#a theory could be made that Bruce is his favourite avenger (saved his mind/life) with Tony in second and Natasha in third place | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

anika-ann · 3 years

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Errare Humanum Est: Bonus

God Is Not a Woman (but He’s Plotting Anyway)

Type: series, soulmate AU series (part 1, part 2) x Supernatural

Pairing: Steve Rogers x reader Word count: 2910

Summary: Bucky’s trying to fit into the Tower and some might be trying to make it easy for him. And then he drops the bombshell on you and things get even crazier than before.

Warnings: swearing, brief talk on religion, fluff, crack-ish humour

A/N: Admittedly, this is some kind of a strange one-shot of which I’m not sure it exactly fits, but… enjoy?

Story masterlist

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Things weren’t all sunshine and rainbows only. Bucky’s return to the world was… tough. You only knew little of what had happened to him through the decades, but it was enough of a horror story even without the details.

Bucky’s relationship with the team of Avengers was complicated too. Steve was as ecstatic and heart-broken as when you had popped up alive and that was all that needed to be said. Clint was a rather easy-going guy with a reputation of not judging people by their worst mistakes and as a man who had once been mind-controlled by an alien (…what?), he was willing to accept Bucky with a strange kind of sympathy.

As it turned out, Bucky and Natasha had actually crossed their paths before briefly, but once again, that was all you learned, both hers and his moments in the past too dark to share. Bruce was keeping his distance, more of a shyness than fear or disgust if you could take a guess and Thor was off the planet, not meeting the other supersoldier just yet.

Tony… Tony wasn’t fond of Bucky. He found a footage of another Winter Soldier killing his parents and while it hadn’t been Bucky himself, Tony’s hatred needed an out and despite trying, he simply couldn’t manage treating Bucky exactly nice. He still let him live in the Tower though, so that definitely counted for something; for a lot, actually.

There were many people with trust issues when it came to Bucky and that included himself – he didn’t trust his mind still, even with the mysterious man helping him and he most definitely didn’t forgive himself for the lives he had taken. The ghosts of his past haunted him at night, in his dreams the most. But he was slowly healing.

Steve was helping a lot, sometimes trying too much maybe, which was why the former assassin sought Sam Wilson rather than his best friends at times. He came to you occasionally too; however, he seemed to feel as if you were off limits, because you were Steve’s gal. He was gradually losing that stupid attitude though and his teasing side came out to play, making you blush becoming his new hobby. Exactly what you needed with all the mess happening around, i.e. the aftermath of your resurrection.

It took Bucky about two months to mention the name.

It happened casually, just dropping the bombshell no one had seen coming. Bucky was actually showing Steve how to upgrade the newest version of some software you weren’t entirely sure what was for; both supersoldiers had to do their fair share of adjusting and while for Bucky it often was people, for Steve it was sometimes… technology despite him being able to pick up on things very quickly.

Steve thanked him and for the millionth time, you heard the ominous sentence: “It’s good to have you back, Buck. Whoever that guy was, I’ll always be grateful.”

“He told me to call him Chuck.”

The words were simple, really, nothing out of ordinary for untrained ears. Except it had you both you and Steve choke on your own spit.

A frown appeared on Bucky’s face, confusion with a hint of alarm before he rolled his eyes at your antics. “What? I know, it’s kinda dorky-“

Yeah, that was not it.

A chilling suspicion crept up your spine and while it was not necessarily ominous, it sure as hell felt like the ground was shaking under your feet, proving you that a sense of control over your life was nothing but a ridiculous illusion.

“Steve? How about we make a phone call?”

Five minutes later, you were video-chatting with the Winchester duo, explaining them your concerns. Bucky was with you and Steve but didn’t engage that much since he never really met either Sam or Dean, rather wary of them.

A photo of a dorky looking man indeed, with cute dark curls around his head and a full beard, appeared on the screen, replacing the video-feed.

“Did he look like this?” Sam asked, tension audible in his voice. It still had nothing to the disbelief in Bucky’s.

“Yeah, that’s him,” the supersoldier confirmed, narrowing his eyes, which didn’t quite disguised how incredulous he was. “How did you-?”

“Is it… him?” you interrupted them, strange tingling sensation in your fingertips, light nausea tickling your stomach.

