Here's What The Avengers Will Look Like In 40 Years
Unless you avoid the Internet and smart phones, chances are good that you've heard of FaceApp — the app that seemingly shows users how they'd look younger, older, with a beard, with different hair, etc. Surprisingly, considering our collective obsession with staying youthful, the app's most popular feature appears to be giving the young a glimpse of what they might look like when they have fewer days ahead than behind.
And Earth's mightiest heroes aren't immune from the aging process. One day, after they're done assembling, the Avengers will all grow old, and while we might not see the wrinkled-up heroes on-screen, we can still have a pretty good idea of what they'll look like in a couple of decades (well, not counting the dead ones, anyway). Whether they're Asgardian gods, supremely powerful sorcerers, or super soldiers out of time, here's what FaceApp thinks the Avengers will look like 40 years from now.
Steve Rogers has still got it
We get to see to see what Captain America (Chris Evans) would look like in his golden years in Avengers: Endgame. Steve ages in what seems like seconds when he goes back in time to return the Infinity Stones, only to reappear having lived a full life with Peggy Carter. But thanks to FaceApp, we can see how Steve Rogers would've looked at any point in history, including moments before he crashes Red Skull's bomber into the ocean. While he may not look as young, he still looks every inch the hero.
Bruce Banner would look like a kindly, old professor 40 years from now
In comics like Incredible Hulk: Future Imperfect, which portray possible futures for Marvel's Earth, there's some question about how slowly Bruce Banner and his emerald alter ego would age, and how much — if at all — the aging would affect his power. Despite the debate, all the comics agree that Banner would at least look older.
FaceApp's old Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) looks like the mild-mannered college professor he could've become if the Other Guy hadn't complicated things. Of course, he wouldn't have gotten to save the world and sucker punch Thor without those "complications," so maybe they were worth it.
Hulk would definitely go gray
As for the Other Guy, FaceApp doesn't spare him his youth. The app isn't always reliable with CGI-rendered characters or those with significant makeup or prosthetics, but it doesn't have much problem with the Hulk circa Thor: Ragnarok. The app adds a lot of wrinkles to the green guy's face, lightens his skin, and adds gray to his hair. But despite the old age, he still doesn't look like someone you'd want to mess with. He might not go on as many rampages, but if old Hulk tells you to get off the lawn, you get off the lawn.
Old Thor resembles another mythical figure
Comic book readers have actually seen a lot of old Thor. Marvel writer Jason Aaron introduced a one-eyed Thor from the future in 2012's Thor: God of Thunder, and in June 2019, Marvel announced Aaron's Thor run would conclude with a mini-series focusing on the older thunder god, King Thor.
In the movies, while we've seen Thor (Chris Hemsworth) with extra weight, FaceApp gives us a chance to see him thousands of years from now, when — if he still has the beer belly — he'll apparently look like he's ready to deliver a whole bunch of presents, all in one night.
Hawkeye will still be a dead shot in a couple of decades
People keep expecting him to bite the bullet, but in spite of close calls, Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) survives all four Avengers films, so we could one day see how accurate FaceApp is about the archer's post-retirement looks.
Time will tell if he's still as good a shot when he needs either glasses or contact lenses. But we're willing to bet he'll still be hitting the center of the target. Plus, he'll probably still be endlessly remodeling his house no matter how much his wife, Laura, protests.
Nick Fury will age like fine superspy wine
Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) "dies" twice in the MCU — once at the hands of Bucky in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and later in the post-credits scene of Avengers: Infinity War — but he keeps coming back. If he continues to be similar to his comic book counterpart, he's going to "die" a bunch more times before it sticks (if it ever does). So we might actually see a Fury this old in the movies one day, and if we do, you can bet he'll still be recruiting and scheming.
War Machine will definitely be getting some wrinkles
While his friend, Tony Stark, is sadly gone, Rhodey, a.k.a. War Machine (Don Cheadle), still has the technology his late friend made, and he still has the chance to do some good with it. Granted, as a fighter pilot and now a superhero, Rhodey probably doesn't expect to be an old man, but fate could always surprise him. If he could survive that deadly fall in Captain America: Civil War, he can probably make it to the superhero retirement home.
