Saying that Avengers: Infinity War was a big movie may be the understatement of 2019. It may not have had the cultural or awards impact that Black Panther achieved, but Avengers: Infinity War joins Avatar, Titanic, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens as being one of the only films to pass $2 billion worldwide. What it did better than those (yes, even SW:TFA) is it set up fans to theorize, speculate, hypothesize, ruminate, weigh, contemplate, and downright guess for 365 days. Some clarity has been offered since Infinity War’s release in late April, but it won't be till April 26, 2019 when Avengers: Endgame is seen that fans will have all their questions answered.
Trailers for Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, and Spider-Man: Far From Home have since been released and confirmed many of the theories that have been floating in the air (most importantly, the name of the flick). Though affirmation is always accompanied by nullification, some theories may have been proven right, but many were also proven incorrect. Avengers: Endgame is roughly four months away (feels like just yesterday the world witnessed the snap) and there are still so many uncertainties with the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s safe to assume we’ll get another trailer for eager fans to dissect and overthink every frame of, but till then, we’re stuck with what we have. Before we know it, it’ll be time to line-up at the multiplex to see how our favorite heroes will resolve their latest dilemma, so let’s not waste anymore time! Here are 20 Avengers: Endgame Theories That Could Still Be True (And 10 That Are Wrong):
Could: Peter Parker Isn’t The MCU’s Only Spider-Person
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse showed us that (even though it’s not in the MCU) audiences respond unexpectedly positive to the idea of more than one type of Spider-Man. Actress Tiffany Espensen broke out with her small role of Cindy Moon in Spider-Man: Homecoming.
Fans of the friendly neighborhood crime-fighter know that Cindy Moon is the secret identity of Silk: a young woman who was bitten by the same radioactive spider as Peter. Is the MCU’s Cindy pre-or-post bite and will they bring her in during Endgame to make up for Peter’s absence? There’s a chance, assuming she’s not already dusted.
Could: Nebula Will Be The One To Defeat Thanos
Fans of the Infinity Gauntlet comics already knew this, but for those of us who stick solely to the cinematic universe: Nebula’s dislike for Thanos causes her to track him down, trounce him, steal the gauntlet, and reverse all of his dastardly deeds.
The MCU has stuck to the basic principles of the comics, but never have they gone for the same exact beats of their source material. There’s a very real possibility this is what will end Thanos’ reign, and a pretty powerful one knowing that The Mad Titan replaced almost all of Nebula with robotics and threw her sister off a cliff.
Wrong: Tony Is Still Trapped On Titan
Infinity War ended with the gut punch of Tony losing nearly everyone while also being left alone on an alien planet. How Tony will fix the first problem remains a mystery, but the solution to the second seems to be revealed in the Endgame trailer.
Tony is seen floating through space in the Guardian’s ship, Benatar. How he’ll make it to Earth (if he ever does, he seems to be far from rescued) is still yet to be revealed, but we at least know where he will be at some point in the film. Nebula is seen on a spaceship touching someone’s shoulder comfortingly, but it’s not yet clear if it’s the shoulder of Tony.
Could: Shuri Got Snapped
Though we didn’t see it, there’s a chance (actually, an exact 50% chance) Shuri was snapped with her brother T’Challa. In the Endgame trailer, we see Bruce looking at a screen that shows Scott Lang, Peter Parker, and Shuri with the label “Missing” under each.
Scott is technically missing in the quantum realm, while Peter was snapped (though Earth doesn’t yet know this). Shuri was on Earth, but since no one was with her, it’s up in the air as to whether she’s missing or has been decimated. If she is only missing, fans know she’ll surely pop back in to help save the day, if not mastermind the saving of it.
Could: The Scarecrow Is Symbolic
Thanos seems to be content. At the end of Infinity War, we see Thanos sitting and watching the sunrise finally at peace. The Endgame trailer sees a glorious shot of his armor made up as a sort of makeshift scarecrow with the sunrise just past.
