What’s next for the MCU?

As it has been a little over a month since the jaw-dropping Avengers: Endgame hit the theaters, it may be time to think about what is next for our favorite team of heroes that has evolved immensely in just one blockbuster film. Yes, THIS WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS!!!

These past few months, the hype has definitely been all about Endgame, specifically who would still be alive by the end of it and who we would lose. At the end of Avengers: Infinity War, we lost many of our heroes to “the snap.” Although we were not sure if they would be returning or lost in the dust for good, there were some signs that they wouldn’t be gone for too long.

The biggest clue we received was the next movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe following Endgame: Spider-Man: Far From Home, starring Spider-Man of course. The web slinger, played by Tom Holland, was unfortunately included in the half of the population that was lost because of Thanos. However, the fact that the next movie is all about Spider-Man gave fans the idea that he had to come back, hopefully along with the others.

This, in fact, was the case, as the heroes that were lost came back in one of the best scenes of the film, where every hero in the MCU came together to fight. Of course, the film could not end without losing some of our favorites. Unfortunately, the few who died in Infinity War did not return (Vision, 2018 Loki, 2018 Gamora). Through the time travel that occurred in Endgame, however, 2012 Loki ended up taking the Tesseract and fleeing, while Thanos traveled with Gamora from 2014 to 2023; by the end that Gamora was fighting on the side of the Avengers. There is no information on where those versions of themselves are (if they survived), but that does give a nod to what Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will address.

By the end of Endgame, we lost two very important heroes, Black Widow and Iron Man. Two of the original members of the Avengers died to save their fellow heroes, families, and the rest of the world. Fans, of course, grieved, and are most likely still grieving over these losses, but these deaths, along with other major plot points in the film, raise a question: who are the Avengers now?

As the trailers for Spider-Man: Far From Home are being released, it is becoming more apparent that Peter Parker is being called to step up as a permanent Avenger (besides quickly being dubbed an Avenger in Infinity War). He is definitely struggling with Tony’s death and wants to lay low and enjoy school and his friends for a while. It is hard to tell whether he will rise to the occasion or stick to being the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

While that might give us some insight on what’s next for Peter, the film still might not give us enough on the next stage of the MCU. There are many possibilities, and given the way we left off with Endgame, it could go in so many different directions.

We could have a whole new generation of heroes. Hawkeye’s daughter definitely showed potential at the beginning of the film, and I’m sure his sons will be coming up as well. Tony’s daughter will hopefully step up as well. With Sam Wilson taking Captain America’s shield, who knows what is in store for the next Cap? Also, now that time travel is in the mix, the characters we originally lost like Loki and Gamora could still be out there as well. There are so many opportunities for Phase 4 of the MCU, but no matter what, fans will always be ready for this exciting new wave.