“Avengers: Endgame” Speculation

With Endgame approaching in less then a month, it’s time to put on our tinfoil hats and speculate, purely based on what we know thus far from the Marvel Cinematic Universe canon and my personal opinions.

1. Nebula delivers the fatal blow to Thanos

   This is partly based on old Marvel Comics storylines, but the tension between Thanos and his daughter Nebula has been developed over several films: Nebula struggles to impress his father in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014); she vows to go after his father for all the abuse to Gamora and her at the end of GotG Vol. 2 (2017); and she works alongside the protagonists to take down Thanos on Titan in Infinity War (2018). With her sister and only person she cares for dead by Thanos’s hands, it would be fitting for Nebula to end this family feud by killing Thanos. Let’s face it, it’s highly unlikely for Thanos to survive the next Avengers film.

   Edit: While Nebula did not get her revenge on her father, the act of killing the alternate Thanos-worshipping self is a nice nod to show her character’s progress from Thanos’s weapon to righteous Guardian of the Galaxy.

    

   

2. Captain Marvel’s “Mary Sue” powers will be dampened by the damage on the Infinity Gauntlet

   Carol Danvers’s seemingly-almighty photonic powers will be hindered by the damage the Infinity Gauntlet endured due to the Decimation. Since Danvers’s powers come from her exposure to the experimental energy-core, which itself is derived from experiments on the Tessaract (the Space Stone), her powers may be less effective as it is 20 years ago in the franchise’s canon since we see the vessel of the Infinity Stones damaged after Thanos’s infamous snap.

   Edit: Captain Marvel’s powers remain inconsistent throughout the battle, especially in the final battle (she can punch through Thanos’s mothership but falls when he punches her with the Power Stone), ultimately making her appearance in Endgame seemed forced and tagged on. That is what happens when you film the character’s later appearances before her own solo film.

   

3. Captain America takes Gamora’s place as the sacrifice in the Soul Stone

   GotG Vol. 3 seems unlikely to move forward without Gamora, a fan-favourite of the sub-franchise. Perhaps undoing the effects of the Decimation, requires another sacrifice to ensure that the bearer of the Soul Stone understands its price (as mentioned by Red Skull in Infinity War). Who better to take the place than the hero with the purest of heart and soul, Steve Rogers aka Captain America. A nice way for Chris Evans to exit his role while providing possible returns in the future.

   Edit: While I did not get this correct perfectly, I am glad to see another original Avenger taking the fall (pun intended) instead. Perhaps the assassin-turned-hero Natasha Romanoff is more suited for the redemption arc than the goody-two-shoes Steve Rogers.

   

4. Tony Stark (Iron Man) dies at the end of Endgame
   

   However you may want to see this, this Infinity Saga (according to Marvel Studios) revolves primarily around Stark: his revelation and hero-origin in Iron Man (2008) and The Avengers (2012); his trials and fall in Age of Ultron (2015) and Civil War (2016); and his mentoral role and hero-redemption in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) and Infinity War. While it is unclear of Robert Downey Jr.’s future with Marvel Studios, his death in Endgame would be bittersweet. An end of an era, one brought about by a previously-B-list superhero in the comics.

   Edit: My first correct guess, and it was a big one. “I am… Iron Man” and “I love you 3000” are going down as some of the most epic and emotional moments in the MCU.

   

5. One, if not all, of the 6 original Avengers exit the film franchise in Endgame
   

   Hypothesis 3 and 4 may present grim ends for one of the 6 original Avengers from the first Avengers film, but this hypothesis speculates a more hopeful ending for the 6 Avengers. Perhaps it is purely coincidental for all 6 of them to survive the Decimation? Whether they die by the hands of the villain, exit in a coffin or ride into the sunset saving the day, the departure of Captain America, Iron Man, Black Widow, Hulk, Thor and Hawkeye leaves more space for a new roster of Avengers.

   Edit: With two dead (IM & BW), one retired (CA), one MIA (HE), one benched by injury (H), and one off-world (T), it is good to say that the Original 6 are not returning to the roster any time soon. Not like they have 50+ others waiting for the call to join…

   

6. The “endgame” does not take place on the original timeline.

   In Infinity War, we learnt from Doctor Strange that out of the 14,000,605 timelines and outcomes he saw, only one timeline has triumphed over Thanos and presumably prevented the Decimation – the “Snappening” – and it is not this timeline that we’ve witnessed over the past decade of films. Since the quantum realm and even time travel have been speculated, WHAT IF by travelling to the past to stop the Decimation from happening, the protagonists help create an alternate timeline where Thanos is defeated. This could potentially be one way to bring back supposedly-dead characters like T’Challa, Star-Lord and Bucky, or even Loki and Gamora. This could explain how Spider-Man is alive in Far From Home (although the film could still take place pre-Infinity War).

   Edit: The time travel element of the plot is interesting, so is revisiting key moments of MCU’s history, but the ramifications of loosy-goosy explanations for time travel is going to mess with your plot structure.

   

7. Endgame ends with two Avengers teams – Earth-bound and Space-exploring

   No matter if the Decimation is prevented or not, moving on, the protagonists will split into at least two teams: one consisting of street-level heroes like Spider-Man and Black Panther to act on Earth-based threats; and another consisting of cosmic-based heroes like Thor and Captain Marvel to fight off extra-terrestrial threats. Speculation of who is on each team requires a whole other list.

   Edit: While not confirmed, we do see Peter Parker returning to normal life on Earth while Thor joins the Guardians in space. With the post-credits from Far From Home, this seems more than confirmed.

   

8. The actions of Endgame will give rise to another franchise-spanning villain

   Numerous science-fiction film franchises rectify their time travel paradoxes of changing the past by introducing another problem that threatens the protagonists once again. Whether Endgame takes place on the original timeline or not, the franchise will need a new villain moving forward. BUT this new villain will not be teased in one of Endgame‘s post-credits scenes. They’ll probably hide it in one of the future films to accommodate filmography changes after the Fox-Disney merger in early 2019. Again, speculation of who this villain is requires a whole other list.

   Edit: Right about Endgame not teasing a new villain but the ending does tease possible routes that the MCU could head down. West Coast Avengers, Cosmic Avengers, perhaps?

   

While I personally hope Hypothesis 6 to happen in the upcoming film, it is of utmost importance to speculate responsibly and to respect whichever decision the filmmakers decide upon. Too many film fandoms have been torn apart because of toxic arguments between passionate members of the fan community. My purpose of this article is not to gain attention or fame from my ideas, but to facilitate healthy speculation and discussion in fan conversations. Just because the film does not work out the way you anticipated, does not mean it is “bad” or “ruined”. Each filmmaker has his own take on the franchise, just like every fan. The only way for the fandom to thrive is the harmony between fans and creators.

Images from FANDOM.