Which Avengers will live and die in Avengers: Endgame

Why Captain America probably won’t survive Avengers: Endgame. And why Black Panther will.

This article contains spoilers regarding the end of Avengers: Infinity War.

At the end of Avengers: Infinity War, most of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes could have gone home in an ashtray. Thanos, the mad Titan obsessed with overpopulation and its toll on the universe’s finite resources, finally assembled the Infinity Gauntlet — and used its power to decimate half of all life in the universe.

The ending was single-handedly the most shocking thing to happen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since its creation more than a decade ago.

Marvel movies, like their comic book source material, interlock and set the table for the others. For example, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’s universe-jumping set up a bridge to Thor: Ragnarok and its wormhole-jumping. Thor: Ragnarok then set up Infinity War with a post-credits scene in which Thanos attacked the Asgardian rescue ship. And in Infinity War, the Guardians’ encounter with Thor called back to the way Guardians Vol. 2 established that the Guardians and Thor live in a shared world.

But then Infinity War presented something of a dead end. The movie ended with a cliffhanger and a question: Who is going to save the day after so many Avengers bit the dust?

Because so many major MCU characters — Black Panther, Spider-Man, and Star-Lord, to name a few — were dusted at the end of Infinity War, the only thing the movie really set up is its story’s inevitable resolution (and the presumed resurrection of at least a few of those dusted characters) in Avengers: Endgame.

So in the meantime, to maintain the mystery of what lies ahead, the promotions for Endgame have only featured characters who survived Infinity War, and a stark lack of any forward progress or fight scenes.

Further, the only Marvel movie that will come out in 2019 before Endgame is Captain Marvel, an origin story of its titular hero that’s set in the 1990s, and thus takes place before the events of Infinity War and all of Marvel’s superhero movies aside from Captain America: The First Avenger (which was set in 1942).

Setting Captain Marvel in the ’90s allows the studio to release a solo superhero movie between Infinity War and Endgame without affecting any story connections that were previously established in other films. Captain Marvel will also open the door for Captain Marvel to help save the day in Endgame.

But something strange happened in January, when Marvel released the first trailer for Spider-Man: Far From Home:

Spider-Man: Far From Home is due out July 5, 2019. The movie is supposed to take place post-Endgame, and both Spider-Man and Nick Fury appear in the trailer, looking alive and well even though they died in Infinity War. That means the characters will have to be revived in Endgame to carry on in this sequel. So in a roundabout way, seeing Peter Parker alive and slinging in Spider-Man: Far From Home is confirmation that Spidey and others will be resurrected in Endgame.

That’s sparked a debate over whether the Far From Home trailer has “ruined” the stakes of Infinity War and spoiled Endgame. There’s a valid argument there — that the Marvel promotion machine is apparently more important to the studio than storytelling. However, anyone who’s ever read Marvel comic books knows the only person who has ever stayed dead is Uncle Ben, and that some characters die and are brought back to life over and over again (see: Grey, Jean).

With that said, for those who don’t mind being a little bit spoiled and who can appreciate the cyclical resurrection of comic book characters, we’ve cobbled together our best bets — based on planned future sequels, what certain actors have said in interviews and on social media, and the reality of Marvel contracts — for who else will be making a comeback in Endgame like Peter Parker and Nick Fury.

Here’s a list of Marvel’s most important heroes, a refresher on when we last saw them, and what to expect for them in Endgame.

Captain America

Last seen in Infinity War: Alive! Captain America, a.k.a. Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), was in Wakanda with the Avengers and survived Thanos’s finger snap.

Is he/she going to stay that way at the end of Endgame? If there’s any character who will almost certainly not survive Endgame, it’s most likely Cap. Story-wise, Infinity War jumped around a lot from character to character, which didn’t really allow for individual superhero stories to be told (aside from Scarlet Witch and Vision’s romance and Thor’s loss and redemption).

When we did get Cap time, there was a lot of emphasis on him “not trading lives” — he wasn’t going to take the mind stone from Vision and let Vision die to stop Thanos from completing the Gauntlet. Endgame could flip that theme and have Cap sacrifice his life for others. He is Earth’s most selfless hero, after all.

Further, in October 2018, Evans tweeted a goodbye to the character, thanking fans for the memories. And during the Infinity War press tour earlier that year, he stated that 2019 (when Endgame comes out) would be “it.” “I don’t know what’s next — but by 2019, that’s it,” he said.

Future sequel: None announced.

Iron Man

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Last seen in Infinity War: Alive but stranded in space after surviving Thanos’s finger snap while on Titan with the Guardians of the Galaxy.

