The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a well-oiled machine at this point, methodically releasing new content in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. Fans who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order will recall that writer Christopher Markus is responsible for some of the most beloved entries in the shared universe. And he recently explained why he won't be back for the next two Avengers flicks.

What we know about Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars is super limited right now, but it was confirmed that Christopher Markus wouldn't be back to write the movie alongside his writing partner Stephen McFeely. In a conversation with ThePlaylist, he explained how his schedule prevented him from jumping in on the upcoming Marvel movies, saying:

It certainly doesn't sound personal. Markus mentioned his production company AGBO, which seemingly has many irons in the fire. And those projects were in the works before the idea of doing more Avengers movies came up. More specifically, the news that The Russo Brothers would be back for those two titles.

This dynamic writing team wrote the original Captain America trilogy, as well as Thor: The Dark World, and both Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. This paired them with the Russo Brothers largely, and the duo is responsible for some of the best MCU movies ever. Markus spoke about the time commitment that comes with signing on for a project of that size, offering:

While fans like me would have loved to see him back for Doomsday and Secret Wars, it makes sense that those movies might simply be too much of a time commitment this time around. And you have to respect his unwillingness to do a poor job over at Marvel. Christopher Markus spoke more about just how much he's juggling at the moment, saying:

So while he and Stephen McFeely have continued collaborating with The Russo Brothers on projects like The Electric State (which is streaming with a Netflix subscription) they won't be the ones responsible for balancing the cast of characters in Doomsday and Secret Wars.

The first of those movies Avengers: Doomsday is currently expected to arrive in theaters on May 1st, 2026, although first up there are titles on the 2025 movie release list like Thunderbolts*.

Much like Batman’s parents being killed by a mugger in Crime Alley and Superman being launched off of Krypton before it exploded, the moviegoing public is quite familiar with Spider-Man’s origins, i.e. him gaining his special abilities after being bitten by a radioactive/genetically-altered spider. And yet, in sharp contrast with Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s respective Spider-Man film series, we never saw the origin of Tom Holland’s Peter Parker in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In fact, this wasn’t even discussed by the screenwriters of Captain America: Civil War, which brought Holland’s Peter into the MCU fold.

CinemaBlend’s own Sean O’Connell has a new book out called With Great Power: How Spider-Man Conquered Hollywood During The Golden Age Of Comic Book Blockbusters. Among the people who’ve been involved with the various Spider-Man movies who Sean spoke to for the book was Christopher Markus, who co-wrote Captain America: Civil War with Stephen McFeely. On the subject of Civil War not even referencing the spider bite, Markus acknowledged that he and McFeely never came up with the exact circumstances for how Tom Holland’s Peter Parker became a superhero, saying:

Given everything that Captain America: Civil War already had on its plate, from the passing of the Sokovia Accords to also introducing Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther, it makes sense why we didn’t see Spider-Man’s origin, particularly since by that point, Peter had been web-slinging for roughly a year. Still, it’s interesting that Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely didn’t even hash out a specific origin story scenario as background information. Sure, it’s confirmed in Spider-Man: Homecoming that Peter was indeed bitten by a spider, but to this day, we still haven’t seen or heard exactly how this happened.

Speaking of Spider-Man: Homecoming, which followed a year after Captain America: Civil War, Sean O’Connell also spoke with Homecoming’s director Jon Watts, who said that while he has “a couple sort of vague ideas” about how the spider bite happened for Tom Holland’s Peter Parker, he only ever thought about it with regard to how he’d need it to hold his “story logic” together. In Watts’ words:

The spider bite wasn’t the only aspect of Spider-Man’s origin story that hasn’t been explored in the MCU. None of the Spider-Man movies in the film series have directly mentioned Peter Parker’s Uncle Ben, including the circumstances concerning how he died. Shortly before Spider-Man: Homecoming came out, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige told CinemaBlend that this aspect of Peter’s past wasn’t touched on because they wanted to let audience “fill in those blanks right now.” Since then, Ben was mentioned in the What If… ? episode "What If... Zombies?!”, but his famous “With great power comes great responsibility” line was given to Marisa Tomei’s Aunt May in Spider-Man: No Way Home. 

Although No Way Home’s ending closed out the chapter of Peter Parker’s life that began in Captain America: Civil War, we haven’t necessarily seen the last of him in the MCU. Another Tom Holland-led Spider-Man trilogy is in development, and while there’s no timetable on when that will begin, perhaps they could be when light is finally shed on how this Peter’s superhero journey began. On the other hand, with so much time having passed and general audiences not needing a refresher on the spider bite nor Uncle Ben’s death, perhaps we should make peace with that ship having sailed, and instead just look forward to seeing Peter navigate a world where no one remembers who he is.

You can learn more about the history of Spider-Man on film by picking up With Great Power on Amazon and other places where books are sold, and as soon as official information is revealed about the next Spider-Man movie, we’ll pass it along. In the meantime, there are plenty of other upcoming Marvel movies to keep track of when you’re not watching the Marvel movies in order with your Disney+ subscription.

Having seen Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame, it is more than apparent that directors Joe and Anthony Russo and screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely work well together. Their creative sensibilities clearly mesh well, and it has resulted in them having a great deal of success with some complicated projects. There is, however, one notable thing that they still don’t see eye-to-eye on, and it concerns Steve Rogers’ travel through time at the end of their last Marvel movie.

In the wake of the release of Avengers: Endgame in 2019, both pairs of filmmakers conducted interviews with the press regarding their perspectives on Captain America’s actions in the final scenes of the blockbuster, and fans were surprised to learn that they didn’t match up. That was three years ago, and the men have since collaborated on the upcoming Netflix thriller The Gray Man… but apparently they have not yet reached an agreement about who is right in the time travel argument.

Yesterday afternoon I traveled to the AGBO office in downtown Los Angeles to interview Joe and Anthony Russo about The Gray Man, and while discussing their work with Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely I asked if there had been any change in their Captain America-centric disagreement. Laughing, Anthony Russo said that they’ve only gotten further away from each other in regards to their separate conclusions, saying,

Fans will remember that Avengers: Endgame closes with Captain America traveling back through time to return all of the Infinity Stones and live a full life with Peggy Carter, but the point of contention between the Russos and the screenwriters concerns the timeline on which Steve Rogers spent his time.

In Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely’s view of Avengers: Endgame’s ending, Captain America travels back through time on the pre-existing timeline and is living his life with Peggy while his past self coexists and remains frozen at the North Pole (until he is woken up to eventually fight with the Avengers). The writers have even co-signed the idea that Steve is present at Peggy Carter’s funeral, as seen in Captain America: Civil War.

Joe and Anthony Russo have a different take on Captain America’s trip through time. They argue that his trip to the past inherently creates an alternate branched reality that is separate from the Marvel Cinematic Universe canon depicted in all of the films, and that he had to travel across timelines back to the MCU so that he could give his shield to Sam Wilson.

The Russo brothers are sticking to that argument, even though it gets a defiant response from their frequent collaborators. Joe Russo continued,

With Loki making all kinds of changes to our perceptions of timelines in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Doctor Strange meddling with alternate dimensions in Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness, the whole conversation on the matter in the canon is pretty crazy right now, let alone with the simple question of what happened with Captain America at the end of Avengers: Endgame. We’ll just have to wait and see where it all goes as Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige continues to execute the plan on his big board.

You can keep track of everything coming from the Marvel Cinematic Universe on screens both big and small via our Upcoming Marvel Movies and Upcoming Marvel TV guides. And for those of you excited for the latest Joe and Anthony Russo/Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely collaboration, The Gray Man is almost here. The action blockbuster will be hitting theaters on July 15 before being made available to stream on Netflix July 22.

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Chris Evans hands off Captain America's shield in Avengers: Endgame, but not before having some classic last lines. From "Avengers, assemble" to "I can do this all day," Steve Rogers definitely made his mark in Endgame before dancing away with Peggy Carter.

One of Captain America's best lines "capped" off the great "America's Ass" quote by Paul Rudd's Scott Lang/Ant-Man. Turns out, "That is America's ass" was added in reshoots to get another "ass" in the movie and allow Steve Rogers in on the self-referential Cap joke.

Avengers: Endgame co-writer Christopher Markus gave Syfy Wire a little more info on how that America's Ass joke came about. He said it started just as a quip from Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark...

Co-writer Stephen McFeely said it was actually much later in Avengers: Endgame's reshoots that they decided to add Chris Evans' Captain America to the joke.

At that point, Christopher Markus said they asked themselves "Can we put another ass in the movie?" -- which is another conversation I wish I could've shrunk down to Ant-Man size to observe in the room. This is how the sausage is made, kids!

They obviously went with yes to another ass, and had modern Cap stare down at his younger ass and say "That is America's ass."

The writers said Chris Evans was happy with the joke because it's rare for Captain America to do little quips and smart remarks, so he was glad to have something funny to say that was in Cap's own wheelhouse.

Avengers: Endgame's Stephen McFeely previously noted the origin of the America's Ass joke started by being a meta reference to Chris Evans' own costume:

When Chris Evans was asked to pick a favorite scene from Avengers: Endgame, it was no surprise to see he named Cap's fight with the younger version of himself. He could do this all day and I could watch that all day.

It's amazing to think how much we're still learning about how Avengers: Endgame came together. The writers recently made the rounds again to share more behind-the-scenes details. From the many ideas chopped at the script phase (like Rhodey as veep, and Hulk and the Soul Stone), to things cut during filming, to things like this added during reshoots, to more things cut during editing (like "insane" takes of Iron Man's final scene) -- I personally find it all fascinating.

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Since Avengers: Endgame is currently the highest-grossing movie of all time, it's kind of a mini blockbuster film school for future creators. It clearly takes an entire village of ass-centric people to craft these Avengers movies, and Marvel has already said we shouldn't expect more like this for probably another decade.

The events of 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok marked a notable shift in how the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s God of Thunder was depicted compared to his earlier appearances. While the revitalization of Chris Hemsworth’s character at the hands of director Taika Waititi was well-received (for the most part), it also posed a problem for Avengers: Endgame writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, as they had to depict Thor in their own special way for Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. As McFeely recalled:

Between taking more advantage of Chris Hemsworth’s comedic chops and Thor speaking more like a denizen of Earth due to spending so much time with the Avengers, the God of Thunder definitely behaved differently in Thor: Ragnarok compared to his first four MCU appearances, although obviously the original spirit of the character was still intact. But for Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, they had their own plans for Thor and initially had trouble understanding what Hemsworth, Taika Waititi and the Ragnarok team had done to him.

Ironically, while Thor: Ragnarok is the funniest of the Thor movies (and one of the funniest MCU movies overall), it’s also arguably the most tragic for the main protagonist, as he lost so much in such a short amount of time. Fortunately for Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, they were able to take advantage of all this loss, particularly when it came to Avengers: Endgame. Markus added in their conversation with Vanity Fair:

Avengers: Infinity War marked the tipping for Thor, as along with all the tragedies he’s suffered earlier in the MCU, he watched Loki, Heimdall and many Asgardians be killed at the beginning of the third Avengers movie. Thor spent the rest of Infinity War on a mission of vengeance against Thanos, but sadly, even with his new weapon Stormbreaker, he was unable to prevent the Mad Titan from wiping out half of all life in the universe.

When Avengers: Endgame rolled around, Thor beheaded Thanos for committing genocide and spent the next five years in a depressed state, resulting in him gaining weight and spending his days partaking in booze, video games and cable TV. So when Smart Hulk and Rocket Raccoon came to Tønsberg, Norway to recruit Bro Thor for the Time Heist that would undo Thanos' act, he was initially unwilling to come along, but then changed his mind… once he learned there would be beer involved.

Thanks to Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely blending the boosted comedy of Thor with the understandable depression he experienced, the character evolved yet again. By the time Avengers: Endgame ended, he embarked on a new chapter of his life, making Valkyrie ruler of New Asgard and leaving Earth with the Guardians of the Galaxy.

We’ll next see Thor in Thor: Love and Thunder, which Taika Waititi is writing and directing. No specific plot details have been revealed yet, but both Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie and Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster will also be back, with the latter becoming The Mighty Thor. It’s also rumored that the alternate timeline Loki from Avengers: Endgame might appear too.

Thor: Love and Thunder storms into theaters on November 5, 2021. If you’re curious about what other MCU movies are on the way, look through our comprehensive guide.

Avengers: Endgame has become a true pop culture phenomenon in the months since it hit theaters. The Russo Brothers did the impossible, crafting a complicated and emotional story that serviced the myriad characters who occupy the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The co-directors were helped in this task by writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, who helped to write the narrative beats. And it turns out that Iron Man's death wasn't always set in stone.

Tony Stark went out in a blaze of glory in Avengers: Endgame, taking on Thanos directly and managing to swipe the Infinity Stones from the Mad Titan during the final battle. He snapped his finger to destroy the villain and his forces forever, sacrificing his life in the process. But Iron Man's fate wasn't always set in stone, as Christopher Markus recently revealed:

Well, this is interesting. While Robert Downey Jr.'s contract with Marvel Studios would be completed upon filming Avengers: Endgame, there wasn't always a plan to kill off his signature Avenger. The writers and directors of the blockbuster were given freedom over the story, and crafting character deaths that would have the maximum emotional impact.

Christopher Markus' comments to Canada.com might surprise moviegoers, given how perfect Tony Stark's ending was for the long-running character. But while the MCU seems like a well-oiled machine, it's ultimately made up of individual artists doing their best. Iron Man kickstarted the entire shared universe with his 2008 origin story, so the pressure was on to give the character a proper conclusion in Endgame.

Related: Marvel’s Kevin Feige Wanted Tony Stark’s Death In Endgame To Be Just As Impactful As Logan

In fact, Tony's finger snap and uttering of "I am Iron Man" was the very last scene that was shot for Avengers: Endgame. Clearly it was a live set, with the directors and writers attempting to find the most emotionally satisfying ending possible. They eventually nailed it, and killing of Iron Man was a super effective way to wrap up the story, and bring the entirety of the MCU together for his funeral.

It'll be interesting to hear exactly Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely planned on keeping Tony Stark alive, before eventually giving the character his heroic sacrifice. Would Iron Man have alternatively retired from superheroics after bringing the dusted characters back to life? That definitely would have been a happier ending for Pepper Potts and Morgan Stark.

Avengers: Endgame is available on DVD and Blu-ray now, and the MCU will return to theaters with Black Widow on May 1st, 2020. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

When we heard Avengers: Endgame would be the culmination of the expansive MCU thus far… it seemed like an almost impossible task. How were they going to pull it off? There were so many storylines and characters in play, and 21 movies before it. But the filmmakers managed to wrap up the Infinity Saga and give Captain America a fairytale ending with Peggy Carter, thanks to the film’s introduction to time travel. But there is a theory revolving around the internet regarding that twist, and Cap's possible attendance of her funeral.

Endgame brought on a lot of discussion among fans too. Such as this: did Steve Rogers fall in love and start a life with Peggy in the same MCU timeline we’re familiar with or in a new alternate one in his mission to return the Infinity Stones?

Some theorize that if he went back to the same time (which makes sense considering that’s the timeline where the stones are missing), perhaps old man Cap was present at Peggy’s funeral in Captain America: Civil War. Here’s what Captain America trilogy, Infinity War and Endgame co-writer Christopher Markus says:

In fact, writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely apparently disagree with the Russo Brothers on how time travel works in Endgame, therefore at this point it’s up to the audience’s interpretation. Markus continued with these words to Los Angeles Times:

There is something poetic about this image of two Caps from different times and lives being in the same room during that heartbreaking Civil War sequence where Chris Evans’ character tearfully carries her coffin. It’s easy to imagine the old Cap somewhere in the stands seeing his past self in mourning as he now carries the satisfaction of getting to share a life with her.

But there is another thing about Endgame’s connections to Civil War that’s more troubling than poetic. What about that moment when Captain America and Peggy Carter’s niece Sharon Carter shared a kiss and their budding romance in that movie? Seems like an awkward conversation Cap is going to face at family get togethers at some point.

Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely know it’s a touchy topic in the MCU. They recently revealed they once had Steve Rogers and Sharon Carter living together in Infinity War at one point, but as it stands it looks like Cap only has to come clean about one quick kiss.

The co-writers are no longer working for Marvel for now, since they’ve just masterfully written Captain America’s onscreen story arc and the highest-grossing movie of all time! Endgame is available to own on Digital and coming to Blu-Ray on August 13.

Following six years of build-up, Thanos made quite an impression on Marvel fans when he finally got his time in the spotlight across both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Not only is the character simply visually impressive – brought to life with some of the most incredible visual effects ever featured in a blockbuster – but he is also both a compelling psychological foe, and a dangerously violent one.

