Is Avengers 4 set in the future? This new casting suggests that might be the case…

Avengers 4 is hidden behind a veil of secrecy. That’s hardly surprising given that the Avengers: Infinity War directors were handing out fake scripts, but, occasionally, a crack begins to emerge and some tantalising information falls into our lap. That was the case with a seemingly innocuous Avengers 4 casting announcement – and it could be our biggest clue yet as to what the movie is about.

The Hashtag Show has confirmed, via their sources, that actress Emma Fuhrmann will play an older version of Cassie Lang, Scott Lang’s daughter. Having been seen as a young child, played by Abby Ryder Fortson, in Ant-Man and, latterly, due to appear in Ant-Man and the Wasp, the character seems to age six years (going by the actresses’ ages) between movies. Hmm…

Just what could that mean? The most boring (when it comes to Infinity War anyway) explanation is that Ant-Man and the Wasp comes directly after Captain America: Civil War, meaning the timelines would just about match up should Cassie Lang appear in Avengers 4. That also would just convolute the complex MCU timeline even further, so could just as readily be ruled out.

However, there have been rumours aplenty about time travel, Time Stones, and alternate dimensions. It wouldn’t be beyond the realms of possibility for a much older Cassie Lang to appear in a different timeline where Thanos hasn’t, y’know, killed half the planet, nor would it be a shock to have someone travel through time and come across Cassie Lang (or have Cassie jump back in time).

Cassie Lang, if you know the comics, was one of the key members of the Young Avengers so, at the very least, this could be setting up that by casting an older actress. But it could also be one of the main reasons Avengers 4 hasn’t had its title revealed yet.

If we’re getting a massive time jump, lots of time travel, Young Avengers, or a sprinkling of alternate dimensions, then that would be a helluva lot to take in before Infinity War is here. This casting could be nothing... or it could be everything; that’s what makes it so exciting.

Want to get your head into even more of a spin? Check out our predictions for the Avengers 4 title.

Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.