Joss Whedon has said he's saving Thanos for his "third act," and Guardians of the Galaxy has been confirmed to have a strong connection to Avengers 3. So, for the sake of this article we will assume that Whedon will direct Avengers 3 and that Thanos will be the villain. So let's get started.
What does GliderMan want from Avengers 3?
5. The Return of Loki
Ah yes, Tom Hiddleston, a character-defining actor rivaled only by Robert Downey Jr. himself. We've got three films with his deliciously evil character Loki, and while we have been damn lucky to get those, it sure hasn't stopped the wave of fanboys from crying for more. And hell yes, I want more, and I'll take more, please and thank you.
But I don't want him in Avengers 3 just for the hell of it; for something to be in a movie, it needs to have meaning. To explain his usage, I must first point you to the greatest CBM trilogy of all time: The Dark Knight trilogy. In each of those movies, there was something that connected that movie to the other two. In Batman Begins, it was the Joker card that foreshadowed the sequel's villain. The Dark Knight took place soon after the first film, Scarecrow returned from the first film, and the death of Two-Face haunted The Dark Knight Rises. The last movie also showed the return of the League of Assassins, via R'as al Ghul's daughter. This is what I love the most about the trilogy; what makes it feel like one big cohesive story.
Similarly, I think each of the Avengers films in Whedon's trilogy should have something in them that connects them to each other. The first film not only showcased the origin of the team but also teased Thanos, the "overlord of villainy and darkness," who is all but confirmed to be the villain of Avengers 3. Hell, the whole reason Loki got the chance to terrorize Earth was because Thanos supplied the resources, so that's a direct connection there. Also, this would solve an unresolved plot line. In The Avengers, the Other tells Loki: "If you fail, if the Tesseract is kept from us...there will be no realm, no barren moon where he can't find you. You think you know pain? He will make you long for something sweet as pain." Well, guess what, fellers, the Tesseract was kept from them, and this plot line shouldn't stay unresolved forever. Loki can maybe team-up with the Avengers in a more redemptive story-line, he could be the damsel in distress, or, the option I prefer the most, Thanos can use Loki to distract the Avengers while he sneaks into Asgard, to get the Infinity Gauntlet and reap destruction.
I suppose Ultron could do the same thing. Thanos could gain access to Ultron's body somehow and give Ultron a chance at vengeance at the Avengers (ba dum tss). Hell, I wouldn't complain. But I think it would help the film's story, and the greater MCU story as a whole, to use Loki instead.
Also, I think somebody might bite the dust in Avengers 2 ("death, death and death"), which will serve the same purpose as Two-Face in The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, bringing strong story-wise connectivity to the Avengers 3.
4. Thor Crowned King
Okay, so this is more of a Thor 3 thing, but let me explain. The Avengers, as well as Earth, think of Thor as the Norse god (with some exceptions) that turned out to be true. What cooler way to reintroduce Thor than to have him come back to Earth as the King of Asgard? It would give Thor a reason to wear his helmet, too. All these fanboys are crying out for him to wear his iconic, somewhat nerdy helmet, but they fail to give any rhyme or reason. They want it just for the sake of nerdom. The truth is, Thor doesn't seem too fond of his helmet in the three films he's been in so far, and having him wear it for a longer period of time wouldn't make sense to the general audience who have seen him with long luscious wig-hair. He only wore it at the beginning of Thor when he was about to be made king. After (most likely) taking down Loki in Thor 3, and with Odin presumably dead, Thor should be made king of Asgard. He truly does want what's best, and it seems like he's gaining the experience to know what's best. Having him wear the helmet, for a short period of time, would give the fanboys what they want as well as establishing his newfound authority.
3. The Absence of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Everyone was bitching about how S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't show up for
Iron Man 3 or
Thor: The Dark World, and I thought those people were ridiculous. For me, it was a breath of fresh air. S.H.I.E.L.D. has been mentioned in every freaking Marvel Studios movie so far. Sure they're a freaking government agency, but damn people, they can be doing something else. Think about all the action movies you've seen that didn't mention the FBI. Did you freak? No, because that's something you can get over. Sure,
Iron Man 3 would have been a proper situation for them to show up, but they didn't... And it worked. Or at least, $1,215,439,994 says it did. Samuel Jackson has stated Nick Fury is taking a backseat in Avengers 2, so that's definitely a good sign. I'm sure S.H.I.E.L.D. will at least be mentioned--it's [frick]ing inevitable--but as Thanos is more of a cosmic threat, let's leave them out of this one.
Please.
2. Roster Rotation
In the first Avengers movie, we got six members. I'm sure we all know who they are. In the Avengers 2, we're getting four more: Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, War Machine, and the Vision. Y'all, that's ten Avengers. Some may argue that War Machine/Iron Patriot hasn't been confirmed to be on the team, but who cares. That's ten superheroes, most likely ten Avengers. That's not rotation, that's expansion.
Sure, over time, the roster grew in numbers. But everyone's coming back, no one's leaving from the first film. Who knows, maybe that's necessary, I'm not Joss Whedon. But Kevin Feige promised us a rotating roster, like the comics. And like the comics, I want some to go and some to stay. We know Iron Man, Thor and Captain America are all going to be in the Avengers 3 (I personally don't think they'd announce RDJ if he was just going to be a flash-back, and Thor and Cap are more Avengers than he is). Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch and Vision are just being introduced, so I seriously doubt that they'll die or leave. I hope Black Widow and Hawkeye leave the team. I wouldn't mind Hulk leaving--in the comics, he only stayed to beat Loki, and they he was gone for a time--but I wouldn't be too bothered by his staying, either. But somebody's got to leave for this roster to rotate.
1. Captain America Picking Up Mjolnir
"He's everything I wanna be as a man. He's just good for the sake of good."
--Chris Evans
This is my top wish because I think it would be the most epic scene of the whole series, regardless how many movies they make afterwards. Steve Rogers is pretty much the best role model of the team. He's a Christian. He's a soldier. He's a savior. No matter who you are, there's something in him you can relate to, or want to relate to. He's my favorite superhero, and if there's any other hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe who is worthy to use Mjolnir, it is him. Some people want him to just pick it up and hand it to Thor, casually, in a funny scene. I think it'd be cool, but it'd be much more epic to see him pick it up (perhaps have the Asgardian magic change his costume? hehe) and use it, being a freaking badass. Since this will most likely be the last appearance of Chris Evans as him, it'd be a great way for him to go out, to be able to do an enormous scene like that. When Loki and Captain America fought in the Avengers, I had a nerdgasm. I think if Cap picked up Thor's hammer, I would never feel the desire to have sex again.
HONORABLE MENTION
What's a superhero film without a little fandom romance?
As Loki/Ultron is distracting the Avengers, Thanos would be stealing the Infinity Gauntlet and wrecking havoc on Asgard. Afterwards, the Avengers travel to Asgard and investigate.
Thanks for reading, CBM! Let me know what YOU want from the Avengers series in the usual place!
My wishes for Avengers 2 can be found here:
http://www.comicbookmovie.com/avengers/news/?a=96776