Should Marvel Have Scheduled Avengers 4 Closer To The Release Of Avengers: Infinity War?

[Archiee]

Warning: spoilers for Avengers: Infinity War are in play. If you haven't seen the film yet, and want to remain unspoiled, please hop out of this article and check out one of our non-Marvel articles!

By time the credits were rolling and Avengers: Infinity War started to allow the audience to breathe again, there was one question that a lot of people asked when all was said and done: "Is that how Marvel is really going to end it?" Even with the foreknowledge that the film was always meant to be the first part of a two-part arc, pockets of the film's audience still can't believe that they would leave such a cliffhanger unresolved. It's that reaction that got me to thinking about whether or not scheduling the two Avengers films a whole year apart was really a good idea. Now, both sides have merits, but ultimately there's one camp I clearly fall into. For now though, let's play devil's advocate and look at both cases.

Avengers: Infinity War Josh Brolin Thanos stands with the Gauntlet
The Case For A Months-Long Gap
When you've got a pair of sequels that are produced back to back, telling a story wound so tightly that the second film finishes the other's sentences, it's often been the tradition to only schedule those films a few months apart. Seeing as The Lord of the Rings were all fully produced adaptations of a three novel setup, I'm not counting it in this situation. But if you look at The Matrix Reloaded / The Matrix Revolutions and Back To The Future Part II and III, you see the sort of film that Avengers: Infinity War seems to be taking after.

As the story of Avengers: Infinity War ends on a dark note, with half of the Marvel Cinematic Universe zapped out of existence, and the villain apparently satisfied with his work, Avengers 4 would have been at an advantage if it was scheduled for release in the fall or winter of this year's box office calendar. Not only would that sort of strategy help crush the box office records of 2018, it would also allow the audience gratification a little earlier, as viewers would get to see the story wrapped up in a more timely manner. Not to mention, it'd solve that whole problem surrounding how the hell Sony is going to advertise Spider-Man: Homecoming 2, However, there are also two good reasons for Marvel Studios to put space in-between their Avengers films.