Was there any coincidence in his world left? What the hell did all of this mean? Was Steve just a lucky guy, God’s favourite, or… or was there a larger scheme, one you weren’t able to see just yet?

It reminded you of the talk you had had with Sam Wilson what felt like ages ago, about people having two soulmates, you coming back from the death and about things that were beyond your understanding happening more and more often. This might actually prove your silly theory right. Not to mention the fact that the death of Tony’s parents was delivered by another Winter Soldier, conveniently at the same time Bucky had been having troubles with the mechanics of his metal arm, hence not being suitable for the task – what were the chances of that?

It seemed that every single thing happening had played an important role in something, ending up with your trio sitting right here and now and… that was not a very comfortable discovery.

“Oh yeah, that’s God,” Dean hummed casually and when the picture disappeared, revealing the brothers again, you saw him take a bite of a cheeseburger as if this was a talk about the fucking weather.

“God?” Bucky parroted dully and you bit your cheek, feeling guilty for not quite having explained to him why you wanted to talk to the Winchesters and what had been your suspicion; now proved right.

“Yeah,” Sam supplied helpfully, only to have Bucky repeat the word as if he was testing the taste of it on his tongue.

“A god.”

“The God, actually. Our Lord is one of kind,” Castiel appeared on the screen as well, offering a small wave that you reciprocated, too shocked to say hi.

“Except he has a sister, apparently,” Steve stated, checking with the hunters and they nodded in approval. “So you’re not denying it? You think… ugh, that The Chuck saved him.”

You made a face at his wording, but… yeah. The Chuck. The God named Chuck had saved both Bucky and you. It was official. But why? What the hell was your life anymore?

How cute and bold of you to call your life yours, you thought darkly.

“H’d weed’l,” Dean mumbled with his mouth full and shrugged. With effort, you translated it into ‘heard weirded’, which was… fair.

“You think God, capital G, saved me. Why the heck would he do that?” Bucky spitted out exasperatedly, clearly not happy about the revelation.

Eh. Revelation.

Steve tensed at your side at Bucky’s doubts, but said nothing.

“Why not?” Sam questioned, offering a small smile. Dean remained quiet, while Castiel tilted his head, seemingly curious.

“What’s the matter? Don’t you think you deserve to be saved?”

“Yeaaaah, let’s not go there,” you interjected when you noticed Bucky’s chest heaving and words in Russian spilling from his lips soundlessly. Steve sighed, but apparently assessed it was better to let Bucky deal with the facts alone first. “Thanks for confirming our suspicions.”

“Did I do something wrong?” Castiel asked, sounding adorably confused and guilty.

“No, Castiel. It is just a lot to take it.” Understatement of the fucking year. “Speaking of which – I have a question.”

“Shoot,” Dean encouraged you, but his eyes narrowed in suspicion as the corners of your lips twitched.

“When you told me about the, eh, lovely things that walk this world... you didn’t mention a scarecrow.”

“…huh?”

Their confusion seemed pretty real to you, but you had to admit you were probably being too vague. So you decided to ask a direct question.

“Alright, sorry. This might sound stupid, but… there was this series of books Jarvis found online? I wouldn’t think much of it, except the characters are named Sam and Dean, they do hunt monsters and if I’m being honest, they definitely do act like you. So I just thought… you know. Stranger things happened…“

During your ramble, the friendly faces of the brothers gradually twisted into a disgusted grimace and you had your answer, much to your astonishment.

“I swear, Sam, I’m going to murder Becky. I’m going to kill her and kill her dead,” Dean sputtered and Sam just closed his eyes, his lips a thin line. “I can’t believe you almost married-“

Wait, what? That sounded even more interesting that the books! Though kinda private. Then again, the books described Winchesters’ lives in awful detail as far as you knew. And ended when Dean literally went to hell, so…

“How much of that thing you read?” Sam asked tiredly, his expression screaming annoyance.

You shrugged. “Not much. Kinda changes the experience when you have a good reason to believe it’s all true. Clint’s hooked, though,” you admitted, hoping it wasn’t showing how much you were enjoying the teasing.

On one hand, this was hilarious. On the other, well…

“Did you sell your story to the writer?” you pried, simply out of curiosity. No judgement there; they had enough shit in their lives as it was, being short on money was not helping, so why not use what they got.

