Avengers: Endgame — Top six theories, from Captain America's sacrifice to Ant-Man and the Quantum Realm

Avengers: Infinity War  had one of the most  shocking ending s for a movie ever. Our heroes, in all their efforts, had failed to save the universe. Thanos had achieved his goal of eliminating half of the universe. As the Avengers lost such a critical battle, it got everyone talking about the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

With the highly anticipated Avengers Endgame inching closer to its release, fans can’t stop postulating theories on how the surviving superheroes will save the day, how they will defeat Thanos, and the possible resurrection of the lost Marvel superheroes. While we won’t have any real answers until the movie comes out on 26 April, that won’t stop us from coming up with as many possible theories about our favorite characters — alive or dead — as possible. Hence, we sourced through the internet and narrowed down the best (maybe possible?) theories ahead of Avengers Endgame.

Captain America will sacrifice himself to save the rest

The theory states that the soul stone demands a sacrificial victim and it will be Steve Rogers taking the plunge. Rogers will chose death - so that someone else (probably Tony Stark) can wield the Infinity Gauntlet and save half the world.

Captain America aka Steve Rogers dying is a terrifying prospect in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as he holds the moral compass of the Avengers crew. In an interview with  Good Morning America , Chris Evans had mentioned that his official contract completes with Marvel after Endgame. Hence, having Captain America bow out by saving humanity with a self-sacrificing act seems a fitting end to a glorious journey.

Ant-Man and time travel

In Ant-Man and the Wasp, when Janet van Dyne tells Scott Lang not to get lost in a time vortex, it is very clear that it may be a deliberate piece of dialogue. Why would she mention it unless it was going to be important later on? Not to mention the fact that Scott gets out of the Quantum Realm on his own, somehow. Maybe he discovers a way to control and utilise the quantum realm. reports CBR .

Also, let us not sideline the fact that the most important moment in the Avengers: Endgame trailer was when Scott Lang is knocking on the door of the Avengers compound, asking them to buzz him in. Maybe it is a hint that he is going to be playing a fairly big role in how the story plays out.

Captain America to wield Thor’s Mjolnir

Despite Thor’s beloved Mjolnir getting destroyed in Thor: Ragnarok and him getting an even more powerful weapon — Stormbreaker — during Avengers: Infinity War, Mjolnir could make a return to the MCU in Endgame and be wielded by none other than Steve Rogers. A Reddit user claimed that the surviving heroes supposedly travel back in time to collect the Infinity Stones for a Stark-built Infinity Gauntlet. He further went on to explain that Cap has to pick up Mjolnir and use it to fight Thanos one-on-one.

Historically, only those deemed “worthy” can wield Mjolnir, so Cap wielding Mjolnir would totally be a huge deal, and it has roots in the comics. His worthiness also was hinted at back in Age of Ultron when everyone took turns trying to pick the hammer up. It wouldn’t budge for anyone until it shifted slightly for Rogers.

Captain Marvel is the key to defeat Thanos

During a post-credit scene in the recent Marvel film  Captain Marvel , the newly introduced superhero appears unannounced at the Avengers headquarters at some point after Thanos snapped his fingers, which eradicated half of the universe. In this post-apocalyptic moment, Captain America, Black Widow, Bruce Banner and James Rhodes are seen studying the pager, which they know is important because Fury activated it before he died. But they clearly can’t figure out what it does. Just as the pager goes blank, Captain Marvel appears.

“Where’s Fury?,” Brie Larson’s superhero asks. Her appearance in the scene confirms that she will be an integral part of the team right from the beginning. A  theory  suggests that her powers seem to rival those of Thor and that’s what makes her arrival so important. She is essentially the Avenger’s trump card.

An alternate universe

A theory penned by down by  Reddit user Enervata   claims that their is a way of resurrecting the lost Avengers without undoing the snap, and a way for some of the older characters to leave the Marvel Cinematic Universe without dying. He writes that the those heroes “snapped” are not dead whatsoever. Instead, they were transferred into an alternate reality so as to balance the multiverse. The theory continues to say that those in this new universe, including Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, Black Panther, and Scarlet Witch, will only have “faint memories of the past,” which is how the Marvel Cinematic Universe will progress forward into  Phase 4  and beyond.

Gamora will return

One of the most heartbreaking scenes in the Infinity War was when Thanos sacrifices his own daughter Gamora to earn the soul stone. However, according to a popular theory , Gamora’s soul is now trapped in the Soul Stone ( along with half the universe? ) and while it’s unlikely her dad will release her anytime soon, if one of the Avengers gets a hold of the Soul Stone, we can definitely expect Gamora back in action in time to help save the day.

Loki will return too

Loki’s death in Infinity War came much of a shock as it happened right away. However, there is a reason why Prince of Asgard is called as “God of Mischief”, considering he has returned back from the dead multiple times. A  Reddit theory   proposes that Loki might be manipulating Thanos into collecting all the Infinity Stones so he can then steal the gauntlet for himself and wield its power. Whether that theory proves right or wrong, fans are still fairly sure the Trickster God will be showing up in Avengers 4, one way or another. It is also reported that Loki is returning for a spin-off TV show , but we aren’t sure if it’s a sequel or prequel.