We’re officially a month out from the culmination of 10 years of filmmaking and storytelling genius. To celebrate this decade of Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, I wanted to write a prediction post before Infinity War comes out and demolishes everything and everyone we hold dear. So, who will live? Who will die? Who’s even in this movie?
Obviously this is all speculative. But if you’re someone who wants to avoid trailers, news releases or cast interviews before seeing a movie, you probably shouldn’t continue reading. I haven’t looked up any contracts to see how many movies cast members have left, or looked to see who’s in upcoming movies that might contrast with future filming schedules. But I will be linking to a few news articles and interviews, as well as using the official trailers and previous MCU movies, to make my predictions. So if you want to avoid those, I’d avoid this, too.
Spoiler warning out of the way, let’s establish the baseline. In an interview with Stephen Colbert, Scarlett Johansson said Infinity War has 62 characters. The Russo brothers said they had “a board with 67 characters on it” while writing. I’m going to try and name all 67 of those characters, and predict whether or not they’ll be coming out of Infinity War (and somewhat, Avengers 4) alive.
I’ll start with the Big Three.
Captain America has been dead since Civil War, when Steve Rogers dropped the shield in one big, grandiose metaphor. But Steve? Steve will be fighting bullies until his last breath. And I’ll be honestly shocked if he doesn’t take that breath in Infinity War. It would be wonderful if Steve could just retire peacefully, but a quiet life has never been in the cards for this small, asthmatic kid from Brooklyn. The Ultron fear scene, where we watch Steve’s fear manifest as him never being able to truly leave war behind him, confirms that. The only way he’ll ever stop fighting is through death, and if the end of his line isn’t this movie, it definitely will be by the end of Avengers 4.
If Steve dies, we can accept it. We’ve seen it coming, and we’ve mentally prepared. We even know there’s a possibility of someone else keeping Captain America’s mantle alive. But if Tony Stark dies, I don’t think we’re ready for the painful implications his death would hold. Other than the death of one of the stars of the MCU, the first to birth it into existence, it would mean Pepper is widowed not even five years into their marriage, assuming they go through with their Homecoming engagement. It would mean even though we avoided another Uncle Ben origin story, we still see Peter lose the biggest male influence in his life.
Unlike Steve, Tony has it in him to retire and give up his fighting days and the suit, especially now he can live without it. He can live to peacefully pass on the mantle of the MCU to the new players, before retiring with Pepper and popping in occasionally to see Peter’s science projects.
At the same time, I don’t think I could ever watch Tony live through the survivor’s guilt and ptsd he’s going to have after Infinity War, especially if he’s one of the only survivors from the original team. I won’t be surprised if he ends up dying, but I don’t think they’re going to kill off Robert Downey Jr. (Even if that drama king could move us all to tears with an incredible, heartbreaking death scene.) So I’m going to say Tony lives.
But now, Thor, buddy, your future doesn’t look good. He’s getting the most screen time of any Avenger, which really doesn’t bode well for flying under the radar to avoid death. At the same time, though, I really, really hope he doesn’t die. I would say it’s decently likely, though. He’s had a good run in his three solo movies. And he’s one of the strongest Avengers, meaning he’s going to be up close and personal with Thanos often. I reckon he’s probably going to kick the dust during one of those battles, leaving the Asgardian people to be ruled by Loki.
I’m personally not expecting Loki to die. I won’t be surprised if he does, but we already saw him die once, so it’s almost redundant to see it again. Plus, if Thor does die, Loki is going to have to face a future without his brother for the very first time. He also gets what he always wanted officially, a chance to be king. And as himself, this time! But he’ll become a king to a people with no home, while facing a future without any family. I think that’s a more compelling challenge for his character than death.
As for the rest of the characters coming from Ragnarok, I’ll say Valkyrie and Korg live. They’re too new to kill off, I think. Valkyrie for sure could be useful in building a new MCU. Korg, arguably less so.
