The Russo Brothers Indeed In The Running To Direct AVENGERS INFINITY WAR

BadassDigest posted a juicy rumor that the Russo Brothers (Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War) were being looked-at to takeover the Avengers franchise from Joss Whedon. Deadline is hearing the same thing and both parts of Infinity War could shoot back to back.

Marvel is investing a huge amount on the directing siblings. The more we hear about the plans for Captain America: Civil War the bigger it sounds like the film will be. Something we didn't really get with Iron Man 3, but will likely be our last quasi Earthbound Avengers installment. I'm also curious what this means for the future relationship between Whedon and Marvel. Will he move on, or will he try to tackle other Marvel properties like Captain Marvel and Hulk?

SOURCE: DEADLINE

AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR Split Into Two Movies And Thanos Confirmed As Villain

Plans for Avengers 3 were also revealed, confirming reports that indeed the movie was being split into two parts. Titled Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 coming May 2018 and Avengers: Infinity War Part 2 May 2019, the installments will be shown in theatres a year apart. A short teaser clip was shown, as seen above with Thanos holding the infinity gauntlet. The ultimate cosmic weapon in the universe. This confirms that Josh Brolin's Thanos will indeed be the villain of the film. It looks the footage is test-shots from Guardians of The Galaxy, which isn't surprising since he'll show-up again in the sequel.

The movie is said to be set mostly in space, which could mean that the Guardians will be crossing-over to fight a common enemy. It's unknown if we'll see characters like Captain Marvel or The Inhumans in the first installment, since their solo films will come after Part 1. There is already rumblings via BadassDigest that Thor will be sitting this one out, make of that as you will.

They didn't name writers, but it's been reported that when the Russo Brothers wrap-up Captain America: Civil War they could direct these two Avengers films. I'm not sure what this means for Joss Whedon, as the director might look at one of these other Marvel properties to direct. I wouldn't rule-out a new Hulk movie in Phase Four, or even taking a crack Captain Marvel.


SOURCE: MARVEL

SPECULATION: Marvel Studios Quietly Setting-Up AVENGERS WEST COAST?

Marvel has become the leader in finding new concepts and angles for the superhero film genre. It's a hard business to be in, but they've found their niche and it's not being predictable. The studio has taken some massive risks over their 10 film career. Mainly, releasing a film like Iron Man when a majority of the public had zero awareness or knowledge the character even existed. They took that success from Iron Man and ran full force. Releasing four more films, before making the giant-leap to an ultimate team-up film The Avengers. They went as far as tearing-down SHIELD in Captain America: The Winter Soldier to give us real stakes and prove nothing is safe in the MCU.

In Guardians of The Galaxy, the studio's most risky and ambitious project to date, they gave us our first real glimpse into the massive Marvel cosmic universe. Proving again, that even a talking tree and raccoon can be compelling if done right. The group of characters are way more obscure than previous characters explored on screen, the film becoming the biggest domestic hit of the summer is something of a miracle.

So, how does Marvel move forward without becoming stale? Shaking things-up is what seemingly the studio does best. The comics have a time-honored tradition of roster changes, guest-appearances and crossovers. We do expect The Guardians to cross-paths with The Avengers at some point in the films. However, what can we expect for our Earthbound heroes?

My theory isn't a new one, UnleashTheFanboy have already clued-in to the possibility of a second Avengers team coming in the future. UTF seemingly had word it will happen in Phase 4 (post-Avengers 3). I'm in the belief this has already been happening in-front of our eyes and Age of Ultron/Phase 3 will ultimately setup this new group. The team is being called The New Avengers by UTF, but I would bet that it ends-up being called the more established Avengers West Coast.

Ant-Man will be our first film in Phase Three, and convently enough includes two members of Avengers West Coast. Doctor Henry Pym, the mentor figure to Paul Rudd's Scott Lang and father to Evangeline Lily's Hope Van Dyne (likely Wasp). It's location of San Francisco is a bit telling as well, since we haven't really seen films other than Iron Man set in California. The second team's base of operations is L.A., but could be reworked to fit the more colorful city by the bay.

Another big clue, is that a majority of the team roster is pretty-much established, and there are enough actors to fill a new team. A bulk of them will be appearing in Avengers: Age of Ultron. That lineup includes team-leader Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), War Machine (Don Cheadle), Doctor Henry Pym (Michael Douglas), Vision (Paul Bettany), Wasp (Evangeline Lily), Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), Quicksilver (Aaron Johnson) and newly added heroine Mockingbird (Adrianne Palicki former Gamora candidate).

Pym in particular could become the Nick Fury/Stark of the new team, since we might be seeing his origins with SHIELD explored in Ant-Man. Having Pym heading-up Avengers West Coast (like Nick Fury) with Hawkeye/Captain America leading the team could be a very cool way to go about it. We've heard rumblings that RDJ's role as Stark in MCU would eventually become more Fury-like as well.

Joss Whedon has talked about his destain for Wonder Man and wish to include Tigra into the film universe. These characters are also well-known West Coast Avengers heroes. He's changed his tune already concerning Carol Danvers, maybe he'll come-around concerning Wonder Man.