Now, however, it seems as though his time on the big screen might be done. The Mad Titan was killed not just once, but twice in Avengers: Endgame, and given that the second time was because of the Infinity Stones it doesn’t seem like there is a wide-open door for him to return. This may be seen as sad news by a significant segment of the movie-going populace, but in the minds of screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, it’s probably for the best that he doesn’t come back.

The subject of Thanos’ potential return was one that CinemaBlend’s own Sean O’Connell brought up with the filmmakers this week during an interview at San Diego Comic-Con, and while the writing pair can understand why some people might want to see the big bad make a comeback, it’s not something they are exactly dying to see happen. Stephen McFeely noted that there are certainly ways that it could be done, particularly because there is an infinite multiverse that exists in canon, but he doesn’t love the idea of what that move would potentially mean for the stories that already exist, or the how non-diehard fans may react:

Of course, this is a conflict with which Marvel Studios is super familiar, as there are past examples of characters coming back from the dead in the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise (in fact, there are many, many, many of them in Avengers: Endgame). Each time it happens, though, it does have an impact on the stakes of the storytelling, as it’s hard to feel the full impact of a hero or villains’ death in the moment if you’re simultaneously aware of the fact that the franchise might eventually bring them back to life.

It’s not a card that can be overplayed, so when it comes to Thanos, it may be best to keep him in the dust state in which he currently exists.

All that being said, Stephen McFeely did throw a caveat into the mix – which is the fact that he has unending faith in the mind an maneuvers of Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige. While he is personally unsure if bringing Thanos back would be a good idea, he is also of the mind that if Feige has a way to get it done, it will work. Said the screenwriter,

Christopher Markus added in a good point as well. After noting that you could potentially bring Thanos back in a “very weird esoteric way” given the fact that he is “an existential, philosophical character,” he added that the juice may not necessarily be worth the squeeze. After all, the pages of Marvel Comics are filled with hundreds if not thousands of villains who have yet to make their debuts in live-action, and it might just be in Marvel Studios’ best interest to explore new avenues rather than resurrecting dead characters just because they are popular. In Markus’ own words,

You can watch Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely discuss the potential return of Thanos, as well as much more about the making of Avengers: Endgame, by clicking play on the full interview below!

Do you think Marvel Studios should bring back Thanos, or would you be more happy to see them go off in new directions in Phase Four and beyond? Answer our poll below, and hit the comments section with your thoughts.

And for those of you dying to see Avengers: Endgame again, the movie is not only still playing in theaters worldwide, but will soon be making its way to the home video market. The 22nd Marvel Cinematic Universe release will be available for digital download on July 30th, and will be released on 4K, Blu-ray, and DVD on August 13th.

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Being a PG-13 franchise, the Marvel Cinematic Universe isn’t exactly known for scenes of brutality. Sure, there are definitely moments of violence, and audiences will never forget the crushing sensation felt during the final moments of Avengers: Infinity War, but the comic book movies have never been about going too extreme.

That being said, Avengers: Endgame actually came somewhat close to that line, as at one point during the development of the film there were discussions about Thanos straight-up cutting off Captain America’s head (or de-cap-itating him, if you will).

This very special bit of information was revealed earlier today during our San Diego Comic-Con interview with Avengers: Endgame writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. It was meant to be a part of the film’s third act, specifically when 2014 Thanos makes his way to the year 2023 to do battle with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, and you can watch them discuss the scene in the video below:

For those that don’t remember, Avengers: Endgame’s big third act action starts when 2014 Nebula – having captured and switched places with her double from the future – uses the team’s time travel device to bring her adoptive father to the year 2023. As it happens in the finished film it’s notably a chaos-inducing move, as it doesn’t take long for Thanos and his thousands of minions to unleash epic destruction on the upstate New York Avengers facility, but there was a point when the Mad Titan’s entrance was even more insane.

According to Stephen McFeely, there was a thought at one time that Thanos might have been a tad busy prior to Nebula transporting him through time, and while waiting for his daughter’s big move had decided to pay a special visit to Earth. During that trip, the insanely powerful alien would have unleashed epic destruction, which would have included murdering every member of the then-existing Avengers. Said the writer,

Pretty disturbing, right?

Of course, this move wouldn’t have affected 2023 Captain America, as the decapitated Steve Rogers would have been from an alternate timeline (a point stressed by Christopher Markus), but that still probably wouldn’t have made it any less of a horrifying moment. Just because Cap wasn’t dead doesn’t mean he wouldn’t have been somewhat traumatized by seeing his own body-less head – or as Markus put it:

Obviously this bit would have been extremely notable had it been included in Avengers: Endgame’s runtime, but there were specific reasons why Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely ultimately decided that it didn’t belong in the movie. As you might guess, the biggest problem was that it might have been perceived as confusing by fans. Some folks already have a hard enough time wrapping their brains around the fact that 2023 Nebula kills 2014 Nebula in the blockbuster, and introducing the idea that Thanos cut off Captain America’s head in the past before traveling to the future definitely would have exacerbated that puzzlement.

Impactful as it could have been, it just wasn’t worth potentially losing a big part of the audience at a crucial moment in the film. Stephen McFeely explained,

The good news is that Avengers: Endgame still totally works without the bit, and stands as one of the best films released in 2019 so far.

The movie is still playing in theaters nationwide, but it won’t be long until it makes its home video debut – set for digital release on July 30th, and 4K, Blu-ray and DVD on August 13th. We’ll have plenty more coverage coming your way leading up to the release, and be sure to keep coming back here to CinemaBlend for plenty more of our exciting San Diego Comic-Con coverage.

A month before Thor: Ragnarok came out, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feign revealed that the movie would be the first part of a special Hulk trilogy. The big payoff to that arc came in Avengers: Endgame, when Bruce Banner and Hulk were finally merged into one being: Smart Hulk, or Professor Hulk, if you prefer.

However, originally the plan was for this intelligent version of Hulk to surface during Avengers: Infinity War, but it was decided that that movie wasn’t the right time for the transformation to occur. Now Christopher Markus, who co-wrote Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame with Stephen McFeely, has elaborated on the reasoning behind saving Smart Hulk for Endgame, saying:

So had Hulk’s story in Avengers: Infinity War progressed as initially conceived, Bruce Banner and the green monstrosity would have fixed their “communication problems” in the middle of the Battle of Wakanda to deliver a well-deserved beating to Cull Obsidian, the brutish member of Thanos’ Black Order. It sounds cool on paper, but tonally speaking, it just didn’t work for the creative minds.

Instead, Hulk didn’t come out again after his brawl with Thanos at the beginning of Avengers: Infinity War, which directors Joe and Anthony Russo attributed to the Green Goliath getting tired of always having to save Bruce Banner. Fortunately, Banner was still able to defeat Cull Obsidian in Infinity War; he just did it in the Hulkbuster armor.

As for the problem for Smart Hulk already existing at the beginning of Avengers: Endgame during the movie’s main shoot, this was rectified by filming the diner scene during reshoots where Bruce Banner explains to Captain America, Black Widow and Ant-Man how in the five years between The Decimation and the time heist, he worked in the gamma lab for 18 months to fuse the brains and the brawn together, resulting in the birth of Smart Hulk, the best of both worlds.

This decision ultimately paid off in better balancing Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Christopher Markus also added during his panel with Stephen McFeeley at San Diego Comic-Con:

Becoming smart wasn’t the only way Hulk changed during Avengers: Endgame, as his arm was also severely damaged when he channeled the power of the Infinity Stones to bring everyone who was snapped away five years earlier back to life. And yes, that injury is permanent.

While Avengers: Endgame marked the end of one chapter of Hulk’s life and the beginning of another, it remains to be seen if we’ll explore this new chapter further. There are still no plans to give him another solo movie, and it’s hard to say if he could pop up in another hero’s movie like he did in Thor: Ragnarok. Rest assured, we’ll be sure to let you know if/when Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk returns to the big screen.

Keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more updates on what’s happening in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. For now, you can learn what the franchise has coming up in our handy guide.

Avengers: Endgame arrived in theaters months ago, bringing a close to the two-movie narrative that was built on the previous installments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Russo Brothers did the impossible with their pair of Avengers movies, crafting a complicated story that serviced the characters and including plenty of pulse-pounding action.

Infinity War and Endgame were filmed back to back, resulting in many hours of footage-- not all of which made it to the theatrical cut. Writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely wrote both blockbusters, and recently revealed a deleted sequence that came from Infinity War's epic battle on Titan. And it includes a trippy sequence courtesy of Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange.

Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus recently appeared at San Diego Comic-Con's Hall H, explaining their process of writing Endgame and Infinity War. That's when they revealed that Doctor Strange was originally going to send Thanos on a psychedelic mind trip. In fact, it was going to be similar to the one that Stephen Strange experienced with The Ancient One during Doctor Strange.

In the sequence, The Mad Titan would be faced with the many crimes he'd committed in his years of murder and atrocities. Ultimately he was going to be judged by cosmic character The Living Tribunal. The character has its roots on the page of the comics, and would have deemed Thanos guilty for his crimes. Unfortunately, Josh Brolin's big purple villain eventually realized that this was just a trick by Strange, and the battle on Titan continued on.

So why was this sequence cut from Avengers: Infinity War? Surprisingly, it doesn't seem to be a concern about the blockbuster's runtime. Instead, it messed with the rhythm of that iconic battle on Titan. As Stephen McFeely just explained to the crowd at San Diego Comic-Con:

As much as it would have been awesome to see the trippy visuals of Doctor Strange translated into Avengers: Infinity War, Stephen McFeely does make a solid point. The Titan battle is a thrilling part of the film's third act, and it was exciting to see the Guardians and Avengers unite against the Mad Titan on his home planet. Stopping the action for this side quest may have ruined that iconic aspect of the movie.

Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus also shared bits of their process, including a board that outlined the Infinity Stones' path throughout the MCU.

How cool is that? Crafting the story of Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame was super complicated, and this board shows how methodically the writers planned out each beat of the behemoth blockbusters.

Avengers: Endgame was recently re-released in theaters, and will also arrive for home purchase shortly. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

One of the biggest blockbusters of 2016, Captain America: Civil War took inspiration from Mark Millar’s 2006-2007 Marvel Comics crossover series that gave it its title, telling the story of a superhero community torn apart by philosophical differences. But it wasn’t always so. There was once an alternate version of the MCU’s third Captain America movie that originally 3 focused much more on Bucky Barnes and his journey coming out of the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Screenwriter Christopher Markus recently explained,

Sebastian Stan’s Winter Soldier certainly plays a significant part in Captain America: Civil War, but according to a recent Hollywood Reporter interview with Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely he originally had an even bigger role in the narrative. Because Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark wasn’t always a guaranteed part of the film, there was initially no conflict between him and Steve Rogers to set up, so in the absence of that storyline Bucky took center stage.

According to Markus, the plotline that existed in older outlines with Bucky still had Daniel Brühl’s Zemo has a key player, so it doesn’t sound like his story was drastically different in the development of Captain America 3. That being said, there probably were some key alterations made, such as the significance of the brainwashed super soldier killing Tony Stark's parents.

Ultimately the option of creating a big screen version of Civil War came along. The writers were able to work that iconic comics storyline in and make everything in the established Marvel Cinematic Universe fit and function as a cohesive story. Being able to do Civil War also apparently proved fortuitous for the writers, because apparently the Bucky and Zemo material wasn’t strong enough to carry the film, as screenwriter Stephen McFeely explained:

According to Stephen McFeely, having the focus of the film be Bucky Barnes and the story of Zemo controlling him wasn’t all that great. By shifting that story from the main focus to the B-plot was much more effective. It actually complemented the story of the conflict between Steve Rogers and Tony Stark too, by having their disagreement about the Sokovia Accords give way to a more personal dispute over what Bucky’s fate should be.

It’s hard to disagree with Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely given how well Captain America: Civil War turned out. It now stands as one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most beloved films, and one of the most important given how the ramifications of it reverberate throughout many of the movies that followed it. The conflict between Tony and Steve ultimately carries throughout the rest of the Phase 3 films all the way until Avengers: Endgame, proving to make Zemo one of the franchise's most successful villains.

For those who might lament not getting even more of Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes in Captain America: Civil War, fear not. Bucky will star alongside Anthony Mackie’s Falcon in a new series coming to Disney+, one of many MCU series on the way.

Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to keep track of all the biggest movies headed your way this summer and for the latest superhero movie news, stay tuned to CinemaBlend.

SPOILER alert for Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.

By now, Avengers fans know that Doctor Strange predicted the "endgame" of Avengers: Endgame back in Avengers: Infinity War. The writers confirmed that, in that moment, Strange knew Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) had to die. There was no other outcome.

Interestingly enough, before Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) gave us the "Endgame" title, Tony Stark had mentioned the word "endgame" in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Strange and Stark shared a loaded endgame moment in Infinity War when Doctor Strange revealed he went forward in time to view alternate futures, to see all the possible outcomes of the coming conflict. He told Star-Lord he saw 14,000,605 futures.

Tony Stark asked, "How many do we win?" Doctor Strange gave Tony a long look, then replied, "One." At the time, fans didn't know that the "one" necessitated Tony Stark's death. But Strange knew.

Avengers: Endgame screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely have been addressing fan theories about the movie, including the speculation that there was more than one way to defeat Thanos. As THR told the writers, fans have posited there were multiple ways the team could've "won" the conflict, but Doctor Strange picked the scenario where the Infinity Stones would also be destroyed, thus ensuring they couldn't return for use again.

The writers shot down that theory as not true. There was only one way end to this conflict, period, and it meant the endgame for Iron Man:

Watch that Infinity War scene again here in this clip, if you can, to relive that moment with all of its added meaning after Endgame:

Doctor Strange could've spoiled the ending of Avengers: Endgame right then and there, and instead he only gave hints. We're in the endgame now.

Tony Stark checked in with Doctor Strange during Endgame, asking if this was it, if they were in the reality where everyone survives. Doctor Strange's cryptic reply -- "If I tell you, it won’t happen" -- was a big hint to Tony's role. Tony would have to sacrifice his life, to miss out on his daughter's future. But after meeting up with his father in the past, it seemed like he knew he wanted to be the kind of man who put others before himself.

And so Avengers: Endgame made Tony Stark the ultimate hero, giving him that "And I am Iron Man" line at the last minute in reshoots.

Avengers: Endgame is now playing in theaters, with a new post-credits scene to boot, as it works its way up the box office charts past Titanic and on to Avatar.

SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains major spoilers for Avengers: Endgame. If you have not yet seen the film, read on at your own risk!

While we don’t actually see it play out, Captain America takes on one hell of a mission at the end of Avengers: Endgame. Needing to shut down off-shoots in reality, he volunteers to travel in time and put the Infinity Stones back where they belong – ultimately also deciding to live out a normal life with Peggy Carter and fully experience the second half of the 20th century. Most of the trip is pretty straight forward, from bringing the Tesseract back to the secret S.H.I.E.L.D. facility in 1970, to bringing the Power Stone back to Morag in 2014, but of the individual six missions, the returning of the Soul Stone would seem to be a strange and unique challenge.

As audiences will remember, unlike most of the Infinity Stones (which could be taken by the Avengers provided they had proper containment), the Soul Stone was a bit trickier to acquire. Rather than simply being recovered from an amulet or extracted with a special device, obtaining the ingot not only required a trip to the mysterious planet Vormir, but also making an important sacrifice. Knowing this, an interesting question is raised about Captain America’s final mission: how does one go about returning the Soul Stone?

This is a matter that vigorously rolled around in my head following my first screening of Avengers: Endgame, and I was fortunate enough to recently have the opportunity to ask the perfect people about it. Last week I had the pleasure of interviewing screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely for the latest episode of our HeroBlend podcast, and I made it a personal priority to ask them about the Soul Stone. It was a question that they not only appreciated, but also had an answer for, explaining,

There was some hope among fans that Captain America returning the Soul Stone to Vormir would potentially mean the resurrection of Black Widow, who died so that the Avengers could acquire the key treasure during their time heist, but that’s evidently not the case. While Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely's answer was a tad jokey, it seems that once that particular trade is made, there are no takebacks - so despite Cap making the effort to fix the timeline, that particular death is permanent.

This information also seems to confirm that the upcoming Black Widow movie will definitely be a period piece that will be set prior to the events of Avengers: Endgame. This is something that has been rumored for a while now, but if the titular heroine is most definitely dead in the Marvel Cinematic Universe then there really aren’t any other story options available to the filmmakers.

Of course, there is also still another major component that needs to be discussed here, which is that Captain America returning the Soul Stone would presumably also result in a reunion with his World War II nemesis, Johann Schmidt a.k.a. the Red Skull. Because of the way things play out in Avengers: Endgame, it’s a situation that is simply left to our imaginations, but one has to figure that Steve Rogers would be pretty damn surprised to discover the fate of the former head of Hydra following his handling of the Tesseract in 1945.

