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How will Avengers: Infinity War affect Marvel Television?

By Kelly Shanaphy

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Avengers: Infinity War shocked audiences with its ending but left many wondering how it will affect the rest of the MCU.

Marvel has repeatedly said both their film and television universes are connected, which leaves the shows dealing with the ramifications of this massive movie.

Will creative teams be forced to rewrite their seasons — like Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. had to do after Captain America: The Winter Soldier? Considering the level of secrecy regarding this movie, it’s a definite possibility.

"WARNING: SPOILERS FOLLOW FOR AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR"

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However, shows like Luke Cage and Cloak & Dagger were already finished filming while the shooting for Avengers: Infinity War was still happening. It’s more than likely Marvel will have to play fast and loose with timelines to avoid giving actual explanations.

Ant-Man and the Wasp also takes place before the big blockbuster team-up, which means the company certainly planned on how to deal with the ramifications of the movie.

Yet other series which haven’t finished filming like Daredevil, Runaways, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, and The Punisher might not be so lucky. Thanos snapped his fingers and wiped out half of the galaxy, leaving the Earth in a frenzy.

That would leave all of the series saying goodbye to half of their cast members for at least one season to deal with the fallout.

It almost doesn’t seem fair for the television shows to incorporate creative decisions they had no control over. Which means fans who were hoping to see the MCU connected in a way greater than a throwaway reference will probably be disappointed.

Marvel Television and Marvel Studios are two different entities who report to different people. Not only is it unlikely they even mention the events with Thanos, they will probably do nothing to even show off the destruction he caused.

With one exception, of course, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will once again work as the bridge between the movies and the shows. In a recent episode, “Option Two,” the long-time series addressed Avengers: Infinity War in passing but it doesn’t appear like the show will lose any major characters because of the snap.

However, Jed Whedon (co-showrunner alongside his wife) confirmed the movie will open new doors for story-telling on the ABC show.

"“The movies blaze a path. When Doctor Strange came out it introduced us to magic which gave us Ghost Rider; when [Guardians of the Galaxy] came out, we were introduced to space. We are waiting for that movie to come out so it can open a new playground for us.”"

From his statements, it’s safe to assume Avengers: Infinity War could actually be more of a gift for Marvel Television. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has managed to become better with every season, so it’s safe to say the creative team likes the challenges the MCU films throw at them.

Unfortunately, it looks like S.H.I.E.L.D. will be the only show to definitively reference the events of this movie. It probably doesn’t come as a shock to long-time

Next: The Avengers: 14 TV-movie crossovers that Marvel needs to make happen

Marvel fans who have desperately been awaiting some kind of big crossover between all of the MCU. Audiences will have to wait until Phase Four to see if the Defenders will ever get to share screen time with the Avengers.

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