Another West Coaster we all love and are dying to see show-up is the complex supernatural vigliante Moon Knight, who just happens to live multiple personas (besides his superhero one). A TV show was in development for ages, but couldn't come together. The character might be a bit too dark and violent to get his own movie, but we've been rooting for Moon Knight to become apart of the second wave of Netflix's Marvel series (aka Midnight Sons).

What happens when these Avengers leave for California? Others will take their place of course. Characters like Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), Doctor Strange (?), Black Panther (?), Ms Marvel (?) and others getting their own solo adventures on screen (Daredevil, Fist, Cage, Jones) could easily fill the gaps moving forward. Marvel could expand their Earthbound heroes doing it this way, and can interchange the lineups. This is where we might also see a rebranding of the Avengers name aka The New Avengers.

Why setup a second Avengers team? Well, the Civil War storyline has been mentioned before as a possibility by Kevin Feige. The storyline was slightly teased with the forest-fight in the film first. However, for it to even happen you'd need to established two groups, before the clash could start. That is a lot of Marvel characters to introduce and explore. Netflix characters like Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist and Luke Cage could also come into play here (there have been possible hints they could make the jump to movies). Civil War could also be the entry-point for Thanos, and his minions to invade Earth, perfect timing for the Mad Titan.

A set photo from Age of Ultron seemingly reveals that Stark and Rogers are recruiting candidates. Perhaps, developing a new version of SHIELD together (HAMMER/SWORD?). The extras are unlikely Ultron bot stand-ins, mainly because they aren't wearing motion-capture suits. But, more like warm-up/active wear, I assume Rogers is training them.

Having Hawkeye taking-charge of his own team might sound like something out of left-field, but we've been hearing his role in Age of Ultron is getting bulked-up from the last one. Not to mention Jeremy Renner's own teases he'll show-up in Captain America 3. If Marvel is able to develop Clint Barton into a capable leader of a splinter Avengers team, I think they might be unstoppable. Turning-around public opinion of the least-liked team member, would be a giant leap-forward.

Renner himself is an established action star, he is about to begin shooting Mission: Impossible 5 and his sequel to Bourne Legacy. Having him in a more active-role in the MCU sounds like a no-brainer. We've seen what the Russo Brothers can do for these action-based spy characters, so hopefully they're able to amp-up the character to the point we want to see him lead a film (even if it's not a solo one). We also haven't seen his other superhero personas come into play, since Barton has become alternate heroes in the comics (mainly, Goliath and Ronin).



What do you think? Is Marvel prepping for a second Avengers team, or will they keep adding-on to the existing group?

New A-Holes We Want For GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 2!

James Gunn is already beginning work on the script for Guardians of The Galaxy 2, as the director confirmed he's begun writing the sequel. The second installment already has a release date set for July 2017. We kind have an idea that Nova and Cosmo will likely have a part to play in the next movie. Yet, there are a few other Marvel cosmic characters we'd like to see used in the sequel as well.

ADAM WARLOCK: We had heard Warlock was going to have some sort of cameo in the film, but that likely was written-out or removed from the final cut. The assumption was that his cocoon in The Collectors' chambers would be involved in the film at some point, that didn't end-up happening. Warlock has worked alongside the Guardians for ages, and eventually becomes a member. He's crossed paths with Thanos on many occasions and is a major character connected to the Infinity stories. Having one of the infinity stones embedded in his forehead (soul gem), he's a sure-bet for the sequel. If, indeed Thanos will have most of the infinity stones by Avengers 3.

BLACKJACK O'HARE: It's likely a lock that Rocket's otter and walrus companions will have some role in the next installment, but I'd love to see the rabbit mercenary Blackjack O'Hare get his onscreen debut. He's a prime character to be a fellow bounty-hunter, antagonist to Rocket or just roaming around Knowhere as a hired-gun. Plus, a blue rabbit wise-cracking with Bradley Cooper's Rocket would be super-fun to watch. I'd honestly take him over Howard The Duck, but that's just my opinion.

THE INHUMANS: We've finally had the Kree Empire referenced in the films, and the success of Guardians could mean that Marvel will push-forward with their Inhumans movie. An ancient group of aliens experimented on by the Kree, are revealed to have superpowers when exposed to a mist. In the recent comics, Black Bolt releases this mist on the entire population of Earth. Which in-turn, creates a larger population of Inhumans on the planet. Some believe this is Marvel's way of creating another version of mutants for their film universe. Time-will-tell, but with a potential project that would end-up looking like X-Men meets Game of Thrones, it's a strong bet they'll have a film soon. Including them in small cameos, or at least introducing them in next Guardians film would make sense, if they are planning on expanding upon their existing cosmic universe.

HEPZIBAH: This skunk-humanoid would actually be a very interesting character visually, and could easily be one of Yondu's Ravagers (we've already heard James Gunn mention exploring the Ravagers a bit more). The space-pirate and member of the Starjammers, might actually be another shared X-Men character (similar to Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch). Since she's an alien (not mutant), and was included in her own series alongside the rest of the original Starjammers lineup.

