AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR SPOILERS - Do Any Of The Main Characters Die; And If So, Could They Return?
Many fans are expecting a big body count for Avengers: Infinity War, but there have been rumors that the build-up and marketing may have been a little misleading in that regard. Find out after the jump...
Yes, we do lose a few heroes in Avengers: Infinity War - however, most of the major players will almost certainly return.
That doesn't mean that a few well-loved characters won't be staying six feet under, though, as Thanos' rampage across the universe claims several victims before we get to the sure-to-be divisive endgame.
Who? Why? How? We break it all down below, but if you haven't seen Infinity War yet, it's obviously best to avoid these MAJOR SPOILERS and come back later.
To view all of the characters at once, simply click on the VIEW LIST (ONE PAGE) button below!
Heimdall
Our first casualty is guardian of the Bifrost and Thor's best mate, Heimdall.
Idris Elba's largely underutilized character summons the last of his energy to send The Hulk to earth, and pays the ultimate price when Thanos stabs him through the chest.
Could He Return? Highly unlikely. Though popular with fans, Heimdall was never a major character and it's doubtful that Marvel has any other plans for him moving forward.
Loki
As many of us expected, Loki also meets his maker in the opening scene.
When Tom Hiddleston's God of Mischief feigns loyalty to Thanos only to attempt an assassination, The Mad Titan proceeds to crush his throat right in front of Thor.
Could He Return? Also highly unlikely. Loki has been a huge part of the MCU for many years, but it looks the end of the road for him here. As Thanos quips after he dispatches him, "no resurrections this time."
Gamora
We lose one of the Guardians of the Galaxy in Infinity War, and it's heartbreaking stuff.
It turns out that Gamora is the only one that knows the location of the Soul Stone, and is forced to give up the information to Thanos when he tortures Nebula. In a cruel twist of fate, the only way The Mad Titan can retrieve the stone is by sacrificing what he loves, which results in his "daughter" being thrown to her death.
Could she return? It's possible, but probably not. The Russos promised that the deaths would stick, and while that's not going to be true of all of them (more on that later), we'd be very suprised if Gamora was resurrected.
The Black Order
Okay, so the members of The Black Order are hardly what you'd call main characters, but Thanos' henchmen - or some of them, at least - do play a pretty major role in the events of Infinity War.... then die.
Maw is the first to go when he's blasted into space by Iron Man, and Cull Obsidian, Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glaive are killed during the battle of Wakanda by Bruce Banner, Scarlet Witch, and Vision, respectively.
Could They Return? Nah.
Vision
Early on, the film sets up Scarlet Witch being the only one that can destroy the Mind Stone in Vision's head, and that's exactly what happens.
When Shuri's attempt to remove the stone without killing him fails, Wanda is forced to use her powers to shatter it, ending her lover's life in the process. Unfortunately, this turns out to be a futile effort, as Thanos simply uses the Time Stone to reverse these events and rip the stone out of the android's head himself.
Could he return? This is difficult to call. Though Vision is clearly "dead", the fact that he was an artificially created life-form means The Russos could find a satisfactory way of bringing him back.
Bucky, Falcon, Wanda, Black Panther, Groot, Drax, Mantis, Star-Lord, Doctor Strange And Spider-Man
Did we miss anyone? Oh yes, Nicky Fury and Maria Hill in the stinger.
Yes, right at the climax of the film, Thanos snaps his massive fingers and wipes out half the universe - and a whole lot of our heroes in the process.
Could they return? Without question. If we were talking about a handful of bit-players here then there might be some doubt, but Black Panther? Spider-Man? Most of the Guardians? These guys all have sequels coming for goodness sake! How it happens remains to be seen, but the Infinity Gauntlet and/or time travel will likely be a factor.