Avengers: Endgame is going to bring back Thanos as the primary villain, but he will not be the only big bad in the film. As revealed by the back cover of the action figure that first revealed the Quantum Realm suits, there is going to be a Greater Threat involved in this film. Since this is a Phase Ending movie and MCU will go full cosmic beyond this, it is believed that only half of Avengers: Endgame will be about reversing the snap. The second half will bring a greater threat(s) by also involving Thanos in a major way.
While this greater threat could be anyone in the entire Marvel Cosmic Universe, the popular names that get shortlisted are of The Living Tribunal, Eternity and Kronos from the Eternals. The likes of Galactus or others owned by Fox cannot be this threat since Marvel doesn’t have the rights to them as of now, so we have to choose along the lines of the ones mentioned above.
While people assume that the greater cosmic threats of the Marvel Universe may just be too much to bring into Avengers: Endgame, and while that may be true because the film is already packed, some of the cosmic characters have already been introduced in the MCU through one way or the another.
So among the 3 threats that could come into this film (also backed by The Cosmic Wonder), let’s start with the first, i.e. Eternity. Both the Guardians of the Galaxy movies have teased certain Celestials of the MCU. In the first film, the Guardians went to Knowhere, which is actually the severed head of a Celestial. Then the Collector explains the Infinity Stones and their powers, and while that happens, we see another Celestial, i.e. Eson the Searcher who annihilated an entire Civilization with the Power Stone.
In Vol. 2, Ego the Living Planet was a Celestial himself, and Peter Quill was revealed to be half a Celestial. But what was interesting was the tease of Eternity when Ego actually showed Eternity to Star-Lord. We have to keep in mind the level of powers that these cosmic beings have. While some of these Celestials are extremely powerful, they are still not as strong compared to the individuals that have to control the Universe, and one of those is Eternity.
Eternity is the living embodiment of all that there is in the Universe. He is and has control over the reality of the Universe, and Thanos single-handedly tampered with that reality making the big snap. Eternity is actually tied with the Infinity Gauntlet Saga and he also took on Thanos (a battle that Thanos actually won), but before that another big event happens which brings us to the second individual who is going to be one of the 3 greater threats proposed here.
So, the second name is of The Living Tribunal, whose main function is to safeguard and protect the entire multiverse acting as the judge to all realities. He is the second most powerful being out there, with only ‘The One Above All’ being stronger than him. Another one of the purposes that The Living Tribunal has is to see that no one uses all the Infinity Stones at once, and Thanos totally ticked that box.
Now in the comics, Eternity holds a cosmic summit and invites every major cosmic being to hold Thanos in contempt of making the Universe unbalanced (how ironic!). In Avengers: Endgame, Thanos wiped out half the population of the entire Universe and that clearly brings about a threat to Eternity. So the Living Tribunal could be the judge of that.
For those of you who think that the Living Tribunal may not be in Endgame are wrong as he is already a part of the MCU, and was also teased back in Doctor Strange when Baron Mordo revealed the Staff of the Living Tribunal. So Thanos following his Destiny brings in at least 2 individuals who would definitely have an issue with what Thanos did.
These were 2, and the last entity that could come in as a major threat is Kronos. In the comics, Kronos is actually Thanos’ Grandfather, and one of the Eternals (or rather ex-Eternal). There are reports out there that one the Eternals will get some kind of an introduction in Endgame since there is a prequel story already coming out in 2020. But another aspect that Kronos has control over is Time and the Power Cosmic.
Now Time Travel is talked about being a big deal in Avengers: Endgame, so the natural balance also gets tampered by the Avengers again and again. Moreover, having Cosmic power gives Kronos the awareness of whatever is happening in the cosmos.
The cosmic battle that the Avengers and Thanos are fighting would surely make Kronos aware, and while Thanos is clearly the bad guy that started it all, Kronos could come in, not picking any sides, but simply with the will to obliterate everyone that tampered with the laws of nature.
So, these 3 Cosmic Entities that provide a strong basis to be the “Greater threat” that is being teased. After what Thanos and the Avengers do in the film, the only way to undo that clean up all the mess may be through wiping out the entire Universe, and starting over, i.e. Ultron’s plan, but on a Universal scale. We cannot be sure whether this is what these entities will try to do, or whether they are even in the next movie, but there’s a possibility of it all.
Who do you think is going to be the greater threat? What is going to be his/her purpose? Tell us in the comments.
