Avengers: Infinity War will be a two-part epic movie event in 2018 and 2019. It will see the collective might of the Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy and, potentially, the Defenders, taking on the even mightier Thanos.

The Mad Titan will be wielding the Infinity Gauntlet and the battle will be cosmic in scale. The heroic team could boast the following roster to combat the nigh-omnipotent and reality-warping villain; Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, Thor, Hawkeye, Black Widow, War Machine, Falcon, Ant-Man, Wasp, Vision, Scarlet Witch, Star-Lord, Gamora, Rocket Raccoon, Groot, Drax, Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Captain Marvel, Black Panther, Spider-Man, Doctor Strange and Mantis. But it still won’t be enough.

So, with that in mind, which allies could reinforce the heroic ranks to give them a chance against a villain whose power dwarfs that of the good guys? Let’s run through ten who could be on side in time for the Infinity War movies…

Beta Ray Bill

Beta Ray Bill is a Korbinite hero in the Marvel universe who became the first character deemed worthy of wielding Mjolnir from outside the Norse/Asgardian pantheon. As a result, he was given his own enchanted weapon – Stormbreaker – by Odin.

He’s an ally of Thor’s in the comic books (after the pair got off to a hostile start) and may well appear in the MCU as early as 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok – which could well mean that he’ll stick around for the big fight in Avengers: Infinity War.

It was actually rumoured that Bill was seen in the Collector’s museum in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy, but that was refuted, and a skeleton shaped like a Korbinite was seen at the start of that movie on Morag, so there are hints that they exist. It would be really cool to see him, as he’s an awesome character and his introduction could potentially take the franchise in a number of directions in the future – such as towards an Annihilators movie.

Nova

After the introduction of the Nova Corps in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy, the introduction of the Nova character was always inevitable. When exactly that introduction will happen remains to be seen, but he would be a very useful ally for the heroes in the Avengers: Infinity War movies.

He is Richard Rider – a New York high school student who was selected to become the new Nova after the last surviving member of the Nova Corps, Rhomann Dey (played by John C. Reilly in Guardians of the Galaxy), passed away. In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Thanos is likely to destroy Xandar – home of the Nova Corps – which could result in the same thing happening.

The character would provide a direct link between Earth and the cosmos and his incredible power – which may well come from the Infinity Stone known as the Orb in the MCU – could prove decisive in bringing the Mad Titan down.

Quasar

With a need to create links between the distant cosmos and Earth in time for the Avengers: Infinity War movies, one way of doing that could be to introduce Wendell Vaughn AKA Quasar.

Vaughn was a failed field operative in S.H.I.E.L.D. because he lacked the killer instinct required to work for them. However, as a researcher for the organisation he found himself collecting data from scientists studying the Quantum Bands when the facility he was in was attacked by A.I.M. and became a hero in his own right on that day. After already having witnessed a test pilot die trying too hard to use the Quantum Bands, Vaughn opted to put them on anyway in an attempt to fend off A.I.M. It worked, as he decided to just "go with the flow". His lack of conviction, which had previously proved his undoing, worked for him in this case. He became Quasar - a cosmic hero and protector of the universe.

That responsibility translates perfectly into an appearance in the Infinity War movies – as it did in the Infinity Gauntlet comic book arc – with Vaughn defending the universe against its potential destruction at the hands of Thanos. He’d be a much-needed ally to the heroes of the MCU.

Adam Warlock

Adam Warlock is coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe – that much is confirmed. His cocoon was seen in both the mid-credits scene of 2013’s Thor: The Dark World and in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy, and his first appearance is expected to be in 2017’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.

He was a key player in the Infinity Gauntlet comic book arc. He was seen talking to some cosmic entities early in the story, discussing what was about to go down after Thanos got his hands on the Infinity Gems, then he headed to Earth to convene with the likes of Doctor Strange and Silver Surfer to formulate a plan to counter the Mad Titan.

He’s expected to be a much different character in the MCU, however. For starters, it’s anticipated that he will be Star-Lord’s father – and Yondu described him as “jackass”. Whether or not he takes on the exact same role as he did in Infinity Gauntlet on screen is open to debate, but you can definitely expect him to ally himself with the heroes.

The Punisher

If the Defenders are to be a part of the Avengers: Infinity War movies – which it has recently be suggested may well be the case – then the Punisher could be too. Jon Bernthal is set to take on the role of the character in the second series of Netflix’s Daredevil and, while he’s set to be a thorn in the titular hero’s side, he’s sure to be a force of good.

The character is completely out of his league in a cosmic battle, truth be told, but it would be bad-ass as hell to see him prepared to put his life on the line against an Infinity Gauntlet-wielding Thanos, in spite of the colossal difference in power levels.