“No!” Sam blurted out too eagerly, then cleared his throat. “No. But you’re going to like this. Carver Edlund is a penname. I give you one guess on what his ‘real’ name is.”

You squinted at the screen, not following why Sam made the air quotes.

“No clue...?”

“Chuck Shirley,” Dean announced, grinning, somehow managing to balance smugness and annoyance on his face.

“Huh?”

“Wait—Chuck? Why do I think this isn’t a coincidence?” Steve stepped in, which caused your head to snap at him.

Surely, he wasn’t implying that-

“Oh yeah. It’s exactly what you think,” Dean assured you, finishing his burger while you and Steve remained silent, simply at loss of words. What…? “You know, when people say God works in mysterious ways, they have no friggin’ idea,” he added resolutely, wiping his mouth, balling his napkin and throwing it direction of what you assumed was a trashcan; judging by the disappointed frown on his face and the hands thrown up by Sam, he missed.

So. God was a writer.

God went by a penname, writing about Sam’s and Dean’s lives to make his living at some point.

It actually made sense; this whole thing, the grand scheme you were thinking about earlier, it sounded awfully like a plot of a freaking novel. No, scratch that, not a novel – an epos about Steve’s life, with features of a soap-opera. You did not enjoy being one of the characters, but apparently you had no choice.

There was literally nothing that would surprise you at this point. Seriously.

“Great. I don’t think I actually wanted to know that,” you stated, shaking off your thoughts. “Anyway. How is your week going so far?”

“Wonderfully. We ran into Rowena again,” Sam announced, obviously happy to change the topic. “Well, I called her. Dean lost his memory.”

Dean what?!

“Because of a spell!”

“Well, yeah. Doesn’t change the fact you called a lamp a light stick,” Sam mocked him, but you could see the relief in his features when he was able to do that. Because that meant Dean was okay. After all, you were talking to him and he appeared as always; with no manners, grinning, bickering with Sam and with all the knowledge of the hunting world he needed.

Your eyebrows rose anyway. A light stick?

“Dude! It’s a stick that produces light,” Dean exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air animatedly. “I was still a genius.”

That made you smile; hundred percent Dean. Yeah, he was just fine, fully recovered.

“I’m sure you were, Dean. You okay now?”

“Yeah. The Wicked Witch actually used some of that soulmate magic to heal-“ Sam started and stopped when he saw Steve’s face – something you had no courage to look at, because you had kinda… you had been vague when it came what exactly the witch had done – mainly because you had very little knowledge of it. “-never mind. I guess he can just cross out ‘amnesia’ from his bucket list.”

“Mm. Not pleasant. Been there. Done that,” you mused, your expression no doubt as bitter and wry as you felt.

“Well, so did I,” Bucky supplied darkly, his first words since the big discovery of who had been his salvation.

Duh. Salvation. You really should start thinking about your choice of words. This was not funny at all.

“Me as well,” Castiel joined the club.

“I don’t think I have…”

“Maybe you just forgot,” Dean nudged Sam, offering a lopsided grin.

“Jerk.”

“Bitch.”

“Why are you insulting each other…?” Castiel demanded, confused, and you laughed when Dean rolled his eyes, waving at you in goodbye, signalling to leave them be so they could explain the angel how humans worked sometimes.

You obediently ended the call, chuckling. They would have to visit one day – you missed them, despite calling them on a regular basis.

You eyed the two supersoldiers keeping you company in the common room, wondering what to do next.

“Alright. Now that we established we all deserve to be saved,” you stated, glaring at Steve, because you were aware of him questioning his survival of ice too – rarely, but still – and at Bucky, the man who had been frozen, unfrozen and mind-controlled, took lives against his will and had his own life taken away only to be rescued and question his worth.

“I think we know what we need now. Ice-cream!” you called out, raising your arms above your head theatrically, earning a chuckle from Steve.

“You scream?” Bucky looked at you, pretending to be confused.

“She does. Why would you scream, doll?”

You rolled your eyes fondly. They were lovely pieces of work when they teamed up to troll anyone. You were happy for it though, mostly for Bucky who was still struggling to adjust to his new life.

“Yeah, okay, I get it. We all scream, okay? What I’m saying is that we all scream for some ‘I scream,’ now give me my cookie crisp or I’ll show what moves Natasha taught me.”

