Infinity War: What Thanos' Finger Snap Means

UPDATE: Here's how the finger snap actually played into Avengers: Infinity War.

In Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos will present the greatest threat the Marvel Cinematic Universe has ever seen, and he'll do it all with the most simple of things: a finger snap. But what exactly does that click mean, and what does this ultimate goal say about the future of the Avengers?

Earth's Mightiest Heroes are assembling in greater numbers than ever before to try to stop the Mad Titan from gathering all of the Infinity Stones. If Thanos is able to collect the six powerful ingots into the Infinity Gauntlet, he will have the omnipotence he needs to accomplish his goal of wiping out half of all life in the universe. Although he's coming to Earth with dangerous alien minions called the Black Order, Thanos' greatest weapon isn't a sword, a shield, or a gun. Rather, it's a jeweled glove; therefore, his method of annihilation the trailers are teasing - a finger snap - is fitting.

Thanos simply snapping his fingers is a novel approach to ending billions of lives rooted in Marvel Comics' Infinity Gauntlet, which Avengers 3 is (partially) based upon. With so much weight on Thanos' thumb and forefinger, let's look at whether the film will homage or even replicate this iconic moment.

This Page: What Thanos Finger Snap Means

The Finger Snap In Infinity Gauntlet

Thanos clicks his fingers to wipe out 50% of all life

The events depicted in Jim Starlin and George Perez' Infinity Gauntlet are quite different from how Infinity War is set to play out. For one thing, when the graphic novel begins, Thanos already possesses all six Infinity Stones; in the first issue, the Mad Titan is swelled by omnipotence and ponders how best to wield his might to impress Mistress Death, whose heart he desires. Death had tasked Thanos with balancing the cosmos and eliminating half of all life, which the Titan realized he had yet to accomplish. So, he raised his newly-won Infinity Gauntlet, snapped his fingers, and wiped out half of the universe - just like that.

In the comic, this apocalyptic event happens midway in the first issue. This was not a cliffhanger, culmination point, nor even the most pivotal event in the story. It's the inciting incident; the sudden disappearance of fifty percent of living beings in the universe was the act that motivated Earth's remaining superheroes, and later the cosmic beings of the Marvel Universe, to assemble against Thanos. Eliminating half of all life wasn't Thanos' goal in the comic as it is in the movie, rather a way to impress the woman he loved.

The Finger Snap In Avengers: Infinity War

What Infinity War has done, then, is reconstitute the idea. Mistress Death is absent, with her motivations put directly on the Mad Titan himself; he wants to wipe out half of all life for himself.

The powering finger snap is an ominous threat that Infinity War's marketing has made sure to spotlight. This doesn't just nod to the comic, though, but foreshadows the finger snap as a key event in the film. In the trailer, Gamora, whom Thanos raised as a child to be one of his assassins, explains what her "father" wants to the Avengers: "The entire time I knew him, he only ever had one goal: to wipe out half the universe. If he gets all the Infinity Stones, he can do it with a snap of fingers. Just like that!" Thanos himself echoes the threat in a different TV spot for Avengers 3: "You're strong. But I could snap my fingers and you'd all cease to exist." Directors Joe and Anthony Russo are clearly promising that Thanos snapping his fingers will be a moment in the film that will be as impactful as it was in the comics.

But it's one thing to tease as a motivation, it's another to actualize. We already have a change in the snap from starting point to goal, does that change whether it will happen?

Thanos Brings Down A Planet On Titan in Avengers Infinity War

Will Thanos Snap His Fingers In Infinity War?

Luckily for the heroes in Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos can't make good on his finger snap threat straight away because, unlike in the comic, he doesn't have all of the Infinity Stones. From the trailers, in the early portion of the film, Thanos only has two Infinity Stones - the Power Stone and the Space Stone - and will spend most of the movie battling for the rest (specifically Vision's Mind Stone and Doctor Strange's Time Stone). If the logic in the comics holds up, as powerful as Thanos already is, he doesn't possess omnipotence yet, so he can't wipe out half the universe until he has completed the Infinity Gauntlet. Threatening the instant annihilation of half of all living beings is just that - a threat - until Thanos can put all six Stones together. Without the Infinity Gauntlet at full power, the big-chinned despot is just a strong villain, not all-powerful.

Of course, the number of ingots he does already possess - later TV spots have shown him with four Infinity Stones - mean he can still wreak havoc, and presumably kill any Avenger that gets in his way. In fact, it may be that when Thanos boasts he can snap his fingers and they would all "cease to exist", he's referring specifically to the superheroes trying to stop him. But as emotional as that would be, given all the setup, Thanos snapping his fingers to kill a lone hero or two would be a bit of a letdown.

Indeed, Thanos' bid for all six Infinity Stones - and by extension the finger snap - is being established as the end game of Infinity War. We've seen both Vision and Doctor Strange, holders of the final two Stones, under attack, and the entire third act battle in Wakanda is centered on a final stand to stop him. Clearly, if there is a finger snap, it's the movie's finale, and so the question then becomes something bigger: who wins the Infinity War?

Could A Finger Snap Be Infinity War's Cliffhanger?

Steve Rogers grabs the Infinity Gauntlet in Avengers Infinity War

While it's not got exactly strong grounding from the comics, a popular fan theory is that the snap will come as a big cliffhanger for Infinity War; despite the Avengers' best efforts, Thanos gains the six Infinity Stones, snaps his fingers and wins. Cut to black.

It would be a massive departure from the traditional MCU happy ending, yet would be fitting for such an epic event and, crucially, lines up with what we know is coming next. Avengers 4 was originally announced as Infinity War - Part 2, and while its title has since changed, it is still continuing the same story; if there's a space for a cliffhanger in the MCU, it's with these back-to-back productions, with Avengers 3 directly setting up its sequel. That's doubly true as the interim films, Ant-Man and the Wasp and Captain Marvel, are set before Infinity War, meaning they can tell their stories without having to account for devastation. Considering how dangerous a snap would be - even if, thanks to the existence of the Infinity Gauntlet, any damage can be undone - it seems that if it happens, it'll be at the very end.

All that said, it's not like a Thanos victory is the only outcome. In Infinity Gauntlet, Thanos inadvertently causes his own defeat and loses the bejeweled glove to Nebula. Whether or not the movie Nebula does the same, the possibility of one of the heroes taking the weapon - and either undoing Thanos' wrath or succumbing to the power - feels fitting. There's more than one way to use a completed Infinity Gauntlet.

One thing's certain: by threat or by realization, Thanos snapping his fingers will play a pivotal role in Avengers: Infinity War. Whether it truly means the end or is something the Avengers can undo the damage of is what fans are waiting to find out.