Avengers: Infinity War is out in just a few months time but Avengers 4 remains a mystery to us. As of right now, we don't even know the movie's title and the only thing we have to go on are the photos which have surfaced from Atlanta. Those have been leaking online for months now and following last night's big reveal - which we take a much closer look at here - we take a deep dive into them all.
So, from major changes to the status quos of characters like Iron Man, Pepper Potts, and Hawkeye to apparent time travel shenanigans and flashbacks, this is gonna be one seriously weird movie!
Needless to say, these photos (which we've linked to in each slide) reveal some potentially major spoilers for Infinity War and the movie they come from but chances are that most will just get you excited. So, click below to check out these reveals and then let us know your thoughts on them.
Tony Stark, Director Of S.H.I.E.L.D.?
Tony Stark can be seen wearing a navy blue S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform in those photos with Captain America, Ant-Man, and The Hulk but other shots of the hero have shown him in a full-blown S.H.I.E.L.D. outfit which bears a striking resemblance to the one his comic book counterpart wore when he was appointed Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Is this an alternate timeline or has Tony just lost his suit?
Time Travel
It appears as if we finally have confirmation Avengers 4 will feature time travel. Captain America is pictured in his costume from The Avengers (minus the awkward looking mask, thankfully), while Scott Lang is there is his current suit. We have no idea what The Hulk will look like due to him being added with CGI at a later date and Tony Stark's S.H.I.E.L.D. outfit leaves us with more questions than answers.
Hope Van Dyne
A set photo shared by Evangeline Lilly showed Hope Van Dyne with her Ant-Man haircut. It's hard to imagine her going back to an old look in Avengers 4 so this has to be a flashback or time travel related in some way. Could it be that Scott seeks out her and Hank Pym for help years before he met them? That's definitely a possibility and this Instagram post may have given away an awful lot from the movie.
What's The Deal With Those Dots?
The strangest thing about these latest set photos is the fact that the actors are all covered in orange dots. Those must have something to do with effects being added later, something which would make sense if they're arriving from a different time here and Marvel will use VFX to show that happening. After all, what possible story reason could there be for their inclusion in these scenes?
Black Panther Returns
T'Challa is rocking a very advanced looking suit in the Black Panther movie but Avengers 4 set photos (and the Avengers: Infinity War trailer) point to him going back to basics. These photos show what look like a pretty standard costume just like the one we saw in Captain America: Civil War so it will be interesting finding out if the Russos have taken him back to basics or there will be some surprise.
Bizarre Devices
What are those devices on the team's hands? Could it be that they've used the Time Stone to create a method of travelling back in time? That seems like the most likely option but if that's the Steve Rogers from The Avengers, why does he have one too? Has Ant-Man travelled back to get the help of Captain America, Iron Man, and The Hulk because Thanos has wiped them all out in the present?
A New Base
Robert Downey Jr. has shared a couple of photos from this Avengers 4 set and it looks like we're either going to return to the base first introduced in Avengers: Age of Ultron or Earth's Mightiest Heroes are finally getting a new base. Will we get to see Avengers Mansion on the big screen? That would be cool but nothing in these image points to that being the case so we'll have to wait and see.
Hawkeye's New Look
Something big clearly happens to Clint Barton in Avengers: Infinity War because he's sporting a very different look in the fourth instalment of this franchise. Covered in tattoos and wearing earrings he's arguably a little too old for, it's hard to say whether the archer is deep undercover or just going through a mid-life crisis! Could it be that the death of his family has brought on this sudden change?
Ronin
Later set photos revealed that Hawkeye might have a new look because he's taken on an entirely new persona. There have been rumblings that part of Avengers 4 will take place in Japan and shots of the actor confirmed that he'll suit up as that character from Brian Michael Bendis' New Avengers run. From what we could see of that, it appears to be fully comic book accurate which will be cool.
A Unique Team
Captain America, Tony Stark, The Hulk, and Ant-Man. That's a pretty unique team of Avengers right there and regardless of which era of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's history they hail from, the dynamic between a foursome like this should be a lot of fun to watch play out. Interestingly, there's been no sign of the Guardians of the Galaxy in any of the photos we've seen from the set of Avengers 4.
Tony Stark And Pepper Potts
Tony Stark and Pepper Potts seemingly got engaged at the end of Spider-Man: Homecoming and these photos point to their relationship continuing (just look at Pepper's hand). However, it looked like Tony - who now has an arc reactor in his chest - was saying farewell to both her and Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner, so perhaps he's having to jet off somewhere on a dangerous mission he won't return from?
Loki's Imprisonment
These photos took us back to a pivotal moment we never got to see in The Avengers; what happened between Loki's defeat and the moment Thor took him back to Asgard. Tony Stark and the God of Thunder could be seen leading the God of Mischief through this location surrounded by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents but there was no sign that this was time-travel related; instead, it looked like a flashback.
The Vision Returns
Between the trailer and set photos for Avengers: Infinity War, the prevailing fan theory is that The Vision will be killed by Thanos' Black Order when they come calling for the Infinity Stone on his head. However, posts from Paul Bettany have confirmed that he'll be back in action as The Vision in Avengers 4 and it will be interesting finding out how exactly that comes to pass after he meets The Mad Titan.
A New Status Quo For Pepper Potts?
Gwyneth Paltrow recently shared a behind the scenes photo which saw her wearing mo-cap leggings and that's left us with an awful lot of questions. Will she lose her legs and suit up as Rescue or will she simply be devastatingly wounded during Thanos' attack? Another possibility is that she'll end up wearing Tony's armour for some reason and will be more involved here than we expected.
World War II
We've revisited World War II quite a few times in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and a handful of photos from the set recently confirmed that will be the case yet again. Unfortunately, we didn't get any specifics on what was being filmed but you know this has to be Captain America related so whether it's a flashback or Steve somehow ends up back where he began, it should be fun to see.
What are your theories after seeing these Avengers 4 set photos? As always, be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.