Now that the initial shock of watching the Avengers: Infinity War ending has had a few months to sink in, and now that the film is out on home video, many fans are taking another plunge into the expansive story of the record-breaking Marvel film. And the result of this re-engagement with the film, fans have proposed their own theories as to where the story could be taken in the future.
By now we’ve heard everything from time travel to mass resurrection and alternate dimensions - a lot of it from the cast and crew. But the most far-fetched theories are the ones that haven’t been afraid to speculate - based, of course, on what we’ve seen in Infinity War and the 19 other Marvel films so far.
But all eyes are now focussed on Avengers 4 (and Captain Marvel). Both films will shed more light on where Marvel is headed for the next decade in their journey. Marvel chief Kevin Feige recently told Vanity Fair, “There will be two distinct periods: everything before Untitled Avengers in May 2019, and everything after. We’re building it that way because it’s good storytelling, because it’s a good differentiator of how to continue to evolve and to grow. I know it will not be in ways people are expecting.”
Here are the top four fan theories that could very well come true in 2019, when Avengers 4 is released.
Ant-Man and the Quantum Realm
One question raised by fans concerned Doctor Strange and the Time Stone. If Doctor Strange knew that in order for the Avengers to win he would have to surrender the stone, why did he not hand it over sooner? A Redditor by the name of Trullius has a theory, which involves Ant-Man and the Quantum Realm - which we were introduced to in greater detail in the recent Ant-Man and the Wasp.
“I think Doctor Strange was waiting for Ant-Man to get in the Quantum Realm at the exact right point before the Pyms got snapped,” Trullius writes. “Any sooner and he wouldn’t be able to enter the Quantum Realm where he can intercept a time vortex.”
Loki is alive
While there are multiple theories that suggest exactly how Loki could have survived death - notably the one pointing out that he didn’t revert to his original Frost Giant state when he died, and another that notices how Loki used his wrong hand while fighting Thanos - here’s another for you to chew on. A Redditor called hockeytalkie thinks that Loki faked his own death so that he could enter Valhalla and summon Odin to help them defeat Thanos.
“Loki’s move against Thanos looks like suicide. So, it probably is,” the theory says. “In order for an Asgardian to get to Valhalla, they must die in battle. That would explain why Loki couldn’t just kill himself to accomplish his goals. Loki may not be an Asgardian, but as a son of Odin, he would probably be eligible to enter Valhalla. He just needed to perish while fighting. That would explain why Loki did exactly what he did--making a lame attempt to strike Thanos down and then dying brutally at Thanos’ hand. That was basically the quickest way for him to ensure a one-way ticket to Valhalla.”
Avengers 4 will have a back-door introduction to the X-Men
A Redditor who goes by Meme_abstinent posted a ‘very detailed’ theory predicting how the X-Men could be integrated into the MCU, based on the origins of mutants.
“Currently, Scarlet Witch is feared by most of the world due to the affects of Civil War,” the theory says. “The already frightened public realises that that damn Scarlet Witch is also a mutant! That creates the social riff like the comics, anyone could be a mutant and thus they are dangerous. Scarlet Witch was the first modern mutant other than her brother, so she will most likely want to help her fellow mutants. She’s already lost her family, it would make sense that her character desperately wants a new family. And since most of the Avengers she’s worked with will either die or retire and a new team comes in, I doubt her character will feel as at home. Also, Scarlet can crack under the pressure of leading the X-Men or even choosing sides and boom eventually House of M. (sic)”
Nick Fury knew about the snap too
The first of two theories, shared by an account named sjvkrgr1, notes Fury’s calm expression when people around him begin disintegrating after Thanos’ snap. He doesn’t look worried or panicked when his partner Maria Hill also dies. In fact, the theory suggests, this is the moment that Fury has been waiting for. Notice that he has the pager on him, as if he was prepared for this day. So with a look of calm determination, he summons Captain Marvel.
The second theory suggests that the Ancient One - played in Doctor Strange by Tilda Swinton - told Fury that an event like Thanos’ snap might happen, and then and only then should he call upon Captain Marvel. Remember, Doctor Strange said at the end of Avengers: Infinity War that he could foresee only one out of 14 million outcomes in which the Avengers defeat Thanos.