Avengers: Infinity War – Predicting Who Lives and Who Dies

Chris Evans’ contract is just about up, and he’s already expressed his interest in shifting to a career behind the camera. That being said, it’s highly likely Captain America bites the bullet, perhaps setting the stage for one of his protégés to pick up the mantle in his stead.

Killing off the Sorcerer Supreme is a practical decision, as it allows Marvel to achieve the shock value that comes with seeing a major character die, but it can also be easily undone or explained away, given Doctor Strange’s mystical abilities. For example, maybe he was never really dead at all, but instead in the astral plane. 

Given the nature of Drax and Thanos’ relationship in the comics, this could really go either way. However, since we know we’re getting Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Dave Bautista’s Drax is a fan-favorite, we’ll say he’s safe… for now.

If Captain America dies, Marvel would likely go with either Falcon or Winter Soldier/White Wolf to take up his mantle. Considering Bucky is already being rebranded for Infinity War, the odds are in Sam’s favor, so don’t expect to see him go anywhere anytime soon.

Much like Drax, it’s likely Gamora will live to see GotG 3. In fact, she could end up being instrumental in taking down Thanos, either in Infinity War or Avengers 4, by essentially taking on a role similar to that of Nebula in the Infinity Gauntlet miniseries.

Harkening back to Doctor Strange, killing someone like Groot leaves Marvel with an easy out. We’ve already seen Groot die and be reborn (as the original Groot’s son, according to James Gunn), so the character wouldn’t need to be gone for good – just long enough to sell Thanos’ might. 

If you ask most Marvel fans, Clint Barton’s been living on borrowed time since Avengers: Age of Ultron, where many thought he’d meet his maker. Couple that with his absence from most of the Infinity War marketing, and the writing’s practically on the wall. 

Last year, Mark Ruffalo said that Thor: Ragnarok would kick off a three-movie arc for the Green Goliath. With Infinity War being movie number two, that still leaves (at least) one more cinematic outing for the Hulk, so he’s most likely safe.

It would certainly be fitting for the character who started the MCU as we know it to go out with a bang in Infinity War. In fact, given the mentor/mentee relationship Marvel has established between Iron Man and Spider-Man, this would make for a perfect passing-of-the-torch moment.

Tom Hiddleston’s God of Mischief has been an absolute delight, but truthfully, what else is there for Loki to do in the MCU? We’ve seen him waffle between various allegiances over and over again, and since he’s seemingly fulfilled his purpose, why not kill him off to help fuel an emotional plot thread for Thor?

Much of Infinity War appears to take place in Wakanda, so of course, some Wakandans will die in the ensuing battle. However, rather than killing off no-name background characters, killing off someone fans have come to like, who’s also not a truly “major” character, is a great way to generate drama (see: Phil Coulson in The Avengers).

Having just been introduced in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Mantis is still relatively new to the MCU. Not only is there still plenty for her to do moving forward but also there wouldn’t be too much emotional impact if she were to die at this stage of the game. 

Thanos killing one of his daughters is a brilliant way to sell the Mad Titan’s ruthlessness, but, as discussed earlier, it probably won’t be Gamora. That being said, Nebula is a character whose death wouldn’t necessarily overwhelm the audience, but it would help position Thanos as a true sadist.

When we get our Black Panther sequel, we’re definitely going to get more of the Dora Milaje, so expect the figurehead of that faction to make it out of Infinity War alive. Besides, offing T’Challa’s right-hand woman feels like overkill. 

Not only is it likely that Pepper will die but she’ll likely die before Tony, which could explain why we see him in the teaser trailer with tears in his eyes. Her death would help motivate Tony in the fight against Thanos, setting the stage for what should be the most beautifully tragic death in the MCU.

If Groot dies, Rocket isn’t going to die, as well. Likewise, if Groot is eventually reborn, the character is going to need Rocket around to play off of and translate for him. Therefore, Rocket Raccoon is safe by default.

Given her power set, as well as the fact that her brother was already killed in Age of Ultron, it seems unlikely that Scarlet Witch would die in Infinity War. Again, it’s in Marvel’s best interest to keep as many of its prominent female characters on the table, and let’s not forget the possibilities if/when the X-Men join the MCU. (House of M, anyone?)

In addition to Spider-Man, Shuri could also benefit significantly from Tony Stark’s potential exit from the MCU. Given her technological skills, many believe she’s being groomed to become the MCU stand-in for RiRi Williams/Ironheart, and that’s certainly a strong possibility. 

Yes, it’s likely Spider-Man will be the spiritual successor to Iron Man in the MCU, but let’s not forget that the character is partially owned by Sony, as well. Do you think Sony’s going to let Marvel kill off Spider-Man after finally turning the franchise around?

See: Drax, Gamora, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, etc.

Thanos’ reign of doom in the MCU isn’t likely going to end in Infinity War. Remember, Avengers 4 was originally going to be Infinity War Part II, so we’ll probably see him standing tall as Infinity War comes to a close, leaving an opening for him to be defeated in the next film.

Chris Hemsworth is another actor who’s nearing the end of his contract, and fans have been vocal about wanting to see a female Thor, a la Jane Foster, on the big screen. That being said, even if Thor does die, he’s an Asgardian, so who’s to say it has to be permanent, anyway?

Since Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster has already exited the MCU, Valkyrie would be the perfect stand-in to take up Thor’s mantle if/when he’s taken permanently/temporarily off the table. 

He has the Mind Stone embedded in his forehead, and we know it’s going to end up in Thanos’ Infinity Gauntlet eventually. Sure, we’ve seen some photos of Vision without it in Infinity War, but that doesn’t mean he’ll live all that long after being separated from the very thing that gave him life in the first place.

Even if Spider-Man and/or Shuri end up serving as Iron Man’s would-be replacements, it would still make sense to keep some sort of tie to Tony Stark around. War Machine could easily be that tie, as well as something of a mentor to whoever succeeds Tony.

Should Captain America die, it would be smart to keep both of his protégés around. For one, it would create a sense of mystery regarding which one takes up the mantle, but also, Bucky’s rebranding as White Wolf means he might have a role to play in Black Panther 2.

Would killing Wong really achieve anything? Probably not, so expect Doctor Strange’s primary supporting character to stick around for the inevitable sequel.