features Avengers 3: Everything We Know About Infinity War By Ada

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 an epic 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. Read on!



What Is The Infinity War Release Date?

As was announced in October 2014, Avengers: Infinity War will be released on May 4, 2018. Originally, 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 surpass the R rating in case some younger fans are the the theater. Throw in a few curse words and some suggestive material, and you have the usual content you'll find 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. The four men first worked together on Captain America: The Winter Soldier; they re-teamed for Captain America: Civil War; and now have been locked in to orchestrate things behind the scenes for Avengers: Infinity War. The 2018/2019 two-parter should definitely be a different kind of beast then the second and third Captain America movies, but given how great both Winter Soldier and Civil War turned out, it's pretty damn hard to doubt their abilities.



Iron Man

Iron Man served as the semi-antagonist in Captain America: Civil War, enforcing the new legislation requiring that enhanced beings be regulated and fighting against Captain America and the other anti-registration heroes with War Machine, Black Widow, Vision, Black Panther and Spider-Man. The end of that movie saw him emotionally hurt after discovering that Winter Soldier killed his parents and dealing with Steve Rogers' perceived betrayal, so he's in a vulnerable spot. It's since been confirmed that Robert Downey Jr. will reprise Tony Stark for Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers 4 (and before that, appear in Spider-Man: Homecoming), so we'll see him and the other Avengers reunite, regardless of their ideological differences, to battle Thanos.



Captain America

Following the battle against A.I. gone mad in The Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America returned to the big screen in May 2016 for Captain America: Civil War, where he led the charge against 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 are now considered criminals by the world's governments. However, they're continuing to protect the innocent on their own terms, and fighting Thanos will be no different. Chris Evans will appear as Steve Rogers in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers 4, serving as the last two movies on his contract. However, Chris Evans has expressed interest in extending his time as Captain America post-Avengers 4, so we may see more of him in Phase Four.



Thor

Like Captain America, Thor is going to have a hell of a lot to deal with when Phase Three rolls around. This is apparent just by looking at the official title of Thor 3, which will be heading into theaters on November 3, 2017, called Thor: Ragnarok. This name suggests that what essentially amounts to the Norse version of the apocalypse will be hitting Asgard in the next installment of the series, and it probably doesn't help things that Loki has been sitting on the throne since the events at the end of Thor: The Dark World. We don't know yet what will go down in Thor: Ragnarok, but since Chris Hemsworth has signed on to Avengers: Infinity War, we know that the God of Thunder will make it out of his third movie relatively unscathed, and join forces with his Earth allies again.





The Hulk

At the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron, Hulk flew away from his fellow Avengers in the Quinjet, and his whereabouts have been a mystery since. Moviegoers will see Bruce Banner and his monstrous counterpart return in November 2017 for Thor: Ragnarok, where we'll see him traveling across the Nine Realms. It's been mentioned that we may see Hulk grow smarter in this movie, though the exact details for this haven't been ironed out. Still, it would be cool to see a Hulk in action on the big screen that isn't just pure rage with brief moments of calmness, but one who can reason out problems. Following that, Mark Ruffalo is confirmed to appear in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers 4, which, according to the actor, work with Thor: Ragnarok to form a "standalone Hulk story."





Black Widow

Since making her debut in Iron Man 2, Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow has grown to become a 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 unless some serious tragedy strikes between now and The Avengers: Infinity War, it feels like a safe bet that she will be involved in the epic adventure, though her part has not yet been confirmed.





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 at least one of the movies.





Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver

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 where the siblings will fit into future developments currently has a question mark hanging over it. Well, as we saw in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Quicksilver was killed in action, and there are no plans (or at least ones publicly disclosed) to bring him back. As for Scarlet Witch, she recently returned in Captain America: Civil War, and the Russo brothers confirmed she'll appear for Avengers: Infinity War, so we'll see her gain better control of her powers.


Thanos

While he's not expected to 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 in Avengers: Age of Ultron, he finally decided to hunt for the Infinity Stones himself. 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.





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 MCU 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, so it would be little surprise to anyone if he were to officially be announced for Avengers: Infinity War.





Wasp

In the Ant-Man mid-credits scene, Evangeline Lilly's Hope van Dyne was finally given her own Wasp suit by her father, Hank Pym. 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. 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 MCU's growing cast of heroes. Unfortunately for Wasp fans, Evangelie Lilly confirmed that Hope won't appear in Infinity War since she won't have achieved superhero status yet, but the plan is for her to jump into Avengers 4's conflict.