You were not kidding. Natasha had learned you some basics of self-defence; Steve’s request, supported by you wholeheartedly. And by Tony. And Ryan. And everyone, to be honest.

“You should leave your moves for Steve to show only, sugar.”

“Ah, screw you, Barnes!” you spitted back, rising to your feet, and stuck your tongue at him.

“Such language! And again, I really think you should hide your tongue and do that only with St-“

You grabbed Steve’s hand and pulled him towards the kitchen as Bucky’s snicker sounded behind you. You never even opened the freezer, parking your backside on the counter, tugging Steve for a kiss instead. He laughed at first, but reciprocated the affection, slowly melting into it.

“Your friend’s such a little shit,” you hissed, but giggled into his shoulder. You felt… full. Happy. Right. You didn’t want to think about grand schemes anymore. You wanted to live and you had every opportunity. You were not going to waste it.

“I know,” Steve hummed, his chest shaking with hushed laughter, and he kissed the top of your head, while he wrapped his arm around your waist to pull you closer, stepping between your legs.

“You got that from him.”

“I think it was the other way around.”

You huffed and looked up again, finding Steve’s brilliant eyes twinkling with mischief. It was as adorable as stimulating; he always had this look in his eyes when he was up to no good and it often resulted in it being very good for you, usually tangled in the sheets. Or pressed against a wall. Or a table. Couch. Counter…

You wrapped your fingers around his nape and he obediently gave up to the pressure, bowing his head to meet you lips.

“Doesn’t matter. Kiss me like you mean it,” you requested lowly and you knew, just knew, that he would never deny you, definitely not that.

“As you wish…”

You barely had time to truly sink into the kiss, a sweet and passionate dance of lips, teasing teeth and tongues when an exasperated voice of a man arriving to collect his ice-cream interrupted you.

“Guys! Come on! Not in the kitchen! We eat here!”

So would Steve, flashed through your mind, but you withdrew a fraction, Steve’s mouth having frozen on yours anyway.

“Shut your piehole and let me follow your own advice!” you called out.

“I hate you,” Bucky deadpanned and you sent him an air kiss, hopping off the counter to have another sweet treat instead. After all, it was ten in the morning and you were in the kitchen. You could talk Steve into taking a ‘nap’ later.

“And that’s exactly why they compare you to the grumpy cat memes,” you threw back at Bucky, basking in the mock-insulted face the poor supersoldier made. You had introduced him to the meme after Clint had mentioned it. It was glorious. And very fitting.

“Punk, get hold of your bratty gal!”

Steve just shook his head at the childish behaviour – both yours and Bucky’s – and raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. A fraction of second later, he grinned.

“I was doing just that until you interrupted,” he pointed out while he was pulling out three spoons.

Your laughter and the slap of a high-five you exchanged with Steve was probably heard in the whole Tower.

You had no care in the world.

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S.R. masterlist

B.B.masterlist

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Just a silly fluffy thing maybe, but hey… I thought I could share... to fill the time till December meaning an Andy fic :)

Thank you for reading!

Also, the last instalment will be ‘What I’d Never Say and Do (If I Was in My Right Mind)’

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britesparc · 3 years

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Weekend Top Ten #469

Top Ten Crazy WandaVision Theories

So all the while I was watching The Mandalorian I kept thinking, blimey, they’ve nailed this. There’s an oft-repeated problem with modern serial dramas, which is that they tend to tread water a little bit; despite being shorn of the network requirement of episodes being a certain length, or having a certain number of episodes in a season, there’s this in-built compulsion to make about a dozen 45-minute episodes. This is what scuppered the Marvel Netflix series in particular; there simply wasn’t enough story to cover the seasons, and as a result there was a lot of treading of water. This has also affected the recent Star Trek shows, although Discovery does show signs of pulling out of this “twelve-hour movie” mindset. Mando totally transcends this in a superlative way: each episode is basically an “adventure of the week” type thing (Mando versus spiders, Mando goes to the fish planet, Mando meets a Jedi, etc). But each episode also builds on the arc; he’s always on the same quest, and everything he does week by week furthers this quest. As much as I was looking forward to WandaVision, I kept reminding myself, there’s no way they can do this; no way these two shows – my most-anticipated shows from two of my most-beloved franchises – can hit the bar so successfully, back-to-back.

Well.

