The first trailer for Avengers 4 — now officially known as Avengers: Endgame — has finally arrived, and things are still looking pretty bleak for out franchise heroes. Tony Stark appears to be drifting aimlessly to his demise. Hawkeye is no longer MIA, but seems to have taken a darker turn. And Steve Rogers doesn’t know what they’ll do if their plan fails-- though his departure from the franchise might be inevitable either way. This trailer still leaves a ton of characters’ futures up in the air following Thanos’s snap, which has eliminated fifty percent of all life in the universe. Those who met their demise in Infinity War were nowhere to be found in the new trailer, but with a number of other MCU movies in the works, we know many of them won’t stay gone for good.
From everything we know about Endgame to date, it appears as though the movie is shaping up to be — at least, in part — a time travel story. While this may mean a return for many of our favorite characters, it also means there could be a serious shakeup coming to the MCU timeline. Therefore, just because some of our favorites return, that doesn't mean they'll be the same as we remember them.
Of course, the franchise has been known to misdirect audiences in the past. Until we actually see the movie, anything is really possible in Endgame. That doesn’t mean that some characters still don’t have better odds than others, though.
Here is Every Major Character, Ranked By Likelihood Of Survival In Avengers: Endgame.
26. Black Panther
T’Challa may have been reduced to ash along with the slew of other characters at the end of Infinity War, but there’s very little chance we’re not getting a sequel to Black Panther. The 2018 movie made over $700 million domestically, putting it ahead of even Infinity War for the highest-grossing movie of the year in America, along with the ninth highest-grossing movie of all time.
While we may not have gotten a look at Black Panther in the first trailer, Chadwick Boseman is set to reprise his role of Black Panther in Avengers: Endgame-- and likely a number of MCU movies yet to come.
25. Captain Marvel
Captain Marvel is the next MCU movie on the docket, which will be released about a month and a half before Avengers: Endgame. Despite audiences having yet to be introduced to the character, Carol Danvers is already set to appear in the upcoming Avengers installment.
With Kevin Feige stating that Captain Marvel’s powers are greater than any we’ve seen before out of the franchise’s heroes, she’ll likely play a vital role in defeating Thanos. We also doubt that she’d meet her demise anytime soon, as Carol’s time in the MCU hasn’t even officially begun.
24. Shuri
We didn’t see what happens to Shuri after Thanos snapped his fingers, but with T’Challa definitely meeting his demise (at least for the time being), it would make sense if Shuri was still around to take up the Black Panther mantle. This is something the character has done numerous times in the comic, and the MCU version of Shuri is clearly up to the task.
If Shuri did not survive the snap, we’d have to throw her in the same boat at T’Challa. In other words, she will almost definitely be back for a Black Panther sequel.
23. Spider-Man
With his Spidey sense alerting him to his own demise, Peter Parker’s exit was one of the hardest to take in Infinity War. Rest assured, Spider-Man will be back soon, even if the character is not yet officially slated to appear in Avengers: Endgame.
Peter Parker is one of a few major characters whose fate has been spoiled thanks to an upcoming sequel, as Spider-Man: Far From Home is set to hit theaters only a few months after Avengers 4. With time travel expected to play a vital role in Endgame, the capacity in which Peter Parker returns could be very surprising, to say the least.
22. Black Widow
With all of the founding Avengers having survived the snap, it seems as though these six superheroes all have a high likelihood of meeting their demise in Endgame. Natasha has a serious leg up in terms of survival, which comes courtesy of the Black Widow solo movie that's currently in the works.
Even if this film happens to be a prequel, it seems unlikely that the MCU would want us to invest in a character who’s already been knocked off. Not to mention that the finical success of Wonder Woman has paved the way for more female-led superhero movies in the years to come.
21. Nick Fury
After being conveniently absent for the events of Infinity War, Nick Fury popped up in the post-credits scene of the movie, where he was lucky enough to get off a beeper message to Captain Marvel before turning to ash. We already know Fury will be back and looking younger than ever in Captain Marvel, but the character isn’t officially slated to appear in Avengers: Endgame.
That being said, Nick Fury and Maria Hill are both set to appear in Spider-Man: Far From Home, meaning they’ll be returning to the MCU in at least one form or another after Avengers 4.
20. Bucky Barnes
On top of being a favorite to take over the Captain America mantel should Chris Evans part ways with the character, Sebastian Stan is said to be in the middle of a nine-picture deal with Marvel — both of which give Bucky Barnes a high chance of surviving the events of Avengers: Endgame.
In addition to this, a Falcon and Winter Soldier limited series is currently in the works for Disney’s upcoming streaming service. Whether the show ever comes to fruition remains to be seen, but it’s clear that Marvel has every intention of keeping Stan around for the time being.
19. Falcon
As mentioned above, we’re giving Sam Wilson a high likelihood of survival thanks to an in-development streaming series which would find him teaming up alongside the Winter Soldier. It’s one of a few live-action limited series that are in the works for Disney+, and it’s the first one to receive a writer with Malcolm Spellman (Empire).
Although Anthony Mackie isn’t yet announced to appear in Endgame after Falcon met his demise in Infinity War, we have no reason to believe that he won’t be brought back along with the other heroes, especially if the MCU has plans to give Falcon his own show.
18. Scarlet Witch
With her ability to destroy an Infinity Stone — all while holding off Thanos — Wanda could be a key player in trying to undo the events of Infinity War. Of course, that’s contingent upon when and how she makes her return, as Wanda was one of many not to survive the snap.
Elizabeth Olsen is already set to reprise her role in Endgame. Whether that means she'll survive to the present or only turn up in flashbacks remains to be seen. That being said, a streaming series for Scarlet Witch and Vision is currently in development for Disney+, making it more than likely that Wanda survives the events of the film.