That being said, the writers of the latest Marvel Studios blockbuster definitely wish it was a reunion that they could have somehow included in the movie. After all, in addition to writing both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, they also penned the scripts for the entire Captain America trilogy. I asked Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely if the 2019 film had ever included a scene where Cap and Red Skull were reunited, and they explained what happened thusly:

And while one could hope that perhaps someday we’ll get to see a movie that features Captain America’s version of Infinity Watch, it sadly sounds like that’s never going to happen. This is specifically because directors Joe and Anthony Russo have confirmed Chris Evans’ retirement playing the character, and that’s most definitely a film that you couldn’t make without him. Perhaps the actor will eventually change his mind and decided that he really misses the character, but for now audiences should really just feel satisfied with the perfect send-off that he gets in the new film.

This particular conversation is just a taste of the awesome, deep dive discussion I got to have with Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely about Avengers: Endgame, so do yourself a favor and listen to the HeroBlend interview in full by clicking play on the embed below!

Does this take on the Soul Stone jive with your own personal theories following Avengers: Endgame? Are you like Christopher Markus and truly wish that a Captain America-Red Skull reunion happened on the big screen? Let your voice be heard in the comments section below.

Avengers: Endgame is now playing in theaters all around the world, and we’re really only just getting started with our in-depth analysis and what the movie means for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We have many more features and articles coming your way in the next few weeks, so stay tuned here on CinemaBlend – and be sure to subscribe to our HeroBlend podcast so that you’ll get to listen to new episodes as they are released every Friday!

In the last 11 years, few filmmakers have had as big an effect on the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. Initially the duo were hired by Marvel Studios to write the script for Captain America: The First Avenger, but not only did they go on to pen the entire Captain America trilogy, but they also developed both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame with directors Joe and Anthony Russo (not to mention they also created the Agent Carter television show). That’s an impressive track record all by itself – but fans will be excited to know that they still feel they have more to contribute to the franchise.

Last week I had the wonderful opportunity to interview Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely for the latest episode of our HeroBlend podcast, and in addition to doing a deep dive into Avengers: Endgame, I also asked them about their current relationship with Marvel Studios. As you would expect following the release of one of the biggest movies of all time, the two sides are currently on excellent terms, and Markus made it sound like the door is open for them to potentially collaborate on another movie for the franchise at some point in the future:

So while as of right now it looks like Phase Four may be the first era of the Marvel Cinematic Universe not to feature a film scripted by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, that might not necessarily continue to be the case. The two writers aren’t working on a project for the franchise right now, but given the right inspiration it sounds like they’d be happy to jump right back into the action.

But what could that potential project be? Given the legacy of Marvel Comics it’s actually hard to make a specific guess – and it’s an even greater challenge now that the merger between the Walt Disney Company and 21st Century Fox has been completed. Now the two writers could not only potentially take on any of the classic Avengers characters, but Fantastic Four and all of the X-Men are now up for grabs as well. We’ll just have to wait for them to find the story that they want to tell.

This was just one of the subjects that I had the chance to talk about with Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, and you can actually listen to the full interview now as part of the latest episode of HeroBlend:

Is there a specific character that you’d like to see Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely take on in the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Hit the comments section below with all of your thoughts, feelings, and ideas, and be sure to stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for a lot more of our Avengers: Endgame coverage!

SPOILER WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Avengers: Endgame. If you have not yet seen the film, read on at your own risk!

While Thor was one of the key characters who helped establish the foundation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Avengers: Endgame leaves him in a very different place compared to some of the other Phase One heroes. Rather than getting a conclusive ending similar to Iron Man’s or Captain America’s, the God of Thunder is instead given a new beginning that will see him jet off into space for a new life full of cosmic adventures.

This may seem like a surprising direction for him, as many thought going into the film that Chris Hemsworth’s time with the franchise might be over, be there’s a very good reason for the choice – as I recently learned from Avengers: Endgame screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely.

I had the wonderful pleasure of recently interviewing the two filmmakers for CinemaBlend’s HeroBlend podcast, and one of the many subjects we touched upon in our discussion was where the new movie leaves Thor at the end. I specifically asked if there were ever versions of the script that had a bit more “finality” for the character, but Christopher Markus explained why that was a direction for him that they felt ultimately didn’t fit:

Following up, Stephen McFeely added that while Avengers: Endgame may not specifically kill Thor or turn him into an old man, what is accomplished with the end of their film is the conclusion of a specific journey that he’s been on ever since Kenneth Branagh’s Thor back in 2011. Ever since we first met the big screen version of the hero he has maintained a strong connection to his homeworld, and following the defeat of Thanos he sees an opportunity for a significant life change. Said McFeely,

The final scenes of Avengers: Endgame see Thor not only pass on the responsibilities of being king of New Asgard to Valkyrie, but also join a brand new family: the Guardians of the Galaxy. And while nothing has been confirmed as of yet regarding Chris Hemsworth’s future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, what seems certain is that God of Thunder will have an entirely new outlook on life the next time we see him.

One thing that must have supported this choice for the hero is the fact that Chris Hemsworth’s perspective on playing Thor has changed greatly in recent years. The actor has gone on the record saying that he doesn’t love Thor: The Dark World (his word of choice: “Meh”), and admitted that for a time he was underwhelmed by what was being done with the character. That all changed, however, with the making of Thor: Ragnarok. Director Taika Waititi and screenwriter Eric Pearson crafted an entirely new kind of adventure for the hero, and in the making of it Hemsworth gained a brand new appreciation for the role.

This revitalization was something that Stephen McFeely directly referenced during our interview, noting that the choices made in Thor: Ragnarok very much supported the decisions that he made with Christopher Markus in the writing of Avengers: Endgame’s script:

Looking into the future, given where things end in the new blockbuster there is an assumption at large that Thor will have at least some kind of role to play in James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – but it should be noted that the developments of Avengers: Endgame didn’t really come out of any kind of collaboration between the writers and Gunn. I specifically asked Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely if there had been discussions about Thor being with the Guardians, but I was surprised to learn that wasn’t really the case:

This is only a small portion of my interview with Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, and you can hear the whole thing by listening to the latest episode of our HeroBlend podcast:

As of right now it isn’t entirely clear what will happen with Thor in the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (new franchise announcements won’t be made until after the release of Spider-Man: Far From Home), but you can be sure we’ll have all of the latest details for you as they become available.

SPOILER WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Avengers: Endgame. If you have not yet seen the film, read on at your own risk!

Thanks to its time travel wackiness and an unannounced future slate of Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, Avengers: Endgame is a film that has audiences asking a lot of engaging questions while coming out of screenings – and one of the most significant has been about Tom Holland’s Peter Parker and his high school classmates. Because the blockbuster jumps ahead in the timeline five years, some have wondered why it is that many of Peter’s friends appear to be basically the same age in the upcoming Spider-Man: Far From Home as they were when we last saw them in Spider-Man: Homecoming and Avengers: Infinity War.

While this may seem confusing to some, Avengers: Endgame co-writer Stephen McFeely has a pretty simple explanation for the situation: anyone who appears to be the same age after the events of the movie were turned to dust following Thanos’ snap, and are still the same age they were five years earlier for the same reason Peter Parker didn’t get older. Said the screenwriter,

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely as part of the latest episode of our HeroBlend podcast, and it was early in the interview that the subject of Spider-Man and his pals not aging came up. I’ve personally had many conversations with friends about this particular aspect of Avengers: Endgame, and while explanations similar to McFeely’s have generally resolved the debate, it’s nice to hear it directly from one of the filmmakers involved with the film.

In Avengers: Endgame the only friend of Peter Parker we actually see is Ned Leeds (played by Jacob Batalon), who apparently got snapped away just like his buddy - but the first trailer for Spider-Man: Far From Home seemingly confirms that Spider-Man and The Guy In The Chair weren’t alone being affected by The Decimation. As seen in the screenshot above, apparently both Flash Thompson (Tony Revolori) and Betty Brant (Angourie Rice) also disappeared following the events of Avengers: Infinity War, given they look basically the same as they did in Spider-Man: Homecoming, and it seems that it’s also the same situation with Zendaya’s M.J.

This lingering Avengers: Endgame question was one of many that I got to ask Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely about during our interview, so if you want to hear more be sure to click play on the HeroBlend episode below and give it a listen:

Avengers: Endgame is now out in theaters everywhere, and Spider-Man: Far From Home will be hitting theaters this summer on July 2nd. For the latest updates about both Marvel Cinematic Universe titles, be sure to stay tuned here on CinemaBlend.

As a 10 year capstone for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Joe and Anthony Russo’s Avengers: Infinity War was a remarkable treat. Characters from just about every corner of the vast franchise finally had the chance to interact and unite, and while the heroes’ mission and battle against Thanos was ultimately a failure, the film itself was magical of cinematic entertainment.

There are many reasons why the movie was a special success (and we have written about a ton of them here on CinemaBlend), but part of it is just the way in which it utilizes the tools at hand from previous Marvel Cinematic Universe chapters. With the exception of Eitri and the members of the Black Order, every principal character featured is one we previously met from another MCU film – and saving time introducing new heroes and villains allowed more time to dedicate to the epic narrative. Orchestrating this was a brilliant move by the Russo brothers and screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, and hopefully it continues to be the angle taken by the filmmakers for the upcoming Avengers: Endgame.

In the months since Infinity War’s release we have heard a lot of rumors and chatter about new characters being introduced via the fourth Avengers saga, but thinking about the blockbuster’s potential in this arena is misguided. While it is certainly possible that Endgame will feature one or two fresh faces that will add to the ensemble of heroes and villains that populate the big screen franchise, it should be an arena where audiences temper their expectations. What’s not to be lost sight of is the fact that not only are we still waiting to see many established names join the on-going scuffle, but we’re also still hoping for more significant interactions between important characters that weren’t featured in Avengers 3, despite said characters being featured.

Right off the bat there is the Captain Marvel discussion – with the heroine having been teased in the post-credits scene of Avengers: Infinity War, getting her own solo film in early March. Given the incredible power she possesses, it’s expected that she will have a significant impact on the events of Avengers: Endgame, and her integration into the conflict with the Mad Titan will surely be something to which the blockbuster needs to dedicate significant screen time (especially if the production wants to avoid having her be a deus ex machina introduced late in the game).

But Captain Marvel is far from the only hero in her position going into the 22nd MCU film. Fans weren’t exactly shy expressing their feelings about the absence of Hawkeye in Avengers: Infinity War – but there’s also the entire Ant-Man And The Wasp ensemble to think about, as well as Valkyrie. They’re all expected to have some kind of role to play in the defeat of Thanos, and those are only the characters who have been confirmed to appear. There is also still hope that we can see key supporting players from the various series like Phil Coulson, Sharon and Peggy Carter, Nakia, Erik Selvig, and Happy Hogan (his deleted Infinity War scene shouldn’t count).

Because Avengers: Endgame isn’t going to be six hours long, the filmmakers are going to have to be careful how they balance these additions alongside the 20-plus we saw in Avengers: Infinity War without totally breaking the narrative. If this means not spending valuable time setting up heroes for Phase Four, all the better.

This whole conversation isn’t even just about the cast from Avengers: Endgame being larger than that of Avengers: Infinity War, though. As alluded to, it was tremendously exciting to see members of the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy interact for the first time, but it should be recognized that there are still a lot of key characters who haven’t met each other yet. Ignoring the consequences of The Decimation for a moment, it’s noteworthy that Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord not only never makes it to his home planet of Earth, but also never gets to hang out with the likes of Captain America, Black Panther, Hulk, and Black Widow. Similarly, we still haven’t seen what Doctor Strange can do teamed up with Avengers other than Iron Man and Spider-Man – and those guys also still haven’t had the chance to meet Rocket or Groot.

And while it’s really exactly a new relationship, I can’t be the only one waiting to see things get resolved between Cap and Iron Man following their dispute in Captain America: Civil War. Given that the futures of both Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans in the future of Marvel Cinematic Universe is a big question mark after Avengers: Endgame, the movie definitely needs to provide some kind of conclusion for fans.

In the last nine months we have heard countless sites with unverified sources chime in with thoughts about heroes like Black Knight, Adam Warlock, and Kate Bishop being a part of Avengers: Endgame – but there is honest hope on this end that we see none of them. There is a long future ahead of this franchise and will be plenty of opportunity to introduce audiences to new heroes. None of that time, or at least an extremely limited amount of that time, needs to be spent in the blockbuster that’s arriving this April.

Within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Infinity Stones have unquestionably been the biggest MacGuffins, and six years after his introduction, Thanos finally succeeded in obtaining all six of these powerful, multi-colored artifacts. Now Thanos is now the most powerful being in the MCU, hence why he was able to wipe out half of all life in an instant. However, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers 4 co-writer Christopher Markus assures fans that this doesn't make the Mad Titan undefeatable, and there is a weakness when it comes to the Infinity Stones. Markus explained:

Let's not undersell this: undoing what Thanos did at the end of Avengers: Infinity War will be the hardest endeavor yet for the surviving heroes in Avengers 4. And even though he seems to have left his days of spreading death and destruction behind him now that he finally accomplished his goal, you can bet that once Thanos learns that there are people seeking to destroy his "work," he'll do whatever it takes to ensure they fail doing this. All this being said, Christopher Markus suggested Avengers 4's heroes can get at least one of the Infinity Stones away from Thanos, that's the first step towards achieving victory.

As Christopher Markus pointed out in the book Marvel's Avengers: Infinity War - The Art of the Movie (via Comicbook.com), there have been several instances of folks who've wielded just one Infinity Stone not properly harnessing its power. Doctor Strange and Vision could be considered exceptions, but when Avengers: Infinity War rolled around, it didn't matter because Thanos was able to put all six into his Infinity Gauntlet. He's the first individual who's been able to use the Space, Power, Reality, Mind, Time and Soul Stones to their full potential. That's all well and good for him, but from a storytelling perspective, it paints these characters into a corner. How can they beat someone who's practically invincible?

There's already been plenty of speculation on how time travel, via the Quantum Realm, will play a role in undoing Thanos' genocide, but that doesn't deal with the fact that the Mad Titan still has all six Infinity Stones at his disposal. The Infinity Gauntlet was damaged after Thanos snapped his fingers in Wakanda and turned so many to dust, but the Infinity Stones appeared to be intact, so one would imagine that he can still harness their power. Taking each Infinity Stone is an interesting plan, but how are the Avengers 4 heroes supposed to do that if Thanos can incapacitate them in an instant?

My guess is that when Thanos carried out universal genocide, that did damage the Infinity Stones. He can still use each of them, but only one at a time rather than a few or all at once. If that's the case, then while Thanos is still quite powerful, but at least the heroes would still stand a better chance (if only slightly) of taking the Infinity Stones from him and bringing him down. Personally, I would try to steal the Time Stone first so that Thanos can't rewind and make sure events happen as he sees fit, like he did when Scarlet Witch successfully destroyed the Mind Stone.

Stealing at least one of the Infinity Stones could also come in handy if Iron Man and the gang are indeed venturing into the Quantum Realm. It's unclear if the reason Scott Lang, a.k.a. Ant-Man, didn't disappear in Ant-Man and the Wasp's mid-credits scene is because the Quantum Realm is shielded from the effects of the Infinity Stones or if Scott was simply one of the lucky half that survived the Snappening. If it's the latter, then what's to stop Thanos from simply halting the heroes in their tracks once he learns they're inside this other reality? Taking one or a few Infinity Stones off the proverbial table ahead of time would boost their chances of succeeding in changing the timeline.

Since characters like Spider-Man and Black Panther are confirmed to be starring in their own Phase 4 movies, we know that at least the heroes who were dusted at the end of Avengers: Infinity War will be brought back, and hopefully the same proves true for all the civilians who were erased too. The question is how that will happen, and even with only six months to go until Avengers 4's release, plot details are still shrouded in secrecy. But if they're going to win the day, those Infinity Stones will definitely need to be dealt with sooner rather than later.

As for Thanos, since the good guys will somehow emerge triumphant, that means he'll ultimately be defeated. But again, how that will be accomplished remains to be seen, as well as whether or not he'll make it out of Avengers 4 alive. For now though, Thanos is enjoying his retirement on that unnamed, serene planet, happy that he was finally able to bring about "true balance" to a universe that, in his opinion, was going to be ravaged by overpopulation. Alas, he won't get to be content for much longer.

All our questions will be answered when Avengers 4 is released in theaters on May 3, 2019. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for continuing coverage and be sure to look through our Marvel movies guide to learn what else this superhero franchise has coming down the pipeline. Or you can look through our 2019 release schedule to learn what non-Marvel cinematic offerings arrive next year.

Barely two week in theaters and Avengers: Infinity War is already on the verge of being the highest grossing superhero movie ever made. Everyone is talking about the movie, whether it's about that ending, the excellent action, or the incredibly fun character pairings. In the case of the latter, one of the best combinations of characters is Doctor Strange and Tony Stark, two men of massive egos who routinely butt heads with each other. It's a fun use of the two characters, but the pairing is actually inspired by an unlikely source: the TV show Frasier.

Writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely had a colossal task in front of them: writing the script to Avengers: Infinity War, combining 18 movies worth of characters and storylines into a single movie. If you've seen the movie then you know they did a pretty great job at this task, and must have had a blast coming up with the character pairings. Originally, the duo planned to keep Doctor Strange and Tony Stark separate because they were so similar, but realized they should share the screen for the same reason. As Markus tells it,

In an interview with Yahoo Entertainment, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely revealed that they were inspired to keep their two most arrogant characters together by the TV show Frasier. The writing duo explains that most shows would have created a brother who was the exact opposite of the intelligent but arrogant Frasier Krane (Kelsey Grammer). However, the Emmy-winning Frasier used David Hyde Pierce's Dr. Niles Crane, a sibling who was "even more like Frasier than Frasier." This allowed Fraiser to see how annoying he could be, creating character growth, and Markus and McFeely wanted to do the same for Stark.

The Doctor Strange and Iron Man pairing is definitely a highlight of Infinity War, giving us all just one more reason to be thankful for the existence of Frasier.

You can see this pairing for yourself in Avengers: Infinity War, which is out in theaters at right this very moment winning all the money. For more Marvel movies, here's our Marvel release guide, and check out our full 2018 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains major spoilers for Avengers: Infinity War. If you have not yet seen the film, please bookmark this page, and save the read until after your screening!

In the creation of Avengers: Infinity War, writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely were offered the opportunity to work with a lot of the same Marvel players they previously utilized in Captain America: Civil War, but there were plenty of new heroes and villains to develop as well. As we now know, this is a list that includes Thanos, Doctor Strange, Wong, all four members of the Black Order, and the original Guardians of the Galaxy - so it may surprise you to learn the specific new character they told me they had the most fun writing scenes for:

I learned this interesting tidbit sitting down with Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely at the Los Angeles press junket for Avengers: Infinity War earlier this month. At the time I had not seen the movie, so I was winging it when I asked them about the new character they had the most fun writing for, but they were pretty quick to come up with a firm answer and solid reasoning for their choice. Apparently they got a real kick out of working with Karen Gillan's Nebula, basically for being a conflict-generating machine.

In retrospect, though, their choice is interesting when you consider the size of Nebula's role in Avengers: Infinity War. All things considered, she doesn't actually have much to do in the monster blockbuster. She first appears when Gamora is brought in to witness her torture, and that sequence is followed later by a brief scene where she escapes bondage and kills the minion guarding her. She winds up jumping into the fight with Iron Man, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, Star-Lord, Drax, and Mantis, but that just leaves her on the losing team. Of course, the good news is that at the end she isn't one of the heroes killed when Thanos snaps his fingers... but that fact also makes me reflect differently on Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely's response to my question.

Not only did Markus and McFeely write the script for Avengers: Infinity War, they also scripted next year's untitled Avengers 4, and their comments make me lightly wonder about what Nebula's role will be. We have no reason to believe that the next movie will pick up immediately after the last one, but it's worth noting that the only other character alive on Titan with Nebula at the end of the movie is Iron Man. She, of course, makes sense as his ticket off of the planet so that he can get back to Earth, but that just has me wondering about all of the potential fantastic banter shared between the eternally witty Tony Stark and the eternally pissed off Luphomoid assassin.

We probably won't have any firm answers for a while, with Avengers 4 not scheduled to arrive until May 2019 -- but for now we can just enjoy Nebulas awesome albeit limited antics in Avengers: Infinity War. The 19th film from Marvel Studios is now in theaters everywhere, and stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for a whole lot more of our coverage!

Joe and Anthony Russo's Avengers: Infinity War has been long promoted as a capstone project. It has been repeatedly said that all roads in the Marvel Cinematic Universe have been leading here -- and that creates a lot of expectation. The movie has many thinking that it will be the movie that wraps up all the loose ends in the entire franchise... but is that actually the case? I recently had the chance to speak with the filmmakers to get to the bottom of things, and screenwriters Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus told me the following:

In the last seven years I've had the opportunity to interview Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus about all their contributions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe -- including Captain America: The First Avenger, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and Captain America: Civil War -- and that streak continued this past weekend during the Avengers: Infinity War junket. Sitting down with the screenwriters for a two-on-one interview, one of my first questions out of the gate was in regard to how the film ties up loose ends within the franchise. Their answer suggested that earlier cuts of the blockbuster participated in this activity a lot more, but that many "loose end satisfiers" didn't necessarily make the finished cut of the film.

When I asked producer Kevin Feige the same question, he echoed some of the sentiment -- but also basically suggested a warning to die-hard fans: don't expect Avengers: Infinity War to get lost in nit-picky details. If you're walking into the movie expecting answers regarding the whereabouts of the Abomination from The Incredible Hulk and the location of the missing Pym Particles from Ant-Man, you may be setting the bar just a little bit too high. Said the executive/producer,

Finally, I also asked the same question of directors Joe and Anthony Russo during the TV day at the Avengers: Infinity War junket, and Joe Russo's answer was actually quite perfect, if not a bit of a ballerina act around spoilers. Click play on the video player below to hear him talk about the approach to those unsolved mysteries and how much of it is just tied up in the legacy of the Marvel Cinematic Universe:

Avengers: Infinity War may not ultimately answer every question that you currently have about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it certainly is one hell of a way to catch up with just about every single main character in the franchise. And you can now actually enjoy it all yourself, as the massive blockbuster is now in theaters everywhere.

Marvel Studios has been sprinkling Infinity Stones in their movies ever since 2011, but fans will be quick to point out that the job up until now has been incomplete. While the movies have revealed five of the powerful ingots -- Power, Space, Time, Reality and Mind -- one mystery that's been maintained is the location of the sixth and final stone: the Soul Stone. As it turns out, it's information that's been specially held for the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War, and two people very happy it turned out that way are the film's writers, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. They recently told me,

Prior to actually seeing Avengers: Infinity War, I had the pleasure of sitting down for an interview with Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely to discuss their work on the blockbuster, and it was during this press day chat that the subject of the Soul Stone came up. I asked if Marvel had orchestrated it so that the important MacGuffin wouldn't be revealed in any other movie, and the writers explained why they were ultimately super happy that things happened the way that they did.

There's no question that they make a number of good points. If the audience knew where all of the Infinity Stones were before the start of the film, that would also have the equivalent effect of giving the audience an early peek at the blockbuster's structure. By having the Soul Stone as a mystery, you know that there's at least one portion of the film that will reveal special new location information and a unique avenue to explore.

Furthermore, it's great that Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely were thinking about the idea of, "Why has Thanos been waiting all this time?" We haven't seen him make a genuine move for an Infinity Stone since 2014 when he sent Ronan The Accuser out to collect the Power Stone, and there's been some reasonable questions regarding why he was waiting to make his big move. If he doesn't have all of the information he needs to succeed, that fully explains it, and will ultimately make it feel like Avengers: Infinity War has a stronger narrative.

For those desperate for answers, the mystery of the Soul Stone will soon be over, as Avengers: Infinity War arrives in theaters this Friday, April 27th. We'll have a ton more feature and interview content for you here on CinemaBlend in the coming days, so stay tuned!

Just because Thanos is finally searching for the Infinity Stones himself doesn't mean he doesn't have help. Along with his army of Outriders, Thanos will be assisted in Avengers: Infinity War by The Black Order, whose members, like Gamora and Nebula, were taken from their homes at a young age and raised to be assassins for the Mad Titan. The Black Order have only been around for five years in the Marvel Comics universe, but when it came to crafting Infinity War's story, it was necessary to have these minions involved so that they could serve as Thanos' proxies while he was occupied elsewhere. Co-director Joe Russo and co-writer Christopher Markus explained:

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been building to Thanos's reign of terror ever since he smirked at the camera in The Avengers mid-credits scene, and now we'll finally see why he's to be feared in Avengers: Infinity War. That being said, even with his considerable natural abilities and the powers that each Infinity Stone grants him, Thanos can't be everywhere at once, and the movie would likely become boring if we only saw each Marvel hero one after the other trying to take down the Mad Titan in just one location. Hence why, as Joe Russo and Christopher Markus told CinemaBlend's own Eric Eisenberg, the Black Order had to be brought in to serve on Thanos' behalf. They can help him retrieve the Infinity Stones, and that subsequently helps build up to the movie's climactic battle. Markus' writing partner, Stephen McFeely, added:

With the exception of Supergiant, who's sitting out the MCU, this Black Order will have the same lineup as in the comics, with Terry Notary playing Cull Obsidian, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor playing Ebony Maw, Carrie Coon playing Proxima Midnight and Michael James Shaw playing Corvus Glaive. Make no mistake, Thanos is the main threat in Avengers: Infinity War, but from the footage that's been released so far, the Black Order are formidable in their own way; particularly Ebony Maw, who has been shown torturing Doctor Strange. But when push comes to shove, the MCU heroes will have to fight their hardest to make sure that Thanos doesn't wipe out half the life in the universe with the Infinity Stones.

Avengers: Infinity War arrives in theaters this Friday, April 27, but you can read CinemaBlend's review of the movie now. If you're interested in other cinematic projects the MCU has on the horizon, look through our handy guide.

Between the movies, the one shots, the limited-series and the television shows, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is constantly growing bigger and bigger week to week - and it's all headed in a rather epic direction. As confirmed by Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, everything we've seen so far in the comic book movie world has been building towards a massive big screen battle against the alien warlord known as Thanos, and that huge event will unfold in 2018's The Avengers: Infinity War.

But who amongst the established heroes and villains in the MCU can we expect to see pop up in the movie? Who are the filmmakers responsible for making it? Well, to organize all of that key information we have put together this handy guide which we'll keep updating to let you know the latest info about the giant blockbuster. So read on - but first, give the ridiculously fantastic debut trailer for The Avengers: Infinity War a watch!

What Is The Infinity War Release Date?

As was announced in October 2014, Avengers: Infinity War will be released on April 27, 2018. Originally, the movie was expected to come out on May 4, but following the success of Black Panther, Marvel is keeping the momentum going by pushing up Infinity War a little earlier. Initially, this story was believed to unfold across two movies, as the fourth Avengers movie was titled Infinity War: Part 2. However, directors Joe and Anthony Russo (more on them in a bit) later said that the titles were "misleading," and that eventually they would be changed. That eventually proved true, as in late August 2016 Marvel dropped the Part 1 from the third Avengers movie, thus resulting in Avengers: Infinity War. Avengers 4 still doesn't have an official title. There will still be some "cross pollination" between the two movies, but look at them now as separate and distinct movies.

What Is The Infinity War Rating?

No official rating has been announced yet, but it's a good bet that Avengers: Infinity War will follow in the footsteps of the other MCU movies and be rated PG-13. Granted, the violence will almost assuredly be the most intense we've seen yet in this franchise, but it won't be worthy of being slapped with an R-rating, just to ensure that younger fans can enjoy the experience as well. They'll throw in a few curse words and some suggestive material, but probably no more than the usual content found in a Marvel movie.

The Writers And The Directors

Marvel Studios seems to have a lot of trust in the abilities of the directing duo Joe and Anthony Russo and writing pair Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus. After the latter duo wrote the much-praised script for Captain America: The First Avenger, the four men first worked together on Captain America: The Winter Soldier. That was such a massive success that they were re-teamed for Captain America: Civil War; and with that track record Marvel Studios trusted nobody else to make The Avengers: Infinity War. The 2018 film should definitely be a totally different beast than the previous works of the filmmakers, given that they are working with dozens and dozens of established characters, but there's little reason to doubt that they'll come up with something wildly impressive.

Avengers: Infinity War Cast List

Iron Man

Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) served as the antagonist of Captain America: Civil War, enforcing the new legislation requiring that all superhero folk be regulated. This led to him squaring off against Captain America and the other anti-registration heroes in a battle of ideological differences, an the ending him emotionally scarred after discovering that Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) killed his parents. He's dealing with Steve Rogers' betrayal, and was left in a vulnerable spot. Since then we have seen him get some of his mojo back, helping Peter Parker a.k.a. Spider-Man (Tom Holland) unlock his incredible potential, and it's even possible that when we next see him he will be married to Pepper Potts (Gwenyth Paltrow) - according to the end of Spider-Man: Homecoming. All the same, it's not exactly going to be easy for him to work with a lot of his fellow Avengers following their massive fallout, but they'll need to if they want to have any chance in the fight against Thanos (Josh Brolin)

Captain America

Following the battle against A.I. gone mad in The Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America (Chris Evans) returned to the big screen in May 2016 for Captain America: Civil War, where he led the charge against the Sokovia Accords and superhero registration. Despite rumors that he would die at the end of the conflict, similar to what happened in the comics, Steve Rogers made it out alive, though he and his allies through the skirmish are now considered criminals by the world's governments (thanks to the fact that Cap freed them all from The Raft prison where they were being held). Even though he's on the run, there's no reason to believe that Captain America has stopped protecting the innocent on their own terms, and fighting Thanos will certainly be a big part of that mission. He'll be sporting a very different look in The Avengers: Infinity War, complete with a full fugitive beard, but there's no doubt that his moral compass will point true north as always.

Chris Evans will appear as Steve Rogers a.k.a. Captain America in both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers 4 - which it's been said will complete the actor's contract with Marvel Studios. This leaves us wondering if the two big blockbusters could feature the end of the character's run on the big screen, but that's just speculation for now.

Thor

Like Captain America, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) will be carrying a lot of baggage going into The Avengers: Infinity War, but it is of a much different variety. In Thor: Ragnarok, the God of Thunder not only witnessed the death of his father, but also the titular apocalyptic event. Fortunately, Thor was able to save most of the Asgardians before the destruction, shepherding them onto a space ship, but that didn't result in them being totally out of the woods. Instead, the mid-credits sequence showed us that there is a very real threat lurking in the cosmos, and judging by the Infinity War footage that was shown at D23/San Diego Comic-Con 2017 (where Thor was shown floating out in space), it looks like the hero and his people are anything but safe.

Beyond that, the first Avengers: Infinity War trailer also showed us that Thor will be playing a part in one of the most significant moments in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe: he will be the first Avenger to meet the Guardians of the Galaxy. At this point we don't really know what's going to happen with that relationship, or how the Asgardian will wind up bringing the intergalactic heroes to Earth, but new trailers may reveal that in the weeks ahead.

The Hulk

At the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron, Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) flew away from his fellow Avengers in a Quinjet, and his whereabouts afterwards were a mystery. It turns out, as revealed in Thor: Ragnarok, that he landed on the alien planet Sakaar and had a rather life changing experience becoming a champion gladiator and learning how to (somewhat) properly speak. Over all Bruce Banner spent nearly two full years in his green monster form, and the effect is a created imbalance in the relationship between the two personas. At the end of the third Thor movie, Banner is afraid that turning into Hulk once more could be permanent - though his appearances in the Avengers: Infinity War trailer suggest he found a way to change back.

Outside of the fact that he apparently at one point comes crashing down through the roof of Doctor Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum, Hulk info isn't exactly plentiful right now where the Joe and Anthony Russo film is concerned. That said, Mark Ruffalo did confirm to us that his parts in Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers 4 together form a three-act arc that operates as its own "standalone Hulk story."

Black Widow

Since making her live-action debut in Iron Man 2, Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow has grown to become a big screen fan favorite, and that level of appreciation has led to an expanded role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In addition to being a full-fledged Avenger, she has also become a key character in Captain America's adventures, appearing in his latter two solo movies. Black Widow's in the wind following Captain America: Civil War, but, not to worry, because it's been confirmed that she will be involved in Avengers: Infinity War.

While she was ultimately doing the right thing, Black Widow broke the law when she allowed Captain America and The Winter Soldier to steal a Quinjet, detaining Chadwick Boseman's Black Panther in the process. She had one final face to face with Tony Stark, but unlike Cap's other associates, was presumably never captured. One theory is that she's been staying in Wakanda, given that it looks as though the mysterious African nation is being established as a safe haven for anti-Sokovia Accords heroes, but one thing we know for certain she's done to keep her identity a secret is go blonde.

Hawkeye

Hawkeye has made steady appearances in the MCU over the last several years, first cameoing in Thor and playing integral roles in The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron and Captain America: Civil War. Given his status as an original Avenger, it makes all the sense in the world to bring him back for Avengers: Infinity War - if not only because Earth will need as many superheroes as possible in the fight against Thanos. Well, that's just what'll happen, as Jeremy Renner is signed on for both The Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers 4. Unfortunately, exactly what his role will be remains a total mystery - even more than most of the other heroes and villains we're discussing in this feature.