I’m not sure if WandaVision is quite the overall triumph The Mandalorian is, but they’re both pretty tremendous achievements in slightly different ways. Wanda manages to tell a rather unsettling story in the MCU whilst also doing a terrific job of parodying sitcom tropes; it works on a meta level as well as a practical one. Also, as far as puzzle-box type programmes go, this one has been doing an excellent job; week by week, you’re further intrigued by what’s going on in Westview; what’s real? Who’s behind it? is Vision still dead? Will Darcy get her own show? It’s a fantastic exercise in drip-feeding information, maintaining a degree of unease and suspense, and offering a compelling mystery. Will they keep it up until the end? I’ve no idea; the reveal at the end of episode seven wasn’t quite a jaw-on-the-floor moment but it was exquisitely done, with a theme song and everything. Even if the most obvious predictions end up being true and the finale becomes a relatively straightforward goodies-versus-baddies barney, I’ve got faith in everyone involved to at least give us something utterly compelling and thoroughly entertaining.

But what if there really is at least one huge surprise left up the show’s vibranium sleeve? Certainly, the reveal of Evan Peters as Pietro Maximoff – being, visually if not in character at least, the Fox/X-Men universe version of Wanda’s brother, rather than the Adam Taylor-Johnson version we knew from Age of Ultron – was a hell of a moment, seemingly bridging the gap between the MCU as we knew it and the previously Fox-controlled properties. Since then, there’s been this bubbling rumour (which I’ve tried not to read too much into by literally not reading too much; this is something I’ve divined from headlines or stray tweets, because I want to keep forging my way through WandaVision without a map) that there is another epic cameo approaching, on the level of Luke Skywalker popping up in the finale of The Mandalorian. That moment was something of a surprise, even though I had it rather spoiled by Twitter; despite muting as many words as possible to do with the show, “Luke Skywalker” still popped up in trending topics. I’ve learned my lesson, and I essentially forgo any social media (and a lot of other sites too) until I’ve seen the most recent episode. Anyway, what if this is true; what if there’s another character or moment that will rock the Marvel world to an even greater extent than The Other Pietro? If we’d be as surprised and delighted by something as much as we were by Luke making short work of those Dark Troopers? With this in mind, and being aware of the encroaching WandaVision finale, here are some predictions. What could happen? Who could we see? Which long-dormant plot thread will get resurrected? Read on to find out! And – spoiler warning – this has been revisited following the most recent episode; we are officially in the endgame now.

And I’m sure all of these are realistic and serious suggestions.

I Am Your Father: We have actually met Wanda’s parents at last; ordinary decent Sarkovian folk, it seems. But from where did her nascent witchy powers appear? What if, in a shocking last-minute twist, we discover her real father, and he’s played by… Ian McKellen! It was Eric all along!

SWORD versus Skrulls: a post-credit sting will reveal that – shock! – Tyler Hayward is, in fact, a SKRULL! Yes, finally, the shape-shifting buggers will get to be the baddies from the comics, as an up-to-no-good splinter faction of the beleaguered race makes its presence felt on the MCU, having successfully infiltrated world governments over the past thirty years. This will set up Samuel L. Jackson’s Secret Invasion series.

The Ultron of it All: there have been more mentions of Ultron in WandaVision than in any MCU property since, well, Age of Ultron. And now we have a custom-built all-white model of Vision, big as life and twice as creepy. What if – what if – shorn of his own psyche (his own soul?) and without an Infinity Stone to keep him upright, there remains in the hardware some remnant of everyone’s favourite sarky, genocidal mechanoid? Ultron returns! Screw you, planet Earth!

The Sorcerer Supreme is Not Happy: we know magic exists in the MCU because of Doctor Strange, so seeing Agatha and her family get their Hocus Pocus on in old Salem wasn’t too much of a surprise. But isn’t the Sorcerer Supreme supposed to keep an eye on magic use in the multiverse? I was half expecting Tilda Swinton to pop up in the flashback and bind Agatha with the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak. But now, with all the chaos magic Wanda is using in Westview, coupled with Agatha’s own spelling bee? Surely this has drawn the attention of somebody? Anybody? I mean, New York isn’t that far from Jersey, especially if you’ve got a sling ring, y’know?

