Avengers: Infinity War ended in a way that shocked fans and left a lot of questions for the future. In the year leading up to Avengers: Endgame, there was endless theories and speculation about how the heroes would respond to Thanos' devastating attack and how the film would conclude the epic Infinity Saga.
Now that Endgame has finally been released, we can see how accurate all those theories were. While some of the theories made a lot of sense, the final film threw a lot of surprises at fans and defied many expectations. Here are a few of the best fan theories for Avengers: Endgame that turned out to not be true.
THAT Ant-Man Theory
Fans can be very creative with their many theories. No matter how outlandish an idea might seem, if enough people get behind it, it can really take off.
Such was the case with this unusual and vulgar theory about how Ant-Man might single-handedly defeat Thanos. The theory was that Ant-Man would shrink down and insert himself in Thanos’ butt, then expand and theoretically kill the Mad Titan. Surprisingly to some, Marvel chose not to conclude their Infinity Saga by having one of their heroes attack the villain's butt.
The Survivors Trade Lives For The Fallen
Most people knew going into Avengers: Infinity War that some of the MCU heroes would die. But when characters like Black Panther and Spider-Man began disappearing, that was truly unexpected. These were the new heroes who were supposed to be the future of the MCU and it was the original Avengers who were left.
This shake-up led fans to speculate that the original heroes would trade their lives to bring back the new characters -- referencing a line from Captain America. Although there were certainly sacrifices, the fallen heroes were able to come back without wiping out the original six.
Nebula Gets The Gauntlet
Much to the delight of comic book fans, Nebula had a fairly large role in Endgame. After years of abuse at the hands of her father, Nebula managed to survive Thanos' Snap and many hoped it would mean she could help seek revenge on him. There were also some who though Nebula might follow her comic book arc and wield the Infinity Gauntlet herself after taking it from Thanos.
As it turns out, the film had a much more complex role for Nebula. While she didn't get to wear the gauntlet, we further explored her tortured mind as the new heroic Nebula encounters a past version of herself who is still brainwashed by Thanos. These emotional scenes provided some of Nebula’s best character moments to date.
The Fallen Are In The Soul World
After succeeding in his plan, we see Thanos transported to the Soul World where he meets young Gamora. This immediately led to theories that all those who were "dusted" would not actually be dead, but rather they would be trapped in the Soul World. The remaining heroes would have to rescue them by stealing the Stone.
As it turns out the Soul World would not play a significant role at all. The fallen heroes were indeed killed until they were brought back with the Avengers' gauntlet. To them, the last five years seemed like an instant.
Red Skull Is Free
The appearance of the Red Skull in Infinity War was one of the biggest surprises in that film. The iconic villain had not been seen since Captain America: The First Avenger so for him to show up as the keeper of the Soul Stone was a great treat.
The filmmakers confirmed that once Thanos acquired the Stone, Red Skull was no longer a slave to it and could leave Vormir. Many took this as a confirmation that he would appear in Endgame either seeking the Stones himself or going after Captain America. While he did appear in the follow-up, it was simply as the Stonekeeper in a past timeline.
Death Makes Her Appearance
In the comics, Thanos' reign of terror is closely tied to Lady Death, Marvel's personification of death itself. In the iconic Infinity Gauntlet storyline which helped inspire the films, Thanos wipes out half the universe as a way of impressing Lady Death whom he loves.
Infinity War established a more complex and, frankly, more interesting motivation for Thanos' actions, but that didn’t stop fans from thinking Lady Death might still show up as a puppet master figure for Thanos, with some speculating that Hela might fill the role. Thankfully, the movie opted to stick with Thanos’ more complex motivations.
Captain Marvel Saves The Day
As soon as Captain Marvel was teased in the post-credit scene of Infinity War, fans became convinced that she would be the key to defeating Thanos. After seeing her considerable power on display in her own solo movie, it really hammered home the fact that Thanos may have met his match.
Somewhat disappointingly, Captain Marvel's role in Endgame is surprisingly small. While she does prove to be able to go toe-to-toe with Thanos, she spends much of the movie away from Earth dealing with the fallout of The Snap.
Thanos Has A Change Of Heart
To the surprise of many, Thanos ended up being a more sympathetic villain than was expected. He was certainly a madman who had no problem killing, but in his twisted mind he was actually saving the universe. Because of this seemingly moral compass, some thought we would see Thanos learn the errors of his ways and help the heroes undo The Snap.
In actuality, Thanos went in quite the opposite direction in Endgame. Instead of undoing things, he decides to take it further, wiping out everything and starting from scratch. Honestly, Thanos as a hero is just not as interesting.
There Is A Bigger Threat Than Thanos
Part of the theory of Thanos teaming with the remaining heroes was that there would be bigger fish to fry. The theory suggested The Snap would create an opportunity for a bigger threat than Thanos to emerge. The heroes would have to work with the Mad Titan to bring back the fallen in order to save the universe.
The theory wasn't completely wrong. A greater threat did emerge in the film but it was actually Thanos himself. The Thanos from the 2012 timeline sees his victory and death while also finding out about the Avengers plan to reverse it. This makes him an even more dangerous foe than he was before.
The New Avengers Are Formed
Fans were fairly sure that by the time the credits rolled on Endgame, the MCU would be very different. Most of us were pretty sure we’d have to say goodbye to some of our favorite heroes and many thought this would lead to the formation of a whole new team.
Sure enough, the original Avengers team seems to be done in the MCU. Iron Man and Black Widow are dead. Captain America and Hawkeye are retired. Thor has joined the Guardians while Hulk is a bit of a question mark. But as substantial as these changes are, the film made no attempt to suggest a new squad will be forming anytime soon. It could be that the MCU will focus on solo adventures until the Avengers must assemble yet again.