I've also noticed neither Fox or Marvel have commented on the rights concerning the Starjammers. The only one of the group I believe Fox could claim is Cyclops' father Cosair. Starjammers will likely become something discussed between Lauren Shuler Donner and Fox, post-Guardians. Since, we've never had aliens referenced in the X-Men film franchise, I'm possibly leaning towards they don't have the rights to the entire lineup/name. If they do, they'll possibly combine them into the world they are creating for the new Fantastic Four. Considering, Fox has control of rest of Marvel's cosmic catalog of characters and alien races.

MAR-VELL: We've already mentioned the Kree, and our first introduction to them wasn't great with Ronan. They aren't all that bad, case-in-point Kree hero Mar-Vell, also known as Captain Marvel (which I assume the title will be given to Danvers). I'm not sure Mar-Vell would become a straight-up Guardian (like I assume Nova would just work with them for the common good), but he'll likely have conflicts with the Kree Empire. Which could lead him to leave their ranks and look elsewhere to do good. I'd also like to give a shout-out to Wraith, another Kree who is banished but becomes a hero in the Infinity saga.

CAROL DANVERS: Speaking of Captain Marvel, wouldn't it be great if we saw the origin of Carol Danvers' powers in Guardians 2? I know the rumors say that she'll appear in Age of Ultron, but we don't know if she'll even have her powers in the film. Perhaps, as a pilot she's testing-out a new spacecraft for Stark or S.W.O.R.D. and is either captured by aliens, or is brought into the cosmic world. Leading to her to be exposed to the Kree technology, with the accident that grants her superpowers.

ANGELA: One of the newest additions to the Marvel universe, and acquired from Image Comics/Todd Mcfarlane. This lady is another badass outsider, that screams Guardian. She actually worked with the team recently in the comics, and is also revealed to be the daughter of Odin (sister to Loki/Thor). She could be a bridge for the Guardians to go to Asgard, leading them to meet Thor (a solid way to lead to their team-up in Avengers 3) and The Avengers, warning them that Thanos is coming to Earth.

CORVUS GLAIVE AND THE BLACK ORDER: Ronan and Nebula were okay as the villains of the film, but they didn't have the greatest motivation. Well it just happens that they aren't the only henchmen Thanos has doing his dirty work. He has his own group of supervillains, which are named The Black Order. This group are his generals and take-out worlds for the Mad Titan. They seem like worthy adversaries for the Guardians and The Nova Corps for an upcoming sequel. A great one to focus-on would be Corvus Glaive, an antagonist of a majority of the cosmic universe (including Earth and the Inhumans).

SPECULATION: Will The MCU Suffer At The Hands Of Thanos' Black Order And The Kree-Skrull War?

Predicting Marvel villains and direction of their future universe is nearly impossible. Kevin Feige and the folks at Marvel Studios have had a decent lock-down concerning their future plans, for the most part. While we've had both Feige and Gunn shoot-down a bunch of rumors lately, mainly talk of a Ms Marvel (even though she's expected to show-up in Age of Ultron) film and the Planet Hulk storyline being explored. I think we're all overlooking other things that could be coming out of the cosmic-side of the MCU in the near future.

James Gunn revealed to ThePlaylist that Marvel has a very limited access to villainous alien races from the comics, pointing out they don't own the Badoon. I assume Fox has those rights from their original deal for Fantastic Four/Silver Surfer. Strangely enough, we saw almost zero aliens in that original franchise. Even though Fox has access to characters like The Silver Surfer, Super-Skrull, The Badoon, Blastaar, Galactus and possibly even Kang The Conquer (someone needs to ask Feige about that one).

"The whole thing is, there's Sakaraan in the movie. And the reason there's Sakaraan in the movie is because there aren't that many alien races in the Marvel Universe, and of those prominent alien races, such as the Kree and the Skrull," Gunn added, somewhat tantalizingly, "I have some very specific ideas for where those races go."

Gunn did however mention that he and Marvel have plans for the Kree and Skrulls. The bitter alien enemies, whose war has spanned across the universe and even clashed on Earth as well. Interesting enough, Thanos has connections to both The Kree and The Skrulls, the Skrulls being one his pawns similar to the Chitauri. Yet, considering their advanced technology and shape-shifting abilities, they would make a stronger threat to the Earth (ala Secret Invasion). I could also see them become the antagonists for the Black Panther movie as well. Whedon has said as much, while opting to use the Chitauri instead of the Skrulls for Loki's army. Marvel seemingly has big plans for the two alien races. Perhaps, those plans will be revealed this weekend.

Ronan The Accuser the main baddies in Guardians is indeed a high-ranking Kree, who just happens to work for Thanos. So the Kree have already been established in the MCU, and talk of Ms Marvel could mean their involvement on Earth soon. Ronan might also have ties to another villainous group under the thumb of Thanos. Considering their connections to Thanos and doing his dirty-work, I'm assuming both Ronan and Nebula are Thanos' generals in his group The Black Order. I'm actually curious to learn why the Kree (or just Ronan) is backing-up Thanos. Perhaps, Thanos is actually in-control of the Kree Empire at the moment. It will be even more interesting to find out how The Inhumans fit-into all of this as well. Since that film has been compared to Game of Thrones in space.

