Now I know you may all be asking yourselves "Why should we even worry about this when we are still early in the Marvel Cinematic Universe". Yes the MCU is still new but this is an important topic to be touched upon and discussed, because wether we like it or not the time will come when the four actors Ruffalo, Downey, Hemsworth and Evans will no longer return due to age/expired deal or contract/being tired of reprising as the same character over and over and simply want to move on with their career. Most people will think that it will come down to a reboot but this is what I hope Marvel will do instead:
THEORY:
In Avengers 3 Captain America is killed in the final battle after defeating Thanos alongside the Avengers. His death has broken down the team both physically and mentally. Before going their seperate ways Thor gives his good byes and explains how he is now the King of Asgard and that all of his time,energy and focus must go into Asgard. He no longer has the time to police earth and travel back and fourth between realms, and he leaves to never return. We are now left with Stark and Banner. They say good bye to each other to go their seperate ways. Tony stark this time officially puts his life as Iron Man behind him. He disposes/destroys all of his technology so that it can no longer be stolen or manipulated by others. He packs his things and leaves America with Pepper to go to a private location where they can live normal lives (Stark can peacefully retire/spend his last years peacefully). Now left with Bruce Banner, when ever he transforms into the Hulk he is not as effective as he used to be due to old age. He decides to forget about the Hulk and carry/move on with his life as a regular scientist.
"This would perfectly explain the dissappearence of the four main heroes."
15-20 years after the events of Avengers 3, new heroes rise to go up against new threats. I feel that in order for this to work, the world must be a Completley new and different place. At this point of time it can viewed as "THE NEW AGE OF HEROES" with new characters in the MCU. This is how I wish Marvel would continue the continuity, but when it comes to money,Marvel will most likely reboot their universe and reintroduce huge characters for money making. I just believe that Marvel should not reboot their universe when it is still fresh in everyone's mind, and instead they can continue the timeline with new characters that the general audience can get used to and enjoy just as much as they did the previous characters.
I know we are a long way from this but when the time comes....What do you guys think will happen and which do you think is the smartest choice for marvel to make? This is my first time making an editorial so I would love to hear your ideas! :).