We are just over a year away from the third Avengers film. That of course being Avengers: Infinity War, which will be released on May 4th, 2018. It is currently in production and is set to bring in characters from every corner of the MCU.
We will have Iron Man. We will have Doctor Strange. We will have Spider-Man. We will the Guardians of the Galaxy. And of course, on the bad guy side of the coin, we will have Thanos. The Mad Titan will be looking to collect the six Infinity Stones, which will be the driving force that brings all of our favorite heroes together.
[Kenny]
Just a quick reminder on what these Infinity Stones are. Of the six, fans have been introduced to five. As things stand right now we have seen the Space Stone (Teseract), the Mind Stone (Vision), the Reality Stone (Aether), the Power Stone (Orb) and the Time Stone (Eye of Agomotto). The only one left is the Soul Stone.
At this moment within the MCU, these stones are spread out. Thor took the Space Stone to Asgard. The Mind Stone is sitting in the head of Vision. The last we saw the Reality Stone it was in the possession of The Collector. The Guardians of the Galaxy left the Power Stone with the Nova Corps on Xandar. And Doctor Strange is in possession of the Time Stone.
So obviously, Thanos is going to be a busy man in search of these six stones. With a powerful being like Thanos, it is a pretty safe bet that he will not be doing all of the dirty work on his own. He has relied on the use of henchman in the past. Granted, both Loki and Ronan let him down. So as a result, he is likely to build up some sort of army in an effort to get what he wants.
This thought was given some validity when news broke about Terry Notary would be playing go-to henchman. No official character is named, but the rumor has it that he could be playing Corvus Glaive. This, paired with the comment he made about working with Josh Brolin and three others, has led to the idea that we will be seeing The Black Order.
Now I will not get into full detail on Black Order, who are also known as the Cull Obsidian. The broad overview is that they are essentially an army of four or five that work for Thanos. None of the characters will be familiar to fans of the films. If you wish to read more on the Black Order, feel free to do so here.
When you consider there are six stones in total, all spread out across the universe, it would make sense for Thanos to have five villains to help him out. One could go to Asgard to obtain the Space Stone. Another could visit Xandar for the Power Stone. Thanos himself could attack Doctor Strange and the Sanctum Sanctorum for the Time Stone, and so on.
Notary’s comments seem to indicate that there may only be three more outside of himself and Brolin (Thanos). But none the less, it does sounds like there will be other villains in this mix. Sure they could pick some new characters from the Black Order, but it would just connect better with fans to bring back some baddies from the past.
So that begs the question, who could be recruited for Thanos’ army? Let’s take a look at some of the possible candidates.
Red Skull
If Red Skull is ever going to return, now is the time. When he disappeared at the end of the first Captain America film, fans have been questioning what happened to him. Some just assumed he died. Others, including myself, believe the Space Stone transported him somewhere else in the universe.
If he was indeed transported somewhere in the universe, it is certainly possible he could cross paths with Thanos. We know he already has a connection to one stone, so joining this battle would be logical. Add in the fact that he could go up against Cap once again, and this may be an opportunity he cannot refuse. While it makes sense to include him, it likely will come down to whether or not Hugo Weaving is willing to return to the role.
Loki
I am going to say this one is a longshot. Loki and Thanos have worked together in the past. Things did not really work out the way the Mad Titan would have liked. Therefore, the chances of Thanos turning back to Loki with any form of trust is unlikely.
While I do not think he will ever go full good guy, I do have a feel by the end of Thor: Ragnarok he will not be a full baddie either. He will likely be needed to help Thor take down Hela. So if that does indeed happen, a return to the dark side is highly doubtful.
But given his prior contact with the big purple guy, we cannot rule this possibility out completely.
Ultron
So I know what you are thinking. Didn’t Ultron die? Well considering he is basically a computer program, I would say that is highly unlikely. We never actually saw what happened when him and Vision were alone in the forest. So my thinking is Vision somehow trapped him inside of the Mind Stone. If that were the case, then he could certainly find a way to escape.
And upon his escape, all he would need to do is upload himself to a new host. Which would mean he could essentially take any form. He is certainly a wild card. We know he is extremely dangerous and would make for a great addition to Thanos’ army. No one is currently talking about Ultron being included in this film, but I think if they are bringing back any villains, he is one of the most likely candidates.
Yellowjacket
To our knowledge, Yellowjacket is either dead or in the Quantum Realm. This puts him in a similar spot as Red Skull and Ultron. His actual status may be up in the air, but the possibility of him still being out there in the MCU somewhere does keep the possibility open here.
He is probably too minor of a villain to be considered a real option here, however. When you consider him to the likes of the Ultron, Kaecilius and Hela (more on them soon), Yellowjacket simply seems like an underwhelming option. So while it is possible to bring him into the mix here, I would say it is not the best option.
Ronan
Like Loki, Thanos has worked with Ronan before. And Ronan turned on the Mad Titan. Add in the fact that he is the most likely to actually be dead (slim chance he is somewhere inside the Power Stone), the odds are extremely slim. If we see Ronan in Infinity War, I would be surprised.
Hela
Hela is certainly an interesting option. Now, we have not actually seen her on screen yet. But from what we do know, she is going to be badass. We do know that Ragnarok will lead into Infinity War, so why not have one of those links be the villain?
Maybe the end of Thor’s third movie will see Thanos arriving in Asgard to not only take the Space Stone, but also start his army recruiting. At this point, we have no idea if she makes it out alive or not. Since we know Asgard is already home to one stone, Heimdall may possess the Soul Stone and the two films are going to link somehow, I am holding out hope for this one.
There is talk that Hela may actually be the MCU’s version of Death. In that case, she would actually be someone who Thanos is courting for love rather than for his army. One way or another I think she plays a role in the third Avengers film. The question is if she will be fighting with Thanos or embodying Death.
Kaecilius
Here is one of my favorite picks. A lot of people were disappointed as they felt Mads Mikkelsen was underutilized in Doctor Strange. While I thought they could have done more with him, I did see the opportunity for more in the future. He was not killed in that film, as he was simply sent to the Dark Dimension. So what is stopping Thanos from bringing him back?
We know he is willing to work as a henchman of sorts. The last time we saw him he was essentially working for Dormammu. So seeing him under the guidance of Thanos is certainly feasible. He can go toe-to-toe with Doctor Strange, with both of them having the ability to use magic. Magic could certainly come in handy on the hunt for Infinity Stones.
After witnessing what the Time Stone can do, I would not be surprised to see Kaecilius want to gain control of it. This desire could be all Thanos needs to convince him to join his fight. Fans want to see more of Mikkelsen in the MCU, and this could be the perfect time to bring him back.
So what do you think? Will any of these baddies show up in Avengers: Infinity War? If so, which ones? Tell us what you think in the comments!