I wouldn't be too shocked if we end-up seeing the rest of Black Order (Proxima Midnight, Corvus Glaive, Supergiant, Black Dwarf, Ebony Maw) in the sequel (if not in other Marvel films), searching the rest of the universe for Infinity Stones/Gems. Clashing with the Guardians and other cosmic heroes along the way, leading-up to the eventual Avengers 3 confutation. There have been teases that the Guardians could crossover into an Avengers installment, which makes sense since Thanos would be everyone's problem by that point.

We've been hearing for a while now that Thanos (played by Josh Brolin) will be the big bad of the Marvel universe for years to come. Being a kind of puppet master, pulling the strings of other powerful Marvel villains. Having his Black Order on the hunt for the infinity stones sounds about right. It's also in his wheelhouse to spark a huge conflict on Earth like either an invasion or all out war by the Kree and Skrull. Leading to all sorts of possibilities such as Secret Invasion or even Civil War.

Josh Brolin Will Voice Thanos In GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY (Possibly AGE OF ULTRON And AVENGERS 3 Too)

LatinoReview has revealed who will play our purple death-obsessed villain Thanos in Guardians of The Galaxy and Avengers 3. Veteran actor Josh Brolin has taken the role, and will voice the Mad Titan. His role of puppet-master in Guardians is expected to be a big larger, than in Avengers and will likely see him take an even bigger role in Avengers: Age of Ultron and Avengers 3. Thanos is expected to be as prolific a villain as Tom Hiddleston's Loki, if not more, as he could be the driving threat of all three Avengers films.

Brolin is an inspired choice with roles in films such as American Gangster, No Country For Old Men, True Grit, Milk and W. Playing many villains in his career, not to mention being in the mix for the new Batman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. His Oscar nomination for Milk is also worth noting, as Marvel is keen on actors with Academy nominations and or awards. Josh isn't opposed to taking-on genre pictures as well with projects like Planet Terror, Hallow Man, Mimic, Jonah Hex and this summer's Sin City: A Dame To Kill For.





SOURCE: LATINOREVIEW

Could Ultron's Cosmic Origin Be Explained In GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Leading Into AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON?

People have been speculating for weeks now how Joss Whedon will introduce Ultron in the MCU. Whedon confirmed a new origin for the Marvel villain played by James Spader (Stargate, Less Than Zero, Lincoln) which wouldn't include Dr. Hank Pym (Ant-Man). A new quote from Iron Man 3 co-writer Drew Pearce to SciFiNow (via CBM) gives the impression most theories haven't hit the mark. Also, hinting that Ultron's origins might be cosmic having connections to Thor: The Dark World and Guardians of The Galaxy.

"There is a hell of a lot of rumors, though. Ultron may be something that appears in Guardians of the Galaxy, or it may appear in the Thor universe. I've read a lot of stuff online, and I don't think anyone has got close to the real plan yet."

I had been wondering how the hell Guardians would factor into Avengers: Age of Ultron, since the film leads right into the Avengers sequel. Having the film establish the cosmic side of the universe seemed like a legimate reason to make the film on it's own merit. However, if Ultron has a cosmic basis rather than being a robotic Frankenstein monster could give the character more depth. We've heard from Kevin Feige that Thanos would be the villain behind the scenes in Guardians of The Galaxy and won't be a major player in Age of Ultron. It could be that Thanos convinces Ultron to attack Earth (maybe giving it to him if he destroys The Avengers) and is an alien that is able to inhabit technology ala Ghost In The Shell's Puppet Master (which highly influenced The Matrix). Perhaps, to convert the planet to his own means or bend it to the will of Thanos.

Kevin Feige Confirms Ronan The Accuser Is The Main Villain Of GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY And Gamora To Start Off As Antagonist

Marvel's Kevin Feige has talked to Empire (via CBM) and revealed the rest of the villain lineup in Guardians of The Galaxy. The film is full of baddies which already includes Nebula, Yondu, Korath The Pursuer, The Collector and Thanos. Kevin confirmed that Thanos would be behind the scenes and not front-in-centre. Stating Lee Pace's Ronan The Accuser (Kree Empire) will be the main villain the Guardians will have to go up against. How both The Collector and Thanos fit into the film have yet to be revealed. He also dropped the new tidbit of news that Gamora will indeed be a villain in the beginning as well. The Nova Corps are expected to be up against the group as well.

Vin Diesel Hinting He Could Be Playing Either Thanos Or Vision In The MCU?

While Kevin Feige was downplaying Marvel's meeting with actor Vin Diesel at Comic-Con. The actor was still giving tidbits of information to EW, who he might be looking to play in the MCU. People having been under the impression that Guardians members Groot and Rocket Raccoon are solid candidates. However, a new statement from Vin seemingly puts him in a more villainous direction. As he mentions a "love story" similar to the one in the original Fast And Furious film. This gives us the more fuel that Vin might actually be in the running for the Mad Titan Thanos or Ultron's android creation Vision.

“Marvel was excited about bring a different kind of relationship, a different kind of love story, I guess kind of inspired from the Dom-Letty relationship, into the Marvel universe.”

The android villain turned Avenger member Vision has a well known love story within the comics. Which sees him and Scarlet Witch (confirmed as a villain in Avengers: Age of Ultron) fall in love. Diesel has been campaigning for ages to play Vision and there was quite a large fan outcry to have Agent Coulson play him. Marvel knows that the fans want him involved in one way or another. Ultron (the baddie of Avengers 2) builds Vision to defeat the Avengers but ultimately rejects Ultron to join the heroes instead.

