"You should have gone for the head."
"I finally rest. And watch the sun rise on a grateful universe."
After many years of build-up, Avengers: Infinity War ends with Thanos triumphant and 50% of the galaxy's population wiped out. Are they truly dead or trapped inside the Soul Stone? What did Doctor Strange view in his many glimpses of the future that resulted in Thanos' defeat? Click the next button below to check out some theories on what might lead to the salvation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
10. Captain Marvel
The most obvious route.
The stinger for Infinity War clearly set up the introduction of Brie Larson's Captain Marvel and positioned her as a powerful enough force that she alone, could tip the scales in The Avengers' favor. With a solo film set for release prior to Avengers 4, many questions will have to be answered regarding Carol Danvers' whereabouts in the MCU.
Is she in the quantum realm, off-world or locked away in some high-security S.H.I.E.L.D. facility? There are a lot of options in play and with Kevin Feige stating that the Marvel Cinematic Universe will retcon Danvers' comic book origins into the MCU's most powerful hero, who knows what additional abilities she will wield.
How Danvers' imminent arrival counter the apparent death of so many prominent heroes remains to be seen.
09. Adam Warlock
In the original comic book storyline, Adam Warlock played a huge role in Thanos' ambitious plans and eventual defeat as a deft wielder of the Soul Gem. Warlock's MCU arrival was teased at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and many fans assumed he would show up in Infinity War.
Director James Gunn quickly debunked that assumption and even took thing a step further, insinuating that fans shouldn't necessarily expect Warlock to show up in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 or Avengers 4. Gamora's manifestation inside the Soul Stone was eerily similar to Warlock's role in the comics and a potential indicator that Avengers 4 might follow course.
08. The Villains Get The Job Done
Will the MCU be saved by its greatest villains?
Though a prominent trope of the MCU for a number of years was that Marvel films always kill of their villains, there are actually a large number of them still around. Red Skull. Dormammu and Kaecilius. Mordo. Possibly Hela. Technically, Abomination is still imprisoned somewhere and who knows what the fate of Ghost will be by the end of Ant-Man and the Wasp.
Heck, if there's a chance the Vision could return without his Infinity Stone, there's also a possibility that all of Ultron's programming wasn't completely wiped out or that some of it made its way off world. Seeing the bad guys ride in to save the day where The Avengers failed would certainly be an interesting way to close out Phase 3, setting up The Dark Avengers for Phase 4.
07. The Living Tribunal
Generally speaking, there's nothing stronger in the Marvel Universe than the Living Tribunal, the cosmetic entity whose job is to maintain the balance of the universe. Could he/it take offense to Thanos doing his job for him? Does the Living Tribunal even exist in the MCU?
With the Russo Bros. eschewing Mistress Death as a motivator for Thanos, should fans take that as an indication that all of the higher-level, Marvel cosmic entities are viewed as too complex or geeky for cinema screens?
06. Nebula
Going back to the original Infinity Gauntlet comic book, Nebula was eventually able to get her hands on the Infinity Gauntlet after Thanos chose to ascend to a higher plane of existence. Nebula proved to be not as skilled as Thanos in wielding the Infinity Gauntlet and was ultimately tricked into undoing Thanos' "balancing of the universe" before losing the Infinity Gauntlet altogether.
Karen Gillan has previously stated that she was completely caught off guard by how important Nebula's role is in the MCU which has led many observant fans to believe that Avengers 4 will play out in a fashion similar to the comics.
05. Eon /Quasar
Designated the Protector of the Universe by Eon - an incredibly powerful cosmic entity, Quasar succeeds Mar-vell in the role. The Protector of the Universe is charged with nurturing all sentient life in the cosmos, making him something of a direct counter to Thanos and his nihilistic philosophies.
Eon's champion draws his powers from the Quantum Bands, which bestow its wearer with an incredible array of abilities. The only Protector of the Universe who held this title without the Quantum Bands was Mar-vell.
It's theorized that the MCU's version of Carol Danvers will become much more powerful than her comic book counterpart because she'll receive both Mar-vell's powers AND the Quantum Bands.
04. The Infinity Gauntlet
Obviously, if the Infinity Gauntlet can be used to wipe out 50% of the universe's population, it should certainly be capable of restoring it. Of course, the problem with that is the Infinity Gauntlet was seemingly damaged beyond repair after Thanos snaps his fingers.
That might seem like an insurmountable problem but there are actually two solutions. The mold for the Infinity Gauntlet was briefly glimpsed in Eitri's workshop so it's not hard to imagine him crafting a second one.
The other possibility is the Time Stone. Just as Thanos rewound time to thwart Vision's destruction, if the remaining Avengers can locate and wrest the Time Stone away from the Mad Titan, they should be able to rewind time around the Gauntlet and use it a second time to undo Thanos' cosmic destruction.
03. The Celestials
In the original Infinity Gauntlet comic book, the disappearance of 50% of the universe's population causes some serious cosmic heavy-hitters to seek out the cause. Those gathered to oppose Thanos include Galactus, Epoch, and a few Celestials.
While Galactus is still off the table until the Fox merger is finalized, it's certainly still possible that a few Celestials confront Thanos.
The first Guardians of the Galaxy film confirmed that the Celestials were the original wielders of the Infinity Stones so it stands to reason that they might want them back, especially if they view Thanos as unworthy of using them.
02. Thanos
"What did it cost?"
"Everything."
Who better to stop Thanos than Thanos? If you've read any of the Marvel comics featuring the Mad Titan as a central villain, you'll discover that the all-powerful baddie is often his own worst enemy.
In the original Infinity Gauntlet comic book, Adam Warlock was able to convince Thanos that deep within his subconscious, he felt unworthy to wield such awesome power. This deep revelation led Thanos to embark on a quest to undo all of the destruction that he had just unleashed. Infinity War did not see Adam Warlock make his MCU debut but Gamora appears to be playing a fairly similar role in the saga as something of an emissary of the Soul Stone. Will Avengers 4 see Gamora convince her surrogate father to atone for his actions?
01. The X-Men/Fantastic Four
There's literally no chance of this happening (outside of reshoots) but a fan can dream. Doctor Strange makes a habit of traveling to alternate realities so might one of those realms contain the mighty Marvel mutants?
If Fox and Disney are confident that the deal will be completed despite Comcast's persistence, perhaps they'll agree to a second deal that allows the X-Men and/or Fantastic Four to be introduced sooner than what everyone expects?