Marvel’s Avengers 5 theory that MCU Phase 5’s big crossover movie will be an adaptation of “Annihilation”. In Marvel Comics, “Annihilation” was a story arc that focused on the cosmic side of the Marvel Universe, and the main antagonist was an alien warlord known as Annihilus.
Considering the popularity of the 2006 crossover, “Annihilation” is among the many comic stories suspected to be on Marvel’s radar for future movies. Unless Annihilus turns out to be the villain of Thunderbolts may be on the horizon for Phase 5.
Two potential MCU Phase 5 movies in particular help reinforce the notion that “Annihilation” is in the pipeline. That’s because a comic-accurate Annihilation movie replacing Avengers 5 would need characters from the worlds of Nova and Fantastic Four. Three of the main protagonists in the story were Silver Surfer, Super Skrull, and Richard Rider’s Nova. There’s also the matter of the villain, as Annihilus was originally a foe of the Fantastic Four. A Nova movie would deliver part of the setup needed for Annihilation, with Fantastic Four possibly piling on with more building blocks. It could lay the groundwork for Annihilus’ rise by having him escape from the Negative Zone, where he was imprisoned in Fantastic Four comics. Or, it could introduce Silver Surfer or Super Skrull, who both have strong ties to the team and their Marvel Comics stories.
Bringing in these characters feels necessary for Annihilation to work, even though previous Marvel movies have proven that adaptations of comic events don’t have to use the same characters from the comics. But the situation may be different with an Annihilation movie. Despite how much Marvel has developed the cosmic corner of the MCU, it’s lacking much of what it would need to pull off an Annihilation story. James Gunn has promised that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will end the story for Star-Lord’s team, which means it may take a handful of its cosmic characters off the table. Plus, Ronan the Acc - who was important to the original crossover – has already been killed off.
The recent casting of Will Poulter as Adam Warlock is also worth mentioning in regards to a possible Annihilation movie. As a major player in Marvel’s cosmic stories in addition to Annihilation: Conquest, Warlock's presence in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 could be one of the many steps that Marvel is taking toward adapting the “Annihilation” comic. Since Marvel could have most of the right pieces on the board after Nova and Fantastic Four hit theaters, it may only be a matter of time before Annihilus wreaks havoc on the MCU.
