So… Joss Whedon has confirmed a significant death in Avengers 2, leaving fans to do nothing but speculate in between now and May. Here, I shall break down into groups the most and
least likely to bite the dust:
Group 1: Absolutely Not.
Tony Stark
When Robert Downey Junior’s contract expired upon the completion of Iron Man 3, Marvel entered intense negotiations to get him to agree to doing more movies, and the result was a 2-picture deal of Avengers 2 and Avengers 3. Given the kind of money they had to part with to get his John Hancock on a contract, there’s no way Marvel are going to snuff out Tony in Age Of Ultron, if at all. There’s rumours of Stark being put into a coma so to explain his absence in Phase 3, but that sounds more like a fanboy idea.
Steve Rogers
This is a similar issue, as Chris Evans still has the upcoming Captain America 3 and inevitable Avengers 3 left on his punchcard before he’s allowed to retire, and that’s exactly what he said he’d do. So though Evans is unlikely to renew his contract and will be replaced, Avengers 2 is way too soon for that. It’s entirely likely that the ‘Death of Captain America’ storyline will be played out in some form, The Winter Soldier doing well at the box office means he’s a big enough draw to keep around for at least one more solo movie.
Thor
Though Thor doesn’t have an upcoming movie slated (yet), the way Thor: The Dark World ended showed us there’s more story to be told in Asgard, wether that’s through a solo movie or an Avengers movie is unclear, but either way it will involve The God Of Thunder. Don’t expect him to be replaced by a lady any time soon either.
Group 2: Outside Chance.
Black Widow
There may have been a time when the chances of Scarlett Johansson’s crimson-haired-assassin getting offed were high, but her status as breakout character of The Avengers and fan-favourite in The Winter Soldier is hopefully keeping her safe. After all Loki was originally intended to die in Thor: The Dark World, but after realising the fan rioting this would cause, Marvel reversed the decision. While Black Widow probably won’t get her own movie, she’s described as having a large role in this movie, and can always pop up in other people’s movies. But with Joss Whedon's affinity for killing beloved characters without warning, she's not safe just yet.
Hawkeye
Sadly, this is the fan favourite for who’s gonna die: he’s technically an Avenger, recognisable enough that it might pack an emotional punch, but wouldn't break the plan Marvel has for future movies. The problem is, we’ve not really met Hawkeye yet: he got mind-controlled in the opening minutes of Avengers, only to be broken out of it towards the end before a massive action sequence. We don’t know anything about his character, so killing him before getting to know him would be a mistake. Also, Jeremy Renner has straight up said “No, I don’t die in this movie” as well as letting slip his involvement in Captain America 3. So either he’ll survive this movie, or Renner is a masterful liar.
Hulk
My personal favourite for who should die, for one reason: Marvel doesn’t really know what to do with him. Hulk is a character based on the premise of “you wouldn’t like him when he gets angry”, except the last time we saw him, he had his big “I’m always angry” moment where he heroically controls his transformation. Where does the character go from there? So he can control his powers, except sometimes when he gets really stressed? The popular idea is adapting the “Planet Hulk” story, where The Illuminati trick Hulk and send him into space to stop him causing more havoc, which is fine, but to go from the last time we saw him as “he’s got a handle on his powers!” to the very next time we see him is “we’re sick of your shit, Hulk, get in this rocket!” in the space of a movie seems like a rush-job. Ultimately, Hulk is replaceable as a character: his two skills are his scientific mind as a human, and smashing as Hulk. The Avengers currently has a scientific genius at the helm, and an Asgardian thunder-god with a hammer capable of smashing anything. Granted, he is the greatest excuse we have to seeing Avengers fighting each other. So Ultron is supposed to be a peacekeeping AI hellbent on eradicating everything that threatens ultimate peace? Sounds like he’d have a problem with Banner. You want to establish your villain as a threat? Have him kill the most notoriously hard to kill Avenger. This is pure fanboy speculation in my part.
Group 3: Danger Zone
Rhodey
With no plans for another Iron Man movie for the next five years or so, it’s hard to imagine what Marvel have planned for Rhodey beyond his appearance in Avengers 2. The roster is so packed that there isn’t room for another metal suited man. There’s always a chance that Marvel want Don Cheadle to take over for Robert Downey Jr in the future, wether that’s heading solo films or simply taking Stark’s spot in The Avengers. But five years is a long time, long enough for audiences to forget characters. If suddenly the summer of 2019 opens with a War Machine movie, will audiences flock to it because he had a bit part in The Avengers? Would Don Cheadle still be obligated to make Marvel movies if they’ve not done anything with him for half a decade? Tony Stark is still a massive draw, to the point where they’re better of eventually recasting the role rather than hoping his black sidekick will draw in the bucks. Rhodey isn’t exactly a beloved character, but he’s likely to be one we’re not gonna see for a long time, making him up for a heroic death.
Nick Fury
After SHIELD was taken down in the third act of Captain America 2, Nick Fury’s reason for being pretty much stops. He’s shown taking on a disguise and about to head to Europe to look for Hydra cells, but is there any reason to keep around the director of SHIELD when he’s not the director of SHIELD? The problem is that after his death-fakeout in Cap 2, would audiences believe he’s gone? Would Marvel write in that it was a Life Model Decoy?
Pepper?
Another Iron Man star. As far as anyone knows, Gwyneth Paltrow was only contracted for Iron Man 1-3, and it was at Robert Downey Juniors specific request that she appeared in The Avengers. With no Iron Man 4 on the horizon, she’s more or less in the same place as Rhodey. Could Ultron killing Pepper be the moment that convinces Tony Stark to put the armour back on?
Sound off with your thoughts below!