In 40 years, the Falcon will be an aged and amazing Avenger
Since he got to see his partner rapidly age pretty much right in front of eyes, Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) probably is thinking a lot right now about whether or not he'll live to get old. Thankfully, now he can see what he could look like in his later years, just in case he has to pass on the Captain America shield to someone else sooner than he expects. And even though he's got some wrinkles here and there, old Sam looks like he could teach some evil-doing whippersnappers a thing or two.
Scarlet Witch is still a force to be reckoned with
Wanda Maximoff, a.k.a. Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), has suffered more than most in the Infinity Saga. First, she lost her brother to Ultron, and then Thanos killed her android lover, Vision. But it's partly because of these losses — and the wrath they inspire — that we get to see how powerful Wanda can become. And nothing about FaceApp's aging of Maximoff makes her seem any less magical. If anything, it just looks like she's lived long enough to kick even more butt than we though possible.
It's weird seeing Spider-Man as an elderly Avenger
There's something particularly disturbing about seeing Peter Parker (Tom Holland) — the MCU's youngest Avenger — changed to someone who's eligible for an AARP membership. It's especially upsetting to see while he's still wearing his Spidey suit. Maybe it's just because we really hope that if/when Parker reaches that age, he's left the wall-crawling to a younger generation. It's also kind of weird because old Spider-Man reminds us so much of Uncle Ben from the Sam Raimi trilogy.
Ant-Man is older ... but just barely
Paul Rudd is ageless. Go back and watch any of his earlier films — Clueless, Romeo + Juliet, Wet Hot American Summer — and the man looks exactly the same as he does now. In fact, we're wondering if Paul Rudd might be a real-life superhero.
Fittingly, we found if you apply FaceApp to Ant-Man, he does age, but not as dramatically as most of the other Avengers. Maybe we're imagining things, but doesn't aged Rudd look kind of like Harrison Ford? Imagine a trophy-sized Indiana Jones squealing, "It belongs in a museum!"
Bucky looks like a broken old man
Like his best friend, Bucky managed to escape the aging process between World War II and the present day. But the Winter Soldier couldn't escape FaceApp, and man, he looks miserable.
Old Bucky looks like he spends most of his time at the bar, where he writes songs so sad and cynical that everyone from Morrissey to Leonard Cohen would throw their hands up and quit as soon as they heard his albums. If Johnny Cash were still alive, he'd stop covering Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt" and tell Bucky it's his song now.
Black Panther looks ready to join his ancestors
In 2018's Black Panther, T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) visits the ancestral plane twice and meets the spirits of the Wakandan kings preceding him, including his late father T'Chaka. And now, we can see what the younger monarch will look like one day when he's ready to join them all in the afterlife.
While the older Black Panther has earned many wrinkles, he looks no less regal or resolute. In other words, Killmonger would still be in trouble if he went up against this Avenging granddad.
Okoye is still awesome 40 years later
We don't know if there's an age limit for Wakanda's elite Dora Milaje. We certainly didn't see any elderly members of the Wakandan guard in Black Panther, Infinity War, or Endgame, but while that could be because the group has an age cap, it could also be because — considering their unwillingness to back down from anyone or anything — they just don't usually live that long. But if any of them could survive to their golden years, Okoye (Danai Gurira) certainly could, and you wouldn't want to mess with her then either.
Shuri will be an elderly inventor
In the comics, Shuri eventually becomes Black Panther, is killed by Thanos' Black Order, but is eventually resurrected. Time will tell if her movie counterpart (Letitia Wright) will likewise take the mantle of Black Panther, but regardless, she's already proven herself a brave and capable warrior.
Spending most of her time in the lab is likely to extend her lifespan, and while she's no coward, she seems to enjoy being in her own work space more than most other places. So hopefully, one day Wakanda will see this slightly more gray daughter of T'Chaka.
Doctor Strange still has that magic happening
More than most MCU characters, it's easy to see Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) still fighting the good fight when he's an old, wizened wizard. First, in the comics, Doctor Strange often acts as a kind of mysterious consultant to other heroes rather being directly involved in the action himself. Second, because even when he's right in the middle of things, his magic makes his age mean very little. He could be 25 or 75 — if he can summon the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak, his enemies are still in trouble.