This is primarily because Hawkeye is one of the few lead Marvel characters who doesn't make at least a brief appearance in the first Avengers: Infinity War trailer. Last we saw him, Clint Barton was being freed from The Raft by Captain America, but where he went from there is a mystery. Like other characters that have been discussed, he's a fugitive from the law, but his situation is a tad different than most: he's a husband and father of two. It's possible that the events in Germany resulted in him not being able to see his family in the time since, so he may not be such a happy camper when we next catch up with him.

Scarlet Witch

With their introduction in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch and Aaron Taylor-Johnson's Quicksilver became the two newest superpowered individuals making their way into the Marvel Cinematic Universe... but only one was given a future in this franchise. The movie saw the untimely death of Quicksilver, who was killed in action protecting Hawkeye, and while there are no publicly discussed plans to bring him back, Scarlet Witch is a completely different story. She recently returned in Captain America: Civil War, and the Russo brothers confirmed she'll appear for Avengers: Infinity War.

Scarlet Witch was another member of Team Cap in Captain America: Civil War, meaning she did her fair share of lawbreaking. Still, it looks like her fugitive status isn't stopping her developing romantic life. While there were a few bumps in the road, Scarlet Witch and Vision (Paul Bettany) subtly started a more meaningful relationship during the Joe and Anthony Russo film, and it looks like it will further blossom in The Avengers: Infinity War. One of the few shots of her in the trailer had her alongside the incredible android, but there is something very different about his look (more on that in a bit).

Thanos

While he's won't be the only villain featured in Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos will certainly be the main antagonist of the film. We've officially known about the character's presence in the universe since the mid-credits sequence of The Avengers, which revealed him as having a desire to conquer Earth, and we got to know him a bit better in Guardians of the Galaxy through his interactions with Ronan The Accuser. The last time we saw him was in Avengers: Age of Ultron, when he finally decided to hunt for the Infinity Stones himself, though we did see what looked like his ship in the mid-credits sequence of Thor: Ragnarok. In the third Avengers adventure, we will see Thanos finally pursuing all of the Stones in the hopes of assembling them in the Infinity Gauntlet, which will see him effectively gain the powers of a god and gain control over all time and space. Naturally, it will be up to the Marvel Cinematic Universe's greatest heroes to stop him and his minions, known as the Black Order.

Ant-Man

Ant-Man made his big Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in summer 2015 in his very own solo film, and he returned in May 2016 for Captain America: Civil War as one of Steve Rogers' allies. Paul Rudd's Scott Lang is returning for 2018's Ant-Man and the Wasp, but beyond that his future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe hasn't been revealed yet. Presumably Marvel will be interested in keeping a character as historically important as Ant-Man and an actor as popular as Rudd in the mix with other players, but for right now, it doesn't appear like he'll be taking part in the craziness that is Avengers: Infinity War. Instead, it seems like he'll be featured in the sequel to his solo film next, and will then join up with everyone else in The Avengers 4.

Wasp

In the Ant-Man mid-credits scene, Evangeline Lilly's Hope van Dyne was finally given her own Wasp suit built by her father, Hank Pym (Michael Douglas). The suit was originally intended for her mother, but with Janet gone and Hope skilled with the shrinking technology, it's finally time for her to become a superhero. It looks like moviegoers won't see Hope become the Wasp until 2018's Ant-Man and the Wasp, but once that happens, she'll be the newest player among the Marvel Cinematic Universe's growing cast of heroes. Unfortunately for Wasp fans, Evangeline Lilly confirmed that Hope won't appear in Infinity War since she won't have achieved full superhero status yet, but the plan is for her to jump into Avengers 4's conflict - just like her male counterpart.

Spider-Man

Thanks to a landmark deal between Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures, Spider-Man debuted in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in May 2016 for Captain America: Civil War, where he was played by Tom Holland. That project was an introduction more than anything leading up to his first MCU solo film this past summer, Spider-Man: Homecoming. In the film, which is very much a coming-of-age story, the young Spider-Man had to learn to set boundaries for himself, and ultimately decided to not be an Avenger - instead remaining a "friendly neighborhood Spider-Man." Of course, that plan is going to totally go out the window once Thanos makes his way to town, a time when Earth is going to need all hands on deck.

Also worthy of discussion is the get-up that Spider-Man will be wearing in The Avengers: Infinity War. When Peter turned down membership in The Avengers at the end of Spider-Man: Homecoming, he also rejected a specially designed suit that Tony Stark designed for him (which fans have come to call the Iron Spider suit, based on a particular costume from the comics). He was still left with the more traditional outfit that was introduced in Captain America: Civil War, but clearly declined a lot of bells and whistles. As seen in the trailer and the image above, however, it's clear that Peter Parker couldn't resist the Iron Spider armor for long, as it seems he will be putting it on when he joins Earth's Mightiest Heroes.

Doctor Strange

After a brief mention in Captain America: Civil War, Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) finally debuted in the Marvel Cinematic Universe when Scott Derrickson's Doctor Strange hit theaters in 2015. Shortly before the movie was released, Cumberbatch confirmed that the solo movie wasn't his only plan for the future with Marvel Studios, as the benevolent spell-caster will appear in Avengers: Infinity War as well. Not only is the character expected to become an important and influential figure in the MCU -- as he is in the comics -- but he also serves as the gatekeeper for a very important aspect of the big screen world: The Multiverse.

As teased in Derrickson's blockbuster, Doctor Strange will be the audience's access point to the world of magic and alternate dimensions in the Marvel films, and that area should definitely be explored in the battle against Thanos. After all, the very special relic that he likes to wear around his neck - a.k.a. the time-controlling Eye of Agamotto - is actually one of the six Infinity Stones for which the Mad Titan is hunting (specifically the Time Stone). That alone puts a major target on his back, and its a dangerous situation considering Strange will be dealing with threats unlike anything he's dealt with before. On a brighter note, the advancing manipulator of the mystic arts will have a close friend by his side during The Avengers: Infinity War in Wong (Benedict Wong), and Cumberbatch has said that Strange may also prove integral in mediating the fractured relationship between The Avengers that came about in Captain America: Civil War.

Black Panther

Most major heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe are introduced via solo films that explore origin stories, but such was not the case for Black Panther. Instead, Chadwick Boseman debuted as T'Challa in Captain America: Civil War, and he immediately became a fan favorite. There is still much to learn about his character and where he comes from before the events of The Avengers: Infinity War, but that's why Ryan Coogler's Black Panther is arriving in theaters in February 2018.

Based on the trailer for The Avengers: Infinity War, Black Panther should actually wind up being a key set-up film for the summer release, given that it looks like Wakanda is going to be a very important location in the blockbuster. Wakanda is, of course, the secretive African nation that calls T'Challa king, and, as mentioned earlier, the footage suggests that it's been a safe haven for heroes like Captain America who are technically fugitives everywhere else in the world. Furthermore, Danai Gurira's Okoye is slated to return in the Joe and Anthony Russo-directed blockbuster, and there have been reports that Winston Duke's M'Baku will be back as well.

Vision

After years of voicing Tony Stark's digital butler J.A.R.V.I.S. in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Paul Bettany finally joined the live-action ensemble of the gigantic comic book world by playing Vision in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Following his "birth," he returned for Captain America: Civil War, fighting for Team Iron Man. Given the character's incredible abilities - including flight, density manipulation, energy projection, and apparently making himself look human - he will certainly be an asset in the fight against Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, so you can look forward to seeing him in the upcoming film. There is, however a... problem.

You see that yellow glowing thing in the middle of Vision's forehead in the image above? As any Marvel fan will tell you, that's the Mind Stone, and Doctor Strange's Eye of Agamotto, it's basically a giant target for Thanos. From the trailer we know that Black Order member Corvus Glaive is going to use his special bladed weapon to try and pry the Infinity Stone from Vision's head, but what we don't know is exactly what that's going to do to the Avenger. Is it going to kill him? Is it going to leave him comatose? Or can he just get on without it?

Guardians of the Galaxy

The Avengers: Infinity War is an exciting upcoming blockbuster for many reasons, but unquestionably one of the biggest is the opportunity to see the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy fight side-by-side. Per the request of writer/director James Gunn, the Guardians have thus far existed in a very different corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe than everyone else, but that all changes with the franchise's first capstone project. In the trailer we get to see Thor meet Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax (Dave Bautista), Rocket (Bradley Cooper), Groot (Vin Diesel), and Mantis (Pom Klementieff), but that's only the tip of the iceberg.

And it's not just the Guardians of the Galaxy who will be appearing in The Avengers: Infinity War either. We expect a few supporting characters from that particular realm of the MCU to make appearances, but Karen Gillan's Nebula is confirmed to have a role in the blockbuster as well. We'll keep updating this space as new names pop up.

Captain Marvel

Captain Marvel will be the last Marvel Cinematic Universe movie to come out before Avengers 4, but there is some question as to whether or not its titular hero will be making her big screen debut in The Avengers: Infinity War. Some have questioned the super early casting of Brie Larson as Carol Danvers as evidence of this, and the Russo brothers have even gone so far as to hint that it is happening. Exactly how it could happen we don't really know - and that's partially because of what we know about her solo film.

Not only will Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck's Captain Marvel be an origin story - explaining how Carol Danvers had her DNA fused with a alien's giving her superpowers - but the plan is to set the film in the 1990s. This not only raises the question asking where she's been for the last couple of decades, but also how the franchise will deal with her presumably not aging during that time. These are answers we have to just wait for.

Falcon

We can't really say at this point exactly what Sam Wilson a.k.a. Falcon (Anthony Mackie) did the moment he was freed from The Raft by Captain America, but we can take a guess: he probably just stuck with Captain America. The two men have been best friends ever since the events that went down in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and they always have each other's back in a time of crisis. And what's more of a crisis than being considered wanted men by almost every nation on Earth?

Just like Scarlet Witch, Black Widow, The Winter Soldier, Hawkeye, and Ant-Man, Falcon clearly finds some way to overcome his fugitive status when the world needs his help in The Avengers: Infinity War. He's not featured a lot in the first trailer, but we do know that he manages to get his specially-designed wing pack back, and is fighting alongside the titular team in Wakanda. We'll have to wait on more trailers and eventually the finished film to fill in the gaps.

War Machine

Nobody walked away from Captain America: Civil War totally unscathed, but James 'Rhodey' Rhodes (Don Cheadle) arguably got it the worst. Thanks to an errant energy blast from Vision, War Machine found his armor malfunctioning mid-flight, and crashed down to the ground without any kind of support system available. Rhodey hit the ground hard, and while the armor kept him from dying, the accident also left him paralyzed from the waist down. He thankfully has a friend in Tony Stark, who was able to build an exoskeleton to help him walk again, but he may never be 100% ever again.

This leads us to his part in The Avengers: Infinity War. We know that War Machine (at least the armor) appears in the film, as you can see him in the top left corner of the big money shot before the title card in the trailer. However, that was his only appearance in the footage, so we don't really know how he is or what he's been up to since we last saw him. Hopefully he's in good spirits and adjusting to his injury.

Other Characters

Writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely mentioned that there are around 75 major MCU characters available for them to use in Avengers: Infinity War, so despite all the people we've already mentioned, there's a lot more room for additions. So far The Winter Soldier, Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders), Pepper Potts and Wong are all confirmed to return - though there has been some question about the involvement of Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury (who is set to reprise the part in Captain Marvel). Stellan Skarsgård has expressed interest in coming back to play Erik Selvig, and while at one time it was unclear whether Loki was expected to appear, he has now been confirmed (seen handing the Tesseract a.k.a. The Space Stone to somebody in the screengrab above). Then there's Benicio Del Toro's Taneleer Tivan, a.k.a. The Collector, who, like Thanos, is hoping to gather all of the Infinity Stones, and is expected to appear because he's in possession of the Aether a.k.a. The Reality Stone

As for newcomers, Peter Dinklage has reportedly joined the cast, and while his specific role has not been identified, there are rumors that he will be playing the cosmic weirdo Pip the Troll. Terry Notary is portraying one of Thanos' henchmen (Black Dwarf) via performance capture, and Irish actor Tom Vaughan-Lawlor is portraying Ebony Maw. It has not yet been revealed who will be playing Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glaive, the other two members of the Black Order.

The Defenders

Marvel's superhero work isn't being limited to the big screen these days. They've also broken into the world of online streaming content, and they're using that format -- and a deal with Netflix - to bring together the likes of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist to form the Marvel Cinematic Universe's version of The Defenders. Being that they are heroes of the MCU, that obviously makes them candidates to be a part of Avengers: Infinity War - but whether or not that will actually happen is unclear right now. There were rumors in 2015 saying that the New York-based characters won't show up in the movies until the fourth Avengers movie in 2019, but since then, various comments from folks in both the movie and TV divisions have suggested it would be difficult to include them even then. Things could obviously change at some point, and there could perhaps be a big surprise in store, but right now the chances of them appearing are slim.

The vast majority of movie-lovers will never be able to sit on a couch with their favorite filmmaker and have them intimately discuss their work scene-by-scene, but that's exactly why commentary tracks are so great. More often than not, they prove to be wonderful treasure troves of trivia and anecdotes, and there are few better ways to learn about the details of a movie. Because of this, we were tremendously excited to learn there would be a commentary attached to the digital release of Captain America: Civil War, and we learned a ton of great stuff listening to it this past weekend.

Altogether, the commentary track for Captain America: Civil War is two-and-a-half hours of directors Joe and Anthony Russo and screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely talking about their experience building the blockbuster, and it's fantastic. We learned a ton of great stuff, and we've put together all of the highlights in the list you'll find below. Read on, and enjoy!

Helmut Zemo was originally chasing a completely different MacGuffin

When we first meet Daniel Bruhl's Helmut Zemo in Captain America: Civil War, he is on the hunt for a little red book with a black star -- which notably contains the phrases necessary to transform Bucky Barnes into The Winter Soldier. It's a rather simple MacGuffin, but early drafts included a much more complicated one. As Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely reveal on the commentary, the original idea was to have Zemo looking for "The Mind Crown" -- which is the device we see put on Bucky's head in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and the opening of Civil War. It was replaced in aid of making things simpler.

Quicksilver is featured in Captain America: Civil War

Fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will remember that the continuity's version of the speedy Quicksilver (played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson) died in The Avengers: Age of Ultron. Even so, the filmmakers of Captain America: Civil War found a way to include him in their movie. As the writers and directors point out on the commentary track, if you look at some of the production design featured in Scarlet Witch's room in the Avengers compound, you'll notice that there are some photographs of a young boy -- who is identified as Pietro Maximoff.

Zemo originally had a very different introduction

You can read more about this one here, but the long and short of it is that the original script for Captain America: Civil War had Helmut Zemo making his entrance into the film by killing a whole bunch of people. After it was decided the book was the way to go MacGuffin-wise, the script included a scene where the item was on the block at a black market auction. Rather than simply pay for it, Zemo gassed the entire room, and stole it.

No, Vision does not go shopping

As if to settle any possible debates amongst fans, one item discussed by the Captain America: Civil War writers and directors is whether or not Paul Bettany's Vision actually goes out and buys the various clothes he wears, or if he just creates them. There was no debate here, as they firmly said that Vision just creates what he wears. As the filmmakers additionally point out is that with this being true, it also basically means that the android is naked at all times, with just his "skin" taking on a different appearance.

Why Black Widow is a particularly hard character to write

Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus are very upfront about the character that was hardest to write for in Captain America: Civil War, with that distinct honor going to Black Widow. Noting that quips and snappy lines can be a crutch, the screenwriters said they can't really do that with Black Widow because she is such a mission-oriented hero. This isn't to say that she can't be funny, but that her humor requires an appropriate moment. Whenever McFeely and Markus slipped up, the first person to call them on it would be Scarlett Johansson -- to whom they happily capitulated, recognizing that at this point she knows Black Widow better than anyone.

The movie doesn't make it 100% clear how Sharon Carter is related to Peggy Carter

Captain America: Civil War brings the epic journey of S.H.I.E.L.D. co-founder Peggy Carter to an end, and she gets a tearful goodbye in a funeral scene early in the movie. It's at this event that Emily Van Camp's Agent 13 reveals herself to be Sharon Carter, a relative of Peggy's, but she doesn't actually make her connection entirely clear. In her eulogy, Sharon refers to her as "Aunt Peggy," but the Russo brothers and Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus make it clear in the commentary that Peggy is her great aunt, not her mother or father's sister.

Every frame of Black Panther in Captain America: Civil War is painted with CGI

The art and costume departments did an absolutely exceptional job designing the Black Panther costume in Captain America: Civil War, and Chadwick Boseman wore a costume that looked very similar to that design while on set -- but it may shock you to learn that every frame of the character in the movie is painted over with CGI. Throwing a ton of credit to the folks at Industrial Light and Magic for their incredible albeit invisible work, the Russos explained that both realities of the costume's functionality and the shimmer created by the suit's fictional Vibranium weave construction meant that bringing it to the screen properly meant using digital effects.