 Thanos is expected to be the villain behind the scenes of Guardians of The Galaxy leading to a big brawl Avengers 3. The Titan's obsession and passion for his love Death (an actual flesh and blood character in the form of a female human). His love for Death compels him take the lives of half the universe as an offering to her. Whedon actually spoke to the Thanos/Death relationship a while back which would mean that would be guiding factor to him getting his hands on the infinity gauntlet.

Kevin Feige Confirms Thanos For GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, More Characters Confirmed, New Concept Art Featuring The Cast And Props/Costumes

Marvel's Kevin Feige confirmed to IGN (via TotalFilm) that indeed cosmic villain Thanos (Vin Diesel?) will play a big role in Guardians of The Galaxy afterall (rumored for Avengers 3, not the second film). Actor Lee Pace (Hobbit Trilogy) has been confirmed for Kree leader Ronan The Accuser (leading into Inhumans?) and Doctor Who actress Karen Gillan will be playing Marvel villain Nebula. New addition Djimon Hounsou will be playing Kree warrior Korath The Pursuer in the film as well. This information comes straight from the Comic-Con panel. Including a bunch of prop photos that feature Starlord's helmet and the Nova Corps uniform. James Gunn also mentioned that casting announcements for Rocket Raccoon and Groot will be very soon.

“I think somebody on the Guardians panel let loose that Thanos is a part of the movie, which he is,” revealed Feige. “Thanos plays a part in Guardians, as the mastermind.”

Joss Whedon Hinting Again That Scarlet Witch And Quicksilver Might Be Villains In AVENGERS 2?

While promoting his new feature film Much Ado About Nothing, Joss Whedon spoke briefly on The Tavis Smiley Show (via CBM) about the sequel. He talked about including Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver in Avengers 2. Which seemingly hinted to their history of being foes of The Avengers. An aspect that has been sort of hinted at previously by Joss. The main villain of the sequel seemingly might come down to Thanos, The Collector (Benicio Del Toro?) or Ronan The Accuser but it's sounding like the Maximoff twins will also give The Avengers some conflict. It's not known if Evan Peters (Kick-Ass, American Horror Story) will also play Quicksilver in the sequel, after being cast in the role for X-Men Days of Future Past.

"We are introducing Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch who are mainstays of The Avengers universe, they're foes, they've been allies and they're very interesting to me because I grew up reading The Avengers. They have powers that are visually exciting, different from the characters we've seen before so I'm excited to knock them against The Avengers and see what shakes loose." 

Lee Pace And Ophelia Lovibond Join The Cast Of GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

TheWrap reports that Starlord candidate Lee Pace (The Hobbit Trilogy, The Fall) will be playing the villain of Guardians of The Galaxy. It's unknown who he'll be playing but Thanos, The Controller and The Badoon are possible villains of the film. THR also adds that British actress Ophelia Lovibond (Nowhere Boy, London Boulevard) will have a supporting role as well. She will play an aide to The Collector which hat has yet to be cast. The rest of the cast includes Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Michael Rooker and Dave Bautista.

Controller Might Be A Villain In GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, Could This Be Another Hint To Iron Man Joining The Film?

LatinoReview which has been slowly leaking plot details of numerous comic book projects has a new Marvel one. They say that Marvel baddie Basil Sandhurst aka The Controller will play henchman to Thanos in Guardians of The Galaxy. There has been talk of Thanos being the actual main villain of the film which could lead into Avengers 2. Marvel has confirmed Thanos for Guardians but his role in the film is currently unknown.

Now that the Controller is involved it seems like another pathway to having Tony Stark/Iron Man join the film. Basil is also a longtime villain of Stark's and Tony recently joined the team in the recent reboot of the Guardians. Add this to the rumored button scene in Iron Man 3 plus his Space Suit Armor it's possible (though not confirmed) we could see Stark in the film at some point. Perhaps, bridging the Guardians and even Thanos for Avengers 2.

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje Talks THOR THE DARK WORLD And BLACK PANTHER

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje was interviewed by MTV taking in length about his experience playing dual roles of Algrim and Kurse in Thor: The Dark World. He also gives the impression he's already talking with the studio about another role in an upcoming film. Two major roles seem to standout as perfect for him that being Drax The Destroyer and the villain Thanos The Mad Titan in Guardians of The Galaxy.

“Thor 2; great movie, great opportunity. I've been a fan of the Marvel Comics and I got a massive opportunity to play two characters in the movie: Algrim and Kurse. You go in thinking, 'Yeah this is great.' But when you get in there, you're like whoa; six hours of makeup, prosthetics, all the physical [stuff]. But honestly, I loved it. It's going to be such an epic. And both of the characters; I have blonde hair, blue eyes, pointed ears, fangs, horns; everything you could want as boy in an action hero movie. It's amazing. The Fighting was really demanding. For instance, Kurse is the one that does all the fighting. It's forty pounds of extra weight and the good thing about it is that it's very flexible and elastic. I have a routine before I put it on: I stretch and do all my pilates. You see this big creature doing pilates, it's great. And then we'd have to go fight. Me and Chris [Hemsworth] go toe-to-toe. It was hardcore. But you don't really get into [these kinds of movies] of you're not ready for that kind of thing. You gotta be mentally fit, physically fit because you're going to shoot a scene ten to fifteen different ways.”

