Shuri may have also been killed by Thanos' snap according to the newly released Avengers: Endgame trailer. Debuting this year as T'Challa's vibrant and genius sister in Black Panther, the princess of Wakanda has quickly become a fan-favorite. Confirmed to be the smartest person in the MCU, Shuri was theorized to play a pivotal part in Earth's Mightiest Heroes' attempt to restore peace and order in the universe after the Decimation. But it appears that like her brother, she's among those who were snuffed out of existence after the Mad Titan's deadly click.

Shuri had a limited-but-essential role in Avengers: Infinity War; she was tasked with removing the Mind Stone on Vision's forehead in a bid to stop Thanos getting the last Infinity Stone. She was seen last in her laboratory before the fight between Vision and Black Order member, Corvus Glaive moved outside of the building and to the grounds of Wakanda. And since the film didn't show her disintegrating to dust, many assumed that she survived. Indeed, Angela Bassett, who plays Queen Ramond in the MCU, went on record to say that both her character and Shuri survived the snap. However, the Avengers: Endgame trailer is implying otherwise.

Related: Avengers: Endgame Trailer Breakdown

The Avengers 4 trailer kept its focus on the remaining heroes, as well as the reveal of Clint Barton's new persona as a masterless samurai known as Ronin. However, one shot of a distraught Bruce Banner provides some sense of the wider world: he's looking at screens showing the deceased (or "missing"), one of which includes Shuri. This would suggest she's not been seen since the snap and thus is presumed dead.

Bruce Banner Scott Lang and Shuri in Avengers Endgame

It's worth noting, however, that it's a case of heroes being "missing", not confirmed dead. Indeed, the survivors in the Avengers HQ don't know yet what exactly happened to Peter Parker, who died on Titan, nor are they aware that Scott Lang is actually trapped in the Quantum Realm following Ant-Man and the Wasp's mid-credits scene. It's possible that Bruce is looking at a list of the unaccounted for victims and that Shuri has been in hiding. This also checks in with Bassett's earlier statement about Ramonda and her daughter's fate.

Although the remaining Avengers are clearly back in their original HQ in New York, directors Joe and Anthony Russo previously said that Wakanda will be essential in Avengers 4 and dealing with the aftermath of the Decimation given. Considering that Endgame might have the heroes rely a bit more on science - both Stark's Binarily Augmented Retro-Framing (B.A.R.F.) and the Quantum Realm are expected to be important - Earth's Mightiest Heroes could certainly use Shuri's genius, either to help crack time travel or bring back Vision.

The question remains about Shuri's possible whereabouts. Marvel Studios was very careful in deciding what to show fans in the Avengers: Endgame's first trailer and based on what we've seen, everything that has been revealed takes place early on in the movie so as to not to give anything away plot-wise that fans don't know already. Similar to what they did in Infinity War, it's safe to assume that the Russos, alongside writers Stephen Markus and Christopher McFeely, have planned more than a couple of plot twists. One of them could be the reveal of where the princess of Wakanda really is.

More: Avengers 4: Every Update You Need To Know

Key Release Dates