The MCU looks very different after these Avengers: Endgame deaths, career-changes, and returns. Here’s a look at the aftermath.
This article contains major spoilers for Avengers: Endgame. Read with caution.
Over the course of its 10-year history, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has experienced its fair share of changes. The Avengers have gotten together, broken up, and gotten together again. S.H.I.E.L.D. fell and Nick Fury (mostly) peaced out. There have been imprisonments, recastings, escapes to distant planets, new faces, and even a few deaths. The long story of the Avengers has not been a straight line.
Related: Avengers: Endgame review: It’s everything you want it to be
But no film in the MCU has reset the table quite as definitively as Avengers: Endgame. Five years have passed since the cataclysmic events of Infinity War, but that’s almost the least of it. Endgame‘s final act includes unprecedented losses and major decisions that impact the entire (and impossibly massive) cast, from the likes of Tony Stark to Peter Parker’s best bud Ned.
(Aw, Ned.)
So here’s a list of all the Avengers: Endgame deaths, revivals, realignments, and (hopefully) coming returns in the aftermath of Stage 4.
Warning: This list may make you cry again.
‘Avengers: Endgame’ character status update
Characters who die in ‘Endgame’ or simply left the scene
Tony Stark / Iron Man: Dead after using the Avengers’ Infinity Gauntlet to snap Thanos and his minions out of existence. Leaves behind wife Pepper Potts and daughter Morgan. It is unclear if any characters will take up the mantle of Iron Man.
Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow: The first major Avengers: Endgame death, Nat sacrificed herself to allow Hawkeye to retrieve the Soul Stone. With no family other than the Avengers, it’s unclear how Black Widow’s legacy will be carried on, though Marvel is entering the production stage of a presumably-flashback-based Black Widow film.
Steve Rogers / Captain America: Retired. Used the time-travel technology to resume his life with Peggy Carter and aged naturally into the present day. Passed on the Captain America shield and title to Sam Wilson (formerly Falcon.)
Vision: Dead, killed by Thanos removing the Mind Stone at the end of Infinity War. However, Vision will be seen with Scarlet Witch in an upcoming Disney+ TV series.
Characters who have changed allegiances or positions in space-time
Thor: Has joined the Guardians of the Galaxy for more space adventures (and hopefully to work on his mental health) after passing leadership of Asgard to Valkyrie.
Loki: Stole the Tesseract (again) when Iron Man and Captain America botched its retrieval from 2012. Despite being killed at the start of Infinity War, this earlier Loki (who has presumably not experienced any events of the Marvel Cinematic Universe since the first Avengers film) may be at large — depending on the details of Captain America’s successful replacement of the Tesseract in time. In any event, even death can’t keep a trickster god down for long; Loki is soon to star in his own Disney+ series.
Gamora: Fate unknown. The present-time’s version of Gamora was murdered by Thanos in Infinity War when he retrieved the Soul Stone, but an earlier version of Gamora came through time with, and defected from Thanos at the end of Endgame. This version of Gamora has not been seen since Iron Man vanquished Thanos and his forces, though Peter Quill is seen looking for her at the end of the film.
Nebula: Joined the Guardians of the Galaxy after killing the earlier, unreformed version of herself to save Hawkeye and Gamora. We stan a queen.
Fate of non-snapped characters
Bruce Banner / Hulk: Banner has made peace with the Hulk and is now living in Hulk’s body with Banner’s mind. He is recovering from wounds sustained from using the new Infinity Gauntlet to restore all victims of the Snapture to life. Hulk’s future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is unknown.
Clint Barton / Hawkeye: Has returned to his wife Laura and their family, presumably retiring the killer Ronin alias. (His hair is still violently awful, however.) Hawkeye will return in another Disney+ series, in which he is rumored to pass along the mantle of Hawkeye to Kate Bishop. (No word if or when his daughter Lila will join the action.)
Scott Lang / Ant-Man: Reunited with his daughter Cassie (now 16) and the returned Hope van Dyne. Let’s face it, that’s pretty much all Scott needs at this point. There is currently no information on future Ant-Man films.
Rocket Raccoon: Groot’s alive and Rocket gets to enjoy watching Thor torture Quill. The funny rabbit will be okay, and presumably return in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel: Has awesome new hair. No word yet on a sequel to Captain Marvel, despite the film’s success at the box office.
James “Rhodey” Rhodes / War Machine: Er… I know he’s around here somewhere…
Known futures of the Snapped
Peter Parker / Spider-Man: After being effectively dead for five years, Peter is returning to high school. (Nerd.) His continued adventures (and possibly some trauma) will be seen in this summer’s Spider-Man: Far From Home. Also, Ned’s back!
T’Challa / Black Panther: Wakanda is forever again! T’Challa, Shuri, and the rest of the returned Black Panther crew will return in Black Panther 2, set to be directed by Ryan Coogler.
Nick Fury: Revived and returning in Spider-Man: Far From Home.
Sam Wilson / Falcon: After taking on the mantle of Captain America, he is set to star in a Disney+ series with Winter Soldier. (Are you sensing a theme yet?)
Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier: Setting off soon on adventures with Sam on Disney+.
Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch: Mourning the loss of Vision, Wanda will reunite with her boyfriend in an upcoming series on Disney+. Elizabeth Olsen has said that the series will be set in the 1950’s, so hashtag magic?
Stephen Strange / Doctor Strange: Back with best bud Wong, probably guarding the Time Stone after it was replaced in, well, time by Captain America. No official word on Doctor Strange 2, but Scott Derrickson is reportedly returning to direct.
Peter Quill / Star-Lord: Spaceship? Check. Solid plans for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3? Check. Gamora? Working on it. Yeah, Star-Lord will be just fine.
Other characters of note
Thanos: Easily the most satisfying of the Avengers: Endgame deaths after Tony snapped his ass at last. (Also there was that time Thor cut off his head, but that didn’t exactly stick, and anyway two deaths is hardly enough for this guy.)
Happy Hogan: Helping Pepper raise Morgan, and getting up to further hijinks in Spider-Man: Far From Home.
Valkyrie: Literal queen of Asgard, as befits her majesty.
Ned: Alive and back in high school with Peter. (Nerd!) Soon to be low-key abused by Nick Fury in Spider-Man: Far From Home.
Avengers: Endgame is breaking hearts and minds in theaters now.
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