*****SPOILER ALERT***** for all Marvel movies released up to this point (and I guess for Infinity War if any of these theories come true)! Includes references to all “Infinity War” trailers.
Lots of people are conjecturing about what might happen in “Avengers: Infinity War,” which will release in US theaters in less than a month (don’t worry, I already have my tickets!). This promises to be one of the biggest movies ever made, featuring over 60 characters that we know and love—well, not always love—from the last 10 years of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, from “Iron Man” (2008) to “Black Panther” (2018). I try not to go to movies with too many expectations, but for something as long-anticipated as this, it’s hard not to spew into at least a few theories. So, to contribute to this buzz, I’d like to share a few of my predictions for the future of some of our favorite heroes.
Steve Rogers and/or Tony Stark will die.
(author’s note: I did not mean for this part to be so long, I just have a lot of feelings and rationale on this particular point.)
Sorry to open on such a bummer, but this is the one of which I’m the most certain. Here’s why: for one thing, Chris Evans’ contract will be up, which is more concrete proof of Steve’s demise than anything. I’m also looking at the evolution of the character, as compared to the original “Captain America: The First Avenger,” and I feel like so much has changed about Steve himself, as well as the world around him, that he doesn’t entirely know what he stands for anymore. He was a symbol of freedom, justice, and bravery, but at the end of “Civil War,” he’s a fugitive of those he used to defend. It appears from his costume in the trailers that he is no longer Captain America but has instead become “Nomad.”
Furthermore, Steve is technically almost 100 years old. While he’s been getting used to this new era, I think he’s tired, and everything and everyone he used to know is now gone. Of all the Avengers, he has the least to lose, which makes me think he’d be the most willing to sacrifice himself for one of his friends. After all, how could we forget the iconic moment in “Captain America: The First Avenger” when he caught the fake grenade during training, willing to sacrifice himself to save everyone else? Which also begs the question—will another character take over as Captain America if Steve dies? Popular opinion is that it will be either Bucky Barnes or Sam Wilson, though my money is on Sam Wilson. But who knows? Steve is pretty strong—we’ve seen him pull back a helicopter with one hand, and the latest trailer shows him holding back Thanos’s infinity gauntlet with two stones already in place, an impressive feat.
Also, remember that Steve and Tony haven’t seen each other since the events of “Civil War,” and while they’re not on explicitly bad terms, it’s not entirely resolved between them. Call me evil, but how powerful would it be for their first reunion to be the moment of Steve’s death?
As for Tony Stark himself, a lot of the same logic applies. He’s served as the “front man” of the Avengers Initiative. He’s seen a lot, done a lot, been through a lot, and grown a lot. Unlike Steve, he has quite a lot to lose, but his worst fear, as seen from Wanda’s psychological attack in “Age of Ultron,” is losing his friends. He has also shown willingness to sacrifice himself for the good of others, like going through the wormhole in “The Avengers,” and I think he would again, as he notoriously disregards his own health and well-being in times of stress.
Plus, as much as I hate to say it, narratively, his death makes sense. Some argue that his journey and development is a Christ allegory, though he also fits the Mentor archetype for Peter Parker’s heroic journey, according to Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth. In the hero’s journey, the mentor almost always has to die so that the hero can move on to their destiny. In this new and improved version of “Spider-Man,” we didn’t see Peter’s origin story—honestly, no one needs to witness Uncle Ben’s death for the third time—and instead we observe him figuring out who he is as a hero, a journey that’s still in progress. As much as I love Tony Stark, and as much as I don’t want to see precious Peter suffer, having Tony die (perhaps not in this film, but in yet-untitled “Avengers 4”, releasing in 2019) would be an effective launching point for Peter to break free of emulating others and come into his own, especially since the “Spider-Man: Homecoming” sequel is set to take place immediately after “Avengers 4.” Which leads me to my next point…
Peter’s Identity Will Be Revealed?
We all remember that iconic post-credit scene in “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” in which a flabbergasted Aunt May sees Peter in his suit. While we’re anxious to see how that plays out, I’m also fixated on the new shot of Peter sticking to the side of the school bus and putting on his mask. Surely at least someone on that bus is going to notice him jump out. Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean that his identity will be exposed to the whole world, since Peter Parker is traditionally very secretive about his superpowers, but I suppose we’ll see. MJ has probably already figured it out, honestly.
Shuri will be tasked with saving the Vision.
All hail Princess Shuri, the badass teenage genius whose innovations make Stark Technology look like playthings. Two moments from the trailers we have seen are Thanos seemingly robbing the Vision of the Mind Stone, and Shuri holding up a hologram of the Vision’s head. One possible explanation, and I think the most obvious, is that Thanos takes the Mind Stone and they are trying to find a way for the Vision to survive without it. Another possibility is that they want to move the Mind Stone to a less obvious location where it can be better protected, thus meaning they will extract it from the Vision themselves and are trying to find a safe way to do so. Though from a more recent snippet of the Vision in Wakanda telling Wanda that they are “out of time,” this plan doesn’t seem like it will succeed. But I believe in you, Shuri!
(On the subject of Shuri, I really want her and Peter to be friends. Like, really, REALLY badly.)
Doctor Strange will NOT use the Time Stone to bring anyone back to life.
Some theorists say that the many inevitable deaths in this movie might be reversed by Doctor Strange using the Time Stone. While I don’t believe we’ve seen Thanos capture this one for his infinity gauntlet yet, I doubt this will occur based on principle. I think it would ultimately be cheap and dissatisfying for us to witness major character death, then turn around and say, “Just kidding! They’re back!” I also don’t believe that the heroes would stand for it, and Strange knows better than to use that kind of dark dimension magic to such a level.
Captain Marvel will appear.
The main giveaway for this is that in the first full trailer, you can see someone with long blond hair walking behind Steve, much like Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel, who has her own movie coming out in 2019. Though claims have been made that she is not really in this movie, and that initial plans for a larger role had been scrapped, nothing’s ever really out of the picture with Marvel. So, sure, maybe it’s not Captain Marvel, and is perhaps Sharon Carter. Or this footage in the trailer doesn’t match what will actually be seen in the film, since that is often the case with at least a couple of trailer shots, whether it be inaccurate cuts or a change of background. I guess we’ll see! At the very least, I’m fairly sure we can count on a post-credits scene that nods to her upcoming film.
Loki…
Nope. I was gonna go there, but I won’t. The trickster god always keeps us guessing. Maybe he ends up siding with Thor, but on the other hand, maybe he’s been an agent for Thanos all along. Or maybe he’s savvy enough to recognize Thanos as the greater threat, thus siding with him at the moment of confrontation.