The Endgame trailer provides a glimpse of Iron Man, a.k.a. Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), post-Infinity War. Stark is seen in the trailer recording a goodbye message to Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow). He is floating in space (with Nebula, most likely, since she is the only other known survivor who was on Titan when Thanos snapped his fingers), and in the message, he says they have run out of food and water and will run out of oxygen soon.

Is he/she going to stay that way at the end of Endgame? We have no idea. What’s fascinating is how the first Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer goes out of its way to make it seem like Stark doesn’t survive Endgame (the movie is set post-Endgame). If you look closely, a check from Stark Industries is signed by Pepper Potts instead of Stark. Also, Happy tells Peter Parker that “he’s all alone,” and Stark, who is Parker’s father figure in both Spider-Man: Homecoming and Infinity War, doesn’t appear in the trailer.

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This could all point to Stark dying in Endgame, sure, or it could be a red herring — Pepper Potts is the public face and CEO of Stark Industries; Parker could be all “alone” in Europe, where Far From Home is set; and Stark could appear in the movie but purposely not in the trailer to raise speculation. What’s more, one of Parker’s classmates refers to Stark in the present tense, further signaling that he might still be alive.

Still, while Stark may not die in Endgame, the film could be the end of the road for the character. According to Robert Downey Jr.’s fellow Marvel star Evans, Downey’s contract — along with Evans’s and Chris Hemsworth’s (Thor) — are all “kinda” finished with Endgame.

“Myself, Downey, Hemsworth, we all kind of started roughly at the same time, and I think we all, through Avengers 4, kind of wrap it up,” Evans told Good Morning America in 2018, during the press tour for Infinity War.

Future sequel: None announced.

Thor

Last seen in Infinity War: Alive! Thor (Chris Hemsworth) was in Wakanda and almost killed Thanos but didn’t quite manage it, and Thanos was able to snap his fingers.

Is he/she going to stay that way at the end of Endgame? Probably. There’s a possible clue about Thor’s fate in the Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer. Some of Peter Parker’s classmates see Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal), and one of them says “he’s like Iron Man and Thor rolled into one.” Thor and Iron Man are referred to in the present tense in the trailer for a movie that’s supposed to take place after Endgame, seemingly indicating that they could still be alive. If Thor (and I suppose Iron man also) had been killed, the tense might have shifted.

Also, Marvel getting rid of Thor after the first really great Thor movie doesn’t make much sense. Ragnarok — the third film in the Thor franchise — was a big success for the character, as well as for Hemsworth and director Taika Waititi. In fact, in early 2018, after the release of Ragnarok, Hemsworth told USA Today that he and Waititi envisioned at least one more Thor movie.

”We gave cheers to Thor 3. But it also was like, ‘What could we do with four? We could do this and this.’ We were throwing ideas around,” Hemsworth said. “But also, just to work together again. That was one of the most enjoyable creative partnerships I’ve ever had.”

If there is another Thor movie, it may indicate that Hemsworth has more movies in his Marvel contract than previously thought (especially after Evans said that he, Hemsworth, and Downey had contracts that would be complete with Endgame).

Hemsworth has said Avengers: Endgame is it for his contract, but in a curious turn, he only talked about his run as Thor as “potentially finishing,” not definite or permanent.

“Contractually, right now — yeah, this is it. I’m done. I won’t be playing the character again,” the actor told USA Today in an interview in 2018. “This [playing Thor] really seemed like this never-ending thing. And now it’s potentially finishing.”

Future sequel: None announced.

Ant-Man

Last seen in Infinity War: Not at all. Steve Lang, a.k.a. Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), was not in Infinity War because he was busy headlining Ant-Man and the Wasp, which came out a few months after Infinity War but takes place right before or during the events of Infinity War. In Ant-Man and the Wasp’s post-credits scene, Ant-Man’s team — Hank Pym, Janet van Dyne, and Hope van Dyne, a.k.a. the Wasp — were all vaporized.

Is he/she going to stay that way at the end of Endgame? Ant-Man is a weird case, in that the trailer for Endgame has him showing up and surprising Captain America and Black Widow with his existence. They thought he was dusted — which suggests that he may be key to undoing Thanos’s snap.

Because of leaked Endgame set photos in which some of the Avengers are seen wearing Quantum Realm devices, fans have speculated that the Quantum Realm will function as a means of time travel for the Avengers, perhaps to travel back in time to before Thanos snapped his fingers.

But again, that’s all speculation.

Contract-wise, it’s believed that Marvel usually makes its actors sign commitments for six movies. Rudd has appeared in just three so far, including the two Ant-Man films plus Captain America: Civil War.