Bruce Banner’s future, on the other hand, is not guaranteed. I think the Hulk is going to die officially, and, if we’re lucky, we’ll be left with a now fully-mortal and susceptible-to-death Bruce. Hulk has died in the comics before, so don’t tell me it’s impossible. I think the argument between him and Thor in Ragnarok, when Bruce was trying to say his human self is useful, too, could have been foreshadowing his stronger counterpart’s death. Plus, his quote in the first Avengers where he says he’s already tried to kill himself, combined with the character growth the Hulk had in Ragnarok, would allow the death of Hulk to be poetic and meaningful. Bruce can then retire after the events of the movie, doing science until he dies a normal death years later. Or, he dies with Hulk. Either way, at least one of them’s dead this movie.
Heimdall’s time, too, is coming to an end. He’s been Thor’s right-hand man since the first Thor movie, and has made the hard choices to protect Asgard time and time again. I don’t see him living through this.
And because the ‘Revengers’ are seen running into the Guardians during the first trailer, I’ll head into them next.
Groot is guaranteed to survive, since he already died once. I think Star Lord, Gamora, Rocket and Mantis will also all survive. Drax, in his thirst for revenge for his family, is probably going to die by Thanos’ hand. Nebula is probably also going to die, maybe in some instance where she tries to convince Thanos of her value as a daughter. She could even die in a redemption arc doing the right thing, motivated by her sister. Regardless, she’s probably dead.
Let’s get Thanos out of the way, too: by the end of Avengers 4, he’s definitely going to be dead. For sure, he’ll at least be vanquished, but I think he’s going to die. It needs to feel definitive after the trauma the audience is being asked to endure.
The future of his ride-or-dies doesn’t look good, either. The second trailer shows he went full-Apocalypse and created his own entourage with four members from the Black Order. I think all four of them are going to die. At the very least, the rocky-nosed one (Ebony Maw) seen attacking Strange in the trailer is definitely dead, probably after that encounter.
Speaking of, both Doctor Strange and Wong live. They need to survive to take the MCU to new heights at the end of this. Plus, Marvel literally delayed production of the original Doctor Strange movie so they could have Benedict Cumberbatch. There’s no way they would have done that if he wasn’t going to be a major contender later on. Also with him, Christine Palmer might have a small appearance. (And survive.)
And continuing on that positive trend, all the members of Black Panther are almost guaranteed to survive, too. We already see T’Challa ‘die’ once in his own movie, so it would be too repetitive to do again. Shuri is needed to be the tech genius of the MCU once Tony retires (or dies). Nakia, Ramonda, M’Baku and Okoye are also characters who will be ringing in a new MCU in the aftermath of Infinity War. If anyone from Black Panther dies this movie, it’ll be W’Kabi, but I don’t think he will. His dynamic with T’Challa (and Okoye) will probably be explored in later BP movies.
Government agent Everett Ross, too, will probably survive. But Thunderbolt Ross, who is not related to Martin Freeman’s character, by the way, is probably dead. If only for the fact that his death is ‘meaningless’ to (most) audience members, but could have potential consequences to the characters and the storyline. He also put Wanda in an electric straightjacket, and that’s just not okay.
Continuing within the government, Sharon Carter survives. I don’t think they’ll kill her off, because I don’t think she’ll be in any main battles.
Maria Hill and Nick Fury‘s futures are rockier. I’m a bit more hesitant to say they’ll survive, simply because Fury’s death would be so symbolic of the death of the old MCU. Technically they gave us some semblance of closure through his retirement, and I know we’ve already seen him die in Winter Soldier, but I think they’ll want to go through with it this time. I’ll bet they ultimately kill Fury off, just to prove they’re not playing games. Sorry, the old MCU can’t come to the phone right now. Why? Oh, ’cause everyone’s dead. Hill has a higher chance of survival, but just for grins, I’m going to say she dies, too.
This has been 34 characters so far, by the way, so let’s go right ahead into the character Marvel has refused to spoil in any promotional materials.
Don’t mind me, just immortalizing this random Youtube comment forever.
