With the spoiler ban on
Avengers: Endgame well and trully lifted, Iron Man actor Robert Downey Jr. has shared an Instagram video of his final moments on set. Of course, he couldn't depart without one last playful zing at Chris Evans. Check out the video below.
If you can take Jake Gyllenhal's Mysterio at his word, it seems the MCU is about to introduce alternate dimensions with
Spider-Man: Far From Home, not to mention the fact that
Avengers: Endgame also touched on alternate timelines.
Is it possible that an alternate version of Tony Stark makes his way to the MCU? And would he be played by RDJ or would Marvel take this opportunity to introduce someonle else to the role? Kevin Feige and co. have prerviously stated that they'll take the
James Bond approach to recasting roles instead of a true reboot.
Read On For The 13 Biggest Questions And Developments Marvel Has To Address After AVENGERS: ENDGAME
13. The MCU Has Introduced The Concept Of Passing The Mantle
In the closing moments of Endgame, Captain America revealed that he made the decision to live out his life in an alternate timeline with Peggy Carter before returning to the present day. Now a robust 108-years-old, he passes the mantle of Captain America to Sam Wilson aka Falcon. It was a moment that many comic book fans expected to occur following Cap's death but this scenario provides much more interesting possibilities. Will Sam struggle in the role, leaving another Super Soldier to reluctantly assume the mantle? Will Cap eventually return? However, the biggest possibility this development creates is the ability for Marvel heroes to pass their mantles. This opens the door for a new Iron Man, Thor, heck, even a new Nick Fury.
12. Loki Escaped With The Tesseract
Though everything appeared to be going smooth, the return to the Battle of New York resulted in Loki escaping with the Tesseract/Space Stone. That means the God of Mischief never returned to Asgard to face Odin's wrath. Depending on what high jinks he goes up to, it's possible that Loki never replaces Odin and goes down the winding path that led to his reformation. Perhaps the events of the Loki Disney+ TV series will reveal what he gets up to and also return him to exactly where he needs to be in order to keep the current MCU timeline intact?
11. Who Makes/Repairs Rescue and War Machine’s Armor?
With Tony Stark gone, it's possible that the Iron Man armors will no longer advance for the likes of War Machine and Rescue. F.R.I.D.A.Y. could carry on the task but given the events of Iron Man 3 and Avengers: Age of Ultron, who knows if Tony would've allowed his work to be carried on after his demise.
10. The Missing 5 Years: What Occurred?
Literally, every Marvel fan wants to know the answer to this question. Five years is a lot of time and the film only hinted at some of the changes that occurred. Thor turning into the Michelin man, Hawkeye doing his best Punisher impersonation, and Tony getting a daughter can't have been the only major changes. The loss of half the worlds population seems like a great opportunity for any remaining Marvel villains to make mischief.
09. Did Any Of Spider-Mans Friends Get Older?
Spider-Man returned to his high school to reunite with Ned, prompting the question of whether all of the wall-crawlers friends were dusted by the snap. That seems somewhat unlikely. However, that depends on when the events of Spider-Man: Far From Home occurs, specifically whether it's set before or after Endgame.
08. What Happened In Wakanda?
Given the response to the first Black Panther film, the absence of Cap, Thor and Iron Man, and the fact that it was the first Marvel film nominated for an Academy Award, Wakanda is going to become an important place heading into Phase 4 and beyond. While Endgame provided a glimpse of what happened in California and New York during the five-year gap, what occurred in Wakanda was kept under wraps, and will likely be addressed in the film's sequel.
07. Will Hulk Heal From His Infinity Stone Injuries?
The Infinity Gauntlet made by Etri the Dwarf allowed Thanos to wield the Infinity Stones with significantly less severe injuries than what befell the Hulk and Tony. The question now becomes whether the Hulk is permanently injured moving forward. While the Hulk has shown great resilience in the comics, his MCU counterpart seems to be much less powerful. Does the fact that he was injured by the Infinity Stones mean that the Hulk can't regenerate his arm? Or is it because Professor Hulk is somewhere halfway between Bruce Banner and the raging behemoth?
06. Will New Asgard Start To Resemble Its Comic Book Counterpart?
New Asgard looked nothing like the golden castles of Asgard as commented by Rocket Raccoon early on in Endgame. Located in Tønsberg, it's the same city Odin fought the Frost Giants in 965 AD and the place the Red Skull finds the Tesseract in Captain America: The First Avenger. With Valkyrie now Queen, perhaps the city will begin to look more like the floating version of Asgard from the comics that was briefly located in Oklahoma after it was similarly destroyed.
05. Doctor Strange No Longer Has The Time Stone
The Time Stone was the only thing keeping Dormammu at bay as Doctor Strange trapped the dark being in a time loop during the climax of his standalone film. How long will it take for him to learn that the Infinity Stones have been destroyed? Will Dormammu first send Kaecilius to confirm the Time Stone's destruction in the sequel? The Ancient One herself stated that things would be very dark without the Infinity Stones presence, leading Hulk to insist that they be returned to the very moment of their abduction once Thanos' snap was undone. However, post-Endgame, the Stones are (presumably) gone.
04. What Role (If Any) Will Old-Man Cap Play?
Now pushing well over 100, Cap's days of slinging shields and jumping out airplanes without a parachute are long over. However, comic book fans have seen Steve Rogers aged before and know that he often retains his keen mind and tactical skills. Perhaps Old-Man Cap could lead a newly revived S.H.I.E.L.D. if Nick Fury chooses to continue operating from the shadows?
03. How Will The MCU Bring In The X-Men And Fantastic Four/Silver Surfer?
Kevin Feige has stated that the earliest the newly acquired characters from Fox could be inserted into the MCU is five years from now as things are relatively set for the next Phase. However, the deal has been in the works for a long time and it seems plausible that there's at least one idea or two for a cameo or tease in the meantime. The Silver Surfer and Galactus would be easier to tease at this point of the established MCU continuinty but the X-Men would be the bigger box office draw.
02. How Will Shang-Chi And The Eternals Be Woven Into The Current Marvel Tapestry?
Doctor Strange and Black Panther are expected to get sequels in Phase 4, along with a Black Widow prequel and a slew of new Disney+ TV shows. However, there are new characters that are set to be introduced who won't be supporting figures but will be receiving standalone figures. Similar to Captain Marvel's presence in Endgame, after 11 years and 22 films, the question of where these characters have been all this time and what were they doing will have to be addressed.
01. If Phase 1-3 Are The Infinity Saga, What's The Next Overarching Theme?
Kevin Feige recently dubbed Marvel Phase 1-3 The Infinity Saga and confirmed that Spider-Man: Homecoming closes the door on Phase 3. Moving forward, will there be another overarching theme that spans across multiple phases, and if so, who could play a role similar to Thanos? There are also plenty of fan favorite events and story arcs to adapt from the Comics - Secret War, Secret Invasion, Avengers vs X-Men, and plenty of others could all be retooled to fit a 10-year cinematic narrative.