Unanswered Questions From 'Avengers: Infinity War'

Doctor Strange gets an opportunity to perform significantly more impressive magic in Infinity War than he did in his own debut film. One of his most astonishing acts involves peering into 14,605,000 different possible futures with the Time Stone. Of all those potential paths, Strange sees only one to victory, but he never elaborates on how that specific scenario plays out. Given his eventual decision to forfeit the Time Stone and save Tony Stark’s life, it’s a good bet that Strange sees Iron Man play an integral role in Thanos's defeat.

Many fans went into Infinity War expecting some character deaths, but few could have predicted just how far Marvel Studios would go. It seems obvious to veteran comic book readers that the dusty demises inflicted on 50% of the universe by Thanos will eventually be reversed, but the other deaths that occur earlier in the film are much more uncertain. There’s no way of knowing whether Heimdall, Loki, Gamora, or Vision will return to life. It’s entirely possible that audiences have seen the last of these fan favorites.

Other than a brief and surprisingly unsuccessful bout with Thanos at the beginning of the film, the Hulk is missing in action during the bulk of Infinity War. Bruce Banner attempts to bring out his green alter ego several times, but each time the Hulk refuses. Even mortal danger for Banner and a battle with Cull Obsidian isn’t enough to make the big guy come out swinging. But why?

Thanos finally completes and uses the Infinity Gauntlet at the conclusion of Avengers: Infinity War, but wiping out half of all life seems to take a toll. The Gauntlet appears to burn and crumble under the strain of the horrific act, and Thor's assault with Stormbreaker probably weakens the weapon. Thanos isn’t wearing the Gauntlet during his final scene in the film, so its status is debatable. However, the stones may still exist because they're needed to undue the Gauntlet's damage.

Fans who went to Avengers: Infinity War to see characters die certainly got their money’s worth. Countless heroes like Spider-Man, Star-Lord, Black Panther, and Doctor Strange ceased to exist because of the Infinity Gauntlet. Despite the chaos seen on-screen, the actual death toll is sure to be much higher, as Thanos intends to wipe out half of all the universe's life. There’s no telling which characters were turned to dust; the fates of supporting figures like Pepper Potts, Cassie Lang, and Aunt May are still up in the air.

Marvel Studios hints at a future film in Avengers: Infinity War’s post-credits scene. The clip features SHIELD’s Nick Fury and Maria Hill being turned to dust, along with half of sentient life in the universe. Fury sends out a distress signal from a device emblazoned with Captain Marvel’s logo, though. The cinematic company announced that Captain Marvel will be set in the ‘90s and feature younger versions of Fury, Phil Coulson, and others, raising the question of where the titular hero has been hiding in the interim. Fury’s distress signal shows that she’s not entirely out of reach, but she’ll need to have a convincing reason for avoiding all previous Earth-threatening incidents.