I’ve honestly been expecting Clint Barton to die since they introduced his family in Age of Ultron. It would be such a trope, but will they be compassionate enough to avoid it? I don’t think so. They introduced his family to bring us pain, and I’m sure they’re going to deliver on it. They’ll kill him off by the end of Avengers 4, if not during Infinity War. But I really, really hope they don’t. I don’t know if I’ll cry more if he lives or dies, at this point.
Laura Barton and the kids will survive, though. They might throw me for a loop by killing her off and keeping him alive, but I don’t think so.
I also won’t be surprised if they kill off Black Widow. She has a solo movie in the works, but that could very easily be set in the past as Nat’s origin story. (Please, honestly. Give us a Russian spy movie with Black Widow & Winter Soldier taking names and kicking ass, that would be amazing. It also has room for Clint to come in, too.) I want to say I don’t think they’ll kill Nat, but I’m not being too optimistic.
Bucky is another character whose future is up-in-the-air. But I’m airing on the side of him surviving, more so than I am with Nat. Especially if Steve dies, because it will be the first time Bucky faces a future without his best friend in it, instead of the other way around. Aka, character growth gold. They’ve also found a way to put Cap’s shield in his hands during every Captain America movie: during the train scene of The First Avenger, the rooftop confrontation in Winter Soldier and during the final battle scene of Civil War. If they’re not foreshadowing him taking up the Cap mantle, that’s almost too uncanny of a coincidence.
Honestly, Bucky becoming Captain America makes more sense to me than anyone else. If they go that route, he has the same strength, the same modified biology as Steve. He also has the chance to earn a redemption for his deeds as the Winter Soldier.
The other character rumored to pick up the shield is Falcon, but I don’t think they’ll have him do that. Sam Wilson is the perfect Falcon, and I think the MCU needs his distinct character. Even if I’m not sure where he’ll fit in to the new age of movies, I think he definitely survives. I won’t necessarily be surprised if he dies, but I’m betting he lives. Anthony Mackie is just too likeable to kill off.
Alright, 39 down, and continuing on.
Scarlet Witch is going to survive. I think she fits perfectly into where the MCU probably wanted to head when they introduced Doctor Strange. Plus, Wanda still has a lot of character growth in front of her.
Vision, too, I think will survive. His death would be too predictable. Plus, Shuri is seen holding a hologram of his head in the second trailer. I think she finds a way to keep him alive without the mind stone, but he’ll be vastly downpowered. Useful in terms of knowledge, but not much help during battle. (And then we can still get an eventual Vision/Wanda marriage in a later movie.)
I’m torn about War Machine. On one hand, I think it would be too repetitive for him to die after we saw him fall out of the sky in Civil War. But I also think they could be banking on us thinking that, and not expecting his death. It would also mean something, since Rhodey’s been with Tony and the audience since the start of the MCU. I’m going to say he dies, but I will be pleasantly thankful if he doesn’t.
Helen Cho, who is probably part of why Rhodey can walk again, will survive.
Spider-Man also survives. He has an upcoming movie, he literally can’t die here. He also has an MCU to lead after Infinity War. (With Shuri, as they science the team into the future). I’m also going to say Aunt May, Michelle and Ned all make small appearances, and survive.
I don’t think they’ll kill Pepper either, especially if Tony ends up living at the end of this. She and Happy aren’t going to be anywhere near a battle (I hope), so I think they’ll both survive.
I wish I could say Ant-Man also has immunity because of an upcoming movie, but apparently Ant-Man and the Wasp is set before Infinity War. So, you know, fear still exists. I think Scott Lang and Hope will both survive, though. Especially if Marvel is going with a newer-character angle; Scott offers a humorous take that’s quite different from the original phases of films. I think Cassie, Luis and Hank Pym will potentially make small appearances, and they’ll definitely survive them.
Whether Marvel chooses to introduce Captain Marvel in Infinity War or her own movie before Avengers 4, she’s guaranteed to survive. She’s too new to die. Carol Danvers is also an insanely strong character, so I can’t see her dying anyway.
