10 Characters Most Likely To Be Killed Off In AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR And AVENGERS 4
Deaths in the next two Avengers movies are inevitable so which heroes are most likely going to perish and what grisly ways could they be taken out in? Hit the jump for a list of Thanos' possible victims.
We've heard a lot about certain actors returning for Avengers 4 (which has recently started shooting) but it would be naive to think that every single hero - and villain - will survive the events of both that and Avengers: Infinity War. So, who exactly can we expect to meet their maker come 2018 and 2019?
What you'll find below is a breakdown of the ten Marvel Cinematic Universe that are most likely perish during the sure to be epic battle across two movies. It's obviously important to note that not every one of these characters will die but there's a very good chance that at least some of them will and our suggestions about the most likely candidates - based on rumours, what we know, and speculation - are sure to surprise you and leave you fretting over the fates of your favourite heroes and villains.
So, read on to find out which character we believe could be on the way out in the very near future...
10. Thor
Chris Hemsworth has never seemed particularly happy about how the God of Thunder's solo adventures have been handled but seems a lot more positive about the new direction the franchise is heading in with Thor: Ragnarok. For the most part, the actor hasn't said a huge amount about moving on from the role (and he's had mixed fortunes outside of the MCU) but it's feasible that he's ready to move on.
Well, regardless of what Hemsworth wants, having Thor fall to Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War would send the right message, particularly in regards to how formidable the Mad Titan is. Without Mjolnir, the God of Thunder will find himself truly outmatched and that leaked trailer showed him at the mercy of Thanos so his demise seems at least somewhat likely. However, with him being a God and all, I wouldn't be at all surprised to see him "reborn" in Avengers 4 with Mjolnir once again by his side.
9. Pepper Potts
Gwyneth Paltrow has confirmed that Pepper Potts will appear in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers 4 but when it comes to supporting characters most likely to be caught in the crossfire, she fits the bill perfectly. The actress may have recently said she enjoyed being back on a Marvel set but she's also busy with a lot of outside ventures and probably wouldn't have said no to the idea of her character dying here.
It's something which would make this battle particularly personal for Iron Man and might just give him the push he needs to reform the original Avengers and take the fight to Thanos. Tony Stark is a character who is at his best when things go down this route (just look what happened when he learned The Winter Soldier killed his parents) and in all honesty, while Pepper's death would be tragic, it wouldn't hurt the MCU too much moving forward.
8. Loki
We already know that Loki survives the events of Thor: Ragnarok because he could be seen wielding the Tesseract in the leaked Avengers: Infinity War trailer but things going downhill for the God of Mischief in that movie seem inevitable. Bear in mind that he promised Thanos that particular artefact all the way back in The Avengers and then failed to deliver that and ended up losing the Infinity Stone which wound up in The Vision's head to boot.
The Other said at the time that the Mad Titan would not tolerate failure and we can probably expect to see him hunting down Loki in this movie. While the trickster will no doubt attempt to get back in the powerful alien's good graces, chances are that won't fly with Thanos and Loki's machinations will ultimately work against him. Losing someone like Tom Hiddleston would be a blow to the MCU but what else can they do with the villain at this point?
7. Nebula
Looking over the Guardians of the Galaxy roster, it's hard to imagine any of the unlikely heroes meeting their makers here. James Gunn is very protective over the characters and it's impossible to picture him - or Marvel for that matter - being willing to say goodbye to Star-Lord, Drax, Gamora, or anyone else from the franchise. Then again, we never expected to lose Yondu and that leads me to Nebula.
When Vol. 2 ended, she was intent on tracking down her father and making him pay for what he'd done to her but if you've read the Infinity Gauntlet comic book, you'll know that doesn't end particularly well for her...until she gets her hand on the gauntlet, that is. I don't expect Avengers: Infinity War to follow that story to the letter but her mission to get vengeance feels ill-fated and her death would spur Gamora into action in a big way.
6. Okoye
On the surface, the signs seem to be pointing to Danai Gurira's Okoye emerging from Black Panther as a real fan-favourite. However, given the actress's lead role in The Walking Dead, her future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is probably going to be limited and having her die in one of these movies makes sense for a number of reasons.
