Fans think an ‘Endgame’ Easter egg revealed the plot for ‘Avengers 5’

• Marvel has several movies and TV series scheduled for Phase 4, but none of them are part of the Avengers franchise.
• The studio did not announce a big Avengers 5 movie when unveiling the MCU Phase 4 roster, but execs have confirmed in interviews that more huge Avengers films are coming.
• Some fans think that the final battle in Avengers: Endgame contains a telling Easter egg that points to the MCU’s next potential storyline now that the Infinity Saga is over.

We’ve long established why there’s no Avengers 5 movie in MCU Phase 4. It’s not that Disney wants to dump its most lucrative franchise ever, it’s just that you can’t just come up with a sequel after Endgame without rebuilding the universe that worked so well for the better part of the last decade. With three superheroes gone and the main villain vanquished, the MCU needs new faces. And those story arcs will take time to grow, as we get to meet new superheroes and villains. The Fantastic Four and X-Men properties will join the MCU now that Disney owns the rights, and a Deadpool 3 film is also rumored. Once the pieces are all laid out, the new Avengers team will be introduced.

Whether it’s some sort of limited TV series or a full-blown movie, Avengers 5 is inevitable to form the new team as they embark on new adventures to save the universe. We’ve already seen rumblings of what the next main storyline will be now that Infinity War is history, and some fans now think that the Avengers 5 plot was actually teased by an Easter egg during a pivotal Endgame scene.

Thanos initiates the final battle of Endgame by “raining fire” down on the Avengers compound, just as our favorite heroes realized they were able to undo the snap. Many of the buildings are destroyed in the barrage and the Avengers have to fight for their lives to get out of the rubble. One of the ad-hoc team-ups involves Hulk, Rocket, War Machine, and Ant-Man. It’s Ant-Man who saves everyone, but Hulk is responsible for preventing the entire structure from collapsing on them.

This scene was inspired by the comics, where Hulk holds up a mountain at some point. This is a great Easter egg for fans, who were able to connect the two events. Marvel has taken general cues from the comics without sticking perfectly to those stories. Having the MCU Hulk holding up the crumbling Avengers HQ to save his friends is an excellent callback to that particular moment from the comics, without necessarily having any other implications for the future of the franchise.

But some fans think it’s not just a coincidence — and I’ve just explained why it isn’t. Reddit user wafflespls has a different take though, and he or she thinks this Endgame scene could be a great way to set up the Avengers 5 plot.

This can’t be a coincidence, right? from marvelstudios

The scene from the comics that shows Hulk holding up a mountain is from Marvel’s 1985 Secret Wars #4 cover. Secret Wars is a massive crossover between superheroes and universes, and it has often been rumored as the next step for Marvel. MCU Phase 4 will supposedly set up Secret Wars, and the story will progress in the phases that follow to what definitely could be a climactic Endgame-like finale. But Marvel never confirmed any of this. Having Hulk teasing a famous Secret Wars event in Endgame could be nothing more than eye candy for fans of the comics who would instantly recognize the Easter egg.

If it is a teaser, then Marvel would have already squandered a key scene from the Secret Wars plot in Endgame. Having Hulk pull the same life-saving trick a second time around wouldn’t be as spectacular.

With all that in mind, we’ll remind you that the MCU is delayed on account of the ongoing coronavirus health crisis. All the films have been postponed, and production of several related Disney+ TV series won’t start again until it’s safe enough to continue shooting. All the launch dates will be pushed back, so it’ll be quite a while until Marvel announces Avengers 5 plans.