No More Avengers: so Benedict Cumberbatch popping up wouldn’t be that much of a surprise (especially as Wanda is in the next Doctor Strange movie) but even if he’s not on Magic Police duty, wouldn’t an enhanced situation of this size draw the attention of one of the Avengers? Except – shock horror! – there are no Avengers! In a revelation that will set up the status quo of Falcon and the Winter Soldier, since the events of Endgame the Avengers literally don’t exist. So who will unite to save the world, not just from Wanda or Agatha, but also from the likes of SWORD? Well, right now, no one; but maybe that’ll change when the real villains appear…

No More Mutants: in the “House of M” storyline, Wanda very famously said “no more mutants” and it was so (more or less). Mutants don’t (seem to) exist in the MCU. But what if, at one point, they did? I don’t think this could have been Wanda’s doing, but what if in the past someone else had used magic to de-power/de-mutify the existing mutant population of Earth, and – basically – made everyone forget about it? And in the climax of WandaVision, well, “no more” is undone and – boom! – X-genes abound. This could even maybe set up some events in The Eternals, who I believe have some history with mutants in the comics (I’m really not very well-versed in Eternals lore)

Soul Stealer: so Wanda’s the Scarlet Witch, and a chaos magician, and super-enhanced courtesy of an Infinity Stone, but still: how did she create not one but three super-powered lifeforms? Where did they come from? Did she steal their souls? Is she leeching her own life-force to maintain them? I think we’ll discover a bit more about her powers and reveal that she’s drawing energy mutliversally, maybe from the Dark Dimension – maybe from Mephisto? I’d actually put money on Mephisto not showing up at all, despite his comic book connections to Agatha and Wanda.

Multiversal Madness: why that Pietro? He’s just a fake, just an automaton – right? But he’s still out and about spooking Monica whilst Agatha’s dealing with Wanda… yeah? And he looks like another Pietro from another universe (even if he doesn’t act like that). So… why? And who? I really, really think there’s some kind of multiversal craziness going on here, some force beyond Wanda (and Agatha!). Maybe it’s to do with Wanda pulling power from across the multiverse, maybe it’s… something else. Maybe we’ll get cameos from Lou Ferringo, Bruce Campbell, Spider-Ham and ROM the Space Knight. Hey, don’t forget: Transformers was a Marvel comic once! And they do have a Chaos-Bringer…

Wanda Did It: one of the prevailing theories/queries about WandaVision has been who’s behind it all. Wanda’s not powerful enough (or villainous enough), so who exactly did create TV Westview? Who brought Vision back, gave Wanda her sons? Well, the latest ep sure seemed to show that it really was Wanda All Along. The explanation being that she’s “the Scarlet Witch”, a presumably hella-powerful sorcerer and also (let’s not forget) imbued with Infinity Stoniness. But is she on her own really that strong, and would she – even in her despair – alter so many minds? What if there’s another Wanda, a Wanda prepared to go all-out, a Wanda who – after losing everything on her Earth is trying to recreate it by pooling her powers will another Wanda? An alternate universe, more damaged, more villainous Wanda – a Wanda who’s already said “no more mutants”, maybe; maybe even the Wanda from the Fox X-Men films (who AFAIK we’ve only seen as a little girl in her brother’s arms). That’s why Pietro looks like that, because she’s trying to rebuild her own life using the powers of this other Wanda. Two Wandas; two Witches. Dukin’ it out. And who can come to save the day, but the X-Men?

We’re All Doomed: giving credit to my brother for pointing me in this direction when he said “if there’s a big bad in WandaVision it either has to be someone very good at magic or very good at science”. Or… both? Think about it. Which character, if they cameoed in an MCU property, could possibly generate as much excitement as Luke Skywalker in The Mandalorian? No actor from the MCU; not even Downey. From another Marvel property? We’ve had a Fox actor already and with the rumours about Spider-Man: No Way Home, whether we saw Hugh Jackman or Tobey Maguire, I think that would be exciting but not as exciting. So I think it’s a character, not an actor. A character big and exciting enough to make us all squee. And which character from Marvel has never been seen in the MCU, is not necessarily expected any time soon, is very good at magic and very good at science? One. I’d say only one. Bring it on.

This actually became a lot more sensible than I’d intended! I was gonna go all-out, rolling in Muppet Babies, MODOK, HERBIE, the Phoenix Force, and basically the entire Patton Oswalt speech from Parks and Recreation. And whilst I think virtually none of these will (or should?!) happen, just imagine… man, I can’t believe we have to wait a week!