For starters, the leaked Avengers: Infinity War trailer confirmed that there's going to be a huge battle in Wakanda and one of T'Challa's closest allies falling against this alien threat ensures that he becomes involved in the larger conflict and both adds some stakes to his involvement and lays the groundwork for big changes in his solo franchise. There's no way Black Panther himself is dying here but Okoye being given a big hero moment as she attempts to hold back Thanos' hoards to protect her king would be downright awesome.
5. Hawkeye
Rumour has it that a family tragedy will lead to Clint Barton ditching his Hawkeye persona to become Ronin in Avengers 4 but regardless of whether or not that's going to happen, this particular character's story reaching its end wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. Hawkeye is never getting his own solo movie and while he's a good hand when it comes to being a supporting player, there's probably more the archer can do in death for Earth's Mightiest Heroes moving forward.
Marvel isn't going to want to lose Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow but Hawkeye going on a suicide mission of sorts after his family's death would be an interesting - and admittedly rather bleak - story to follow as he makes the ultimate sacrifice to take down Thanos and bring his desire to rule the universe to an end. Of all the heroes you expect to end the villain's reign of terror, how cool would it be if it was Hawkeye's sacrifice which saves the day?
4. Thanos
In the Infinity Gauntlet comic book, the story ended with Thanos being banished to a remote world to essentially become a farmer but that always felt like an unsatisfying fate for him and this monstrous big screen version surely deserves a fate worse than that? Bear in mind that Marvel has a habit of killing off its villains and the Mad Titan being taken out in a permanent fashion ensures that the MCU is set on a new path as we move into Phase 4.
I'm not sure which hero could deliver the final blow but it being someone unexpected like Hawkeye as I previously mentioned would be fun and seeing the villain take on too much power for his own good would be another satisfying way to set up his demise. If it wasn't for the fact Josh Brolin has already reported back to the set of Avengers 4, I wouldn't put it past Marvel killing him in Infinity War just to shock us all! We'll just have to wait and see.
3. Captain America
When we meet up with Steve Rogers in Avengers: Infinity War, he'll be rocking a beard and a suit with no reference to Captain America or The Avengers. He gave up the shield to Iron Man at the end of Captain America: Civil War but him getting it back at some point is inevitable, especially as Earth's Mightiest Heroes will need to put their differences aside if they hope to stand any chance against Thanos and his children.
The sight of that shield being broken by Thanos is one comic book fans will be familiar with and it would be incredible to see on the big screen. Cap giving his all to stop Thanos but ultimately falling short is a moment guaranteed to leave the jaws of moviegoers on the floor and while losing Chris Evans would obviously be horrible, this leaves the door open to Sebastian Stan's Bucky finally getting the chance to wield a new shield as Captain America.
2. Spider-Man
We all know that Spider-Man: Homecoming has a sequel coming out and that Peter Parker will obviously return for that but the leaked Avengers: Infinity War trailer showed the youngster looking very much worse for wear and it's feasible that he will die in either movie even if it is only temporary!
After all, half of the Marvel Universe was wiped out in the Infinity Gauntlet comic book and they were restored so someone like Iron Man using the Stones to resurrect Spidey would make sense. The wall-crawler meeting his maker here seems extremely unlikely but that's what would make this twist so damn great and while it would no doubt be undone quite quickly, it has the potential to serve as a real gut punch to the audience and seeing a kid fall in battle could be just what's needed to get The Avengers to assemble again.
1. Iron Man
There are a number of ways it could happen but The Avengers proved Tony is willing to make the sacrifice play when the moment calls for it and him doing so to stop Thanos would make for a powerful send off for the hero. The only problem here is that it essentially stops Marvel recasting the character but it feels like this would be a fitting end for the iconic hero's story and if Thanos were to kill him in Infinity War, it's all anyone will spend the year between that and Avengers 4 talking about.
Which of these characters do you think is most likely going to perish in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers 4? Have we missed any other likely candidates? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section down below.