It’s quite hard to see how such a gritty character would fit in with the likes of Captain America and Star-Lord, but it would add an interesting dynamic – regardless of the fact that he’d be pretty much useless in such a massively cosmic event.

Wolverine

Hugh Jackman has played Wolverine in Fox’s X-Men franchise for fourteen years now, having first appeared as the character in the brilliant year 2000 movie X-Men. The actor is, however, set to hang up his claws after a currently untitled third Wolverine solo movie is released in 2017.

With that in mind, Marvel Studios could potentially cash in on the character and bring him over to the MCU. Wolverine is every bit as strongly associated with the Avengers as he is with the X-Men – and Wolverine was actually a major character in the Infinity Gauntlet comic book arc – so he would be a welcome addition to the side of good in the Avengers: Infinity War movies.

He might not be a mutant in the MCU – but Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch had their origins changed, so there’s precedent for it – but it would be great to see him regardless. He could have obtained his powers via the Terrigen Mist and be an Inhuman. Jackman has been championing Tom Hardy for the role in the future and seeing him in the MCU would be fantastic.

The Fantastic Four

The sequel to Fox’s terrible 2015 Fantastic Four reboot has officially been cancelled. That revelation came as no surprise to anybody (seriously, it was absolutely ghastly) and opened the doors for Marvel Studios to go ahead and attempt to obtain the rights to Marvel’s First Family – because, let’s face it, Fox don’t deserve another shot at it after two poor attempts.

With that in mind, the original superhero team could well appear in the MCU – potentially in time for the Avengers: Infinity War movies!

The added power provided by the quartet would be most welcome on the heroic side of things, but the biggest asset they would provide is the brain of Reed Richards. Sue Storm, Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm would all bring something to the party, but Reed’s inventions and intelligence are on a cosmic level that could genuinely rival Thanos. It would be great to see them coming home.

The Silver Surfer

If the Fantastic Four were to head over to the MCU, you can bet your bottom dollar that the Silver Surfer would follow – and he’d be a most welcome addition to the Avengers: Infinity War movies, not least because he was a key figure in the Infinity Gauntlet comic book arc.

The Herald of Galactus was the one to come to Earth to warn of Thanos’ intentions with the Infinity Gems – he initially warned Doctor Strange in his Sanctum Sanctorum, before the news spread to the wider superhero community – and it is generally expected for someone else to play that part in the movie. But wouldn’t it be cool if he could actually appear?!

The Surfer appeared in 2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, but it wasn’t a great depiction. Marvel Studios could definitely do the character justice and it would be awesome to see him in the MCU.

The Cosmic Conglomerate

In reality, the only way Thanos with the Infinity Gauntlet can possibly be beaten in the MCU is through cosmic intervention. Even with a veritable army of heroes, the Avengers and their allies are unlikely to be able to scratch the Mad Titan when he’s wielding such immense power.

That being said, don’t expect all of the likes of Galactus, the Stranger, the Titan Kronos, Epoch, the entities Love and Hate, the Celestials, Master Order, Lord Chaos and Eternity to intervene in the fight. That kind of cosmic power and weirdness just wouldn’t fit in the MCU.

What you can probably expect are Celestials (they have been confirmed to have existed at some point in the MCU, when they were referred to as “ancient Celestial beings” in Guardians of the Galaxy, so having them reemerge to intervene in a cosmic battle of universal proportions makes sense) and possibly one or two more, but an army of cosmic beings isn’t likely (a proper depiction of Galactus would be awesome, however, and would be possible if the Fantastic Four and related characters were acquired by Marvel Studios).

Loki

A surprise ally for the heroes of the MCU could come in the form of an existing character who has mostly appeared as a villain to date – Tom Hiddleston’s Loki.

He was the villain in 2011’s Thor movie, he was the villain in 2012’s Avengers movie and, while he briefly teetered on the brink of redemption in 2013’s Thor: The Dark World, he proved himself to be conniving at the movie’s climax when it was revealed that he had faked his death and somehow taken Odin’s throne on Asgard. He’s set to appear in 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok and will probably be a villain in that as well, but could he actually redeem himself once and for all in the years following on from that movie?

Avengers: Infinity War will probably see Thanos trying to utilise Loki’s services once more – as he did in the aforementioned Avengers movie – but even Loki might actually deem Thanos too evil and turn against him, aiding the heroes against the Mad Titan. And that, we can surely all agree, would be awesome.

What do you think? Will these guys fight alongside the likes of the Avengers and the Guardians of the galaxy in the MCU Infinity War? Who else could do so? Have your say below!