Future sequel: None announced.

Black Panther

Last seen in Infinity War: Dusted. After Thanos’s finger snap, Black Panther, a.k.a. T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman), was helping Okoye up, leading the audience to believe he survived — until he disintegrated at the last second.

Is he/she going to stay that way at the end of Endgame? No. Do not bet on Marvel permanently killing off its most successful superhero to date. Domestically, Black Panther is both the most successful Marvel movie in history and the third-highest-grossing film of all time. So future films centered on the character are pretty much a given.

Further, in an interview with Screen Rant, Angela Bassett confirmed that her character Ramonda (Black Panther’s mother) and Letitia Wright’s character Shuri (Black Panther’s sister) both survived the snap.

Future sequel: Yes. Director Ryan Coogler has signed on to direct a sequel to Black Panther, which is currently in development but doesn’t yet have a release date.

Black Widow

Last seen in Infinity War: Alive! Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) was with the Avengers in Wakanda and survived Thanos’s finger snap.

Is he/she going to stay that way at the end of Endgame? Probably. Black Widow has been a fixture in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for a while, but unlike Marvel’s other cornerstone heroes, she has not yet had a standalone movie. Her first solo film was finally announced in 2018, though the details surrounding the project, including its synopsis (it could very well be an origin story that predates Endgame) and an exact release date (rumors have its release in 2020), have been slim.

Future sequel or appearance: Yes. A standalone Black Widow movie reportedly begins filming in February.

Bucky Barnes

Last seen in Infinity War: Dusted and dead. Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) was in Wakanda and was vaporized by Thanos’s finger snap.

Is he/she going to stay that way at the end of Endgame? Probably not. This is all contingent on Captain America’s fate, but if Endgame is indeed Chris Evans’s last appearance as Steve Rogers/Captain America, it seems like Cap will need his close friends — like Bucky Barnes and Falcon, probably — to carry on his legacy. In the comic books, Bucky even takes up the shield and becomes Captain America when Rogers is killed (though Rogers later returns in a future storyline). That kind of plot turn could easily be reflected in the movies.

Further, Bucky is reportedly going to be featured in a future streaming TV series with Falcon.

Future sequel or appearance: None announced, but Disney is reportedly developing a TV series about Bucky Barnes and Falcon.

Captain Marvel

Last seen in Infinity War: Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) wasn’t in Infinity War. But her signal/logo/insignia appeared in the movie’s post-credits scene, in which Nick Fury disintegrated while trying to contact her.

Is he/she going to stay that way at the end of Endgame? Captain Marvel is absolutely going to survive Endgame. Marvel Studios head honcho and architect of the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe Kevin Feige has said that Captain Marvel will be the future of the MCU. Brie Larson has just started her contract. Captain Marvel is coming to help save the world in Endgame, and will undoubtedly appear in future Marvel movies to protect it.

Future sequel: No Captain Marvel films after Endgame have been announced, but Captain Marvel comes out on March 8, 2019. If it’s hugely successful, expect sequel talk to begin shortly thereafter.

Doctor Strange

Last seen in Infinity War: Dusted. Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) was on Titan with Tony Stark, Spider-Man, and the majority of the Guardians of the Galaxy when he was vaporized. As noted above, Stark and one of the Guardians, Nebula, were the only characters on Titan who survived. Strange tells Stark “there was no other way” before vanishing.

Is he/she going to stay that way at the end of Endgame? Nope. Doctor Strange is one of the most recent additions to the Avengers — and any of the team’s heroes who were not present during 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron are considered part of the new crew. After starring in his own movie in 2016, Doctor Strange had a brief scene in Thor: Ragnarok, and then moved straight on to Infinity War. There’s still a lot of Strange’s story to tell, and there’s already a solo sequel in development for the character. Plus, while Marvel’s contracts with actors are always a bit of a mystery, there are probably more than two films in Benedict Cumberbatch’s commitment.

Future sequel: A Doctor Strange sequel is currently in development.

Falcon

Last seen in Infinity War: Dusted and dead. Falcon (Anthony Mackie) was in Wakanda and was vaporized by Thanos’s snap.

Is he/she going to stay that way at the end of Endgame? Probably not. Falcon is part of the newer crop of Avengers and hasn’t really had his story told, nor has he been the focus of a Marvel movie. Further, as mentioned above, Disney is reportedly developing a TV series about Falcon and Bucky Barnes for the streaming service it’s expected to launch in 2019. Empire writer Malcolm Spellman has been attached to the project.

Future sequel or appearance: None announced, but Disney is reportedly developing a TV series about Falcon and Bucky Barnes.

