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Actor Robert Downey Jr. poses before the German premiere of "The First Avenger: Civil War" (original title: Captain America: Civil War) in Berlin, Germany, April 21, 2016. Reuters/Fabrizio Bensch

“Avengers: Infinity War” may see the return of familiar faces, but according to recent reports, it will also be introducing new characters for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). While the Avengers lineup first started off with Tony Star/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Bruce Banner/Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) with the first “Avengers” film in 2012, the roster grew in 2015 and 2016 with the additions of Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), Vision (Paul Bettany), James “Rhodey” Rhodes/War Machine (Don Cheadle) and Sam Wilson/Falcon (Anthony Mackie) with “Age of Ultron” and “Captain America: Civil War.” While the lineup is already jam-packed as it is, one Marvel star revealed that “Infinity War” will set the stage for even more characters who will be taking over the MCU.

Guesting on the “Talk is Jericho” podcast at Podcast One, “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" star Dave Bautista revealed that while “Infinity War” will feature several familiar faces, it will also introduce new characters in the MCU, similar to the approach done in “Civil War” with Tom Holland’s iteration of Spider-Man making his debut.

“Those are the prominent Avengers that have been in all the films, but they’re really just adding so many characters in this,” Bautista said of “Infinity War” and how new characters will be joining the ranks of the usual Avengers like Captain America and Iron Man. “‘Cause they’re also starting to introduce other characters like they did in Captain America [Civil War]. They’ve brought in Spider-Man. But they’re going to start moving into different phases of Marvel. So they’re introducing other characters.”

One such character who will be explored more in the future of the MCU is T’Challa/Black Panther, who previously made his MCU debut in “Civil War.” Portrayed by Chadwick Boseman, Black Panther is slated to return with his own solo movie in 2018.

According to ScreenRant, one character in particular is speculated to make their debut in the MCU with “Infinity War.” That character is Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel, who will be portrayed by actress Brie Larson. While Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige has previously denied claims that Captain Marvel will be included in “Infinity War,” speculations of Larson making her MCU debut have yet to die down. “Infinity War” is slated for a 2018 release, with a still untitled sequel set to hit theatres a year after.

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