Now, on to potential collateral damage.
Thanos is looking for the infinity stones, and presumably will be heading to their current locations. The Collector, with his possession of the reality stone, is probably dead. The Nova Corps is also a target. I would say Nova Prime Irani Rael ends up dead defending the power stone, but snarky Rhomann Dey survives to tell the Guardians what happened.
They have so much to fit in, do they have time for a flashback? I would say, maybe, if it has to do with the soul stone. It’s not too far-fetched to imagine the soul stone being in Wakanda. T’Challa has to drink a literal heart-shaped herb to gain the powers of Black Panther. Sounds pretty soul-y to me. And even if this isn’t the case, Infinity War could still hold an explanation for how Howard Stark originally got the vibranium to make Cap’s shield back in the 40s. If that’s in the movie, I’m expecting a flashback with both Howard and Peggy Carter. And since both are already dead, it doesn’t matter.
Now, for the disconnect. ScarJo said 62 characters, but the Russo brothers said they had 67 characters on the board. I’m assuming it was a board of potential players, but the difference of five between their statements were characters that never made it into the final script. If I had a guess, I would say they’re part of Thor’s crew: Hela, Sif, Jane, Erik and Darcy. They were all technically available to use, but probably just didn’t work into the story. And because they don’t make it into the movie, I’m going to say they’re all still alive.
“But Jess,” you cry. “This is 66 characters, not 67!”
Yes, it is. Is it too much to hope that the 67th character is Coulson? Who knows what Agents of Shield is doing. It’s potentially the last season. (Emphasis on potentially– there’s still hope!) Plus, the Avengers may be learning about him being alive sometime soon. Between that and the potential ending for the show, there’s always a possibility Coulson gets written back into the movie side of the MCU. So I’ll hope for that, while also forever hoping Agents of Shield gets renewed.
If it isn’t him, they could always introduce Kate Bishop or Kamala Khan. Knowing Marvel, though, the 67th character will probably end up being Howard the Duck, shown on screen with The Collector.
There’s also the Peter Dinklage wild card. He’s on the promotional poster, but no one’s really sure what character he is. If he’s voicing one of the Black Order members, then this entire prediction still stands. If he’s not, and he’s actually some new unknown, then I’ll say switch out Christine Palmer for him. And if that’s the case, I have no idea if he’ll survive or not.
But that’s it, these are the 67 characters I predict will be in Infinity War, and whether or not they’ll survive. I’m probably all wrong. I hope I’m definitely wrong on a lot of them.
Honestly, part of me thinks it’s safer to expect everyone to die and be pleasantly surprised at who remains, especially if Thanos just snaps his fingers and half of the universe blinks out of existence. No one’s safety is guaranteed. The only thing that is guaranteed is the fact we’ll all be absolute messes when 10 years of our life come to a close. Basically, to sum this whole post up:
That’s probably accurate. But what do you guys think? Feel free to leave your own predictions in the comments below.
Marvel’s Infinity War comes out April 27, 2018. Avengers 4 is slated for May 3, 2019, but anything can happen between now and then. Hopefully we all survive.
Oh, and photo rights for the header image go to Marvel, too. Definitely not me. Had I been in charge of promotional materials, Hawkeye wouldn’t’ve been missing on any of them. Like, I get ya’ll had good reasons. I get something’s probably a major spoiler. With how secretive ya’ll are being, I wouldn’t be surprised if he has the soul stone. But you know what? If you could give Thor both his eyes in the Ragnarok trailer and avoid spoiling us on that development, you can put an old photo or a photoshopped Hawkeye in these without spoiling whatever his state is that you’re trying to avoid.
And then I have to place this link in a post to ‘claim’ my blog on bloglovin, so, ignore this. Follow my blog with Bloglovin. You don’t have to. I will probably never use bloglovin in my life, ever. But I figured I should claim it.
An Odd Thought 