Even though Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home concluded the Infinity Saga, which has made up the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe to this point, they didn’t mark the end of the franchise as a whole.
Despite answering many of the most burning fan questions, the Infinity Saga still left quite a few loose ends untied (some from those aforementioned movies specifically, others from previous ones). Here are the 15 biggest questions left unanswered at the end of the Infinity Saga that will hopefully be addressed in Phase 4 and beyond.
What does a post-Blip world/universe look like? - The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
This question was undoubtedly the biggest one on Marvel fans’ minds after Avengers: Endgame , and while it was addressed in Spider-Man: Far From Home , the implications are so vast that the matter will surely need to be further addressed in Phase 4. We’ll probably get some “catch-up” time with most of the heroes we saw in previous phases who are returning in the future, but it seems like The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is the one in which a post-Blip state of things will get the most focus, at least in terms of Earth happenings.
Set pictures have revealed the series takes place at least partially before Far From Home , so the Blip will be fresher in people’s minds, and society will still be figuring out how to rebuild itself. Here’s hoping the series really dives into this and that we get to see the perspectives of both people who disappeared and those who remained during the five years between the Decimation and the Blip.
Is Steve Rogers dead? If not, where is he? - The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
This is another question that was somewhat addressed in Spider-Man: Far From Home , but not definitively enough for most fans to feel satisfied. Audiences know that Steve Rogers created a new timeline to live out his life after the events of Avengers: Endgame , but returned as an old man to pass off his Captain America shield to Sam Wilson. However, we don’t know what happened to him next, only that the public is under the impression he died during the mission to restore the universe alongside Iron Man and Black Widow.
Given that Sam and Bucky know Steve didn’t actually die fighting Thanos and disappeared for many years, we’ll probably get an inkling as to his whereabouts. It’s pretty obvious Steve is going to be out of the picture for this series, so the two most likely options are that he went back to his self-created timeline after giving Sam the shield, or that he stayed in the present and died (he was said by the filmmakers to be 112 years old, after all). A less likely scenario would be Steve staying and venturing off to some unknown location or simply disappearing again after passing off the shield with even Sam and Bucky not knowing which reality he stayed in.
Why did Bucky stay in the present, unlike Steve? - The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
Steve’s return to the past also left fans with another question: why didn’t Bucky, who came from the same time period and seemingly has fewer ties to the present, not go with him? Some say Steve going was out of character, while others say Bucky not going was out of character, but either way, given that his closest tie to the current era abandoned it, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier needs to provide some solid reasoning as to why Bucky is still kicking around in 2023.
Are the Sokovia Accords (or some form of government interference with superheroes) still in effect? - The Falcon and the Winter Soldier or WandaVision
The Sokovia Accords were introduced in Captain America: Civil War , but weren’t addressed too often in the Phase 3 movies beyond it until briefly in Avengers: Infinity War . Still, no definitive state of matters between superheroes and the law have been addressed. Since The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is going to focus on two heroes who didn’t sign the Accords (one of whom was considered a wanted man in many countries last time we checked) as well as feature Sharon Carter, who aided their side of things, we’ll probably get an update in that series.
But, we may actually get some insight into this before that show; WandaVision ’s inclusion of S.W.O.R.D. could potentially serve as an explanation for how matters work now, with the intergalactic organization perhaps serving as a middle ground to smoothen the tension between the heroes and United Nations on Earth.
Where did Loki go after disappearing with the Tesseract? - Loki
The Loki trailer confirmed the series will indeed be exploring the answer to this question, we just don’t have the details yet. The footage started off with a clip from Avengers: Endgame showing 2012 Loki picking up the Tesseract and disappearing with it, cutting to him sitting up in what appears to be a desert. However, that could very well be a trick by the editors, and Loki could have gone to another location not seen in the trailer. We’ll find out what exactly is going on when Loki premieres on Disney+ in May 2021.
What will the fallout of Spider-Man’s identity reveal be? - Spider-Man 3
The biggest cliffhanger MCU fans were left on in 2019 was the mid-credits scene of Spider-Man: Far From Home , which saw J. Jonah Jameson play a clip in which Mysterio not only reveals Spider-Man’s civilian identity as Peter Parker but tells the world Parker is a villain. The upcoming third MCU Spider-Man movie will undoubtedly explore the fallout of this, and it makes for a very interesting premise for a movie with a scenario that hasn’t yet been explored in any Spider-Man film.
Is Mysterio dead or alive? - Spider-Man 3
Mysterio appeared to have died by the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home . However, this hasn’t been 100% confirmed, and things like his ability to create elaborate illusions as well as his appearance in the film’s aforementioned mid-credits scene had fans debating on his status. Hopefully, Spider-Man 3 or another future MCU movie will give us a definitive answer on this front, but in the meantime, we have some theories as to what his fate may have been.