The intense process Robert Downey Jr. goes through before his scenes

It's during the scene where Robert Downey Jr's Tony Stark and Chris Evans' Steve Rogers sit down for a talk over a pair of FDR pens that the Russo brothers talk about the process of working with Downey Jr. and getting him into character. For the eight weeks the actor was shooting, the filmmakers would go over to his house every Sunday, and they'd spend hours finding a way to give RDJ an organic connection to his scenes. Without compromising story, they'd rework the scene to perfectly fit Downey Jr.'s interpretation of Tony Stark, and then they'd go to set with it entirely ready to go.

The special way the Spider-Man auditions wound up helping Captain America: Civil War

It was no secret that Captain America: Civil War was auditioning actors to play Spider-Man while the movie was in the midst of production, but what's kind of funny is that the drawn out process actually wound up helping the blockquote. Those who came in for the role were given a version of the scene between Peter Parker and Tony Stark, and it was in seeing that key scene played over and over again that the film's writers and directors figured out the best way that it should work.

The surprising secret behind Captain America: Civil War's Empire Strikes Back reference

During the big Leipzig Halle airport battle sequence, Joe and Anthony Russo talk extensively about the way that the Empire Strikes Back reference came together, and even admit that they were against the idea at first. The whole thing started when they realized they needed a way to take both Tom Holland's Spider-Man and Paul Rudd's Ant-Man/Giant Man out of the sequence, and they worked with the writers to come up with the webbing around the legs. They were concerned for a time about the direct reference ringing false, given that EVERYONE has seen Empire Strikes Back, but here's the surprising, funny secret: Tom Holland isn't part of that club.

Why Captain America: Civil War had to be particularly careful about introducing Wakanda

In the world of Marvel Comics, there are few places more breathtaking than the nation of Wakanda, and in 2018 director Ryan Coogler will transport audiences there in the first ever Black Panther movie. It's because of this, however, that Joe and Anthony Russo had to be particularly careful with the mid-credits sequence of Captain America: Civil War. As the directors note in the commentary, they wanted the scene to tease the introduction of Wakanda, but they simultaneously wanted to do absolutely nothing to step on Coogler's toes. Fans have been waiting for years for the revelation of the African nation, and hopefully it will be quite special.

The amazing Spider-Man line Tom Holland ad-libbed in the post-credit scene

In Captain America: Civil War's post-credits sequence, Peter Parker comically explains away his bruises to Marisa Tomei's Aunt May by explaining that he got jumped by a guy named "Steve." This is funny just because of the way in which it's a sly reference to Captain America/Steve Rogers, but while acting out the scene Tom Holland added his own reference that's even better. "His friend was huge!" -- a shout-out to Giant Man -- was something the actor came up with on the spot, and it gives us great hope for his sense of humor in Spider-Man: Homecoming.

When you're writing for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it's crazy enough if you're crafting a solo entry into the bigger picture. However, if you're one of the writers or writing teams that's graduated to writing an installment of The Avengers saga, then you're in a whole new level of complication. Just ask Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus, as they're preparing the next two films that were previously known as The Avengers: Infinity War Parts I and II. While they've only racked up one title change, the writers are already in several drafts deep for both films.

Yahoo Movies sat down with Markus and McFeely, as they attended this year's San Diego Comic Con. While they obviously couldn't say too much on what's to come, the official word on the status of the screenplays to both The Avengers: Infinity War, as well as its follow-up set for the year after, is this:

Naturally, the process of adjusting a major motion picture's screenplay is something that isn't a surprise to fans of movies in general. Scripts change all the time, and considering how The Avengers: Infinity War Part II will now go under a different name, some details and story structures will obviously need to change. However, considering how closely together both films are being written by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely, it's clear that they aren't going to be completely separate entities. Rather, it looks like certain elements will be more self contained, with two closely joined stories being told - rather than one mega story.

The writing process of Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely is definitely a well oiled machine, and they went into a little more detail involving the way they're crafting The Avengers: Infinity War and its sequel. In fact, the way they've described their writing and outlining process, it sounds like a bit of a tabletop game, as they laid out the following schematic for the Marvel Studios storytelling play set:

While we're not expecting Darcy, or her boyfriend, to cross over into the story of The Avengers: Infinity War, it sounds like Markus, McFeely, and The Russos have a firm grip on the fact that if they really wanted to, they could. With so many characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and a good number of them promising to show up in the next two Avengers flicks, it's important to know who's still in play, and who's locked up in an intergalactic prison, or worse, 20th Century Fox's legal rights. So much excitement awaits in the next two installments of The Avengers' story, but wherever it goes, it's going there in a very careful, and methodically laid out manner.

Rest assured, there's plenty of time to get the scripts in place for The Avengers: Infinity War and the as of yet untitled follow up, as they're scheduled for release on May 4th, 2018 and May 3, 2019, respectively.

Marvel Studios has come a long way in the last eight years. While the Marvel Cinematic Universe has become the biggest franchise in Hollywood, back in 2008 the industry didn’t know exactly what audiences would make of Iron Man, and the company basically threw a series of consecutive Hail Mary plays that worked out. In the early days, every move made could sink the ship, but success has dissipated that stress and led to a much more hands-off for creatives – what writer/producer Stephen McFeely considers to be the biggest change behind the scenes at Marvel since Phase One.

Writers Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus have been working with Marvel Studios since the early days, writing the screenplay for Joe Johnston’s Captain America: The First Avenger, so when interviewing them recently over the phone I took the opportunity to ask them about how the experience working on Captain America: Civil War and The Avengers: Infinity War is different now than it was in the early years of the MCU. McFeely explained that the need for The First Avenger to work led to a lot of suggestion and input from higher up the ladder, but now that’s something that has greatly changed. Said the writer/producer,

In his comments, Stephen McFeely also spoke to the behind the scenes shake-up that happened at Marvel Studios last year. In September 2015, it was reported that Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige would start reporting to Walt Disney Pictures head Alan Horn instead of Marvel CEO Ike Perlmutter – and this meant that all of the Marvel Studios film projects would no longer have to go through their “Creative Committee” to be made. McFeely says that this change hasn’t really changed daily routine at Marvel Studios, but he did say that he and Christopher Markus no longer writing drafts based on ideas they don’t love:

It’s been firmly established that audiences want what Marvel has to offer, and as the movies continue achieving success and gaining popularity, hopefully it will translate to even more creative freedom that leads towards a common goal.

Joe and Anthony Russo’s Captain America: Civil War features more Marvel heroes than any franchise film before it – but when you boil it down, the film is ultimately a story about its titular character (as it should be). As the directors and writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely head towards The Avengers: Infinity War, however, it becomes a completely different ball game. Despite the number of characters, the audience will go into the movie expecting the entire ensemble to shine in the two-part blockbuster, and that puts a completely different kind of pressure on it. So how are the filmmakers dealing with it? Basically by treating it as though it’s Nashville.

Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely directly referenced the Oscar-winning Robert Altman film when I talked with them on the phone earlier this month, discussing how they are handling the challenge of perspective in The Avengers: Infinity War. I asked them how the experience of building the narrative was different from Captain America: Civil War in terms of making sure that it’s really everyone’s story, and they explained that the trick is to break it down into smaller stories with particular characters that operate within the larger plot that’s unfolding. Said McFeely,

Adding to the point, Christopher Markus noted that one asset that they have is the fact that they have two full blockbusters to tell their story with The Avengers: Infinity War, and characters that don’t necessarily pop out in the first movie can get their big moment in the spotlight in movie number two. Of course, having such a long runtime between both films means that there is extra pressure to not just focus on one hero. Said the writer/producer,

Juggling a large ensemble and making everyone’s voice heard was something that Joss Whedon did very well with both Avengers movies thus far, but obviously Infinity War presents a completely different ballgame considering they are balancing around 70 different characters in the action. That being said, after the success of Captain America: Civil War, the Russo brothers, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, and Marvel have all of our trust.

Joe and Anthony Russo’s The Avengers: Infinity War movies are very special in the grand scope of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Not only is it the first two-parter that the studio is putting together, but it’s truly expected to be the event to which every movie up until its release is really leading. Screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely are currently hard at work on the script, but there is one particular catch: they won’t really be entirely sure how everything will work until all of the other movies in Phase Three are finalized.

I recently had the pleasure of chatting with Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely over the phone – the duo continuing to do press for the currently-in-theaters Captain America: Civil War - and one thing they mentioned early in the conversation is that they just recently completed their second draft of The Avengers: Infinity War. Knowing that there are five more Marvel Studios movies set to come out between now and Part 1’s release date in May 2018, I asked just how close to "finished" each draft could really get, and they explained that the work does require regular updates as well as important conversations with their filmmaker colleagues. The duo explained,

The good news for Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely is that all of the films coming out in between Captain America: Civil War and The Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 are pretty stacked with creative talent in all of the important positions. This list of titles includes Scott Derrickson’s Doctor Strange, James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Jon Watt's Spider-Man: Homecoming, Taika Watiti's Thor: Ragnarok, and Ryan Coogler's Black Panther. Of course, the two parts of Infinity War mean that the epic blockbuster is sandwiching both Peyton Reed’s Ant-Man And The Wasp and the director-less Captain Marvel, which they have to take into consideration as well.

The Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (which will probably wind up with a new title before too long) is currently on track to hit theaters on May 4, 2018. Be sure to stay tuned here on Cinema Blend for more updates as they roll in, as well as more from my interview with Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely!

In the comics, Thanos is unquestionably one of the most formidable presences in the Marvel universe… but the same can’t really yet be said about his live-action counterpart. Sure, the giant purple alien has done a good amount of orchestrating behind the scenes and made serious threats, but audiences haven’t actually seen him do much more than sit in his giant throne and smile. Given the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s less-than-brilliant track record when it comes to villains, this has left some fans a touch concerned – but it’s an issue that the Avengers: Infinity War screenwriters are tackling full-on, by giving the character all of the proper screen time and perspective that he needs to make audiences wet themselves.

With Captain America: Civil War having just completed its first full week in theaters, late last week I had the pleasure of hopping on the phone with screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, and amongst the topics discussed was their plan to make Thanos everything that he is in the comics. The two filmmakers certainly recognize that Thanos hasn’t really had his time to shine in the Marvel movies just yet, but that they are making sure that he gets his full due in the spotlight during Infinity War. Said Markus and McFeely,

The Avengers: Infinity War writers couldn’t get much more detailed than that, but it certainly does raise the important question: how do you manage the motivations for an alien tyrant who wishes to achieve god-like power and rule over the universe? In the comics, the answer to this question is simple: love. Thanos has a deep, deep passion for the physical manifestation of Death, and basically wants to collect all of the Infinity Gems and the Infinity Gauntlet just to impress her. At this time it’s unclear if we can expect an adaptation of this relationship in Marvel Studios’ two-part blockbuster, but it has been rumored that Cate Blanchett will be playing Hela, the Asgardian goddess of death, in Thor: Ragnarok, and one could imagine her being the target of affection from Thanos (played by Josh Brolin).

There’s still a long road ahead for The Avengers: Infinity War, as Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely told me that they just turned in their second draft this month – with surely many more drafts to come just because of the way the upcoming Marvel movies will change things in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As always, we will keep you up to date with all of the latest news, and be sure to check back for more from my interview with the Captain America: Civil War writers!

At the beginning of Captain America: Civil War, audiences learn that the way Hydra has managed to control the actions of The Winter Soldier for years is through the repetition of key trigger words and phrases read in Russian from a little red book. While seemingly random, the presence of the word "Homecoming" – the subtitle of the upcoming Spider-Man solo movie – has led some fans to speculate that the words have some kind of larger significance within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Well, that speculation can end now, because screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely have confirmed to us that the shared word is just a coincidence.

With Captain America: Civil War heading into its second weekend at the box office, I had the pleasure of chatting with Markus and McFeely over the phone this weekend, and when I asked about the "trigger words" and the possible significance of "Homecoming," they denied any kind of connection. Said McFeely,

If we’re being 100% real, it would be very strange if there was some kind of honest connection between Hydra brainwashing words and the title of Spider-Man: Homecoming - but the speculation is earnest simply because of the "Easter egg" atmosphere that Marvel Studios has created in their movies over the last eight years. There are many instances – including scenes in Captain America: Civil War - that partially function because filmmakers started laying seeds in the continuity years earlier. Fully acknowledging this, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely appreciate that fans are constantly trying to unravel different puzzles… even when the puzzles don’t actually exist:

So, Marvel Cinematic Universe fans – you can feel free to let this little bit of speculation end. Perhaps you can go to another screening of Captain America: Civil War this weekend and find something entirely new to pick up on and investigate!

The future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the next two Avengers movies, is in the hands of Captain America: Civil War writing geniuses Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus. Together with directors Joe and Anthony Russo, the four masterminds will draw phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to a close. All eyes are on the team that brought Steve Rogers into the 21st century, and they're already talking up how to use the full Avengers team in the two-parter.

During an interview with IGN, the writers behind Captain America: Civil War were asked about how they would handle juggling the entire super-hero roster, which supposedly caps off at around 67 Avengers. Stephen McFeely fielded the question for the first half of their combined response, by laying down the following information:

Much like Captain America: Civil War, the many characters in The Avengers: Infinity War sound like they will be carrying out the same sort of balancing act that they did in this past weekend's blockbuster. Meaning that while there may be 67 Avengers in play during both parts of the Phase 3 finale, everyone will get their own moments of support and spotlight, all throughout both parts of the story. As if on cue, Christopher Markus addressed this same sort of strategy, when he followed up McFeely's opening remarks with this follow-up:

Markus' comments remind us that, as with any good superhero team-up movie, there's a chance that a handful of Earth's mightiest heroes will not make it out of their battle with Thanos alive. Come to think of it, there were a couple Avengers we thought were going to take the long dirt nap by the end of Captain America: Civil War, and they're still standing. Which means that there's a chance that all bets are off when it comes to the survival of any Avenger that may have been introduced in the first two phases of the MCU. By the end of The Avengers: Infinity War, there's a chance that the Russo Brothers, as well as Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, will be on your list of creative types that break your heart on a regular basis. But at least they'll do it with one hell of a "splash panel" moment that just might rival the Airport scene. 

Captain America: Civil War is currently in theaters, with The Avengers: Infinity War – Parts 1 and 2 being scheduled for release on May 4th 2018 and May 3rd 2019 – respectively. 

If you like your superhero films stuffed to the gills with perfectly powered protagonists, then Captain America: Civil War is the safer bet out of this year's superhero team-up films. Surprisingly, with as many heroes as there were present in the Captain's third box-office outing, there were almost two more added to the roster: Ant-Man's Hank Pym, and the Janet Van Dyne variant of The Wasp.

Now we'd previously heard about the original plans to include Evangaline Lilly's heroic debut in Captain America: Civil War, but as far as we can tell this is the first we've heard of Michael Douglas' Hank Pym being in any draft of the film. And as far as writers Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus were concerned, any talk of Pym's inclusion was squashed rather early, and for one key reason stated below in their interview with Mashable:

As for Janet Van Dyne's exclusion from Captain America: Civil War, Markus and McFeely echoed the sentiments of Marvel Cinematic Universe big wig Kevin Feige, stating that introducing Janet's Wasp is a moment best handled in her own film, and not as a throwaway moment in a team-up flick. While the introductions of both Black Panther and Spider-Man were both handled perfectly, despite being included in an already stacked plot, they were also integral to the plot of Captain America: Civil War. Presumably, Janet and Hank's roles would have been tied to Scott Lang's presence in the film, and seeing as Ant-Man himself isn't in the film for all that long, it would have been a waste of a good introduction.

One of the key reasons to include any character in your story, be it Captain America: Civil War or Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, is to have the justification for including those characters. Perhaps if Zack Snyder had the advice of Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus in his ears during the production of his DC Comics team-up film, there might have been more of a cohesive flow in the plot. After all, while Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice had a main plot involving Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, the three other Justice League members that appeared (The Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg,) really didn't play a part in the narrative proper.

See for yourself if the narrative flow of Captain America: Civil War was superior to that of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, as both films are currently in theaters now.

When it comes to the ongoing mysteries and unanswered questions of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, nothing trumps the Infinity Stones. The powerful MacGuffins have had a presence in the MCU since the Tesseract in Captain America: The First Avenger, and the collection of all six stones by Thanos will be a huge point of The Avengers: Infinity War. So far there are four confirmed stones, with two – the Time and Soul stones – still unaccounted for. It’s fun to speculate which movies they’ll appear in, but now we’ve got confirmation one of those movies isn't Captain America: Civil War.

