With the release of Avengers: Infinity War only weeks away, fans won’t have long to wait to see the biggest superhero crossover event of all-time, followed by Avengers 4 in 2019. This leads us to the question: what comes next? Though Avengers 4 will be the finale for many key characters, it won’t be the end of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The MCU will live on with new movie franchises, new heroes and – of course – new teams.

For writers, the Marvel Universe is an enormous playground full of characters that have yet to be adapted to the big or small screen. Even if it will be a few years before Marvel can utilize the X-Men and the Fantastic Four, there are a number of other superhero team-ups that could soon become the focus of the next Marvel blockbuster.

We can expect that the next team movie will be a property that fits in with the MCU and the world that past films have already established. However, it must also bring something fresh and unique to the universe, as this strategy has often been the key to success for many of Marvel’s films, including Black Panther, Ant-Man, Doctor Strange, and Guardians of the Galaxy. We have a few ideas on what the next Marvel team movie could be.

ADAM WARLOCK AND THE INFINITY WATCH



Fans are already wondering what will happen to the Infinity Stones after the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy find a way to defeat Thanos. A clue could be possibly be found in the pages of the source material: the comic book miniseries Infinity Gauntlet. After Adam Warlock put on the Infinity Gauntlet and defeated Thanos, he used its power to guide him into deciding what to do about the Infinity Gems.

Instead of giving the Infinity Gems to the most capable heroes in the Marvel Universe, Adam Warlock instead chose to entrust the Gems to people who were either unwilling or unable to utilize the full powers of their respective Gems. After handing out the gems to Drax, Gamora, Moondragon, Pip the Troll, and Thanos, Adam kept the Soul Gem for himself and dubbed the group the Infinity Watch.

The post-credits scene in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 teased Adam Warlock’s debut, though the character won’t be appearing in Infinity War or in Avengers 4. However, James Gunn has confirmed that Adam will have a future in the MCU. Could Adam’s future be as the lead character in Adam Warlock and the Infinity Watch? The film could appeal to longtime fans of the MCU by including existing characters like Drax or Gamora but could also begin a whole new saga by introducing all-new characters, such as Moondragon and Pip the Troll.

WEST COAST AVENGERS



There’s a good chance that Earth’s Mightiest Heroes will always have a home in the MCU, even if Avengers 4 is the end for the current iteration of the team. In the comics, there have been numerous teams who have carried the “Avengers” name. The group to hold the name for the longest time in comic book history was the West Coast Avengers. While Marvel may not want to give that name to a film because it restricts the team to a certain region, the principle behind the team could serve as the basis for an interesting story.

In the comics, Vision was acting chairman of the Avengers when he sent Hawkeye to San Francisco to create a separate branch of the Avengers, in an effort to expand the group’s reach. Hawkeye recruited a combination of both old and new Avengers for his new team. The West Coast Avengers comic book series further developed Hawkeye by putting him in the role of a leader for the first time.

Recently, fans have been worried that Hawkeye’s absence from Infinity War marketing could be a foreboding sign that Earth’s Mightiest Marksman will have limited screen time in the upcoming film. A movie where Hawkeye is given his own team to lead would certainly please fans disappointed by Hawkeye’s role (or lack thereof) in Infinity War.

ANNIHILATORS


As with the Avengers in their fourth outing, the story of Star-Lord’s Guardians will come to an end in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. As the cosmic side of the MCU continues to grow, Marvel will likely look to draw upon more characters from that corner of the comics. Vance Astro’s Guardians of the 31st century are a possibility, but may be difficult to adapt to the big screen, considering that almost all of his comic book teammates appeared in Vol. 2.

Another possible candidate for a cosmic team-up movie is The Annihilators. Prior to Star Lord’s death, Quill worked to bring together a team of heroes who were powerful enough to protect the universe. After the disbanding of the Guardians and the Nova Corps., Star-Lord understood that the universe needed heroes more than ever. The group of consisted of numerous powerhouses, namely Silver Surfer, Ronan the Accuser, Beta Ray Bill, and the Shi’ar hero, Gladiator. The team was also joined by Quasar (Wendell Vaughn), Captain Mar-Vell’s successor as the Protector of the Universe.

THUNDERBOLTS



Before signing on to direct Guardians of the Galaxy, James Gunn had an interest in helming another Marvel property: Thunderbolts. Gunn told Screen Rant that when he asked Kevin Feige about making a Thunderbolts movie, Feige explained that if Guardians was successful, he could do whatever he wanted. With both Guardians of the Galaxy films becoming major hits for Marvel Studios, James Gunn’s future with Marvel is expected to continue for quite some time. Though Gunn is working to shape the cosmic side of the MCU, it’s possible that Gunn may eventually set his sights on the Thunderbolts again.

Like the Guardians, the Thunderbolts are anti-heroes. In the comics, the Thunderbolts, led by Baron Zemo, were a team of supervillains who masqueraded as heroes in a scam to gain the public’s trust. To Zemo’s surprise, the villains decided they liked being heroes and decided to reform. Over time, the Thunderbolts evolved into a government-sponsored team of villains who went on missions for the government in order to earn their freedom. The team has often been led by heroes like Hawkeye, U.S. Agent, and Winter Soldier. It would be the MCU’s first attempt to make a film about a team of villains, and that alone would make it different from anything the studio has tried before.

ETERNALS



Created by Jack Kirby, the Eternals are a race of superhuman immortals. The Eternals could exist in the MCU, as the foundations for them have already been laid. First of all, Marvel Comics’ most prominent Eternal is already in the MCU: Thanos. It’s unclear how much of Thanos’ backstory will be revealed in Infinity War, but it’s possible that the film will include some connections to his people. The creators of the Eternals, the Celestials, were introduced in Guardians of the Galaxy, and Ego the Living Planet (Kurt Russell) was revealed to be a Celestial in Vol. 2. With the conclusion of Phase 3, Marvel will need to look to a new villain to terrorize the MCU. If Marvel wants to use a threat that could be even more disastrous than the Mad Titan, then the Celestials would be a logical choice.

In the comics, the Celestials created the mutants, the Eternals and the Deviants. The Eternals live in the secret city of Olympia, while the monstrous Deviants dwell beneath the surface of the Earth. The Celestials revisit the Earth every few thousand years to pass judgment on the people of Earth and determine if they’re worthy of living. The Eternals must prepare for their arrival while also trying to keep the Deviants in line.

The Eternals have a long, rich history that goes back centuries to when the first family of Eternals spread out and began settling on other planets, which means that there are now various groups of these superhuman immortals scattered all over the Marvel Universe. Introducing the Eternals would provide endless opportunities for storytelling. Not only could the Eternals of Earth be featured in their own film, but the Eternals from other planets could show up in movies set in space.

Most of the Eternals (including the main character, Ikaris) aren’t well-known to casual viewers, but the same was once true for Star-Lord and the Guardians of the Galaxy. The Eternals have enough interesting characters to carry their own movie. Some, like the Forgotten One, Starfox, and Sersi, have even gone on to become Avengers.

KEY RELEASE DATES
Avengers: Infinity War / The Avengers 3 release date: Apr 27, 2018
Ant-Man & The Wasp release date: Jul 6, 2018
Captain Marvel release date: Mar 8, 2019
The Avengers 4 / Untitled Avengers Movie release date: May 3, 2019
Untitled Spider-Man: Homecoming Sequel release date: Jul 5, 2019