The Guardians of the Galaxy

Last seen in Infinity War: Rocket the Raccoon (Bradley Cooper) — alive. Groot (Vin Diesel) — dusted. Drax (Dave Bautista) — dusted. Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) — dusted. Mantis (Pom Klementieff) — dusted. Gamora (Zoe Saldana) — killed by Thanos for the Soul Stone. Nebula (Karen Gillan) — alive.

Is he/she going to stay that way at the end of Endgame? It’s hard to imagine the Guardians staying dead. Groot is one of Marvel’s most recognizable characters, while Bradley Cooper (the voice of Rocket) and Chris Pratt (thanks in large part to the first Guardians movie) are A-list actors. Gamora and Mantis are played by two women of color, and that’s (unfortunately) a rarity in the Marvel universe; cutting those characters would not only anger their fans but also be a bad look for a studio that’s been criticized for its lack of diversity.

Complicating the situation is the firing of director James Gunn in July 2018 following right-wing outrage over some of Gunn’s old tweets. The franchise’s stars have stuck by the ousted director, with none more vocal than Bautista. Bautista has said that he will leave Guardians Vol. 3 if Marvel does not use Gunn’s script. In August, he told Digital Spy that he had shot scenes for the movie, but that it was ultimately up to Marvel and Disney to decide the future of his character.

“It’s on permanent hold for now, and that may make a difference in what they do with our characters in [Endgame],” he told Digital Spy. “To be honest with you, right now I really don’t know.”

Future sequel: A Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 movie is in the works, but its production was put on hold in August 2018, following Disney’s firing of Gunn after the circulation of old, offensive tweets.

Hawkeye

Last seen in Infinity War: MIA. After the events of 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Ant-Man took plea deals that put them under house arrest. Neither character appears in Infinity War. Though we know a lot of what Ant-Man has been up to since Civil War thanks to Ant-Man and the Wasp, we hadn’t seen Hawkeye onscreen until he appeared in the Endgame trailer.

Is he/she going to stay that way at the end of Endgame? We have no idea, but what we do know based on the Endgame trailer is that Hawkeye has a new uniform and has been embarking on his own adventures:

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Clearly, more about Hawkeye and perhaps details like whether his family survived Thanos’s finger snap will be revealed in Endgame. (If you’ll recall, Hawkeye’s family makes an appearance in Avengers: Age of Ultron, and the movie shows how much they mean to Hawkeye and the stakes he’s fighting for.)

The Russo brothers, who directed Infinity War, have said that Hawkeye will have a bigger role and story in the Infinity War follow-up, but they’ve been shy on details.

Future sequel or appearance: None announced, but there is a rumor that a solo Hawkeye movie is being considered.

The Hulk

Last seen in Infinity War: Alive! The Hulk, a.k.a. Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), was in Wakanda with the Avengers and survived the snap. The only problem was that Banner, last we saw him, could not turn into the Hulk.

Is he/she going to stay that way at the end of Endgame? No idea.

Because of the Hulk’s complicated film rights, Marvel is unlikely to ever make a solo Hulk movie. But the studio can still use the character, and what’s especially interesting is that Ruffalo has said that Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War, and the upcoming Avengers: Endgame represent a trilogy for Bruce Banner/the Hulk, with Endgame serving as the final chapter of the Hulk’s arc. As the actor told Cinema Blend in 2018, before Infinity War came out:

So basically, Kevin [Feige] pulled me aside before this, and said, “If you were gonna do a ... if we were going to do a standalone Hulk movie, what would it be?” And I said, “I think it should be this, this, this, and this and this, and ends up like this.” And he’s like, “I love that. Why don’t we do that in the next three movies, starting with Thor 3 and then we go into Avengers 3 and 4.” And I was like, “That sounds great!” And so we are at the beginning of this arc.

That sure seems like Ruffalo is hinting that Endgame could conceivably be the end of the Hulk’s journey.

But there’s a slight hitch to this idea. Again, Marvel contracts are a mystery, but history seems to show that actors typically sign on for six movies as featured characters (like the Hulk was in Thor: Ragnarok).

Endgame represents the fifth Marvel appearance for Ruffalo, who has so far appeared in The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Thor: Ragnarok, and Avengers: Infinity War, and will next appear in Avengers: Endgame. Ruffalo, if he signed on for six films, could still be in at least one more Marvel movie.

Future sequel or appearance: None announced.

Loki

Last seen in Infinity War: Killed but not dusted. Thanos killed Loki (Tom Hiddleston) after his assault on the Asgardian rescue ship.

Is he/she going to stay that way at the end of Endgame? This one’s tricky.

