The Marvel Cinematic Universe isn’t typically known for having cliffhanger endings, but Avengers: Infinity War changed all that by delivering one of the most ostentatious finales in the history of blockbuster filmmaking. As everyone is now painfully aware, Marvel’s record-shattering superhero epic concludes in heartbreaking fashion with half the universe’s population — including half of the Avengers themselves — wiped out, reduced to ash by a single snap of the fingers from Thanos and his fully powered Infinity Gauntlet. As a result, for the first time in the franchise’s history, it’s truly difficult to predict where things are going to go from here.
While it’s safe to say that characters like Spider-Man and Black Panther aren’t going to stay dead since their respective solo franchises are producing sequels in the next few years, it’s unclear how many of the deaths in Infinity War were permanent. And even if every hero killed by the Infinity Gauntlet is resurrected, the event itself will cause reverberations throughout the Marvel Universe, guaranteeing that the franchise is going to change in certain ways going forward. With Avengers 4 shrouded in secrecy and still a year away from release, here are the best theories for how the Phase 3 finale will play out.
12. Gamora is the Key
Although the deaths at the end of Infinity War are set up to be reversible (at least we hope), every death prior to this feels like it may be permanent. This includes Gamora, whom Thanos sacrifices in order to attain the Soul Stone. However, based on the ending of Infinity War, which sees Thanos transported to another plane of existence after using the Infinity Gauntlet, there’s reason to believe that Gamora’s soul at least is still intact.
Thanos encounters a young Gamora, who asks him about the cost of his actions and there’s reason to believe that this scene takes place inside the Soul Stone (the directors have basically confirmed this). The thinking goes that if Gamora is able to escape from this realm, it would bring an imbalance to the universe and bring about a chain of events that could lead to Thanos’ actions being reversed. Maybe she could even get a hold of the Infinity Gauntlet herself and exact revenge on her twisted father!
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