Many times, when a boxer throws in the towel for good, they’ll make a sort of shrine with their gloves, shorts, and robe hanging up to signify their retirement and to remember their accomplishments. Many think that this is similar to what Thanos is doing; he’s achieved his goal of bringing the universe to balance and now wants to retire and leave his old, aggressive life behind.
Wrong: The Film Will Pick Up Immediately After Infinity War
Some fans were under the impression that the film would begin immediately after Thanos’ snap. From what we’ve seen of Endgame, this seems to be incorrect. There’s enough time for Tony to leave Titan on the ship and for Cap to shave his very controversial beard.
The mourning that we see Steve, Thor, Bruce, and Natasha revel in seems to imply that not too much time has passed, but at least some. There will surely be a jump at some point, but we’ll save that bit of info for a little later in this list!
Could: Thanos Isn’t The Big Bad After All
Thanos wasn’t just the main villain of Infinity War, he was the main villain of the first three phases of the MCU. It seems as though he’s won and the heroes are doomed in their quest to defeat him, but what if it’s not him they’re trying to defeat. A tease at a new toy may shed some light on this.
It shows Rocket and Thor in fancy white armor. The text states: “The Asgardian Thor wields the mighty Stormbreaker in his battle against new foes. Rocket teams up with a new crew to guard the galaxy from an even greater threat.” Who these “new foes” and “greater threat” are is a mystery, and an alarming one at that.
Could: A Funeral To Attend
There were lasting consequences in Infinity War, and it seems that Endgame won’t be any different. Screenrant reported that Central Casting Georgia put out a casting call for extras who could play “mourners.”
An excerpt from the casting call is as follows: “Looking for men and women over the age of 18, all ethnicities, to portray mourners. Especially looking for good character looks and expressive faces. This will be photo selected by the film’s directors!... FOR NEW FACES ONLY!” Mourners could just mean civilians mourning the loss of their friends and family, but the call also listed sizes for the men and women as they’d have to wear suits and dresses. Interesting, indeed.
Wrong: Ant-Man Will Be Stuck In The Quantum Realm
While there’s no doubt that Scott was stuck in the Quantum Realm for some time as Hank, Janet, and Hope were snapped while he was in it, the theory that he would be stuck in there for the duration of the film has been struck down.
The only bit of levity fans get in the Endgame trailer is when Scott is at the front door of the Avengers facility comically trying to get in. Cap asks for the time of the video, to which Natasha replies that it’s live. Scott somehow got out, but it must’ve not been an easy task as Janet van Dyne spent over 30 years trying and failed!
Could: Tony Heads S.H.I.E.L.D.
We know that Tony is alive (even if he isn’t on Earth) and that Nick Fury and Agent Maria Hill were both dusted. If Tony can make it back to his home planet, the Supreme Headquarters International Espionage and Law-Enforcement Division, or S.H.I.E.L.D., will need a new head.
Who better than Tony to take up the position. He knows the organization well, has the brains, and more than enough recourses. He helped Fury start the Avengers Initiative and is one of the oldest members next to Natasha and Clint; the latter of which has his own demons he’s currently dealing with.
Could: Hawkeye’s Family Got Snapped
Everyone go grab some tissues. So we know that Clint’s alive and we know that he has become an assassin by the name of Ronin, but why? Well, the popular theory is that Thanos’ snap took what matters most to him.
In Avengers: Age of Ultron: we learn that Fury had set up a country house for Laura and Clint to live in secrecy with their kids. The snap wiped half of the universe, roughly 3.5 billion people on Earth, and the rumor is that three of those people were Laura Barton and the Barton children. If it’s confirmed, it’ll be one of the darkest moments in the MCU.
Wrong: X-Men or Fantastic Four Will Make An Appearance
Entertainment Weekly asked Kevin Feige about a year ago how the future of the MCU will change with Disney’s acquisition of Fox; Fox owns the rights to the X-Men and the Fantastic Four. Feige had this to say: “It’s all about getting Infinity War finished and out, starting Captain Marvel, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Untitled Avengers, the next Spider-Man, and Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3.”
He added: “When and how that deal with Fox finishes and comes together and we’re told, ‘Hey, now you can start working on it. Now you can start thinking about it,’ is when we’ll actually start thinking about it.”