#top ten #wanda #vision #mcu #wandavision #wandavision spoilers #movies #tv #comics #magic

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thesydneyfeminists · 5 years

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A Feminist’s Review of Avengers: Endgame

** Warning: Contains Major Spoilers **

I want to preface this review with another warning: while I am a self-confessed nerd who has long enjoyed comic book movies and geeky pop culture, I was quite disappointed in this film. In my criticisms, I'm going to be honest as to why. If you are on a high from the film and just want to enjoy it without having somebody rain on your parade, then it is probably best to skip this review. However, if you’re curious about this feminist’s perspective on why Endgame fell flat for her, please read on.

Image Description: Film poster for Avengers: Endgame. It shows all the main characters, including Iron Man, Captain America, Captain Marvel, Thor and Thanos (among others) in their full battle gear against a dark night sky. At the bottom of the poster, the title of the film is written in large, blue and gold letters. The Marvel Studios logo is just above the title. There is undiscernable text at the top and bottom of the poster. The release date (April 26th) is written in white at the very bottom center. The “a” in “April” is the Avengers symbol. Image Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avengers:_Endgame

When my partner asked me for my first impressions, I said the movie should’ve been called “Iron Man 4 (and Some of the Avengers”). The entire film felt like a swan song for him, a requiem for the character who started it all. It was made clear that Iron Man was the film’s emotional centre, the person whose stakes viewers are most meant to care about. While I don't mind Iron Man as a character, I am aware he is the favourite of most of the franchise’s fanboys. It really felt like that was the crowd this movie was aimed at. In contrast, women and other minority groups did not fare so well in terms of representation or importance in this film.

The writers had choices on who do they decided to turn to dust at the end of Infinity War. There was ample opportunity to leave behind a more diverse group of heroes to carry out the tasks in Endgame. For example, instead of Antman, we could have had Wasp. In the comics, Wasp is the female avenger, not Black Widow. It would have been such a nice nod to the canon and added an additional female character to the core cast. Instead, we ended up with a majority-white team of mostly men. The two women who were involved were treated in a frustrating manner.

While Black Widow essentially leads the Avengers at the beginning of Endgame, she (nobly) throws herself off a cliff halfway through the film, essentially ending her story. This plot point was vexing for a few reasons. First, the writers/directors got rid of one of the only women on the team, turning most of the rest of the film into a sausage fest. Second, Black Widow’s sacrifice was not given the same weight or gravitas as Tony Stark’s. At the end of the film, we see a beautiful funeral for Tony. But there are no moments of remembrance for the other characters who gave their lives (Black Widow, Vision, even Loki). They are only briefly (and quietly) mentioned by Clint and Wanda. Outside Endgame’s main storyline, the timing of Natasha’s death is also awkward sinceMarvel is supposed to be making a Black Widow movie in the next few years.

Image Description: Close up photo of Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) from the neck up. She is looking above and to the left of the camera with a serious expression on her face. Right above her eyebrows, the words “avenge the fallen” are written in a white to light-purple gradient. The “a” in “fallen” is the Avengers symbol. At the bottom of the photo, in the center, is the Marvel Studios logo. The release date for Endgame (April 26th) is written in bold, white letters beneath the logo. Image source: http://collider.com/endgame-black-widow-death-explained/

As for the remaining female character, Nebula, she proves to be the “weak link”. While all members of the team had their struggles in trying to obtain the infinity stones, it is Nebula who gets captured and ends up compromising the entire plan. While I don’t have an issue with Natasha and Nebula’s scenes in and of themselves, they do come across as problematic in a film that gives little limelight to its female superheroes in general. Right from the beginning, Captain Marvel is sent off-screen for most of the film, a major disappointment for those who were hoping to see her involved. I suspected this would happen and sadly I was right.

As I mentioned before, at the end of Infinity War the writers could have kept some key figures to make a more diverse remaining team. However, even with the characters they chose to leave behind, there were missed opportunities. One of the biggest missteps for me was Valkyrie.

