AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR Two-Parter Battles Thanos in 2018 and 2019

So those rumors about Avengers 3 being split into movies? Totally true. Marvel Studios announced on Tuesday that Avengers: Infinity War will hit theaters in May 2018 and May 2019, splitting the long-awaited war against Thanos into two movies.

The Avengers have already triumphed over Loki, and next summer they’ll face Ultron…but nothing could prepare them for the menace of

How big of a threat does Thanos pose, you ask? Big enough to span two epic films, beginning with Marvel’s “Avengers: Infinity War Part 1” on May 4, 2018, and concluding in Marvel’s “Avengers: Infinity War Part 2” on May 3, 2019 for one massive cinematic event.

“We’ve always had a plan since Nick Fury broke into Tony Stark’s house and told him he’s part of a bigger universe," recalled Feige. "'Avengers: Infinity War Part 1' is the beginning of the culmination of everything that has come before."

What an insane run of movies Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is going to be. We're barely going to get the chance to breath after Avengers: Age of Ultron before we see Captain America and Iron Man pitted against each other in Captain America: Civil War. After Doctor Strange and Black Panther are introduced and we get Guardians of the Galaxy and Thor sequels, we'll see the beginnings of the battle against Josh Brolin's Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War — Part I. Elevate things with Captain Marvel and Inhumans. And then see how everything Marvel has been planning since Iron Man hit theaters in 2008 shakes out.



Check out the bootleg teaser for Infinity War shown at Tuesday's Marvel event. Head to the 10:47 mark for the good stuff.

I'm very curious to see what characters we see in each part of Infinity War. After Age of Ultron, Robert Downey Jr. only has one more Avengers movie and Captain America: Civil War left on his contract. Will Marvel save Iron Man for Avengers: Infinity War — Part II? How about Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth? I'm guessing that many of the multi-picture deals the original Avengers stars signed didn't count for a two-part Avengers movie. Will we see Infinity War — Part I populated with characters like Ant-Man and Doctor Strange before Iron Man and Captain America reconcile against the the threat of Thanos for Part II?

In the comics, the Infinity War miniseries was the sequel to Infinity Guantlet, the series that we've been assuming the Thanos storyline would culminate with. Like Age of Ultron and probably Civil War, Marvel Studios will likely use the Infinity War name while creating a storyline that is tailored to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Avengers: Infinity War — Part I opens on May 4, 2018, and Avengers: Infinity War — Part II opens on May 3, 2019. No director was announced on Tuesday, but rumors point to Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War directors Anthony and Joe Russo being the guys Marvel has picked to helm the Avengers sequels.