Marvel Studios' Avengers: Infinity War is still in the early days of its record-breaking run, though said records might very well fall this time next year when the currently untitled Avengers 4 arrives in theaters. But what awaits Marvel fans after The Avengers have run their course? Sure, we still have the Guardians of the Galaxy and other solo superhero franchises to enjoy, but at some point even Marvel's movie magic will have to replenish the cast of characters with some new, super-powered blood.

That's what Disney CEO Bob Iger thinks anyway. In an earnings call earlier this week, as captured by THR, Iger teased the arrival of a "new franchise" post-Avengers while also reassuring fans that the MCU's most famous group could certainly return at a future date. Seeing as the cinematic universe's current 19 films have totaled over $16 billion worldwide already, the fact that the MCU will continue is a certainty. Just what properties will step in to fill the void that's left by the early phases, however, remains to be seen. Your guess is as good as ours at this point! Expect Disney/Marvel to make some title announcements (along with an Avengers 4 title confirmation) during some massive, already-planned event in the months to come.

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Image via Marvel Studios

Here's what Iger had to say during the earnings call earlier this week:

"We meet on a regular basis with our Marvel team, and we've plotted out Marvel movies that will take us well into the next decade. I'm guessing we will try our hand at what I'll call a new franchise beyond Avengers, but that doesn't necessarily mean you won't see more Avengers down the road. We just haven't made any announcements about that."

Good news for Marvel fans: No shortage of MCU movies to come. (Maybe the translation was bad and it's actually going to be a new franchise called Beyond Avengers ... which would lead us to The Beyonder ... and the "Secret Wars" arcs ... and take us to Battleworld? Holy shit, did I just convince myself that "Beyond Avengers" is going to be a thing? Maybe not since Avengers Assemble already did it in the animated realm, but you never know.)

The bad news is that Avengers 4 will "have a significant conclusion" to the MCU's story so far. That's sad for Avengers fans, but it's not necessarily a permanent goodbye:

"Given the popularity of the characters and given the popularity of the franchise, I don't think people should conclude there will never be another Avengers movie."

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Image via Marvel Studios

But don't expect another installment that's as big as part one and two of Avengers: Infinity War are. According to Disney CFO Christine McCarthy:

"I think the outstanding performance is nothing short of stellar, [but] there is one difference in this movie … that's the size of the cast. ... Because of the size of the cast involved and the cost of the movie, the scale, the magnitude, while this film is going to be very profitable, it may not be on the same return level as some of the other films, because of the sheer scale of it."

So like I said, pretty vague, but if you have thoughts on who or what could be coming to the MCU post-Avengers 4, feel free to share them in the comments!

After Ant-Man and the Wasp (July 6th) and Captain Marvel (March 8, 2019), Avengers 4 arrives May 3, 2019. Then, as for what we know about the MCU post-Avengers 4, there are sequels to Guardians of the Galaxy and Spider-Man: Homecoming, the latter of which arrives July 5, 2019. Disney/Marvel also has the following dates reserved for untitled Marvel movies: May 1, 2020; July 31, 2020; Nov. 6, 2020; May 7, 2021; July 30, 2021; Nov. 5, 2021; Feb. 18, 2022; May 6, 2022; and July 29, 2022.

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Image via Marvel