9 Most Compelling Theories About Upcoming Marvel Movies

From Star-Lord's paternity test to who will die in...almost every upcoming Marvel film.

Guardians Of the galaxy
Marvel

There is no movie franchise as obsessively picked over as the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Fans might have endless discussions about Star Wars: The Force Awakens, its sequels and spin-offs, but they only have so much material to work with. They can ponder on the future of DC's own comic book adaptations, but they're only getting started.

The Marvel films, meanwhile, have decades of comic book source material to drawn on. On top of that, the long game played by the studio means it has plot threads that were introduced years ago which still need tying up, countless balls in the air with fans anxious to find out how exactly when and how they'll land. Some get impatient.

That's how you get to the endless treasure trove of scuttlebutt, rumour, hearsay and home-spun theories about the direction the MCU is headed in. Will the new Spider-Man be part of the Avengers, or is he too young? Will Scott Lang only inherit Hank Pym's Ant-Man persona, or will he rifle through the endless gimmicks his mentor tried on?

Some of those rumours aren't worth the bandwidth they're printed on. Others actually open up interesting possibilities, fascinating new twists, and suggest fan-favourite comic characters might soon be heading to the big screen – and they're believable. Here are ten of the most compelling theories about upcoming Marvel movies.

9. Ant-Man Will Become Giant-Man

Guardians Of the galaxy
Marvel Studios

Whilst the critical and fan consensus about Ant-Man has been a lot more positive than the rather reserved hype suggested, there are still some that struggle with the core concept of Scott Lang's superhero alter-ego. Including Lang himself, with many wisecracks over the course of the film related to his name and slightly silly power of shrinking.

Ant-Man's appearing in the upcoming Captain America: Civil War, a full-bore superhero throw down that sees the MCU split between Steve Rogers and Tony Stark. With superheroes of that magnitude duking it out, what good is a guy who can become really small and chat to insects going to do?

Some fans think it might be an apposite time to introduce one of Ant-Man's many other gimmicks. In the comics, Hank Pym basically reversed his original formula and for a while took the name of Giant-Man. Because he could grow really, really big, geddit? A giant Paul Rudd would probably stand a better chance against The Hulk than a mini one.

Contributor
Contributor

Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/