Updated October 8, 2021 11.0K votes 2.1K voters 124.3K views
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Vote up the 'Infinity War' theories about Ant-Man and Hawkeye that make the most sense.
After both trailers for Avengers: Infinity War were released and fans picked their collective jaws off the ground, most were left with the same lingering and troubling question: “Where are Hawkeye and Ant-Man?”
While there are no shortage of popular characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Clint Barton and Scott Lang are two of its most charming individuals, which means most fans would be disappointed if they didn't see Hawkeye and Ant-Man in Avengers: Infinity War. Of course, that hasn’t stopped fans from wildly speculating as to why Barton and Lang have been conspicuously absent from all Infinity War footage.
While the production rate of Avengers: Infinity War fan theories has obviously increased as the film’s release draws nearer and more footage is revealed, the fandom has paid particular attention to these Avengers missing in action. They’re all but guaranteed to show up eventually, but patience isn’t something one considers when awaiting the most anticipated film in the universe.
In the pages of Marvel Comics, Clint Barton dies a bunch, as do most Avengers. On one such occasion, Hawkeye is killed and revived after a brief stay in the afterlife as the mysterious and enigmatic “Ronin.” The ninja-themed mantle has been worn by a few characters over the years, but Barton wears it the longest. This has led several theorists, like ComicBookCast2 on YouTube, to suggest he’ll become Ronin in Infinity War.
This would explain why Hawkeye hasn’t appeared in any of the trailers, as doing so would spoil his new costume. Unfortunately for Barton, one’s transformation into Ronin is usually paired with personal tragedy, so this theory could mean bad things for his family in the future.
2
558 votes
Hawkeye Is Rebuilding S.H.I.E.L.D. With Nick Fury And Maria Hill
If Hawkeye is going to be off collaborating with anyone during the events of Infinity War, it makes sense for it to be Nick Fury and Maria Hill, two of his former S.H.I.E.L.D. bosses who have also been absent in all promotional material for the film.
That’s what Redditor u/KINGSLAYER_117 theorizes, suggesting the trio is working in the background of the plot to rebuild the spy organization before the end of the world occurs. They also specifically speculate that Hawkeye, Fury, and Hill will be searching for the lost Captain Marvel, who hasn’t been seen since the ‘90s.
3
565 votes
Ant-Man And The Wasp Will Secretly Be In The Background Of 'Infinity War'
Some have described Ant-Man and the Wasp - which will be released between Infinity War and Avengers 4 - as an “inbetweenquel,” and that’s something with which Disney actually has experience. The company previously released Lion King 1.5, an inbetweenquel that showed fans all the things Timon and Pumbaa had secretly been up to behind the scenes during Lion King.
Redditor u/AdventurePee theorizes Ant-Man and the Wasp will serve a similar purpose, showing fans what Scott Lang and Hope van Dyne were up to while Infinity War was going down.
This post by Redditor u/EddiOS42 is more of an observation than a fan theory, but it could be an accurate prediction regarding Clint Barton’s role in Infinity War. During the events of Captain America: Civil War, Hawkeye wryly quips, “I retire for, what, like five minutes, and it all goes to sh*t.”
Perhaps that could be a bit of foreshadowing that Hawkeye will have simply retired before Infinity War begins, only to see the world start falling apart around him, necessitating his return once again.
5
511 votes
Ant-Man And The Wasp Are In The Quantum Realm When Thanos Arrives
The plot of Ant-Man and the Wasp promises to delve into the mysteries of the “Quantum Realm,” a location in which Scott Lang almost becomes trapped forever during the events of the first Ant-Man. Given the nature of the place, it seems entirely likely Ant-Man and the Wasp could find themselves stuck in the Quantum Realm for an extended period, causing them to miss out on the opening salvo of Thanos’s invasion, as theorized by Redditor u/TrueLink00. That might allow them to appear as a cavalry of sorts in Avengers 4.
Ant-Man’s absence from the Infinity War trailers could come down to something as simple as geography, according to one fan theory from Redditor u/frostphate. Much of the action seen in the trailer for Ant-Man and the Wasp seems to be set in San Francisco, whereas Thanos’s American tour appears to begin in New York City.
San Fran and New York are on opposite coasts, so the reason Ant-Man doesn’t show up until Avengers 4 could be a case of him being on the wrong side of the country when the invasion begins.
