10 Awesome Fan Theories About The Future Of The MCU

One thing that remains a constant throughout any cinematic universe - given that they're packed with hundreds of characters, dozens of subplots and a sufficient amount of easter eggs, references and nods - is that there are always plenty of blanks for the fans to fill in.

Because, perhaps inevitably, whenever a movie comes out and answers one or two questions, it nearly always generates three or four more to take their place. Why are Batman and Superman fighting? Well, that was... unexpected. Going forward, how will Superman be brought back from the dead? Will Batman's vision become reality? Why is Lois so important? We need answers!

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is no different from the competition in this regard, and given that its movie-verse is one of the biggest in existence, there are literally dozens upon dozens of things that we simply don't know yet.

And that's where fandom comes in.

As you'd expect, there are no shortage of logical, creative or out-there theories floating around about the immediate and far-off future of the MCU, and while some may sound silly, others unlikely and others absolutely brilliant, they're all interesting talking points that should keep everybody entertained in the long wait between movie releases.

Marvel Studios have lied to us about the identity of The Mandarin time and time again. Before Iron Man 3 hit cinemas, it was Ben Kingsley's character. By the time the movie ended, it was Guy Pearce's Aldrich Killian.

But when All Hail The King debuted with the home media release of Thor: The Dark World, the character had no identity whatsoever. The short film revealed that, despite Iron Man 3 telling us otherwise, the real Mandarin had not yet been unmasked - he's still out there somewhere.

So who is it?

That brings us to this interesting fan theory, which states that Obadiah Stane - the main baddie in the first Iron Man - has become The Mandarin.

Sure, it did appear as though he'd died at the end of Iron Man, but we never saw a body, and the golden rule of movie deaths is as follows; if you don't see a stone-dead corpse, they can still be brought back.

Stane's health aside, having him turn out to be The Mandarin isn't as far-fetched as it may seem. Iron Man showed us that he has some influence over the Ten Rings terrorist organisation (the group who attacked and abducted Tony), and the leader of that organisation? The Mandarin.

Plus, the MCU is famous for bringing back dead people, meaning it wouldn't be too much of a stretch here either.