This news comes straight from the red carpet premiere of Captain America: Civil War, where ComicBook.com was able to interview the writers of the film, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. McFeely and Markus were asked if any new Infinity Stones would be premiering in the movie, and after a quick glance at each other to figure out if they were allowed to say anything, the duo was able to give a definitive answer. Said McFeely,

It seems that the Soul and Time stones are being saved for a later date. Captain America: Civil War is already a packed film, featuring almost every Avenger in addition to new characters like Spider-Man and returning supporting characters like General Ross. Having to deal with the Sokovia Accords and a secret Infinity Stone might be overkill for one movie. It’s better to save the stones for when they can be a bigger focus on the story.

It’s unclear which movie the remaining two stones will next appear in. We’ve seen the Space Stone (the Tesseract from Captain America: The First Avenger and The Avengers), the Mind Stone (from The Avengers, and Avengers: Age of Ultron), the Reality Stone (the Aether from Thor: The Dark World), and the Power Stone (the orb from Guardians of the Galaxy). It’s been rumored that Doctor Strange will feature an Infinity Stone in some capacity, and there is evidence to suggest it may be the Time Stone. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has said that the Eye of Agamotto, a mystical relic worn around Stephen Strange's neck, will have the ability to "screw around with time." That sounds like a Time Stone all right.

As for other movies the Infinity Stones can appear in, Thor: Ragnarok seems like a likely candidate. Thor left for space at the end of The Avengers: Age of Ultron to figure out the importance of the Infinity Stones, so it’ll probably factor in some way in his solo film. Another option could be Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. The Guardians are in a good position to run afoul of an Infinity Stone out in space. However, that might get stale, seeing as how the team already dealt with the power stone pretty heavily in their first film.

You’ll be able to see lots of things except the Infinity Stones in Captain America: Civil War, which hits theaters this week on May 6th.

On February 9, 2015, Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures announced that they had made a deal that would see Spider-Man introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In addition to getting his own solo movie, it was also revealed that the webslinger would be showing up in an upcoming Marvel blockbuster. Basically, this was the day it was confirmed that Spidey would be showing up in Captain America: Civil War, but what may surprise you is that the character was actually worked into the film months before a joint studio deal was made.

Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Captain America: Civil War directors Joe and Anthony Russo, and writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, and during both separate conversations with the two filmmaking duos we discussed exactly when it was that Spider-Man entered the script for the movie. Sitting down with the directors for an on-camera interview, I first learned about the details of the situation from Anthony Russo, who explained that they needed to commit to Peter Parker’s presence in the movie regardless of the deal, because if it all did work out for the best the character would have to feel organic to the story being told. Said the co-director,

Talking with Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely the next day, I followed up about when it was that Spider-Man made his way into Captain America: Civil War. They admitted to me that there were instances of the character coming out of the script – at times when it looked like the Sony deal wouldn’t work out – they left a particular section of the script’s structure continually open to allow Spider-Man’s role to be included and a necessary part of the film. Said McFeely,

You can watch Anthony Russo discuss Captain America: Civil War’s commitment to Spider-Man in the video below:

Without wanting to give anything away, I can confirm that the introduction of Peter Parker/Spider-Man (played by Tom Holland) in Captain America: Civil War is completely perfect, and effortlessly clicks into the impressively smooth operation that is the epic, character-packed plot. It’s an incredible thing to see, and it won’t be long until American audiences can – as the blockbuster will be arriving in theaters on May 6th.

The Avengers: Infinity War movies are only a couple years away, and by all accounts, they’re going to be the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s biggest entries yet. Maybe even the biggest superhero movies ever. With something so gigantic in scope, we’d of course expect a lot of important characters from this franchise to appear, and at one point, it was said by directors Joe and Anthony Russo that as many as 67 people would appear in the two-part superhero epic. Where does this number come from? Well, basically it’s the number of individuals from the years of MCU history who are still kicking and available to return.

During the recent Captain America: Civil War junket in Los Angeles, our own Eric Eisenberg spoke with screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, who are also penning the Avengers: Infinity War movies, and they set the record straight about where that "67" number came from. Asked to explain the impressive figure, the duo went back and forth saying,

When asked if this number included characters seen on Marvel television shows – such as Daredevil, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or Jessica Jones - Stephen McFeely’ response was a straight-up "No comment." What they could confirm is that the movie will also introduce particular characters to the Marvel Cinematic Universe who haven’t been previously adapted, basically because they are needed in order to execute the Infinity War story properly. Said Christopher Markus,

We already have a pretty clear idea of who the main players of The Avengers: Infinity War will be, as Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Chris Evans (Captain America), Mark Ruffalo (Hulk), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye), Elizabeth Olsen (Scarlet Witch) and Josh Brolin (Thanos) have all been confirmed to appear in at least one of the Avengers: Infinity War movies – though there has also been some talk about Chris Pratt bringing in his Star-Lord character. Tom Hiddleston and Samuel L. Jackson are also reportedly reprising Loki and Nick Fury, respectively. So already we have an impressive collection of performers who have left their mark on the MCU, but we can expect a lot more integral players to be announced in the future. Just think about all of the key side characters we’ve seen in the last eight years of Marvel Studios films – from Gwenyth Paltrow’s Pepper Potts to Tim Blake Nelson’s Dr. Samuel Sterns to Kat Dennings’ Darcy. All of those people could potentially find their moment in Infinity War.

The Avengers: Infinity War movies are being seen as the culmination of everything that’s happened in the MCU since it began in 2008, and even though Phase Four is a given at this point, this fictional world is going to look a lot different following its aftermath. Given the number of characters we can expect to see from the history of the cinematic universe in the movie, it will be fascinating to see where those various threads lead.

With production on both movies beginning at the end of the year in Atlanta, Georgia, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 hits theaters on May 4, 2018, and Avengers: Infinity War Part 2 will follow on May 3, 2019.

In the next few years, Marvel Studios has some very interesting scheduling planned for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Not only will they be releasing their first two-part blockbuster in the form of The Avengers: Infinity War, but both Ant-Man And The Wasp and Captain Marvel will be released between the two halves of the story. This is posing a unique challenge for screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, and it’s one being sorted through with constant communication and parallel developments in story and casting.

I spoke with the writers at the Captain America: Civil War press event earlier this month, and it was while discussing their work on the upcoming Infinity War that they revealed the process of how what they’re doing is syncing up with what’s going on in Ant-Man And The Wasp and Captain Marvel. Markus described it as the duo being in "constant bugging mode," with the filmmakers behind those individual projects (like Peyton Reed, Nicole Perlman and Meg LeFauve) on their speed dial. Miming the kinds of conversations they’ve been having, Markus and McFeely said,

Speaking to Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige later in the same day, I asked him the same question about the overlapping developments of The Avengers: Infinity War, Ant-Man And The Wasp and Captain Marvel. He downplayed the connection between the films a bit, saying that the sync up as much as all other Marvel movies do, but did confirm that there will be some stars of the Cinematic Universe who will simultaneously be working on two different productions. Said Feige,

Joe and Anthony Russo’s epic Avengers: Infinity War adventure will kick off with Part 1 on May 4, 2018, and will be followed that same summer by Peyton Reed's Ant-Man And The Wasp on July 6th. Captain Marvel, which doesn't have a director attached just yet, will be the first Marvel Studios title of 2019, coming out on March 8th, and the Infinity War will come to a conclusion with Part 2 released on May 3, 2019. We couldn’t be more excited to see how it all unfolds and links, so be sure to stay tuned for plenty of updates in the coming days, weeks, months and years.

Joe and Anthony Russo’s Captain America: Civil War is overflowing with characters seen in previous Marvel Studios films, but two of the biggest highlights of the movie are the heroes being newly introduced: Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther and Tom Holland’s Spider-Man. What’s interesting about these two heroes is that the blockbuster doesn’t craft big origin stories for them, instead showing them deep into their respective heroes’ journeys… but this wasn’t always the case. In fact, it was the web-slinger moving in and out of the script that eventually convinced the writers to just have Black Panther exist in the MCU instead of showing how Prince T’Challa wound up wearing his special Vibranium costume.

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of sitting down with screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely during the Captain America: Civil War press day in Los Angeles, and it was during our conversation that they revealed how the characterization of Black Panther in the movie was affected by Spider-Man. As it turns out, the writers were toying around with putting the wall-crawler in the film long before Marvel finalized their deal with Sony Pictures for the character, and it was in preparation for things going south that they started playing with T’Challa’s place in the story and how far along he would be into the costumed hero game. Markus explained,

Having seen Captain America: Civil War (and not wanting to give anything too big away), I can tell you that the integration of Black Panther winds up being seamless. Admittedly they do change some very minor details from the comics, but the immediate introduction to the superhero character works perfectly in the context of the film, and the secrecy of Wakanda as a nation provides a totally reasonable explanation as to why we’re only now hearing about him now, in the 13th film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Later this year we will see the release of Doctor Strange, which will tell the origin story of the titular Master of the Mystic Arts, but Captain America: Civil War definitely suggests that comic book movies could eventually move forward and leave this kind of set-up storytelling behind – trusting audience’s to grasp who a character is without two hours of exposition and backstory. Beyond 2016, it’s possible that we’ll also see an origin established for Captain Marvel when her movie comes out in 2018, but James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Jon Watts' Spider-Man: Homecoming, Taika Waititi's Thor: Ragnarok, Ryan Coogler's Black Panther, Peyton Reed's Ant-Man And The Wasp, and the Russo brothers' two-part Infinity War will all be beyond that first step.

Captain America: Civil War will be in theaters on May 6th.

In case you haven’t noticed, superhero movies are all the rage and have bene dominating the box office. Marvel is finding such huge success with its cinematic universe surrounding the Avengers, and it’s got stuff in the works all the way through 2018. DC will soon beef up its offerings, as well, with a movie slate that extends into 2020. Why is this genre doing so well now, when past efforts haven’t worked as famously?

Screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, the gents who wrote Captain America: The Winter Soldier and are returning to pen Civil War, keep getting asked this question and they’ve got an answer. As quoted by IGN, McFeely told a small group of reporters:

The advancements in technology behind moviemaking have made Superman-worthy leaps and bounds in the past few decades. From motion-capture (which we’ll be seeing a lot of in Avengers: Age of Ultron), IMAX cameras and CGI, filmmakers are able to pull off the effects required of these characters and pull them off right. No wonder that black-and-white Captain Marvel movie didn’t become as domineering as Guardians of the Galaxy.

But superhero movies are the new westerns? It makes a heck of a lot of sense. As McFeely notes, both sets of characters embody similar ideals about honor and looking out for the little guy. Perhaps, then, Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy could be considered the Dirty Harry of the genre.

With the massive surge of comic book lovers coming out of the proverbial closet, audiences have proven they’re ready for a geek-centric slate of movies. As shown through this morning’s 2015 Oscar announcement, they’re even infiltrating the awards race. Captain America 2, Guardians of the Galaxy, Big Hero 6 and X-Men: Days of Future Past (all based on Marvel properties, by the way), have earned Oscar nominations. The question is, will this hype ever die out?

Everything eventually comes to an end, even the Man of Steel, but will interest still be as strong by 2020? Marvel and DC are both banking on the fact that people will be coming out to movie theaters by the truckloads to see their two-part Avengers: Infinity War and Justice League releases a few years from now. The former studio has been doing a great job through promotional campaigns, fan events and Comic-Con teases to keep fans excited for these big-time blockbusters, while the latter is just getting started. Still, one wonders if things will ever return to simpler times.

The fictional clandestine organization known as S.H.I.E.L.D. plays a massive role in the plot of Joe and Anthony Russo’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and as a result just about all of the major players get a time to shine. Both Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury and Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow play important supporting characters in the story, Cobie Smulder’s Maria Hill makes her first big appearance since The Avengers, and the movie introduces important people like Alexander Pierce (Robert Redford) and Agent 13 (Emily VanCamp). But while walking out of the theater I was bugged by a lingering question: where was Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye?

As audiences know thanks to appearances in both Thor and The Avengers, Hawkeye, a.k.a. Clint Barton, is a talented, high-level field agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., so it was a bit strange that he was nowhere to be found in the S.H.I.E.L.D.-centric Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Luckily, one of the best parts of my job is that I get to talk with filmmakers and get these kinds of questions answered. So that’s exactly what I did while interviewing screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeeley.

To start, the writers admitted that when they were first working on the script there were some big conversations about including Hawkeye in the film. Ultimately, it was decided that they wouldn’t be able to give the arrow-flinging hero a proper amount of screen-time because they were introducing and building on so many other characters who really deserved attention.

"We knew we wanted Falcon there, we knew we wanted [Black Widow]," McFeeley told me. "You’re introducing Winter Soldier. Fury’s got a bigger part in this one. It just started to seem like he was going to kind of get a crappy part."

"If we were going to use him, we really wanted to use him well," Markus added.

It was decided that having a good script was more important than shoe-horning Hawkeye into the plot – a totally reasonable, smart verdict – but still I wondered if they actually knew what was going on with the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe while the plot of Captain America: The Winter Soldier was unfolding. Markus explained that they were at one point experimenting with including a line about what Hawkeye was doing, but by the end it wasn’t included in the final cut of the film.

"We toyed around with, and maybe even shot a line or at least in a draft there’s a line where we explained he's off somewhere doing something else," McFeeley said, vaguely explaining the agent’s whereabouts.

Markus said that one nice thing about the way the plot of Captain America: The Winter Soldier unfolds is that it all happens on a very short timeline, which actively prevents outside reinforcements from arriving on the scene. "That is the benefit of a short time period," he said. "The movie only takes place in about three days. So, that helps you not call in Iron Man and you know, all your other friends."

So what was the "something else" - presumably a mission - that Hawkeye was doing that prevented him from helping both Captain America and Black Widow? I guess we’ll just have to wait until Joss Whedon’s The Avengers: Age of Ultron to find out.

Marvel Studios has brought in a lot of different writers to work on the screenplays for their feature films, but Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely have proven to be two of their most reliable guys. They earned critically acclaim for their first work with the company, Captain America: The First Avenger back in 2011, and have translated that success into two more gigs, scripting both Thor: The Dark World and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. They have a unique insight into the way things work behind the scenes of Marvel, and as a result I was excited to pick their brains when I recently had the chance to interview them about their latest feature.

How do big picture ideas at Marvel have an effect on the creative process? How did Chris Evans’ celebrity influence the latest portrayal of Captain America? How and when did Black Widow find her way the movie? These were just some of the subjects that I talked with Markus and McFeely, so read on to find out the answers!

Working Backwards From Crashing Helicarriers

Marvel Studios prides itself on focusing on each of their films as individual stories within a larger universe, but there is always a bigger picture involved. Each solo film is meant to in some way bridge the gap between Avengers film, be it Tony Stark destroying all of his armor in Iron Man 3 or Thor returning to Earth to be with Jane Foster in Thor: The Dark World. Because of this, part of a Marvel screenwriter’s job is to write to certain plot points – and that meant partially working backwards.

In the case of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Markus and McFeely didn’t have to write towards a specific plot, but instead a very vivid concept. During the early stages they were given an idea from the higher ups at the studio to include an explosive third act element, and once that entered the mix they began working the plot in that direction.

"Sometimes it’s just images," Markus told me during the interview. "[Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige] wanted helicarriers crashing. So, we were like ‘Okay, if helicarriers are going to crash in the third act, what kind of story would you tell to get there?’ and that kind of generated the whole inside program in the story."

Handling The Strangest Stuff Comics Have To Offer

Looking back on the last 75 years of Marvel Comics, you discover that there is a lot of really strange stuff. Not only are there some massively convoluted cross-over stories and bizarre costumes, but there are also characters who are just straight up weird. It’s the great comic book movies that are able to take these more unconventional or unrealistic elements and find a way to translate them for live-action, and it was definitely a challenge that Markus and McFeely faced in writing Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

So what is the trick to handling that kind of material? "A lot of it is visual presentation," McFeely explained, stressing the importance of context. "If the set can be designed or the costume can be designed where you’re like, "Okay, I can get how that works,’ whether or not I understand [it], the things I see all make sense."

While I don’t want to spoil Captain America: The Winter Soldier here – some moments are best first experienced on the big screen – there are definitely some elements from the comics that will make drop long-time fans’ jaws. You are all in for a treat.

Out With The Flashbacks, In With Black Widow

When I had the chance to speak with Markus and McFeely back when Captain America: The First Avenger was coming out in 2011, they were working on a much different idea for the sequel than the one that they ended up going with. The duo was originally planning on including multiple flashback sequences that tied modern day events to what happened with Cap during World War II, but as the plot evolved and the script took form, that element was introduced to the ‘Delete’ key.

Once they had settled on the conspiracy movie model, in order to maintain a dense, tight story the screenwriters were forced to get rid of any kind of distracting narrative device that would take away from the suspense of the plot. But while losing the flashbacks was hard, changing things around also opened the door to include Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow in the film –allowing them to both capitalize on the success of The Avengers and add an extra dimension to the main character.

"It helped for the conspiracy," Markus said. "We needed somebody partly for the conspiracy and partly for Steve’s arch. She operates in sort this moral grey zone and he doesn’t and that was a great way to sort of bring all of that out."

