Edited by Sophia Savva
Avengers Infinity War left us with an ominous end. Half the universe’s population has been decimated and many of our favorite super heroes literally faded to dust (RIP Superman). With the release of Endgame fast approaching, many fans are wondering, what’s next in the Marvel Universe? As I’ve watched and analyzed Avengers: Infinity War, along with other recently released Marvel Cinematic Productions such as Black Panther, Captain America: Civil War, and Spider-Man: Homecoming over and over again, I’ve come up with my five predictions of what I think will happen in Endgame. If I’m right, all readers of this article owe me a dollar (just kidding… sort of?).
Into the Time Vortex
As seen from the Avengers: Infinity War mid-credit scene, Ant-Man is getting ready to enter the shrunken-down quantum tunnel device, following the ominous warning from Janet Van Dyke to “Not get sucked into a time vortex.” Ant-Man enters the quantum realm mid-Thanos snap, leaving him trapped as his companions Hank, Janet, and Hope are all turned to dust by the power of the infinity stones.
Although this appeared to be the end of Ant-Man as we know it, Ant-Man makes a surprising appearance at the end of the Endgame trailer, talking into the Avengers Headquarter’s intercom. At first glance of the Endgame trailer, it appeared that Ant-Man was speaking to Black Widow and Captain America in live-time through the intercom. But then Captain America asks “Is this an old video?”, suggesting otherwise. Is it possible that Ant-Man entered a time vortex in the quantum realm and was able to go back in time? If so, could Ant-Man be a key player in reversing the universe from being “Thanosed”?
The Time Stone Is Key
Before fading to dust, Doctor Strange unpromisingly states to Tony Stark that giving up the time infinity stone was “the only way.” Avengers: Infinity War’s focus on the time stone alludes to the stone’s importance and to its possibility of remedying Thanos’s damage. However, with Doctor Strange gone, who will wield it? After Doctor Strange, Iron Man, and Bruce Banner fight the Black Order, Wong (Doctor Strange’s valet) returns to protect the fortress where the time stone was kept. With Wong’s immense knowledge of the time stone (not to mention his awesome AF battle skills), Wong could be the one to wield the time stone again, reversing Thanos’s damage to the universe.
The Ancient One Will Play a Key Role in Helping the Hulk/Bruce Restore Their Balance
Recently, while looking through the cast list for Endgame, I noticed that Tilda Swinton, who plays the Ancient One in Doctor Strange, was listed. As seen in Doctor Strange, The Ancient One died in a hospital room on Earth, therefore her return is a little peculiar. However, referring back to my last prediction, if the time stone is to be wielded again by Wong, the Ancient One could be resurrected. Further, just as the Ancient One helped Doctor Strange find his power after his almost fatal car accident, maybe the Ancient One will help Banner/The Hulk find their equilibrium through the mystic arts, as The Hulk refuses to cooperate with Banner multiple times in Infinity War. With the Hulk restored, the Avengers may have enough man power (and Hulk power) to fight Thanos in combat.
Done and Dusted?
As we saw in Infinity War, many of our favorite heroes were turned to dust… but did they really die? It’s unlikelt that those who were “dusted’ are actually dead, especially considering that Spider-Man and Black Panther are set to have new movies released. What is likely is that they are trapped in another realm. As seen in Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse, the universe is composed of many realms, one of which our heroes may be trapped in. However, what about the ones who weren’t dusted, but were killed in other manners such as Loki, Hemdaill, Vision, and Gamora? We’ve seen Loki come back from the dead several times; it’s possible he could make a re-entrance, and if the time stone is successfully used, it’s possible more heroes could be brought back.
The End Times
For some of our favorite heroes we know it truly is the end. Robert Downey Jr and Chris Evans, who play Ironman and Captain America, have publicly stated that they have not re-signed contracts to play these characters again. However, will they be killed off or given an honourable send off? In the Infinity Gauntlet comic book, Captain America was killed when he was struck down in a fatal punch by Thanos; it’s possible we witnessed this scene in Infinity War. However, Captain America’s death didn’t stay permanent due to Thanos use of the time stone. However, if the remaining heroes face Thanos again, a fatal punch could be Thanos’s MO for killing Cap permanently.
With so many unanswerable questions and unprovable predictions, Marvel fans like myself anxiously await the release of Avengers: Endgame on April 26. Many of us are emotionally preparing ourselves to potentially say goodbye to some of our favorite heroes and are excited to watch the battles ensue.