[WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Captain America: Civil War]
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The people who run the Marvel Cinematic Universe have been known to dispense their fair share of characters as they move their way toward Avengers: Infinity War, the two-part climax of the first three phases of the fledgling MCU.
It’s almost a rite of passage to find someone biting the big one in each film, though most of the characters made it out of the recent Captain America: Civil War (which, given its scope and the characters involved, might as well have been called The Avengers 2.5) unscathed.
Here’s a list of the 10 Marvel Characters Most Likely To Die Before (Or During) Avengers: Infinity War.
10. Captain America
Captain America has been a prime candidate to bite the dust for years now. Since he’s been the team leader, many have predicted that his demise would lead to the breakup of the Avengers and would pave the way for Thanos to set his plans into high gear. Cap’s demise would definitely have traumatic repercussions for the rest of the MCU and could be an almost automatic turn toward dark times for planet Earth.
Whichever movie Captain America could meet his demise is anyone’s guess, but rest assured as the team leader of the Avengers and their moral compass, he will be the one with a bullseye on his back. That said, some audience members were surprised that he survived the recent Civil War, which didn’t follow the story of the comic it was based on. So perhaps he’ll make it through Infinity War in tact.
9. Thor
Thor has faced down some powerful foes so far in his history within the MCU, from Malekith the Accursed, Loki, the Frost Giants, to the Hulk. There might be no greater foe than the one he is going to face in his next movie, Thor:Ragnarok. Do yourself a favor and read up on the Ragnarok mythology. You know it doesn’t turn out well for Thor in that story. Maybe things will play out differently in Marvel Studios’ version.
To make things worse for Thor, as defender and heir to the throne of Odin, he must be the first to protect Asgard from any threat, great or small. Asgard holds the Tesseract, which holds the Blue Space Stone. That would make his realm a prime target for Thanos, who would use every tactic at his disposal to attain the Space Stone. Thor would be on the frontlines of that battle, and if the Infinity War epic is any indication, Thanos will be successful in uniting the Infinity Stones. It doesn’t bode well for Asgard’s first son.
8. Vision
Vision is one of the most powerful beings on the planet. He’s a synthezoid who has the ability to fly, change his molecular structure to pass through walls and other beings around him. He is seemingly the perfect combination of nature and technology. That doesn’t make him invulnerable to attack.
If there’s anything to be said for Vision it’s that he is still learning about his abilities. He doesn’t have full control of his power. Vision’s life-force emanates from the Mind Stone (Yellow), which was once held by Loki’s scepter. Since he wears this Infinity Stone on his forehead, he’ll be a prime target for anyone who seeks to gain control of it. The Infinity War film will be probably reveal how Thanos gets all of the Infinity Stones together, so that means Vision will ultimately be losing the very thing that gave him life in the first place. So far, we have not been given any indication that Vision can sustain life without the Mind Stone. So it doesn’t look good.
7. The Collector
Taneleer Tivan (Also known as the Collector), collects a vast array of items in the known galaxy. He holds a massive intergalactic trove with rare inanimate objects and what he considers unique species living or otherwise. He operates out of the Knowhere port installation. He made his appearance first in Thor: The Dark World and then appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy. He’s been looking to unite all of the Infinity Stones for ages. He currently holds the Aether (Red Reality Stone).
The Collector is no match for Thanos or his foot soldiers. What form of defense the Collector has is anyone’s guess. Wherever Thanos places his focus, destruction usually follows. Will the Collector be able to stave off the sheer will of Thanos the Mad Titan? It’s unlikely. If he faces off against Thanos or his henchmen will he be able to survive? That is less likely.
6. Heimdall
When it comes to defending the Tesseract (Blue Space Stone), Heimdall will be right alongside Thor in defending it to the last. Currently, Heimdall is in possession and personally protecting this Infinity Stone. Heimdall’s power is great, and as the protectorate of the Rainbow Bridge, Heimdall is able to spot anyone that would try to infiltrate Asgard. The only person who has been known to evade Heimdall’s almost infinite awareness has been Loki. Now that Loki has infiltrated Asgard, will Loki open a backdoor to greater threats to the kingdom this time around?
In Thor:Ragnarok, Heimdall will find himself in the middle of the greatest war that Asgard has ever seen. There will most assuredly be many casualties. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him rush to the front lines to face whatever foes that will threaten the kingdom. He wouldn’t hesitate to lay down his life for the people of Asgard. It looks like it’s just what he might have to do. Whether it’s at the hands of Thanos, or by proxy, it’s almost certain Ragnarok will take more than one of its greatest champions.
