Well, duh, you say—with the powerhouse franchise created by the Marvel Avengers brand, and given the rather telling teaser embedded in the credits for ‘The Avengers’, it’s hardly a shocker to hear that a sequel is in development. Still, for the doubters in the crowd, it’s finally official: Disney CEO Bob Iger announced Tuesday that a sequel is in the works.

‘The Avengers’ has already amassed over $700 million in ticket sales worldwide and shattered box office records when it opened domestically on May 4. It’s set to become the highest-grossing installment of the Avengers franchise so far, surpassing even both of the ‘Iron Man’ films, which so far have been the best-received at the box office.

It’s a good chance for Disney to get back on track, both with moviegoers and in the financial department. Earlier this year, they flopped horribly with the fantasy epic ‘John Carter’, which performed sluggishly in theatres and became a financial nightmare, unable to account for more than a small part of its $200+ million budget. By comparison, ‘The Avengers’ will catapult Disney back into the black—and then some—and it’s been a hit with both critics and fans.

While the sequel doesn’t have a firm release date, rumors are already targeting May 2014, which means a full two-year wait for fans. But in the meantime, Disney has plenty of other superhero offerings on their plate; they’re also working on three separate sequels to other entries in the Avengers franchise. ‘Iron Man 3’ is set to kick off the Summer 2013 movie season with a May release date; later in the year, ‘Thor 2’ is set to hit theatres, possibly with a November release date. After that, we can expect a sequel to ‘Captain America: The First Avenger’, currently slated for spring 2014.

Now, the question on everyone’s mind: will director Joss Whedon return for ‘The Avengers 2’? Disney and Whedon have both been mum on the subject, though Whedon was recently quoted as saying, “You know what, I haven’t really thought about it. It’s time for me to rest, and then see if that’s even feasible.” Fingers crossed!