“[Thor and Kurse] fight differently. Chris has his hammer while Kurse is very animalistic, he's got horns. So I tried to go with that flow. My movements are [basically] like an animal: twisting my body, turning my head, all kinds of things. Kurse is meant to be extremely powerful, nothing can stop him. It's a great ride. There's fights everything in the movie. Loki gets his fair share of fights; [one of which] is between him and I as well. The great thing about Kurse is he is having it with everybody. But yes, Loki has some amazing fights. [Fans] are really gonna be happy with this movie. Everybody gets their little shine. I won't tell you what really happens, but there's some great surprises.”

“As we speak, [Marvel and I] are talking about [playing in another Marvel movie]. Obviously, Marvel is a great family that I'm happy to be working with. We had a great time on Thor: The Dark World. I loved to continue that relationship. (After Guardians of the Galaxy was brought up) I'm not talking about anything yet, just having a good relationship with Marvel.”

He also told MTV that he's still pursuing his campaign for T'Challa in Marvel's Black Panther. Considering he now has a relationship with the studio it's hard to say it would never happen.

"Who do I want to play him? Myself, let’s be real," Akinnuoye-Agbaje told MTV News with a smile, when asked if he is still carrying the torch for the role. "I would hope that playing Kurse would ingratiate me to becoming the Panther. You get in and have success in one, and you go and do the next one. [My campaign] is definitely not dropped."

"He’s one of my faves. I would love to play him," he continued. "You have to keep at it, you have to keep your card in the hat and see what comes out but I have to say I’m thrilled, I’ve been able to play two characters in one movie and if [Marvel] likes this and it this does well, it just gives you a better chance."

SPOILER SPECULATION: What AVENGERS 2 Might Look Like

Joss Whedon signed on to both write and direct the sequel to Avengers. He's also been tasked to consult on the rest of the Phase Two films. While the plot of the film is currently unknown Whedon has quietly handed in a draft to Marvel. A few things taken from previous films such as rumors, Easter Eggs, hints and assumptions have fuelled this gathering of possibilities for Avengers 2. Not to mention Joss stating the film would be on smaller more personal scale than the last installment. A lot of this write-up is speculation but could turn out to be true, so be warned these might be spoilers.

AVENGERS TOWER: There were a couple of hints in Avengers that Tony was looking to turn Star Tower into the new headquarters for The Avengers. It would somewhat confirm that the main characters would be returning for the sequel. S.H.I.E.L.D. at odds with the World Counsel have likely been given the go-ahead by Nick Fury for the Avengers to be on their own. This image confirming that Tony plans on housing the rest of the team and that they will be returning for the sequel.

S.W.O.R.D.: An off-shoot of S.H.I.E.L.D. and created for the comics by Joss Whedon, it's only a matter of time before he uses them. Erik Selvig names the organization in a deleted scene from Thor which means they exist in the MCU. The group handles alien matters and is headed up by Abigail Brand. Jessica Drew better known as the original Spider-Woman is also an agent of S.W.O.R.D. I could see them involved if either aliens or Atlantians are the villains.

ALIEN TECH: The aftermath of New York saw S.H.I.E.L.D. end up with a massive cache of Chitauri weapons and technology. Rogers revealed S.H.I.E.L.D.'s plans to resurrect Hydra's weapons program given the name "Phase Two".  Likely, the weapons will be involved/evolve throughout the next group of Marvel films. Could these weapons have been put together to fight against Asgard, meta-humans and aliens? Nick Fury gives the impression that's the case. If they're able to reverse engineer the Chitauri technology they could make some powerful weapons to arm with their agents/soldiers. It was shown in Item 47 that the weapons don't need the cosmic cube to be powered, unlike the Hydra guns.

The Chitauri gliders will likely make their way into the S.H.I.E.L.D. vehicle lineup as multiple heroes have used similar machines. At least they would be able to explain that it's alien technology that ables them to fly. My assumption is that they could first show up in Winter Soldier.

CIVIL WAR: Marvel's Kevin Feige has touched upon the use of the Civil War storyline. Saying that they'd try to save it for at least the third film. However, they've been hinting to it throughout the first installment. Starting with the tension scene in the forest where Thor battles Iron Man and Captain America. Later, we'll see the Avengers at each other's throat eventually coming together and becoming friends. This will be tested in their second outing as these massive characters will assuming have more conflict with each other. Not to mention S.H.I.E.L.D. loosing it's luster as a squeaky-clean organization turning themselves into bullies forcing the heroes to join them or be arrested. Seeing them as more of threat on their own rather than in the control of S.H.I.E.L.D.

We saw what happens when alien technology is left in the hands of S.H.I.E.L.D. as Coulson showed off the awesome power of the Destroyer gun. The weapon adapted from Asgardian material was able to give Loki a bit of punch. Which means it could do some damage to Thor as well. Not to mention Hulk's cage which is used on Loki, giving early hints to Civil War.

