Screenshot of ‘Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron – “Hulkbuster” Clip’
Some wild theories regarding the fate of our favourite heroes
By Veronnica MacKillop, Senior Columnist
With the April 25 release of Avengers: Infinity War quickly approaching, there are some silly theories floating around about the fate of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Warning: Potential spoilers ahead, especially for Black Panther.
Location of the Soul Stone
Black Panther was released on February 16 as the last MCU movie before Infinity War. Fans were expecting to see the final Infinity Stone, but it never showed up. Some speculate that the Soul Stone is with Heimdall, former guard of the Bifrost Bridge in Asgard, and will be taken from him by Thanos. Plus, at the end of Ragnarok, the fleeing Asgardians are approached by Thanos’s ship. There’s also speculation that the stone is still in Wakanda, since that’s where the battle in the Infinity War trailer takes place.
Tony’s vision comes true (kind of)
In Age of Ultron, Scarlet Witch makes Tony see a vision of all the original Avengers dead. This could have just been a manifestation of his greatest fear, but if Thanos does obtain all the Infinity Stones, it seems likely that he could defeat many Avengers. The theory here is that Tony somehow obtains the Soul Stone, which is then used to bring the heroes back to life. Another theory is that Doctor Strange brings them back using the Time Stone.
A new Captain
In the comics, Steve dies and there are two different story lines: One where Bucky becomes the next Captain America, and one where Sam does. The franchise seems to be setting it up to be Bucky, and the actor seems to think so too. We know Bucky is currently in Wakanda, probably getting a shiny new Vibranium-based arm, and we know he’s going to be fighting alongside the Avengers in Infinity War, so he’ll definitely have a large role to play in the film.
Rebirth of dead villains
If Thanos does obtain all of the stones, which he probably will some point, he could use the gauntlet to bring back old villains who have died in past films, such as Red Skull or Ronan. This would be pretty cool to see, but it might not happen until Avengers Four.
Bruce uses the Hulkbuster
Credit to Nerdist for this theory. We all remember the Hulkbuster from Age of Ultron, the suit that Tony made to keep Bruce under control in case he “Hulks out.” The Hulkbuster—the perfect solution for the problem of Bruce being unable to transform back—is seen in the trailer for Infinity War, and in a recent LEGO set. We know that Bruce does fight as the Hulk in that battle clip we saw, but he may use the Hulkbuster so that he can safely fight with the Avengers in the first half of the movie.
Thor’s new weapon
Speaking of LEGO sets spoiling things, one of them shows the God of Thunder sporting his new weapon (which is actually his old weapon), Jarnbjorn— the battle axe that he used before he could lift Mjolnir. There’s also a chance that the hammer will be fixed, possibly using Vibranium, but seeing Jarnbjorn would be pretty cool too. Fans speculate that Thor may be going on a quest with the Guardians to get a new weapon, since none of them seem to be in any of the Earth scenes in Infinity War.
Skrulls
Have some of Earth’s heroes been secretly taken over by a shapeshifting race of evil aliens? Possibly. We already know that in the Captain Marvel movie, set to release in 2019, the titular heroine’s main antagonists are Skrulls, and since that film will take place in the ’90s, it could affect the heroes of today. Perhaps the yet-to-be-revealed title of Avengers Four will be Avengers: Secret Invasion, a film based on the Skrull comic arc, Secret Invasion.
In the end, theories are just that—theoretical. It’s always fun to speculate, but we’ll have to wait until the upcoming Infinity War, and another year for Avengers Four, to see if they pan out.
Caroline’s note: I asked Veronnica which theories she was most willing to cut, since space seems tight this week, and she said the Loki one.
