I think many of us who stuck around after seeing Iron Man in theaters remember the post-credits stinger that started everything. I'm of course talking about Nick Fury's appearance in Iron Man.
From there, we got The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America, and of course, The Avengers. When you look back though, I can certainly see where Marvel was improvising things as they go along. This is not a slight against them mind you, but there were certain aspects that seemed dropped, disregarded, or used at the last minute. Perhaps I'm wrong, but that's how I feel.
Now we're in Phase II, and so far we have Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World. In these two I feel like we're getting a more coherent Marvel universe, where things tie together better, and in many way cohere better to make a better story. Even if we don't see the connections yet.
I'm here to say that I'm starting to see these connections, and I figured why not open a discussion on the issues. Let's speculate as we always do, but let's do so ion a way that will help in understanding all the finer points of Marvel's Phase II thus far. I'll list what I'm seeing, and speculate on where things will go.
IRON MAN 3
Let's start with this year's Iron Man 3. While I have some issues with the movie, I also feel like Marvel has laid a bit of groundwork for what's to come.
First is pretty obvious considering the
Avengers: Age of Ultron teaser that shows Iron Man's iconic helmet morphing into Ultron's head. Even the simplest of Mongoloids may see that this is the direction Marvel is taking Tony post-Iron Man 3.
In Iron Man 3 even, there's many parts that start to indicate that JARVIS is becoming more and more sentient. There's many parts of this movie where JARVIS controls the suits, the end battle particularly comes to mind.
It's pretty simple when you think about it, JARVIS and Tony are partners in a way, with the two communicating eachother. In this sense, Tony isn't just Iron Man, it's also JARVIS. IF JARVIS was to go rogue like we suspect he will, then having an AI who has control of much of Tony's equipment and suits would make for a deadly foe.
While Tony thinks he's utilizing JARVIS for a more helpful outcome, it's Tony's arrogance and blind faith that could eventually set up JARVIS as Ultron.
The biggest question is, will Tony return as Iron Man. The final card of the credits reveals that 'Tony Stark Will Return' but that does not mention Iron Man. With all of his suits destroyed, and a rogue AI partner, can Tony do much in The Avengers: Age of Ultron? One theory I have is that Tony will replace Nick Fury as Director of SHIELD. I'll touch on this more later...
THOR: THE DARK WORLD
Like Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World has some pretty big seeds for what's to come. The first is the post-credits stinger that shows Sif and Volstagg handing over the Aether to The Collector who comments that he now has one down, with five to go. This easily cements the future of the story
The Infinity Gauntlet. Arguably Marvel's best crossover event.
There's also the reveal that Loki is masquerading as Odin. I think that Marvel will sit on Loki at this point, let him act as Odin for a while until they reveal all of that to Thor.
CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER
Maybe the most important thing to remember about TWS is a comment made about the Russo bros. that the movie will make significant changes to the MCU.
Of my speculation is that with a lot of internal turmoil amongst SHIELD, that perhaps Nick Fury and Maria Hill will be asked to step down, and that like in the comics, Tony Stark will become the Director of SHIELD. Considering he doesn't have his suits of armor anymore, it makes sense to give Tony a leadership position.
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY
My main point of speculation for GOTG is that it will incorporate aspects of The Thanos Quest. A story that saw Thanos seek out the individual Infinity Gems; with the Aether in The Collectors hands now, it would make sense to have Thanos begin to seek the gems out. When the credits roll for Guardians, I want to hope that we'll leave knowing Thanos has the Gems, or that he has begun to seek them out. Leading to The Infinity Gauntlet in Avengers 3.
AVENGERS 2 AND BEYOND
I think I have a pretty solid sense of where things are going in the MCU. Part of me likes surprises, but I feel like both Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World have given us a pretty strong road map for the next 5+ years. In fact, Phase II, more then Phase I, seems to indicate that each movie is increasingly more important to the overall story that Marvel is wanting to tell. That each film keeps adding or taking away more important elements each time.
We have Doctor Strange, Ant-Man, and so on. So much more ahead of us, and I'm excited not just for the destination but the journey itself. I think it's safe to say that after Avengers 2, the focus will shift to Avengers 3 and The Infinity Gauntlet.