, I honestly wouldn't be surprised if whatever Taika Waititi's
Thor 4 ends up being actually puts the spotlight solely on the female warrior.
Black Panther
We don't learn about what happened to Wakanda in T'Challa's absence but by the time this epic adventure comes to a close, he's back in his home nation and watching over it alongside his mother and sister. Is he still King? That's something which Ryan Coogler will more than likely address in the character's sequel but he's left in a place that gives the filmmaker plenty of creative freedom.
Gamora
Yes, Gamora may be dead but due to
Avengers: Endgame's time-travel shenanigans, the version from 2014 is now in the present. The problem is, she was still working for Thanos at that point in time she was take from and while she quickly realises that her "father" had to be stopped, she has no emotional connection to Star-Lord and the rest of the team.
As a result, she's gone on the run and could be on Earth or in outer space by the time the film ends.
Spider-Man
After attending Tony Stark's funeral, Peter Parker returns to school and is reunited with his old friend, Ned. They embrace, do their patented handshake, and seemingly do their best to return to normality. The next time we see the wall-crawler, he'll obviously be heading overseas on a field trip!
Guardians Of The Galaxy
The Guardians are reunited and while Star-Lord doesn't seem particularly amused by Thor's insistence that he's the team's leader, Rocket, Groot, Drax, Nebula, and Mantis all appear to be loving seeing Quill clash with the God of Thunder.
However, as we learn before Thor boards the ship, Peter seems far more interested in attempting to track down Gamora's whereabouts despite the fact that the woman he fell in love with is obviously dead and gone now.
Loki
Time-travel is confusing at the best of times but what happens in the past doesn't change the future for reasons which are best explained by Bruce Banner in the movie itself.
However, when we return to 2012, a mistake by Tony Stark and Scott Lang sees the imprisoned Loki (who is about to be taken back to Asgard) get his hands on the Tesseract and he teleports to parts unknown with it. Whether that was undone when Steve Rogers went back in time isn't clear but it seems highly likely that the God of Mischief is out there somewhere with that Infinity Stone.
With that in mind, the direction of his Disney+ series may have just become much clearer.
The Falcon
After an emotional reunion with Steve Rogers, The Falcon learns that Captain America - whose shield has been repaired after it was destroyed by Thanos earlier in the movie - wants him to wield that and take over the mantle.
A shocked Sam Wilson accepts the honour as a supportive Bucky watches on and while it would have been good to see "BuckyCap" arrive in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this feels like the right move given the former Winter Soldier's past and we can expect Sam's new role to be explored in the Disney+ series he'll share with Bucky.
Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange doesn't really get an ending as such. He's there at Tony's funeral and presumably the Sorcerer Supreme again despite the fact Wong has been the one watching over the Earth for the past five years. Like Black Panther, the potential is now there for any number of stories to be told with the character and Scott Derrickson would be wise to delve into what impact Tony's death had on him.
Scarlet Witch (And The Vision)
There's no sign of Vision in
Avengers: Endgame (so much for my theory that he would return as an emotionless, greyed out shell like in
West Coast Avengers) but Scarlet Witch is shown mourning for him when the movie ends and we're left to wonder how they'll be reunited in the Disney+ series...unless, of course, that takes place in the past when their romance first started to blossom off screen.
Nick Fury
Nick Fury doesn't really get anything to do here and is simply shown among those attending Iron Man's funeral. On the plus side, we know that his story will continue in
Spider-Man: Far From Home so here's hoping we'll learn more about what he's up to now and how he feels about the way things played out for Earth's Mightiest Heroes during the course of that international adventure.
Thanos #1
It takes no time at all for The Avengers to track down Thanos but after easily overpowering the badly injured Mad Titan, they learn that he's in such a poor state because he used the Infinity Stones to destroy them once and for all so he wouldn't be tempted to unleash their powers again.
Thor then cuts his head off and that's the end for the lead villain of last year's
Avengers: Infinity War.
Thanos #2
You didn't think that was it for the Mad Titan, though, did you?
The 2014 version of Thanos learns what The Avengers are up to thanks to Nebula's brainwaves syncing up with her past self and he then travels forward in time with an army to destroy the team and get his hands on the Stones so he can create a new universe with them. However, after Tony Stark snaps his fingers, the villain - and his forces - are reduced to ash.
This time, The Avengers win.