WARNING: If you haven’t watched the Avengers: Infinity War (seriously?), don’t proceed. Major spoilers ahead!
Now that we all have seen the Avengers: Infinity War, the tension is real high. The audience went through a session of silent shock as they saw many of their favourite superheroes slowly fade away. But we know that Marvel can’t afford to just kill off some of their highest grossing characters and the Avengers (the ones that remain) need all the help they can get. So, the question is, how does Marvel plan to restore the universe?
The post-credits scene of Avengers: Infinity War suggests the arrival of Captain Marvel, and is a precursor to her upcoming solo movie. As one of the strongest characters to have been introduced by the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), she is bound to play a pivotal role in the next Avengers. The Captain Marvel movie might feature an origin story that involves a two-eyed Nick Fury and a younger Ronan the Accuser.
So, let's delve into the comic book realm and speculate wildly on what awaits us.
The cosmic cube
One way to revive the characters, and undo the damage that Thanos has done, might lie with the “cosmic cube”. For the uninitiated, cosmic cube is an entity capable of transforming any wish into reality, irrespective of the consequences. Captain Marvel and Thanos once fought for the cosmic cube, which lends weight to the theory. The whole history of the cosmic cube and the big fight may feature in the upcoming Captain Marvel movie and the subsequent Avengers movie.
Undoing the sacrifice
The ending of Avengers: Infinity War did portray a realm, where Thanos meets the young Gamora. This realm is probably a construct of the Infinity Stones, more specifically, the Soul Stone. This critical scene has intrigued the MCU fans, and it might hold the answers to several of the questions sparked off by the ending. The Ant-Man and the Wasp might figure out a way (perhaps, with the help of Captain Marvel) into this realm, after they have perfected travelling in the atomic realm, and bring Gamora back, restoring the Soul Stone to its original abode. The Soul Stone, free from Thanos’s grip could be the key to reviving the lost heroes.
The neglected daughter’s revenge
Another possibility the comics offer is Nebula removing the totalled gauntlet when Thanos is astral-projecting himself, probably observing the universe he helped ‘save’ or probing into the possibility of a new gauntlet (is Eitri, the dwarf king, still in business?). Or he could have expanded his consciousness to the universe, beyond his body. Nebula reverses time with—you guessed it right—the Time Stone, reviving the ones who had to die for Thanos’s stable universe. Will Nebula become the next big villain, corrupted by the immense power?
Going back in time
The one possibility Stephen Strange spoke of, required Tony Stark to be alive and suggested the ‘random-genocide’. There is evidence of time-travel in Avengers 4. Photographs from the sets show original Avengers, who all happened to survive (coincidence?) along with Ant-Man. The Avengers were in their 2012 avatars—Thor with long hair, Cap in original costume, Tony Stark, Mark Ruffalo in CGI suit, and so on. The odd one out was Ant-Man and the movie might just reveal how he figures into the past. Alternate timeline?
The cost for Death
Thanos’s mission costs him “Everything”. When Thanos meets the young Gamora, he seems a bit solemn, even after he succeeds in his ‘noble’ mission. It could be due to the totalled gauntlet or it could be, Death. As in the Marvel comics, she can appear as a humanoid woman—an abstract entity with infinite amount of power and knowledge. She’s the one Thanos is obsessed with. In fact, the reason he collects the Infinity Stones (in the comics) is to destroy half of the universe, and, in turn, prove his love to her. But what if Death isn’t impressed? What if she never did care?
Knowing Marvel Studios, they might not adhere to just one of the comic book plots. The grand storyline, spanning nearly 12 years, has always turned out differently from most fan-theories. Marvel’s approach has always been one of homage to the comics rather than straight-up incorporation. There’s no explanation given for Valkyrie’s absence, along with other Ragnarok characters. So, they might figure in the next Avengers. Since Marvel never really used Adam Warlock in Avengers: Infinity War, it’s probable that he will be used in the upcoming Avengers movie. Vision might be beyond repair but we can hope that the God of Mischief, Loki—an absolute fan favourite—will be back in his characteristic mischievous manner.