17. Vision
Vision seemingly met his demise twice in Infinity War — once when Wanda destroyed the Mind Stone and again when Thanos turned back time and ripped it from his head. That doesn’t mean Vision is 100% a goner, though. Bruce poses the idea that Vision is more than just the Mind Stone, and Shuri completes a lot of work connecting neurons before she’s interrupted by Corvus Glaive. Therefore, Vision might make his return in Endgame before any time travel comes into play.
This, coupled with the Vision and Scarlet Witch series that’s currently in development, bodes well for the survival of the character after Avengers 4.
16. Doctor Strange
With Doctor Strange proclaiming “We’re in the endgame now,” it’s safe to assume that when the Master of Mystical Arts looked into all possible futures, the one that involved the heroes winning also saw Strange handing over the Time Stone in exchange for Tony’s life.
Just because the character turned to dust doesn’t mean Strange won’t be back anytime soon. A sequel to the 2016 movie has long been rumored. Aside from the Hulk — who contractually cannot have another solo movie of his own — it would be very unlike the MCU to not give this character another solo outing some point soon.
15. Star-Lord
Chris Pratt is another major player in the MCU who is not yet officially announced to appear in Endgame. That doesn’t mean he won’t make a surprise appearance anyway. The character was one of the many Guardians to meet his demise at the hands of Thanos. In fact, only Rocket and Nebula currently remain.
We do know that a third Guardians film is currently in the works, even if James Gunn is no longer serving as director. As long as the MCU decides to stick with Gunn’s story, Vol. 3 should take place after Endgame, which bodes well for Star-Lord’s return.
14. Gamora
Gamora was one of the few characters to meet her demise prior to the snap, making the character’s future in the MCU seem all the more uncertain. That is, until the directors confirmed that Gamora's soul is still trapped in the Soul Stone.
Comic readers known that this is far from the first time that a character has survived within Soul World. In fact, Adam Warlock once entered the stone to render the Infinity Gauntlet useless, meaning Gamora could play a vital role in undoing the Mad Titan’s actions. This, coupled with a third Guardians of the Galaxy installment, make it seem as though Gamora has a good chance of sticking around.
13. Rocket Raccoon
After watching his companion Groot dissolve to ash following Thanos’s snap, you better believe Rocket will have a thing or two to say in Avengers: Endgame. Better yet, he’ll let his arsenal of firearms and explosives do the talking. Bradley Cooper is already set to voice the character in the 2019 film, but he hasn’t officially been announced as a part of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
While Rocket has certainly come a long way since his introduction, and we’re sure he would sacrifice himself for his friends given the opportunity, Rocket is just too good to not keep around for future installments.
12. Groot
Who would’ve thought that a tree saying goodbye to a raccoon would have been one of the more heartbreaking moments in all of Infinity War? That’s exactly what we got when Groot parted ways with his surrogate father following Thanos’s snap.
That being said, we’re putting Groot’s overall likelihood of survival on par with the other Guardians of the Galaxy. In other words, we know there’s going to be a third Guardians film, and it's pretty to believe that a fan-favorite character like Groot won't return for the upcoming installment.
11. Drax
While it appears as though Marvel will be going ahead with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the controversial firing of director James Gunn has also left the exact future of the film up in the air. While plenty of stars have come out in defense of Gunn, David Bautista has been particularly vocal over his disapproval of how Disney handled things. He even went so far as to say that he may no longer want to work for the company.
Might this result in Drax not making it out of Endgame alive? It’s impossible to say, though it seems as though it might worsen his chances of survival when weighed against the other Guardians.
10. Hawkeye
The Avengers: Endgame trailer finally confirmed a fan theory that Hawkeye would make his transition into Ronin — his darker alter ego from the comics. The most likely reason for this is that Clint lost some or all of his family during the Thanos snap, sending him on a path of grief and vengeance until Black Widow ends up tracking him down.
Reportedly, Jeremy Renner has a six-picture deal with Marvel, which doesn't include cameos. This would bring the actor’s total to four following the release of Endgame, still leaving room for Renner to appear in two more films before his contract is up.
9. Ant-Man
Despite taking place before the events of Infinity War, Ant-Man and the Wasp did little to explain what the two titular heroes were up to while Thanos’s Black Order wreaked havoc on Earth. However, Scott Lang did make an appearance in the Endgame trailer, and there’s the implication that he may have even tried to contact the Avengers beforehand.
Of course, we’ll have to wait until the movie is released before we know for sure. According to Kevin Feige, Paul Rudd has a “three-plus-plus” deal with Marvel, meaning Ant-Man will likely be around for the foreseeable future.
8. The Wasp
Despite being reduced to dust, Hope van Dyne is set to appear in Endgame. According to Evangeline Lilly, the Wasp won’t play a huge part in the film. That may actually work to Lilly’s advantage in the long run, the MCU likely wouldn't send the Wasp off without a proper goodbye.
The superheroine's story really only got started earlier this year-- not to mention that her mother, the original Wasp, just escaped from the Quantum Realm. With so much more to explore with these characters, we’re betting the whole Ant-Man gang will emerge largely unscathed from Endgame.
7. Bruce Banner/Hulk
With the Hulk, we’re starting to get into characters who actually might not make it out of Endgame alive. Although Mark Ruffalo made his debut in 2012’s The Avengers, Bruce Banner has been a part of the MCU since 2008. Therefore, it might be due time to say goodbye to the character, especially since the Hulk can no longer have a solo movie of his own.
However, the one thing that might give him an edge over the other founding Avengers is that Bruce’s character arc has taken an interesting turn in Ragnarok and Infinity War, which might warrant further exploration after Endgame.