Avengers 4 fan theory: Has time been broken?

A potential theory that surrounds Avengers 4.

Avengers 4 is the most mysterious film on Marvel’s current slate. Marvel won’t even confirm the title, arguing that it’s some sort of spoiler. Meanwhile, leaked set photos are leaving fans ever more curious.

So far, the most surprising set photos include:

• Scenes of Thor, Tony Stark and Loki that seem to be set immediately after the Battle of New York
• An office scene set in the ’60s
• A Captain America scene that seems to be set in the ’40s or ’50s
• Strangely, there’s another scene in which Tony Stark is wearing a S.H.I.E.L.D. SWAT uniform

There’s also building evidence that Frank Grillo will be reprising the role of Crossbones, while Maximiliano Hernandez is in Atlanta. He played Jasper Sitwell in previous Marvel movies, another character who was killed off in the Captain America films. Meanwhile, Hawkeye looks to have become Ronin, and a recent casting call has even suggested we may see Vision and the Scarlet Witch’s children.

So far, there are two popular fan theories. The first is that Thanos creates an alternate universe for an unknown reason. The second is that Stark uses his holographic technology to revisit different moments in Marvel history. Nobody’s entirely sure why the ongoing story of the Infinity Stones would involve an office in the ’60s.

But there’s another possibility. That the Time Stone will be used to break time.

Why could this happen in ‘Avengers 4’?

Doctor Strange gave us a glimpse of the power of the Time Stone. But using it came with dire warnings that there would always be a price for power. Disturbingly, that included the possibility that time itself could be shattered.

The Time Stone is in play once again in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers 4. Thanos has come to Earth seeking to gain possession of the Infinity Stones, and Doctor Strange is one of his first targets. This is one villain Strange will find there’s no bargaining with.

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If the Time Stone is used, it’s possible we’re about to see some terrible consequences. In the comics, the Avengers: Age of Ultron event saw Marvel’s heroes actually “break” time. Time and space were fractured, characters from alternate realities slipped into our own, and elements of the past and the present were blended. Fans tend to be assuming that Infinity War and Avengers 4 are based on Jim Starlin’s classic Infinity Gauntlet miniseries. The reality is that it seems to be inspired by more recent events. The Black Order, for example, are lifted from Jonathan Hickman’s Infinity event. It’s possible Marvel has lifted another idea from a recent event too.

This also offers a neat explanation for how Captain Marvel could return to the MCU in Avengers 4. There have been hints that she’ll be trapped in the Quantum Realm, and breaking time could conceivably allow her to escape.

Who could be responsible for this?

Surprisingly, Josh Brolin has suggested that Thanos won’t get his hands on all the Infinity Stones in Infinity War. When asked, he explained:

"“There’s a few in there, and he’s always pining to get another one in there. So ultimately we don’t know. I haven’t done the second movie, so I don’t know.”"

We know Thanos will send his adopted “children,” the Black Order, to retrieve the Infinity Stone. In a scene lifted straight from Hickman’s Infinity event, he’ll send Ebony Maw to attack New York. It looks as though things won’t go well for Stephen Strange.

But here’s the twist. We’ve all been assuming that the Black Order will be loyal to Thanos. The Guardians of the Galaxy films have already revealed that two of his “children” hate the Mad Titan. Why should Ebony Maw be any different? In the comics, he was the most treacherous of the Black Order. In the Infinity event, Ebony Maw betrayed Thanos, seeking to take possession of Thanos’s prize (his son, Thane) for himself. Ebony Maw could easily have his own agenda for the Time Stone.

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That adds another layer of intrigue to this possible scenario. The Time Stone is powerful enough to literally break time, and it could well be in the hands of a madman who wouldn’t care about using it. If Ebony Maw were to use the Time Stone without restraint, he could easily cause untold devastation to time itself. That scenario would fit perfectly with the myriad strange scenes we’ve seen teased.