Infinity War had one of the biggest ensembles of all time, and its sequel, Avengers: Endgame, promises to have an even bigger cast.
On top of all the surviving characters, and the 'dead' heroes we're fully expecting to come back to life, even more Marvel Cinematic Universe characters are being added to the cast.
That includes Tessa Thompson's Valkyrie, Frank Grillo's Crossbones, and, perhaps most surprisingly, Tilda Swinton's Ancient One.
The late Sorcerer Supreme was revealed to be returning by executive producer Michael Grillo, who reportedly said at the Austin Film Festival: "When we got Tilda Swinton, she was just a one-day availability."
From that we can assume that she won't have a massive role in Endgame (unless they really worked her hard on that single day). But how will Doctor Strange's mentor, who died in the 2016 film, fit into the upcoming movie?
We're sorry to say that she probably won't show up as a ghost and sucker punch Thanos into oblivion. The most immediately likely answer is time travel, which is the No.1 favourite explanation as to how the Avengers and their pals will be able to undo Thanos' erasure of half the life in the universe. So, perhaps the Ancient One will be one of the people they encounter as they travel back into the past where she is still alive.
There might be a bit more to it than that, though. As the former Sorcerer Supreme, she was the guardian of the Eye of Agamotto, the amulet that contains and harnesses the power of the Time Stone – and the only definite method of time travel introduced in the MCU so far.
She implies in Doctor Strange that she had made use of the green Infinity Stone, rather than just acting as its passive guardian. She explains to Strange that she has "spent so many years peering through time" and has "prevented countless terrible futures" from coming to pass, presumably through the use of the stone. She says that her visions always end at that moment – the presumed moment of her death. But that doesn't mean that she hasn't seen further into the future, as she has also seen the many "possibilities" that Strange's life holds.
If the Ancient One foresaw the coming of Thanos in her pupil's future, she might have some important information about how the Avengers can undo his actions in Infinity War and restore the universe. Her role in Endgame might be small but vital to the success of our heroes against what seem right now to be impossible odds. It's definitely within her power.
Avengers: Endgame will be released on April 25 in the UK and on April 26 in the US.
