Avengers 4: Will the movie’s end reboot the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

With a new fan theory on Avengers 4 circulating online, how the films’ end will take place is a big topic of discussion. Though, it’s possible the end is merely the beginning for the MCU.

Despite not having any clue towards how Avengers 4 will conclude, there’s a new fan theory circulating online that suggests Steve Rogers will die at the end. Said theory also purports that a post-credits sequence of Rogers (Chris Evans) and Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) will have them return to that dance hall seen in Avengers: Age of Ultron. The theory itself has little evidence to back up the claims made but quite a few people have taken to the idea.

While this fan theory has become quite popular, real MCU fans won’t be taken aback by a hopeful ending we want to see. But if we look into the matter a bit more, there’s potential for a more logical theory that does involve Steve Rogers getting his happy ending after all.

Back in March of 2018, the Russo Brothers teased the MCU’s end after Avengers 4. They didn’t explicitly say how everything would turn out but it’s the end regardless.

That doesn’t mean the MCU is finished. The overarching story of the past 10 years will simply reach its conclusion. Keep in mind that standalone and spinoff films will continue to expand the MCU’s catalog afterward. Therefore, an MCU reboot is likely going to take place.

How will Steve Rogers’ story-arc end in Avengers 4?

What this means for the characters in Avengers 4 is they’ll achieve some sort of resolution by the film’s end. Obviously, not everyone will be seen riding off into the sunset, but major characters like Steve Rogers are bound to get their farewells. And a fitting way to send Rogers off would be giving him that dance he was deprived of in Captain America: The First Avenger.

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Furthermore, an ending with Steve Rogers reuniting with Peggy Carter isn’t all that preposterous. It’s ideally the way we’d want to remember him and the Russo Brothers are going to bring his character full circle in some manner. Although, Rogers probably won’t be dead when he returns to 1943.

Images of the Battle Of New York being revisited in Avengers 4 have fueled fan theories dealing with time travel,  so Rogers most likely isn’t dying. And with the Avengers and Ant-Man sporting some neat devices on their hands, all the signs are pointing to time travel. But the major piece of evidence that’s pointing to an MCU reboot is the set image of Steve Rogers (Evans) back in 1943.

Avengers 4 set images reveal Steve Rogers back in 1943

Earlier in the year while Avengers 4 was filming, shots of Steve Rogers (Evans) walking through 1943’s New York leaked online. The images were taken down shortly after but they revealed quite a bit during their short stint online.

What the images show are Rogers walking down a New York City street. He’s alone and wearing a formal military uniform—the same uniform he was wearing in that Age Of Ultron vision, confirming this isn’t a flashback to Captain America: The First Avenger. There are also no bystanders or civilians walking around him. Had Rogers been around other people, then we could say the aforementioned image was merely a flashback. But since that’s not what the image shows, there’s another explanation.

The reason Rogers venturing back to his time is worth acknowledging is that an MCU reboot could feasibly start at the point in time when Rogers was misplaced. Since Rogers’ comic counterpart went on a number of adventures that never happened in the MCU, any of those stories could be told in the rebooted MCU. Chris Evans probably won’t come back to play Captain America in those stories but his character just being present sets up a reboot of the universe.

Additionally, Ant-Man and The Wasp delved into the origins of Silver Age heroes like Goliath and the original Ant-Man, meaning it’s possible future MCU movies will revisit the past. At the same time, this backs up claims of Steve Rogers returning to his rightful place in history.

Assuming Rogers does return to his proper place in time, the line of events which proceeded will be completely different than the setting established in Iron Man (2008). Some things will stay the same but Captain America fighting supervillains in the 1940’s is bound to alter a number of events. In turn, the entire MCU’s history will be rewritten, thus creating a rebooted version of the universe.

Which Avengers 4 fan theory is your favorite? Let us know in the comments section below.

Avengers 4 opens in theaters on May 3, 2019.