What are Smart Hulk and War Machine doing now that the Avengers have disbanded? - She-Hulk and Armor Wars
The end of Avengers: Endgame saw some characters head in very clearly-defined directions moving forward, while the future of other heroes was much less clear. Two characters in the latter category were Smart Hulk and War Machine. The Avengers have seemingly disbanded and both have lost people they had close ties with, so it’s hard to guess what might happen to them next. We now know we’re going to see both of them again in She-Hulk and Armor Wars respectively, so fans can look forward to those series getting us up to speed on how these two are doing after the Blip.
What exactly is it that makes someone worthy (or unworthy) of wielding Mjolnir? - Thor: Love and Thunder
Mjolnir has been part of the MCU since 2011’s Thor and has been involved with some fan-favorite moments since then. But, we still don’t know how exactly it works, specifically, what makes someone worthy (or unworthy) of handling it. We know being “worthy” of wielding the hammer means the possession of some positive qualities, but other than Odin being the one to enchant the hammer in the first place, we don’t know what those qualities are.
There’s also the matter of whether one’s worthiness of Mjolnir is inherent or can be “earned” (or removed). The Avengers: Endgame scene in which Thor summons the hammer in the past seems to possibly imply the former, but it’s still not completely clear. So, what exactly is it about Thor, Vision, Captain America, and soon-to-be Jane Foster that makes them worthy that Hawkeye, Iron Man, and Hulk lack, and did they always have those qualities or did they develop them at some point in their lives?
Yes, there are answers to these questions in the Marvel comics, and some filmmakers have shared their personal takes on them when it comes to the MCU, but we need them in the context of the films themselves. What better way to learn more about the intricacies of Mjolnir than in a movie in which the hammer is shaping up to be a central part of the plot?
We know Thor isn’t King of Asgard anymore, but what is his place in the universe? - Thor: Love and Thunder
Throughout the MCU we’ve seen Thor’s journey of love, loss, and becoming a king...only for him to realize in Endgame that he didn’t truly feel suited to the job, choosing to hand the position over to Valkyrie before leaving Earth with the Guardians of the Galaxy.
Thor didn’t know where he was going or what he would do next, and neither did we. But, thanks to Thor: Love and Thunder , we’re going to find out. Leaving Thor’s fate so ambiguous with no real inkling as to his place in the universe going forward would have been a major letdown, which is why the announcement of this movie has been one of the most hyped of Phase 4.
What does Wakanda being opened up to the rest of the world look like on a more “regular” basis? - Black Panther II
At the end of Black Panther , T’Challa announced Wakanda would be opening its borders to the rest of the world to share resources and information. However, beyond the Battle of Wakanda in Avengers: Infinity War , we still have yet to see what that looks like on a more “normal” basis. This will probably end up playing into the plot of Black Panther II in some way, and it’ll certainly be interesting to see how Wakanda fits in as part of the global (and potentially universal) community.
What exactly went down during the Kree-Skrull War? - Captain Marvel 2 or Secret Invasion
The conflict between the Kree and the Skrulls was touched upon in Captain Marvel , but there weren’t a lot of details given. Since we know the Skrulls are going to play more of a role going forward and Carol Danvers has her Kree history, it’s possible we could get some more information on the matter in Captain Marvel 2 or Secret Invasion , especially if the Kree also return in some way.
Where did 2014 Gamora go after deserting the destroyed Avengers Compound? - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
The 2014 version of Gamora that traveled to 2023 of the main MCU timeline participated in the final fight against Thanos in Avengers: Endgame , but wasn’t seen afterward (in a scene deleted from the film, she leaves the site of the battle while the other heroes are paying their respects to the fallen Tony Stark). It’s hard to guess where she may have gone, considering she has traveled nearly a decade into the future, and the universe has changed a lot in those years. But, director James Gunn has said Gamora will play a huge role in the upcoming third Guardians of the Galaxy movie, so it’s very likely the rest of the team will look for her or run into her at some point.
What else can the Quantum Realm do? - Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Both of the first two Ant-Man films explored the Quantum Realm to some degree, and it played an important role in Avengers: Endgame . However, it still feels like the MCU has barely scratched the surface of its properties and abilities. Between the title of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quatumania and the various multiverse adventures we’ll be seeing in other movies and series, we’re surely going to be learning a lot more about this part of the MCU in the near future.
Is the time travel technology still available for the heroes to use...and what would it take to get them to do so again? - ???
The implications and possibilities stemming from the time travel method developed in Avengers: Endgame are and were huge. And, the ending of the movie with Smart Hulk putting the technology away rather than destroying it means it’s presumably still available for the heroes to use if need be. Now, given the complications and consequences of creating branched timelines, it’s something that they would most likely try to avoid doing, but it does still exist, and if the MCU runs for long enough, there’s a fairly good chance we’ll see its return down the line.
The most likely reasons for Marvel Studios to bring back this particular form of time travel or multiverse creation for a project would probably be to have a character who has died in the main MCU return, or for the heroes to create another branched timeline. (The ones from Endgame presumably ceased to exist after Steve Rogers returned the Infinity Stones to them, but Steve created one of his own to live in afterward that likely still exists.) Whatever the reason, don’t expect this technology to make its return to the franchise for a while, since it seems like the kind of thing that would be used in only extreme and special circumstances.