Wong looks very wrinkly and very wise
Ancient Wong (Benedict Wong) appears no less intimidating than the one who threatened to kill Strange if he stole any library books. He may have more wrinkles, he may have a bit more of a jowl, and he may have even less hair, but we still would get our books back to him on time and undamaged. And we wouldn't take anything without permission, whether he was busy listening to Beyonce or not.
Star-Lord might not be dancing so much 40 years from now
Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) is rare kind of hero on this list. Whether they're monsters, kings, gods, or old soldiers, most of the aged Avengers still look like they're ready to throw down if they have to. But old Quill doesn't look quite so formidable. Whether he's chasing his resurrected lover across the galaxy or planning another heist, if we came across this old Quill, we would tell him he needs to chill out and get a less exciting hobby. Maybe stop being a Star-Lord and be a ... landlord? That could be profitable.
Drax could probably still destroy anybody in a couple of decades
Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista) looks a little mummified as an older version of himself, but on the bright side, he hasn't lost any hair. And similar to the Hulk, his gray skin takes on a lighter hue in his later years.
It's tough to look at this picture and not think of one of Drax's more cleverly poignant lines. Early in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Quill disparagingly compares Drax to an old woman. With his strictly literal thinking, Drax is confused by the comment and asks, "Because I am very wise?" And yeah, we're pretty sure Drax will make a wonderful wise, old alien ... who has no concept of metaphors.
Gamora has aged incredibly gracefully
It didn't look like Gamora (Zoe Saldana) would get the chance to learn what it was like to be elderly when her adoptive father murdered her in Infinity War. But as it always does, time travel complicated things in Endgame, and it looks like the assassin may be alive and well in future films.
It's interesting how FaceApp's treatment not only ages Gamora but softens her look. The younger Gamora looks concerned and possibly a little confused, while the older Gamora looks almost like she's about to smile at some young whippersnapper she could kill in 18 different ways.
In 40 years, Mantis will be matronly and just as sweet
While FaceApp ages Mantis (Pom Klementieff), it doesn't change her innocent expression. Old Mantis looks just as sweet and curious as her less wrinkly counterpart.
Of course, we have to wonder, would Drax still think old Mantis was hideous? Not as ugly? Uglier? Considering his initial judgment of the lovely psychic superhero — not to mention how he thought the blue-skinned Yondu looked "exactly" like Peter Quill — we don't have any hope about Drax's weird worldview.
Pepper Potts is getting along in years
Avengers: Endgame will apparently be Gwyneth Paltrow's final movie with the MCU, and unfortunately, Pepper's husband doesn't survive the film's final battle.
Thankfully, she has her daughter Morgan, not to mention dear friends like Rhodey and Happy Hogan. Will Pepper ever find someone to spend her twilight years with? We can't say for sure, but it's tough to imagine anyone could ever live up to Tony's memory. Or wear a nicer suit.
Old Loki looks like he could still outsmart the Avengers
When we first met him, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) was another Avengers series alumnus who didn't look like he could possibly hope for old age. In fact, he died at the hands of Thanos in Infinity War. But time travel made things a little funny in Endgame, and Disney+ will see the return of everybody's favorite god of mischief. But what would he look like 40 years from now? Well, if FaceApp is to be believed, it seems Loki will probably be joining a metal band. And if Hulk could play the drums, we'd totally pay to see that.
Valkyrie will make a regal queen
It's possible — even likely — that Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) is the oldest Asgardian. Neither Thor nor Loki knew about the existence of Hela in Thor: Ragnarok, yet Valkyrie fought the goddess of death before Odin banished her. That means Valkyrie is much, much older than either Thor or Loki, though the strange time-shifting nature of the planet Sakaar could also have something to do with her youthful appearance. Regardless, it would be a long time before FaceApp's prediction for the Queen of New Asgard comes true, but what a dignified-looking ruler she'll be one day.
Morgan Stark will grow up just fine without her dad
Katherine Langford — perhaps best-known for her starring role in Netflix's 13 Reasons Why — doesn't appear in Avengers: Endgame, but shortly after the film's release, we learned she was originally cast as an older version of Tony and Pepper's daughter, Morgan. Just as Thanos is visited by a vision of the younger Gamora after his fateful snap, Tony was originally planned to have a vision of the older Morgan after his own snap. The scene was ultimately cut because of what what Joe Russo called "too many ideas in an overly complicated movie." Still, now we know what little Morgan will grow up to look like after her father's heroic sacrifice.