The Collector Might Be Confirmed For ‘Avengers: Infinity War’

We already know that Avengers: Infinity War will have the biggest MCU ensemble to date — just the title of the film implies something epic. Directors Joe and Anthony Russo have discussed the size of the cast a few times, and numerous interviews with Marvel stars and various reports have confirmed a handful of heroes for the studio’s next crossover event. And if you were paying attention to Josh Brolin’s recent Instagram activity, the actor, who reprises his role as Thanos in the upcoming film, may have just confirmed another co-star.

According to MCU Exchange and this Reddit thread, Brolin posted (and quickly deleted) a live Instagram video in which he discussed filming scenes with Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana and Benicio Del Toro — the latter of whom plays Taneleer Tivan, aka The Collector. Del Toro first appeared in the post-credits scene for Thor: The Dark World and made his official debut in Guardians of the Galaxy, becoming an instant favorite. Since then, it’s been unclear when he might return to the MCU, though Infinity War seemed like a strong possibility (and has been occasionally rumored).

Based on how quickly Brolin deleted his Instagram video, it’s likely that Marvel wasn’t too happy about the actor breaking the news. Another Instagram post from a user in Atlanta seems to support Brolin’s claim:

…Unless Del Toro is just visiting Atlanta to hang out with Brolin; the two actors also appear together in Soldado, the upcoming follow-up to Sicario.

If The Collector is appearing in Infinity War, that opens up a few interesting possibilities — as has been noted by several eagle-eyed fans, the eccentric character’s collection of unique and often powerful items includes the cocoon of Adam Warlock, a supremely powerful being with ties to Ayesha, the villain played by Elizabeth Debicki in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.

Avengers: Infinity War hits theaters on May 4, 2018.