Captain America’s Trouble With Celebrity And The Reason Why He and Falcon Are So Close

One of the strongest aspects of Shane Black’s Iron Man 3 was the way in which the film handled its characters in a post-Avengers world, with Tony Stark dealing with some serious post-traumatic stress as a result of the Battle of New York. Captain America: The Winter Soldier does a very similar thing, but in a very different way. Cap isn’t traumatized, but the Battle of New York and his celebrity has changed the way that he is treated by people – and it’s actually what ends up helping him create a strong bond with Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson (a.k.a. Falcon).

"Chris Evans actually had a really interesting point," Markus explained while talking about Captain America’s relationship with Sam. "As a famous person, he’ll meet people on the street and if people fawn all over him like, he smiles politely and he can’t get bogged down in that, because you’re only going to talk about one thing. But it’s that second question that is meaningful which would draw him into a conversation."

Playing out in the film, Captain America discovers he has a close connection with Sam when they realize that they both have the same trouble sleeping since returning from war: feeling like they are going to sink through the mattress because it is too soft). After that moment their relationship is air-tight. Said Markus, "He thinks, ’Oh, this is a guy who shares a thing. He’s not talking to me just because I’m Captain America, but because I’m a soldier.’"

There are some comic book characters that simply will never find their way into film. Take the Marvel hero known as Penance, for example. After inadvertently killing 612 people, Robbie Baldwin (formally known as Speedball) designed himself a suit with 612 internal spikes that would puncture him every time he moves and renamed himself Penance. That's right: he's the first masochistic superhero. One thing that Penance has going for him at least, however, is that he actually looks like a realistic character. The villain known as MODOK doesn't even have that luxury, but that's not stopping one of the Captain America writers from hoping that the character can enter the timeline at some point.

Christopher Markus, who wrote the first Captain America: The First Avenger script with partner Stephen McFeely, recently told The Los Angeles Times that he would not only love to see MODOK enter into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but has the perfect actor in mind for the part. After praising the character and saying that there's a "terrifying movie " that could be made with the villain, Markus said that he could see Peter Dinklage, Tyrion from HBO's Game of Thrones, in the role. "I will win you over to Peter Dinklage as MODOK," Markus said. "If he came around the corner and you saw him floating there you would be terrified. It would be amazing."

The character was first created in 1967 and his name is an acronym that stands for Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing. MODOK is typically drawn as having a gigantic head, small arms and legs, and sitting in a floating chair.

As curious as I'd be to see what a live-action movie version of MODOK looks like, Markus must at least be half joking. Dinklage could be amazing in the part and they may very well have an idea for a plot surrounding the character, but audiences unfamiliar or dismissive of the comics would never get it. And, seriously, can you blame them?:

Even before casting was announced or a director was chosen, there was audible questioning as to how one would bring the Marvel character Captain America to the big screen. From the character’s goofy origins as a propaganda figure during World War II to selling the patriotism internationally, there were more than a few roadblocks (and reflections back on the movie from 1990 didn’t help either). Flash forward to last weekend when Captain America: The First Avenger not only took the top spot at the box office away from Harry Potter, but earned great praise from critics, many of whom called the movie Marvel’s best since Iron Man in 2008. One of the biggest reasons for the film’s success was the great script by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely.

Last week I had the chance to chat with the writing duo over the phone to discuss the new film, which also happens to be the last before next year’s The Avengers. Check out the interview below in which they discuss their approach to the character, mixing in the propaganda origins, and talk a bit about the proposed sequel.

Just from a personal standpoint, I can’t imagine really a job in Hollywood cooler than writing a script for a comic book movie, so I’m curious, how did you first come to the project?

Christopher Markus: We kind of chased it down. We had heard in spring of 2008 that they were gonna do it, and that they were going to do it “period,” which was particularly interesting for us, and so we set about trying to convince them that we were the right guys. We were number one on their list, so we spent the summer reading a lot and going into Marvel every six weeks saying, “Here’s our next idea,” and “Here’s what we might do if you hire us. We’re very agreeable!”

What do you think it was about what you brought to the table that made them decide that you were the right guys for the project?

Christopher Markus: In the end, physical attractiveness. I think in the end it was our affection for and understanding of Steve as a character was sort of secondary because there’s so many historical story demands and origin story demands, production demands, really what they were looking for was someone who could hang on to that ninety year old, I mean ninety pound kid throughout the movie and maintain his humanity.

Stephen McFeely: And remember, that’s not a thing that in most Captain America comics is necessarily the primal factor. Because we’re not watching him all the time. It’s another thing that our movie added, what makes him tick, when he’s in the right, things change...

Is there kind of a list of character qualities that you had to include under penalty of a fanboy death, or others that you felt had more flexibility, that you could change?

Christopher Markus: Oh sure, yeah. I mean you can’t go into Steve Rogers is a lying womanizer, it’ll be a lot more entertaining...He’s got to be the moral center of the movie, he’s got to be the most upstanding guy. The challenge is to keep that, not let him sink into being just the straight man.

Stephen McFeely: But there’s stuff from the comic that we did not do but don’t necessarily need. There’s a whole run in the comics where he becomes a graphic artist on Madison Avenue. That’s not necessary for us to do.

You mentioned when you were developing, when you were trying to convince Marvel that you were the right guys for the project you were reading comics, but once you actually go the assignment, what was your main focus in terms of what did you read? And did you actually have a chance to have a talk with the comic book writers about the character?

Christopher Markus: We have never had a chance to talk to them.

Stephen McFeely: I think we’re going to meet a few next week.

Christopher Markus: Ed Brubaker is going to the premiere. He’s very intellectual, just because he’s done a great job of combining the weight of the past. His World War II is really kind of gritty. He’s the one who made Bucky a man as opposed to a twelve year old. I don’t think there was ever a chance we were gonna have Bucky go, [in high pitched voice] “Hey, let’s go fight Nazis!” That, and then, you know, ever version of the origin stories. There’ve been a few.

Another question that I had, going on Bucky, he really is, that original boy wonder character was never going to play on, actually it really even goes beyond that, there’s a lot of the stuff from the early forties comics that are kind of goofy and campy, almost like the characters kind of use this propaganda tool and you kind of focused on trying to draw the character away from those elements?

Christopher Markus: Well we wanted to address the propaganda part of it. We have the USO section, which sort of underlined that. We ourselves don’t want to use Captain as a propaganda tool, but we wanted to recognize that it happened to him many, many times over the run of the comics. And he’s wrestled with it a lot over the run of the comics, that’s sort of one of the interesting threads over the years is Cap’s definition of himself versus other people’s interpretation of what this guy should be. Plus the propaganda issue is the best way to explain the outfit. Which needed a little grounding. If somebody just made the decision to randomly put on that particular outfit it could take you out of the movie. See it that way.

When it comes to those kind of details, did you kind of have an idea of what the costume would look like while you were writing the script, or is that something that came through in the production phase?

Christopher Markus: It did. The production phase is so long, we’ve been on it for so long, that pretty early on we knew it was going to be something like it looked like. We had something to look at all along the way. From the very first time we went into Marvel they already had, lying and waiting, brought really great versions of what Cap would look like in a more realistic world, and that was, that not only did he wind up looking a bit like that, but it was also very helpful in grasping the character, the person in reality when you see this guy in his costume. It’s got buckles and snaps and laces on things, he’s not just dancing around.

On that same kind of notes in terms of script detail, when you were writing the script there are multiple action sequences in this film, how in depth did you get or did you kind of just have a basic outline and left Joe Johnston to fill in those gaps?

Christopher Markus: It varies by the thing, but it becomes a team effort. There’s storyboard guys, there’s Joe, there’s the stunt guys. We tend to go big and just say, do things that aren’t realistic, and then the stunt people actually do things that are possible in the real world, in moviemaking. We never just go, “And then action happens.” The script, when you’re reading it, you want to keep the movie entertaining. We did have a couple ideas that made it all the way from advance copy into the movie.

Stephen McFeely: Some of them are just strong panels of various comics. If he took out a guy in a particularly interesting way, sometimes we were in love with it and we would just keep shoving it in there, draft after draft.

On that kind of note, how much did the script change from first draft to shooting script to the final cut of the film?

Christopher Markus: It changed a lot in that we were on set for about five months, so every day we changed it a little. Not because it had problems but because, you know, an actor makes an observation or something. It didn’t change hugely from the origin story, so you know how he’s going to become Captain America and you know how he’s going to get to the present day. So the basic outline was always there. There were times where an action sequence would take place on a hot air balloon and you’d go back and forth on that, but the shape of it was pretty clear.

Stephen McFeely: Yeah, the end of act one has always been the end of act one.

I know when Joss Whedon came on to direct The Avengers, he also contributed a bit to the Captain America script. What exactly did he bring to the table?

Christopher Markus: Well basically he just did a read through and continuity pass, just to make sure that his Steve was gonna match up with our Steve so that there wouldn’t be this, all of a sudden he’s a wise cracking joker in 2012. It was really just more of the kind of making sure that the whole universe meshes together.

On that note, Marvel, just the way they’ve been structuring their films since Iron Man in 2008, there always seems to kind of be this look toward the future, and they are trying to maintain continuity. When you were working on this script, was that something that was in the back of your mind? Or because most of this story takes place back in the 1940s, is that something that you can be a little bit more loose with?

Stephen McFeely: We were freer than some other movies got to be. Being chronologically first, we get to sort of roll balls out there that other movies have to take out. But it’s fun. It matched what we wanted to do with a lot of the characters in the movie. For example, with Howard Stark, we were gonna need a character like Howard Stark anyway to help outfit Steve and give him the shield so he can run in the costume. So if that guy has some resonance outside of the movie, our movie, that’s great.

Christopher Markus: Same thing with the cosmic cube. We needed this Maguffin, we needed this thing to give Red Skull his advantage, and to have it come from Asgard, to have it come from the world of another of the Marvel movies in setting up this whole structure, it just answered a big question for us that we would have had to answer anyway. Instead of the Skull coming out of the secret basement lab having invented the cosmic cube there’s a ready way to supply it.

Stephen McFeely: And hopefully you don’t have to have seen Thor. But it’s in there.

To that idea also, in addition to being part of the entire Marvel movie universe, Captain America will likely, in all likelihood will be getting a direct sequel.

Christopher Markus: Nothing is certain at this point.

I know you’re also working on the script, but when you’re working on, they are always thinking on this, when you were writing the script were you keeping in mind possibilities for the direct sequel in addition to The Avengers.

Stephen McFeely: You know, it’s weird because there is already a sequel in a way. We’re already in the process, and as we were out writing and coming up with ideas, it was really hard until we read The Avengers. Because we would scale down these great scenes, unless Joss Whedon already did it, and I don’t know yet. So once we read The Avengers we went alright, here’s where we can take a path that he hasn’t explored yet.

Christopher Markus: But already in the first one, that’s always kind of the, not so much in how you shoot the first one, but the knowledge that all these friends he’s making, this is a guy who never had a place, finally finding a place, and you know that it can be taken away from him again. In the sequel he’s sort of back where he was when he was a scrawny kid with no home, the one home he had found was seventy years ago. So that is kind of a fun thing to have in the back of your head. And also the fact that there’s so many great villains and storylines that you can’t cram into one, so you sort of keep a side pile. “We don’t have room for it now, but there’s no way I’m not putting it in later.”

Also, I’m curious, you mention that you are working on the outline for the sequel. Have you decided, do you know if it is going to be taking place in modern day or is it gonna be going back to the 1940s?

Stephen McFeely: Everything is on the table at the moment. It’s very likely that it’s modern day and what we’re talking about is trying to figure out a way to weave in a logical, necessary flashback. Which is what the comics do a lot, things from the past come back.

If you are playing with both timelines, they obviously do have challenges, especially in the present where if you’re following the events of the Avengers, you kind of have that whole thing, and this is true for the comics as well, you have to wonder, if Cap is going off to face this villain, why aren’t the rest of the Avengers coming with him? Have you figured out how you’re going to work with that situation?

Christopher Markus: In some ways, I logically understand that question, but when I’m reading the comic book, I never ask that question. I never go, well why doesn’t he just call Thor. It’s also a matter of making the action personal. It’s gotta be personal for Steve Rogers and his development.

When it comes to movies out of Marvel Studios, the future is always being kept in mind. Whether the filmmakers are simply developing storylines that can match with Joss Whedon's The Avengers - set to come out summer 2012 - or targeting direct sequels, there's always an eye being kept on the next step. This idea certainly applies to Captain America, whose first solo film is set to be released this Friday. A few months ago it was reported that Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, the writers of The First Avenger, had been rehired by Marvel to write the script for Captain America 2, and today I had the pleasure to speak with the pair on the phone about their plans.

The big question that has been hanging for the last few months has been whether the sequel will feature Cap back in World War II fighting the forces of HYDRA or if the events would be set while the hero is still trying to adjust to the modern world. While nothing is official yet, it seems that they are leaning towards the latter, but with a twist. "Everything’s on the table at the moment," McFeely said. "It’s very likely that it’s modern day and what we’re talking about is trying to figure out a way to weave in a logical, necessary flashback." The idea is that something Cap experienced during World War II will come back to haunt him in the 21st century.

This idea also helps solve a problem that comic book writers have been dealing with for decades when it comes to superhero team-ups: when multiple heroes are available, why would Captain America face an issue by himself. The way to combat this, Markus and McFeely believe, is to make the plot personal. "In some ways I logically understand that question, but when I’m reading a comic book I never ask that question, " Markus said. "I never ask, why doesn’t he just ask Thor? It’s also a matter of making the action personal. It shouldn’t just be an adventure that had Iron Man been there he would have done, but because it’s a Cap movie, Cap’s doing it. It’s gotta be personal for Steve Rogers, personal to his sort of development."

But while Captain America 2 will be the second solo adventure for the super solider, The Avengers is a sequel in its own right, and while working on the project they have been consulting Joss Whedon's script for next year's blockbuster. "When you’re starting, and we’re already in the process, but as we’re outlining and kind of coming up with ideas, it was really hard until we read The Avengers," Markus said. "We’d say 'Oh, that’d be a great scene, unless Joss Whedon already did it and I don’t know yet'. So once we read The Avengers, we went, 'Okay, here’s where we can take Cap that he hasn’t explored yet.'"

The sequel will also prove to be, in a special way, a homecoming for Steve Rogers. At the start of the first film he is a scrawny, sickly orphan who is left alone when his best friend, Bucky, goes off to fight in World War II. This obviously changes when he is given the super soldier serum, but when placed in an unfamiliar decade he is by himself again. "In the sequel he’s sort of back where he was when he was a scrawny kid, which is a man with no home," McFeely said. "The one home he found was 70 years ago. That is always a fun thing to have in the back of your head, and also the fact that there’s so many great villains and storylines that you can’t cram into one, so you keep a side pile of like, 'Oh, that guy’s going in the sequel.'"

Stay tuned for my full interview with the Captain America writers later this week!

Captain America: The First Avenger writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely have an interesting problem in front of them. At the end of the character's first solo movie, due out this July, he is brought into the future where he will team up alongside Iron Man, Thor, and The Hulk to form The Avengers. Yet back in February the pair was hired to start writing the script for the solo movie sequel. The big question, of course, is if the sequel will stick with the character in a modern setting, or will tell more from the battlefields of World War II. The answer? Both.

Markus and McFeely recently sat down to speak with MTV where they divulged a bit about their plans for Captain America 2. While they said that the movie is still very much in the planning stages - Markus says that they are just throwing out ideas and that there's no negativity in the process yet - one thing that they did confirm is that they will have "two entire timelines to play with" and that there's more to Cap's fight against the Nazis than what we see in the first movie. They are, however, taking the smart route and are going to look at reactions to The First Avenger to gauge where fans want to see the story go. Said, McFeely, "If it does well and people embrace the World War II aspect of it, maybe there's pressure to return there in a large way. But if they don't embrace that aspect and just love Chris Evans as Steve, maybe there's less pressure to do that — you can just keep him in the Avengers universe."

The pair also spoke on the uncertainty that comes with The Avengers arriving before their next project does. Explaining how it works, Markus likened it to the struggle of the comic book writers, saying, "All of those Avengers characters have solo comic books. You have to say "Captain America was on vacation the day when that solo adventure happened," or explain why Iron Man didn't call all of his super-powered friends when he was fighting that guy. It's a bizarre problem to have... It's not really a problem, actually." McFeely followed that up by saying that he expects more pressure to be put on director Shane Black, as Iron Man 3 will be the first Marvel movie to come out following the major superhero team-up film.

I think that there may also be an unspoken angle here. Before production began on Captain America: The First Avenger, Joss Whedon, who will be directing The Avengers, did touch-ups to the Markus/McFeely script, meaning that they may know quite a bit about where the character is heading. Shame that we still have to wait another three months to find out.