*This article may contain minor spoilers for Avengers: Infinity War.*
The storyline that was teased since the post-credits of The Avengers is finally about to happen with the arrival of Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War. The biggest threat that the world has yet to face was set up again throughout other Phase 2 movies, and will reach its culmination when Infinity War hits theatres. In the comics, Thanos’ goal is to impress Mistress Death, for which he collects the six Infinity Stones that come with an immeasurable amount of power. Rumors suggest that his motives are the same in the MCU, but nothing can be said for sure. What we know is that Thanos won’t be alone in this tremendous battle for Earth as he has ‘The Black Order’ working under his command. The Black Order is a group of lethal aliens gathered by Thanos in order to help him destroy entire worlds.
There’s no doubt that a clash of this grandeur will result in serious casualties and even deaths. The Russos are determined to keep the stakes higher than ever in Infinity War, and sacrifices are necessary to make the threat feel realistic:
“I think fans should be prepared for some very intense surprises in these movies. My brother and I believe in stakes; I believe that everything has to come to an end at some point, in order for it to have value, and so I think the audience should be prepared.” – Joe Russo
For now, we can only speculate as to who will bite the dust in Avengers: Infinity War. Although anything can be expected from the movie, the most understandable death would be of Steve Rogers. The following six points suggest why it is the most plausible to kill off Captain America in Avengers: Infinity War.
6. Captain Barnes
The idea of Bucky carrying the Captain America mantle for Steve has been set up in all Captain America movies. While the references may be subtle in the first two films, as Barnes is momentarily seen holding Cap’s shield, they prove an important detail- Bucky would be next in line to become Captain America. There’s a strong reference to this fact in a deleted scene from Captain America: Civil War. Take a look for yourself:
It has also been theorized that the responsibility would fall upon Falcon, but Bucky seems to be the more probable choice here given all the low-key references.
5. Comic Book Accuracy
Before the release of Captain America: Civil War, fans speculated Steve Rogers’ death as that was the case in the comics. Although Cap doesn’t die in the Infinity War comics, he does get defeated in Issue #4 of the Infinity Gauntlet series, on which Avengers: Infinity War is most likely based. It is unclear whether he dies or not in the Infinity Gauntlet series. The Russo Brothers might want to kick the Infinity Gauntlet story up a notch by killing off Steve, or just kill him because his death is overdue since the events of Civil War.
4. Tony and Bruce Live (Maybe)
It has been made clear by the Russo Brothers that major characters from the previous films will end their journey in Infinity War. Most likely, some of the old-timers in the Avengers are likely to go for good to make room for the new-comers. The major players of the team since The Avengers are Iron Man, the Hulk, Steve Rogers and Thor. Recent ‘Avengers 4’ set photos reveal that Bruce Banner and Tony Stark make it out alive after Infinity War after all. That leaves the Russos the option to kill off either Thor or Captain America, or both. My bets are on Captain America or both.
The set photos may also very well be means to misdirect fans into thinking that the Science Bros will survive Infinity War. Before GOTG Vol. 2, Micheal Rooker teased fans several times regarding Yondu’s involvement in Infinity War in order to cover up his character’s death in GOTG Vol. 2.
Nonetheless, it is still entirely possible that the duo survived and other team members (including Steve Rogers) had to go down in the war against Thanos.
3. Tony’s Vision
Just before Stark tries to grab Loki’s scepter in Avengers: Age Of Ultron, Wanda tricks him into seeing what he fears most- the fall of the Avengers. While Steve and Natasha are haunted by their past, Tony and Thor see sequences that may be nods to their future. Thor sees the end of Asgard, which will be the case in the upcoming Thor: Ragnarok. Whereas, Tony sees the Chitauri invading Earth and the Avengers’ failed attempt in stopping them.
This delusion will most likely become a reality in Avengers: Infinity War, as suggested by an Infinity War set that looks eerily similar to the place in Tony’s vision.
Revisit the dream sequence here:
At first glance, it seems that everyone is dead after all. But upon giving it thought, one realizes that no one’s death is made entirely clear except, you guessed it right, Captain America. Hulk is still breathing and while the others may be dead, there’s an equal chance that they may be unconscious with the exception of Black Widow who has her eyes opened. Only Steve’s death is shown clear as crystal, as he takes his final breath after blaming Tony for their demise. Moreover, the clear shot of Steve’s broken shield is not only good cinematography, rather it symbolizes his unpreventable decease.
2. A Mission Well-Accomplished
A clever Tumblr user pointed out that Steve became Captain America for real after realizing that he had to rescue Bucky from the clutches of HYDRA. He gave up his name and his shield after finally accomplishing this task in Captain America: Civil War. Credit for such ingenious symbolism goes to the Russo Brothers.
Steve has also stripped off the Captain America symbols on his suit as seen in the Infinity War poster. This means he would probably participate in the events of Infinity War without his previously-held title. Thus, the movie looks like the perfect time to end Steve’s story as he has fulfilled the duty he took upon himself as Captain America.
1. Emotional Impact
According to Ranker, Captain America is the greatest Avenger of all time, as voted by thousands of comic-book fans. Steve evens tops the likes of Tony Stark and Spider-Man. To be honest, it is in the obvious that the death of such a beloved character would have the most emotional influence on the audience, and that’s the best likely route the Russo Brothers will take with Avengers: Infinity War.
Avengers: Infinity War hits theaters on 25 April, 2018.
Do you think that Steve will die in ‘Avengers: Infinity War’? Comment Away!
CBM Planet 