It might be hard to believe, but we’re only two months away from Avengers: Endgame, the film that will conclude a story arc that’s 10 years in the making and finish off the third phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As one can imagine, Marvel and Disney have kept story details tightly under wraps, but that hasn’t stopped legions of fans from proposing their own hypotheses on what will happen next. Here are 10 theories on what we’ll be seeing when April 26 finally rolls around.
Note: This should go without saying, but this article will have spoilers for Avengers: Infinity War. It’s been out for nearly a year and it’s even on Netflix now, so you don’t really have an excuse at this point.
Additionally, we’re avoiding theories based on supposed leaked documents or set photos because, well, that’s cheating. We’re not trying to spoil you on a movie that isn’t out yet – this is just fun speculation.
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Courtesy of Marvel
Was Captain Marvel Edited Out of the Super Bowl Trailer?
In the Endgame Super Bowl trailer, there are multiple scenes where there is a very suspicious gap between the superheroes where another person could easily fit. This has led many fans to assume that Marvel has edited a character out of these trailers. The safest bet is Captain Marvel, who we already know will have a pivotal role in Endgame thanks to the post-credits scene in Infinity War. It would make sense that Marvel wouldn’t want to show the character’s involvement in Endgame until her titular film is out in March.
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…Or Was it Doctor Strange?
However, admittedly, Captain Marvel is an obvious choice for the missing hero spot. What if Marvel is banking on that assumption for a surprise? Another name being floated around is Doctor Strange. We already know that Strange saw 14 million possible outcomes through the Time Stone, but some fans think that he was actually experiencing each timeline simultaneously, allowing him to be involved in the one timeline where the Avengers win.
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Is Hela Returning?
In the first trailer for Endgame, there is a hand briefly shown on Tony Stark’s shoulder. Most people assumed this was Nebula, who Tony was stranded with at the end of Infinity War.But what if it isn’t? Some fans have pointed out that the hand on Tony’s shoulder has black nail polish. Nebula has never worn black nail polish, but one Marvel character did: Hela, the villian of Thor: Ragnarok. Is it possible she somehow survived the fall of Asgard?
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Are Thor and Rocket Searching for Asgardians?
In the recent Endgame footage, Thor and Rocket are briefly shown on what appears to be a mysterious new planet. That much is clear, but the bigger question is why. One idea is that the two are searching for survivors of Asgard. We know half of the Asgardians that were with Thor early on in Infinity War were killed by Thanos’ Black Order, but what happened to the rest?
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Will Captain Marvel Fight the Avengers?
Some eagle-eyed fans have pointed out that every Avengers film so far has had a fight where the Avengers fight against themselves. In the first film, it was Captain America and Iron Man vs. Thor; in Age of Ultron, Hulk vs. Iron Man; and in Infinity War, three Avengers face the Guardians of the Galaxy. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Endgame followed that trend. We know Captain Marvel will eventually become an Avenger, but what if she isn’t exactly friendly to the crew at first? And speaking of Captain Marvel…
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What If Captain Marvel Told Nick Fury About “The Snap”?
Okay, now we’re getting into the deep stuff. Plenty of theories on Endgame are rife with time-travel elements; between the Time Stone and the so-called “Quantum Realm” mentioned in Ant-Man and the Wasp, there’s plenty of potential for time-and-space altering shenanigans. One scene that often gets brought up is the post-credits scene of Infinity War, where Nick Fury seemed weirdly nonplussed about being turned into dust and activated a pager to warn Captain Marvel. We already know the Captain Marvel film takes place in the ’90s, but if Captain Marvel somehow found out about the Snap before it happened (whether it be a premonition or actual time travel), it would explain why Fury doesn’t seem too upset about the world ending.
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What if No One Actually Died In “The Snap?”
Alright, stick with us here: We know that Thanos made half of the universe’s population disappear with a snap of his finger. But we don’t know for sure that they actually died. Some fans think that the victims of Thanos’ actions are actually trapped inside the Soul Stone; others hypothesize that “The Snap” (or, as Marvel is now calling it, “The Decimation.”) actually created a separate reality, with the Quantum Realm tying the original and new realities together.
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What If Thanos “Snapped” Himself?
Thanos’ plan was a major risk, and there was no way to guarantee that he wouldn’t become collateral himself. One fan theory proposes that the ending scenes of Infinity War are a red herring, showing him either in some kind of afterlife or inside of the Soul Stone after he himself was a victim of “The Snap.”
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How Does Spider-Man: Far From Home Take Place After Endgame?
One thing that has left many Marvel fans confused is that the upcoming Spider-Man: Homecoming sequel, Far From Home, is canonically taking place after Endgame and Infinity War. But how can that be the case when Peter Parker was a victim of “The Snap?”A popular guess is that the events of Endgame will actually erase “The Snap” from the timeline – as a result, Peter will still be on the school bus as he was in Infinity War as if nothing happened.
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Do the Surviving Avengers Sacrifice Themselves to Save the Others?
This is the big one. There’s already been plenty of rumblings that Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. are done with Marvel after Endgame, so how would they be written off? One heavily debated theory would be heartbreaking, but seems surprisingly plausible. If “The Snap” really did split the universe into two (see #8), the survivors of the original universe may sacrifice themselves so the others can live on. It would definitely be a gut-wrenching finale, but we already know the Marvel Universe doesn’t shy away from drama.