Another hint to Civil War is a little more covert with a reference to Project 42. As one of the files Coulson gives Stark has "42" on it. Project 42 is an extra-dimensional prison (developed by Stark) for captured bad guys (and rebellious heroes) made necessary because the old housing facility, Project Pegasus, had been destroyed. Project Pegasus was the name given to the facility in the opening scenes which was destroyed.

The World Council was able to go over Fury's head and greenlight a nuclear missile strike on Manhattan. In a deleted scene for the introduction which has Maria Hill talking to the Council after the events of New York seemingly throws Nick under the bus. A key moment that will likely be shown in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. However, this aspect could leak into Avengers 2 with S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hill looking to force the Avengers to become official members/agents. Hill and Stark being the main antagonists of the Civil War storyline.

H.A.M.M.E.R.: Led by the villainous Norman Osborn and puts together the Dark Avengers. We've seen Marvel use Norman's Iron Patriot suit for War Machine in Iron Man 3. So would it be possible to see H.A.M.M.E.R. as well? Well there has been talk of The Masters of Evil being the villains. However, the name of the group is a bit sketchy and cliche. It seems plausible that the group could end up being used just given a different title like H.A.M.M.E.R. This doesn't seem out of the ordinary considered we've seen Kevin Feige and Joss Whedon play around with origins and continuity before. I could see H.A.M.M.E.R. either shown as a rival of S.H.I.E.L.D. or it's polar oppisite. Baron Zemo has been rumored for Winter Soldier and is the founder of the Masters of Evil it wouldn't be a leap to see him headed up H.A.M.M.E.R. instead of HYDRA or even A.I.M. Another angle is since Masters of Evil will include former villains from previous films they could use Justin Hammer as the corperate face of the group. Having them a sort of privatized version of S.H.I.E.L.D.

If Sony does end up allowing Spider-Man to appear in an Avengers sequel. A Norman Osborn led H.A.M.M.E.R. taking over S.H.I.E.L.D. linked to a bigger Civil War plot could give a reason for Spidey to get himself involved with The Avengers. Instead of a cameo or a poorly shoehorned plot device to bring him into the fold. The Spider-Man saga was going to represented in The Avengers originally with the Oscorp building among the New York City skyline. That didn't happen but has proven bigger things could be possible. Even more so when Peter's parents had been portrayed as S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in a What-If? comic book. Perhaps, if Sony shared Spidey and Osborn they could be allowed to share S.H.I.E.L.D. which could end up bridging him into the MCU.



VILLAINS

NAMOR: There was a brief easter egg in Avengers during the opening scene. It could point to Namor's company Oracle which among other things tries to reduce the amount of pollution in the ocean. We've previously seen a Namor hint in Iron Man 2 when Fury's meta-human map showed Atlantis. Namor is Marvel's first mutant but exempted from Fox's X-Men deal. He had been rumored to be included for Captain America: The First Avenger and Iron Man 3. The former we know to be untrue but it remains to be unseen if he'll show up in Iron Man 3.

The Sub-Mariner has taken the role of hero and villain which could be an interesting take on a villain that we haven't seen in other films. While Loki was the first villain the Avengers went up against in both the film and comic book. Namor was a villain in issue three which could mean he's a very strong candidate. If this happens Namor could either help the Avengers or declare war with the army of Atlantis behind him. Having the enemy come from within the planet could be something considered "smaller scale" than having a fleet of aliens headed by Thanos invading Earth (again). Giving the team a bit of a break from a cosmic threat.

MASTERS OF EVIL: Joss Whedon has mentioned a more personal threat and a group of supervillains hitting the heroes were they live sounds about right. The Avengers being known on a worldwide scale could give them a rather large target on their backs. Even more so if it's known that Tony Stark is behind them. A rumor has pointed to the Masters of Evil possibly becoming the baddies of the sequel. While there has been talk of Thanos the smaller scale has been talked-up by Whedon a few times. The group included Baron Zemo (rumored for Cap 2), Radioactive Man (confirmed for Iron Man 3), Crossbones (confirmed for Cap 2), Amora The Enchantress/Skurge The Executioner (rumored for Thor 2) and former Avenger Wonder Man. Having the Avengers go up against a collection of former villains and friends could be something fresh instead of just one villain to worry about.

WONDER MAN: Simon Williams' company Williams Innovations is put under because of it's competitor Stark Industries. Simon tries to embezzle money from the failing company but ultimately is sent to prison for his crime. He blames Stark for his misfortune and is given a chance for revenge by Baron Zermo and the Masters of Evil. Transformed into the superhuman Wonder Man by Zemo is sent to infiltrate the Avengers. While posing as an Avenger Simon will eventually betray his companions so that the Masters of Evil can destroy the Avengers. If Whedon wants a personal Avengers story there's nothing better than Wonder Man's betrayal, redemption, subsequent death and then resurrection.

Eric Williams, the brother of Simon blames the death of his brother Wonder Man on The Avengers and plans to take revenge on the heroes. With the help of Ultron, another member of the Masters of Evil and creation of Hank Pym (Ant-Man) gives The Grim Reaper more powers. Ultron uses Simon's brain patterns for Vision who becomes another villainous pawn against The Avengers. Eventually, Vision and a resurrected Wonder Man become members of The West Coast Avengers. There is also a bit of a love triangle between himself, Scarlet Witch and Vision.

