A new batch of photos from the set of "Avengers 4" just hit the web recently, and it comes with more evidence supporting the theory that the film is a time-travel story.
The new set photos, which have leaked online, see Chris Evans, Paul Rudd, Robert Downey Jr., and Mark Ruffalo all suited up as Captain America, Ant-Man, Iron Man, and the Hulk, respectively. While it is not surprising to see them appearing in a scene together given it is a team-up film, the intriguing part is that Captain America is clean-shaven and sporting his old, star-spangled costume from the first "Avengers" film.
At first glance, it seems like a big old flashback from the Battle of New York, but what makes that impossible is Ant-Man's presence. Rudd's superhero was still not a part of the Avengers that time, leaving one logical conclusion: he must have traveled back in time alone or with Banner and Stark.
It has been widely speculated that the Avengers would not be able to defeat Thanos (Josh Brolin) in the traditional way. Instead of fighting him continuously, the superheroes may use the Time Stone and go back in time to prevent the Mad Titan from collecting all Infinity Stones.
The leaked photos are just the latest evidence to fuel this theory. As reported previously, there have been many more photos pointing to time travel including ones set in the 1940s during "Captain America: The First Avenger," "2012's "The Avengers," and last year's "Civil War." As studio president Kevin Feige also said before, "There will be two distinct periods: everything before Avengers 4 and everything after."
Marvel has teased the "Avengers" capper would reboot the current Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), and the use of time travel could very well be the key to making that happen. As planned, it will stop Thanos from completing the gauntlet but also mess with the timeline, rewriting several of the Avengers' past, stopping their transformations as superheroes, or erasing them from history altogether. Fans will have to wait and see.
MCU's mightiest superheroes will be back in action in "Avengers: Infinity War" this May 4, to be followed by the untitled "Avengers 4" on May 3, 2019.
