The title of Avengers: Infinity War, but with that movie now in theaters, Marvel fans may already be wondering what comes next. While Avengers 4's subtitle hasn't officially been announced by Marvel, our best guess is that it will be called Avengers: Endgame - though that's far from the only possibility.
When Marvel Studios originally announced the hardcore secrecy surrounding Avengers: Infinity War's plot.
Related: What The Title of Avengers 4 Definitely ISN'T
So, why do we think Avengers: Endgame is a likely candidate for Avengers 4's title? Well, there's a particular emphasis placed on the word "endgame" in the final act of Avengers: Infinity War... But if you haven't watched the movie yet, stop reading now.
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Warning: MAJOR SPOILERS ahead for Avengers: Infinity War
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When Doctor Strange looks forward into millions of possible outcomes of the Avengers' battle with Thanos, he says that the Avengers fail to defeat the villain in all scenarios except for one - and his expression indicates that even that future isn't a particularly happy one. The others get an idea of the cost when, ostensibly as part of a bargain to save Iron Man's life, Doctor Strange hands over the Time Stone - the Infinity Gauntlet, he snaps his fingers and wipes out half of all life in the universe.
Doctor Strange is among the many characters who are wiped from existence, but a moment before he crumbles into dust he looks at Tony and tells him, "There was no other way." This more or less confirms that handing over the Time Stone and allowing Thanos to carry out his plan was necessary in order to create the only future where Thanos can be defeated. As for the title itself - in the final act of the movie, Doctor Strange intones to the other superheroes on Titan, "We're in the endgame now."
One way or another, Avengers 4 will surely be about Doctor Strange's plan coming to fruition - even if he's not there to see it through. While Endgame is a logical fit for that, especially given the emphasis on the line in the movie, it could be argued that it's not quite epic enough for a superhero team-up movie (compared to, say, Age of Ultron or Infinity War). Of course, if Infinity War performs as well at the box office as it's expected to, Avengers 4 will probably be a massive hit regardless of what the title is, but it's worth considering other possibilities.
Related: What Happens To The Infinity Gauntlet After Infinity War?
Infinity War was a loose adaptation of the comic book series The Infinity Gauntlet, so Avengers 4 may end up taking its name from a comic event. A popular guess is Secret Wars, but since Joe Russo Thanos-centric comic storylines it could take its name from, like Annihilation or Infinity Crusade. With Infinity War now in theaters, and Avengers 4 a little more than a year away, we probably won't have to wait much longer for an official announcement of the movie's title.