THANOS: When Thanos finally showed up at the end of Avengers revealing himself as Loki's puppet master. It gave a lot of fans the impression he was going to be the big baddie of the sequel. However, Marvel hasn't really made button scenes for sequels before only for upcoming films. The newest film in Phase Two being The Guardians of The Galaxy. We do know that Odin's vault in Thor held the infinity gauntlet and it's rumored that something involved with the gauntlet could be the item of interest (infinity gems or the gauntlet itself) in Guardians. Thanos will likely be showing up in Guardians possibly as the main antagonist of the movie. How that translates into Avengers 2 remains to be seen since his presence could have some massively grim consequences.

The infinity gauntlet saga has it's own issues considering how powerful Thanos becomes and the death-toll that comes with it. Marvel wouldn't in likely-hood want to kill off major characters in that fashion and this early. Perhaps, if Thanos does become a villain in the Avengers films it will be further in the future giving enough time for characters to finish their trilogies and solo films.

Another possibility is that Thanos could be pulling the strings of Masters of Evil providing them with technology and weapons to go up against the Avengers. Maybe even the machine that turns Simon Williams into Wonder Man since it sounds like cosmic-technology would be involved there.

NEW AVENGERS

 ComingSoon was able to get a quote from Whedon about a favorite aspect of the Avengers comics. That being the way the comics shook-up the Avengers lineup with new heroes joining the team in every issue. Hawkeye and Black Widow weren't original Avengers members but ultimately joined the team in the first installment. Hawkeye being the leader of the West Coast Avengers it's possible that other members of the team could end up showing up in sequels. Characters that haven't been mentioned or rumored such as Mockingbird, Wonder Man and Spider-Woman could be interesting additions to the MCU.

"I used to read 'The Avengers' and part of the ethos of the team was that it changed their lineup every month," says Whedon. "Their 150th issue was just a bunch of faces. 'Who will be in the team now?!' We had the first issue as a poster in the offices. Now that I'm working on the sequel I said, 'Let's put the second issue up there! Let's change it up a little bit!' The second issue is 'Introducing… Giant-Man! And this character! They were already changing it up after one issue. That's what they always do."

SCARLET WITCH AND VISION: Classic supporting Avengers like Scarlet Witch (Iron Man 2 supporting character) and Vision (life-decoy of Agent Coulson) have been mentioned previously and have been championed by fans. Witch had been confirmed by Favreau as an original supporting character in Iron Man 2 but was ultimately cut out of the film. Johansson was originally going to play Witch but was later placed in the Black Widow role. Scarlet Witch's scenes were likely turned into Kate Mara's U.S. Marshall brief cameo. It's possible a reason she was cut is that Marvel might be only able to use Witch in an Avengers film. Kevin Feige stated that Marvel co-owns Witch/Quicksilver and seemingly confirms she's only able to appear in their Avengers films.

"If they want to use them in an X-Men movie they could, if we want to use them in an Avengers movie we could." 

A couple of scenes in Avengers seemingly hint to Agent Coulson becoming the robotic Avenger Vision. Stark mentions a life-model-decoy which is Marvel-talk for android when Phill comes calling at Stark Tower. Coulson uses a retna scan to get ahold of the Destroyer gun and Fury calls him his "good eye". A major problem with this theory is that Clark is reprising the role in Joss Whedon's S.H.I.E.L.D. series on ABC.

WASP: The Wasp/ Janet van Dyne was present in Joss Whedon's original Avenger drafts. Her inclusion was going to be based on if Scarlett Johansson was able to be in the film or not. She was ultamtely cut out of the film but is rumored to be appearing in Iron Man 3. Perhaps, being introduced in a similar way to Widow in Iron Man 2. We know for sure she'll be invovled with Edgar Wright's Ant-Man which will shoot around the same time as Avengers 2. It's possible she could show up in the sequel.

Someone believes that these two people dressed in red during Loki's speech in Germany could be a cameo from Hank Pym and Janet. Seems possible since the outfits are out of place compared to others in the crowd.

MS MARVEL: Carol Danvers/Ms. Marvel has been rumored since the development/production of the first film. There is talk the studio is trying to put together a solo film for her along with actresses being linked for the role. Emily Blunt (Looper, All You Need Is Kill) who was originally cast in Iron Man 2 is linked along with Disney's Lone Ranger actress Ruth Wilson (Luther).

STAR-LORD AND THE GUARDIANS: Depending on the direction of Avengers 2 we could be seeing the inclusion of Star-Lord and the Guardians of The Galaxy. However, this seems like it's only going to happen if Thanos or Michael Korvac are the villains.

There are also a slew of characters that could make the jump into the Avengers sequel. Anthony Mackie (The Falcon) and Don Cheadle (War Machine) are prime candidates to join the ranks. However, it's been mentioned before by Kevin Feige some supporting characters will likely stay in their respected franchise. It's unknown if S.H.I.E.L.D. will even have the same presence in this new film as they did in Avengers. As it's possible they've been folded into Captain America's cinematic world. Their lack of involvement could lead to the Civil War storyline in Avengers 3, which Feige has pointed out.