Avengers 4 set photo may hide a War Machine upgrade

Fans are still trying to figure out what the Russo brothers hid in a cryptic set photo, likely from Avengers 4, and the latest theory involves Don Cheadle’s War Machine.

Marvel Studios is known for the secrecy around its projects, with actors even joking about being followed by snipers in case they share more than they are supposed to, but in the last year they have also mastered the art of teasing. Whether with teaser videos, cryptic announcements, or set photos, the studio knows how to keep their audience’s interest and hype at their peak, especially with the Avengers movies.

Directors Joe and Anthony Russo have definitely mastered this art and they use it to their advantage at any given chance. A few days ago, the Avengers 4 directors shared a set photo with the caption “Look hard” that has since had fans over-analyzing it and coming across with many theories (some of them believable, others not so much). One of these involves Tony Stark’s best friend, War Machine, and a major upgrade to his suit.

Reddit user Lukefairchild (via CBR) noticed something partially hidden on the far left of the pic. The object looks a lot War Machine’s proton cannon from the video game Marvel vs Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes, which can be seen in Avengers: Infinity War at the team’s headquarters. The proton cannon is a special move used by War Machine with which he can fire off an enormous beam. Let’s just say it would come in very handy against Thanos.

Other theories claimed that the photo is hiding the title of Avengers 4, with the objects in the photo supposedly spelling “Endgame”, while others said it is hiding four As (because Avengers 4, of course). There’s also the possibility that the Russos are simply messing with their fans and giving them something to keep them busy while they continue with reshoots.

While it seems unlikely that the studio will bring an element like the proton cannon from the video games to the big screen just like that, it would be quite interesting to see how it would be visually translated and how much damage it could make to Thanos, who is still in possession of the gauntlet and the infinity stones.