Photo: Marvel Studios
Your heroes are going to die and there’s nothing you can do about it. You can cry, you can pout, you can leave mean comments on message boards, but none of it matters.
For 10 years, audiences have witnessed the rise and the fall of earth’s mightiest heroes. In Avengers: Endgame, they will surely rise again, but at what cost? The heroes who started it all look to pass the torch to a new generation, and we just don’t know if we’re ready.
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At the end of Infinity War, Thanos wiped out half of Earth’s population, including Nick Fury, Black Panther, Spider-Man, The Winter Soldier, and more. One has to assume those people will be brought back in Endgame, probably due to the sacrifice of at least a few of the original heroes.
But whereas the final moments of Infinity War were real downers (we still hear “I don’t want to go, Mr. Stark” in our nightmares), the end of Endgame is sure to be a triumphant one, even if some of our favorites don’t live to see it.
Here are the eight Avengers who probably won’t make it. But just remember; it’s not goodbye, it’s MCU later.
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MCU Later
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8. Nebula
Full disclosure: we don’t like Nebula. While we’re not actively rooting against her, we also don’t care too much about her fate. Her character is one of the few misses of the MCU and the only time she was interesting was when she was being used as a pawn of Thanos. If sacrificing Nebula means getting back Gamora, we’re all for it. Nebbles is one of the few characters in this universe that will be gone and probably forgotten.
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7. War Machine/James Rhodes
With all due respect to Don Cheadle’s incredible acting, nobody really cares about War Machine. War Machine only works if he’s bantering with Iron Man and, if one of our other predictions turns out to be true, there will be no Iron Man to banter with.
Thus, there will be no need for War Machine.
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6. Iron Man/Tony Stark
This one hurts. We’ve got Stark smack dab in the middle of our predictions because we’re torn between our heads and our hearts. In our hearts, we want Tony Stark to live forever. He’s the one who started it all and we can’t imagine a Marvel Cinematic Universe without its center.
That being said, there’s not much more of Tony’s story left to tell. His character arc has come full circle and then some. He saved the world (multiple times), made peace with his father, made peace with himself, made some friends and got the girl. We don’t know for sure if Tony Stark will die or just retire, but we hope it’s the latter because he has definitely earned a happy ending.
But, Cap’s words from the first Avengers still echo in our heads: “The only thing you really fight for is yourself. You’re not the guy to make the sacrifice play.”
Stark has proven Cap wrong before but, in Endgame, he might prove him wrong once and for all.
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5. Thor
Of what use is the King of Asgard, if there is no Asgard to be king of? With his father, his mother, his brother, his sister and most of his friends dead, the only family Thor has left are the Avengers. For this reason, we see the God of Thunder bringing the hammer down on Thanos, avenging his friend and his brother, Loki. His efforts will make a serious dent in Thano’s onslaught but, in doing so, Thor will offer the only thing he has left to give- his life.
Of course, in the world of Thor, death is never truly forever, is it?
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4. Hulk/Bruce Banner
Mark Ruffalo is, easily, the most likable version of Hulk we’ve seen in movies (that’s right; suck it, Bana). That said, there’s only so much story you can tell about a big green rage monster. We don’t see any solo Hulk movies in the future, so now may be the time for Hulk to do something incredible one last time.
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3. Okoye
Okoye is one of Wakanda’s greatest warriors and one of Black Panther’s closest friends/advisers. She is a master of the bow staff and is loyal to her king. While Black Panther himself would never request that Okoye sacrifice herself, she would make that decision in a heartbeat if it meant protecting her king or the people who need him.
For that reason, and the actress behind the character’s TV schedule, we can’t see Okoye coming out of Endgame alive.
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2. Drax The Destroyer
Granted, this outcome seemed a lot more likely right after James Gunn was fired from ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.’ Dave Bautista was extremely outspoken in his defense of Gunn and he even crossed enemy territory with Gunn when he was cast in the Gunn-directed Suicide Squad film for DC.
Fortunately, issues were resolved and Gunn was hired back to complete his Guardians trilogy. We’re not sure if Bautista will be following though. There may still some tension between Big Dave and the House of Mouse that could result in Drax’s death. Plus, out of the Guardians, Drax is the most expendable, as much as we hate to say it.
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1. Captain America
He may be just a kid from Brooklyn, but Captain America is the heart and soul of the Avengers. We said Tony Stark was the one who started it all, but it could be argued that this entire story started with Steve Rogers. He was "The First Avenger," after all.
After three “solo” movies and three “team up” movies, Rogers has more than earned the shield that Howard Stark created for him. He was the conscience of the team and he has been and always will be “The First.” Sadly, he will also be one of the last to die at the hands of Thanos. Cap will sacrifice himself, because that’s what Cap does. He will fight. He will never stop fighting. Even when he’s on his last legs, with blood in his eyes and a broken shield, he will defiantly pick himself up, wipe himself off and tell Thanos that he “could do this all day.”
The day is over, Captain. You’ve earned your chance to rest. More than that, you’ve earned the chance to reunite with Peggy Carter. She’s been waiting a long time for you to finally ask, “May I have this dance?”