Technically Loki isn’t an Avenger, even though he did join Thor’s team of Revengers in Ragnarok. Also, the rest of the Avengers don’t yet know that he turned a new leaf in that film and joined up with his brother to defeat Hela and rescue the Asgardians. And the Russo brothers have confirmed that he died in Infinity War.

That said, Loki is an immensely popular character — to some Marvel fans, he is the real star of the Thor franchise. And Marvel knows that, which is why the company is reportedly developing a Loki TV series for Disney’s upcoming streaming service. As for Loki’s fate in Endgame, in November 2018, Tom Hiddleston tweeted a cryptic message that the trickster god isn’t done yet:

Future sequel: None announced, but Disney is reportedly developing a TV series featuring Loki.

Nick Fury

Last seen in Infinity War: Dusted. Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) appeared with Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) in the Infinity War post-credits scene. He was vaporized by Thanos’s finger snap but managed to fire off a message to Captain Marvel before he fully disintegrated.

Is he/she going to stay that way at the end of Endgame? Nope. He appears in the Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer.

Future sequel: Fury appears in the Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer, but beyond that, no further appearances have been announced.

Scarlet Witch

Last seen in Infinity War: Dusted. Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) was with the Avengers in Wakanda. She destroyed the Infinity Stone that was melded with Vision, ostensibly causing Vision’s (Paul Bettany) death and seemingly thwarting Thanos’s plan to complete the Infinity Gauntlet. But Thanos then used the Time stone he obtained from the fight on Titan to reverse Vision’s death, and then killed Vision to acquire the stone and complete the Gauntlet. Scarlet Witch was vaporized by Thanos’s finger snap while mourning Vision.

Is he/she going to stay that way at the end of Endgame? Probably not. Scarlet Witch joined the Avengers in Age of Ultron and has only appeared in Captain America: Civil War and Infinity War so far. It seems likely that there would be at least one more movie in Elizabeth Olsen’s contract.

In addition to potential future Marvel movies, Olsen and Bettany are reportedly both attached to a streaming television series (for Disney’s upcoming streaming service) about Scarlet Witch and Vision.

Future sequel: None announced, but Scarlet Witch and Vision reportedly have a television series in development.

Spider-Man

Last seen in Infinity War: Dusted. Peter Parker, a.k.a. Spider-Man (Tom Holland), was on Titan with Tony Stark when he disintegrated after telling Stark, “I don’t feel so good.”

Is he/she going to stay that way at the end of Endgame? No way. Spider-Man has Spider-Man: Far From Home coming out in July (after Endgame debuts in April), and he and at least one other Marvel character — Nick Fury — have already appeared in the Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer. And there’s no way that Marvel and Sony (the co-producers of the most recent Spider-Man films) will ax Tom Holland from their payrolls after all the trouble they went through in finding a Peter Parker/Spider-Man who people really like.

Future sequel: Yes. Spider-Man: Far From Home is set for release on July 5, 2019.

Vision

Last seen in Infinity War: Dead. Vision was with the Avengers in Wakanda. Scarlet Witch destroyed the Infinity Stone that was melded with Vision, causing Vision’s death. But Thanos used the Time stone to reverse those actions, before killing Vision once more.

Is he/she going to stay that way at the end of Endgame? Probably not. One of the main storylines in Infinity War concerned separating the Infinity Stone that was melded with Vision safely, in order to preserve his life. The movie went to great lengths to suggest that this was possible, hinting at a future where Vision can live without being attached to the stone.

Additionally, as noted above, Bettany is reportedly attached to a streaming television series (for Disney’s upcoming streaming service) about Scarlet Witch and Vision.

Future sequel: None announced, but Scarlet Witch and Vision reportedly have a television series in development.

War Machine

Last seen in Infinity War: Alive. War Machine, a.k.a. Rhodey (Don Cheadle), was with the Avengers in Wakanda and survived the snap.

Is he/she going to stay that way at the end of Endgame? Hopefully! While Rhodey doesn’t appear in the Endgame trailer, he survived the snap and will presumably appear in the movie.

While Rhodey has appeared in a slew of Marvel’s superhero movies, he’s mostly been relegated to smaller sidekick roles. And Rhodey’s major storyline headed into Infinity War was that he was paralyzed after a fall in Civil War and then given cybernetics to walk again. It would be a fridge-adjacent storyline for Rhodey if he were killed in Endgame, since his character would seemingly only exist to be killed or maimed.

If he dies, I will personally show up at Marvel Studios’ HQ to protest should Endgame inflict any more permanent harm on the character.

Future sequel: None announced.