Though we haven’t seen Dr. Erik Selvig since 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, he certainly seemed more clued in to the wider cosmic events of the MCU than your average franchise regular, so perhaps it’s only natural that the Thor star has factored into a few pieces of Avengers 4 speculation.
Adding fuel to the theories is Brandon T. Snider’s new book The Cosmic Quest, Volume 2: Aftermath, which, according to its plot summary, features Erik and his associate Darcy Lewis as the leads. It seems that these two scientifically-minded figures survived the events of Avengers: Infinity War and are now struggling to piece together what exactly happened to half the population of the universe. As the synopsis tells us, they’re “determined to find and understand the cause of the devastation.”
Though it’s unlikely that such a work will have many secrets to share about next year’s release, you can see why some fans are taking this book as a sign that Marvel Studios just might be looking to reintroduce Erik back into the ongoing film saga. After all, the character has so far made appearances in two of the three Avengers movies, and with this next installment looking to be packed with familiar faces from throughout the Marvel franchise, there could well be some room for Thor’s old friend and consultant.
With Marvel Studios remaining tight-lipped about their upcoming movie, this isn’t the first time that fans have turned to the MCU’s spinoff literature for signs of potential inside intel. A passage from Barry Lyga’s non-canonical novel Thanos: Titan Consumed, for instance, hinted at the possibility of some unseen and ancient threat being awakened by the Mad Titan’s use of the Infinity Stones. It’s quite possible that these accompanying works will prove to be of little relevance to Avengers 4, but until the film hits theaters on May 3rd, 2019, the internet is leaving no stone unturned.