9 Theories On How The MCU Could End

The Marvel Cinematic Universe kicked off with an Iron Man origin story and promises of an epic team-up to come, but how will it all end?

Nobody knows the answer to that question, but one thing is clear: the MCU is on the verge of sweeping changes and is likely to be a radically different place two years from now, after 2019's untitled Avengers sequel has hit.

With the future of Marvel's old guard of Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Black Widow, Hawkeye and Hulk uncertain, there were rumours the shared cinematic universe could reach its endgame with Avengers: Infinity War, back when the movie was a two-parter, but that doesn't appear to be the case.

Films including Spider-Man: Homecoming's sequel and Guardians of the Galaxy 3 are set to land in the ensuing years and the powers that be have confirmed that the MCU will endure in some shape or form post-Avengers 4.

So what could potentially stop this superheroic juggernaut? Will Marvel Studios bring it to some kind of organic conclusion many years from now? Or will external factors render the shared universe untenable at some point in the future?

Otherwise known as the generic happy ending, the Marvel Cinematic Universe could one day reach a rounded conclusion that sees the comic book giant's mightiest heroes vanquish all of their enemies and bring peace to the universe.

Thanos is unlikely to be the ultimate endgame for the MCU. He's a complex character who's fought to save the galaxy almost as many times as he's threatened it in the comic books, so it seems likely another big bad will eventually replace the Mad Titan at the top of the food chain and raise the stakes even higher.

Once this new nemesis emerges, could we be in for another decade's worth of shared universe comic adaptations before the series comes to a head? Iron Man kicked off the MCU in 2008 and its first three phases have told a single story over 10 years.

If Marvel Studios was to repeat this feat and spin another inter-connected tale over the course of the next decade or so, that would take it to 2028, as good a time as any to bring the superhero franchise to an organic conclusion.

The House of M has plenty of storylines in its comic book vault that would send the movie series out on a high. Loose adaptations of the Kree–Skrull War or Secret Invasion could serve as epic final battles for the Avengers and their allies, or alternately, an arc featuring a villain bigger in stature than Thanos.

The planet-eating Galactus would be the ideal MCU final boss. Thanos will require the universe's heroes to unite, but a threat like Galactus would force its villains to join the alliance too. The only issue is that the cosmic entity is currently under the stewardship of Fox, but that's nothing a session at the debating table won't solve.