Could: Thanos Ripped Reality In Two
A Reddit theory suggests, as the title implies, Thanos only wanted the universe to be able to remain habitable, so instead of ending half of life, he sent half to a different, second universe. The theory isn’t ground in much evidence, but rather possibility and hope.
The author also states that since Scott Lang was in the Quantum Realm, he wasn’t affected by the split and can move freely between universes. The new goal won’t be to bring the dusted back, but to bring the two reality’s together. Some far out stuff, man.
Could: Thanos' Lady Makes An Appearance
Let’s say that Thanos really did end half of all life in the universe and they’re gone forever. Well, there could be a second reason he did this. In the comics, Thanos is infatuated with the personification of death and does what he does to try and appease her.
Will Lady Death make an appearance in Endgame as we learn what Thanos’ true goals are, or did the filmmaker make a hard diversion from the ’91 comic? Endgame is rumored to be just as long, if not longer, than Infinity War, so she would certainly have the time.
Wrong: Gamora Is Truly Gone
After the snap, Thanos has that touching moment with young Gamora in the orange glowy place. Many fans speculated that it was the soul stone and that Gamora was trapped there. Well, the directors Joe and Anthony Russo weighed in to Slash Film:
“He clicks his fingers, sends him into this ethereal plane inside of the Soul Stone where as part of his quote unquote hero’s journey in the film… So, to clarify, it’s a spiritual representation of her and obviously that’s something that the Soul Stone has power to do. But really, it’s there to illustrate his pain and his guilt. I wouldn’t read much more into it beyond that.” It’s not 100%, but pretty close.
Could: Shuri Takes Up The Mantle
Black Panther is gone and he is never coming back. That’s what the director’s want and as of right now, it’s where we are. So if T’Challa is gone and Shuri has indeed not been snapped, then she could always take up the mantle of Black Panther.
Bucky took over Captain America’s role when he was defeated in the comics, so it’s not beyond reason that Shuri would take over her brother’s after he perished. Many fans believe that T’Challa will be back (especially since his movie made so much money), but if he isn’t, Shuri is next in line.
Could: They’ll Go For The Head This Time
So everyone knows that no comics are cannon for the MCU (unlike other cinematic universes like Star Wars for example), but one comic titled Infinity Wars Prime may have a spoiler for Endgame.
In Infinity War, Thor takes Stormbreaker right to Thanos’ chest and The Titan responds with, “You should have gone for the head.” Well, in the aforementioned comic, hero Requiem does just that and defeats Thanos. Time travel is supposed to be a huge component of Endgame, so maybe Thor will get a second chance.
Wrong: The Dusted Aren’t In The Soul Stone
As pointed out earlier, the directors have stated that Gamora is more than likely not in the soul stone like some theorized, so that squashes another popular theory; the decimated heroes aren’t in there as well.
Some fans speculated (hoped) that like Gamora, the characters dusted were just imprisoned in the orange gem. There’s a possibility that the dusted aren’t anywhere, but truly gone and that they don’t need to be retrieved, only avenged. Guess everyone but those who made the movie will have to wait till April 26th to find out.
Could: The Avengers Will Face 2012 Thanos
Though he was the protagonist of Infinity War, Thanos has been around since 2012 when he was first seen as the man Loki was working for. One theory suggests that the team will somehow travel back to 2012 (we know that the directors have filmed the heroes on the New York set from Marvel’s The Avengers) and fight Thanos before he has the gauntlet.
How the heroes would travel back nine years is a question that still needs to be answered, but as of right now, it seems to be the best chance they have to save their friends.
Could: A Jump In Time
A jump in time backward is almost guaranteed, but what about forward? A 16-year-old actress by the name of Emma Fuhrmann has been cast in Endgame in the role of Cassie Lang. Yep, that same Cassie Lang that is currently played by a much younger Abby Ryder Fortson.
Will the film have a jump into the future at the end, or will it be a side-effect of the gang (or just Ant-Man) messing around with time and space? No one knows, but the role is one of the most intriguing bits of news we currently have.