5. Nova Prime/Corps
The Nova Corps are the intergalactic military and police force of the Nova Empire. They were introduced in Guardians of the Galaxy, and will most likely reappear in the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, which will be released next year on May 5th. Right now they are holding the Orb, which is the protective housing of the Power Stone (Purple). Irani Rael, aka Nova Prime, has taken responsibility for its safekeeping. She will not relinquish it at any cost, even if she must sacrifice her life.
When Thanos’ army of space pirates start their invasion of Xandar, will the Nova Corps be ready to withstand their attack? Will we see an entire fleet of the Nova Corps be wiped out? It’s not looking good for them or anyone who’s holding on to any Infinity Stone. It would be very interesting to see how Thanos takes the stone from the most protected vault on Xandar.
4. Nick Fury
Nick Fury (Sam Jackson) has been able to cheat death more times than anyone can count. He barely made it out of Captain America: Winter Soldierand was missing in action in Captain America: Civil War. Maybe it was smart of Fury to lay low or he would have found himself in the crossfire. Last time we saw him was in Avengers: Age of Ultron, where he was once again running S.H.I.E.L.D. and directing the Helicarrier. He’s managed to cloak himself and his division from international view for some time. Will his luck be finally running out?
There will come a point when not even Nick Fury will be able to lay low. He’s going to be forced to come out of the shadows and so will S.H.I.E.L.D., which is currently running outside of governmental jurisdiction. So far, he has not signed the Sokovia Accords, which would place him in the cross-hairs of the government and Tony Stark. It was confirmed by Kevin Feige that Nick Fury will be appearing in one film before Infinity War. It remains to be seen which movie that will be. Whether he’ll make it out alive is anyone’s guess.
3. Odin
Things are not looking good for Odin as it is. The last time we saw him was in Thor: The Dark World. Odin went into one of his deep sleep which is referred to as the “Odinsleep”. The older he gets the longer the Odinsleep gets. It’s a sleep where Odin recharges the “Odinforce”. While he sleeps he is left as vulnerable as a mortal man. When he’s asleep, Asgard is vulnerable to attack. That’s the time where the Frost Giants, Dark Elves, or whatever other enemies attack Asgard. This time around, things are more precarious for Odin, as Loki, his erstwhile son, seems to have abducted the sleeping Odin and taken on his form.
Has Loki killed Odin already? Or has Loki found a way to put Odin in a permanent sleep? Whatever it is, it seems like it might be directly connected to what ends up causing Ragnarok. With all of these developments and Thanos’ wrath on the horizon, Odin’s life has never been in more danger.
2. The Ancient One
The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) will be introduced in the upcoming Dr. Strange, which comes out on November 4, 2016. She will be Dr. Steven Strange’s mentor and a teacher of the mystical arts. In the comic books, where the character is a man, the Ancient One sacrifices his life to defeat a powerful demon named Zom. He fused his magical abilities with Dr. Strange, giving Strange the title of the Sorcerer Supreme.
It looks like Tilda Swinton will be playing a powerful being, but if we are to believe that Dr. Strange is going to take three movies to achieve the power she’s going to need to face off against the likes of Thanos, we’d be wrong. Dr. Strange will most likely play a pivotal role on the side of the Marvel heroes as they face off with Thanos and his Infinity Gauntlet, just as the character did in the Infinity War miniseries. She will need all the magical abilities she can get.
1. Hank Pym
Hank Pym (Kurt Douglas) is known as the greatest mind on the planet. It’s hard to imagine, but in the comics, his intellect was said to even surpass Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four. He was the original Ant-Man and he helped start Pym labs which he lost control of in a corporate takeover. When we next see Hank Pym, he will be in the twilight of his years. He’s been around long enough to have served in S.H.I.E.L.D with Peggy Carter, so the timing might be right to have Pym step off to the sunset once Ant-Man and the Wasp hits theaters July 6th 2018.
What drives Pym more than anything is the ability to pass the torch off to his daughter and Scott Lang. In the next film, we’re going to see his daughter Hope Van Dyne take on the role as the Wasp, and Scott Lang will continue to explore and improve his abilities through the mentorship of
Hank Pym.
So do you agree with the list? Do you think there were any characters that should have been added? What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments section.
