10 Things To Expect From Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 3

4. Avengers: Infinity War - Part I (May 4, 2018)

The announcement that the third Avengers movie, subtitled Infinity War, will be split into two parts answered several questions, but raised many more. As the title suggests, and a brief teaser trailer confirmed, Thanos will finally get his hands on the Infinity Gems and find himself up against Earth's Mightiest Heroes in what promises to be an epic battle. However, with the fallout from Age of Ultron set to lead directly into Civil War, not to mention the fact that there are still two standalone movies set to follow before the concluding chapter of Infinity War hits theaters, the landscape of the Marvel Cinematic Universe could potentially be unrecognizable by the time the Mad Titan makes his way to Earth for the mother of all superhero showdowns. There have been rumors floating around for months that the core lineup of the Avengers would be drastically altered by the time the credits roll on Age of Ultron, with the official announcement that the next Captain America movie would be adapting the Civil War storyline only adding weight to these rumors. Prior to the release of Infinity War Part I the MCU will have added Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Ant-Man, Doctor Strange and Black Panther to its ranks, not to mention the emphasis being placed on the importance of the ominously-titled Thor: Ragnarok as the 'key film' in Phase 3. So could we see Thanos facing off against an entirely new team of Avengers in 2018? Before negotiating a hefty payday to appear in Civil War, Robert Downey Jr. only had one movie left on his Marvel contract and it remains to be seen whether splitting this movie in two affects his deal at all. The same goes for Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth, who are both signed six-picture contracts that cover three standalone efforts and three Avengers movies. Named by Kevin Feige as 'the beginning of the culmination of everything that has come before', Infinity War promises to be blockbuster filmmaking of the biggest possible scale. However, as the first chapter in a two-part saga it remains to be seen what direction the story will take. Will we see Thanos arriving on Earth, saving the big battle for the final chapter? Will every hero in the MCU be involved? Will the Guardians of the Galaxy drop by? One thing is for sure, the stakes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe will never have been higher.