When Bruce visits the village of New Asgard to find Thor, he first encounters Valkyrie. In the film Thor: Ragnarok, Valkyrie had a drinking problem which she overcame by the end of the story. This time around, it is Thor who is battling alcoholism. She tells them about his drinking, and, rather than asking her to come along and help on their mission, they bypass her completely. I was really upset Valkyrie did not feature in Infinity War and felt doubly irritated that she was sidelined yet again in this instalment, for no good reason. Had they included her, she could have been the one to rescue Thor and use his hammer, instead of Captain America. Given that she is an elite Asgardian warrior, this decision would have made much more sense and been a great moment for her fans. She is also one of the very few openly LGBTQ+ characters in the MCU. Including her would have given the filmmakers opportunities to better represent this marginalized group, rather than their paltry attempt at the film’s beginning.

Then there’s Thor, who, in my opinion, was treated so poorly in the film. Other feminist writers have already explained why the fat jokes and cruelty directed towards Thor’s substance abuse and mental illness were extremely problematic. They turned one of the most damaged characters into mean-spirited comic relief, rather than addressing the serious issues he was contending with. I really felt sorry for Thor the character, but I feel worse for the real-life people who were triggered by his horrid treatment.

Image Description: Photo of Thor (Chris Hemsworth) from the waist up sitting in a chair. He is looking to the left of the camera with a serious/ angry expression on his face. He is wearing a light-blue t-shirt and dark grey, zip up hoodie. With his right hand, he is picking up what appears to be a donut from a wooden bowl. Next to the bowl is a can of soda. The background is mostly wooden walls and one hallway table with decorative vases. Image Source: https://www.screengeek.net/2019/05/02/avengers-endgame-thor-changes-explained/

Given so much needed to happen in this movie, I was also annoyed by how much time the directors dedicated to trivial things like Captain America’s ass and Thor’s beer gut. I’m all for comedic moments in a heavy film, but I wanted to hear some more speaking lines from characters who appeared toward the end, ones we had not seen for the last 2 1/2 hours. The final battle scene felt bloated and confused as writers tried to squeeze in nods here or a glance there to the rest of the crew. At least, however, the greater ensemble was back, fighting together side-by-side. That is until Captain Marvel showed up.

Now, I am a fan of Captain Marvel. I enjoyed her origin story and was excited to see her in this movie, even if it was late in the game (no pun intended). When she made her arrival and took down that ship, it was the first time I cheered during the whole movie. And then it all went pear-shaped. When Captain Marvel was given the gauntlet by Spiderman there were so many creative choices they could have made. Anyone who knows the canon would be aware Captain Marvel is more than capable of handling the power of the infinity gauntlet and could have done what the Hulk and, ultimately, Tony Stark did. Instead, they came up with this convoluted plan for her to fly into Antman’s quantum machine. I mean, the woman can fly at the speed of light so she could have done that in the blink of an eye. But, somehow, Thanos stopped her by flinging a heavy metal object towards the machine faster than Captain Marvel can fly.

Image Description: Two photos laid side by side. The one on the left is a close up of Captain Marvel from the chest up. The one on the left is a close up of Thanos from the neck up. Captain Marvel is looking below and to the right of the camera with a serious expression on her face. The star on her chest is glowing. Thanos is looking slightly above the camera, also with a serious expression on his face. Both backgrounds are cloudy skies. Image Source: https://mashable.com/article/captain-marvel-avengers-endgame-theories/

While that act alone was infuriating, it’s not the scene that most annoyed me. It was the moment when, for no apparent reason, many of the female superheroes crowd around Captain Marvel stating she had their help. I didn’t like the scene for two reasons. One, it felt unnatural and contrived. Many of these characters didn’t even know each other and were all preoccupied fighting on an enormous battlefield. There was no reason why they would all suddenly have a 90s girl power moment and gather around one woman at that particular moment in what was an incredibly chaotic struggle. And two, even with the backing of all Marvel’s strong heroines, they could not get the job done. No, that glory was saved solely for one man: Tony Stark. The takeaway seemed to be, even combined, women can’t do the job properly; they need the men to step in and show them how it’s done. Maybe this sounds like a stretch or too harsh a criticism, but this was the very visceral reaction I had during the film. Marvel’s filmmakers have a long history of utterly depowering their female characters and this scene just seemed to follow in those footsteps.

I was also very disappointed by how small a role T’Challa and many of the amazing Wakandan characters had in this movie. As the leading tech hub in the world, I don’t know why the Avengers weren’t going there to ask for help in creating a time travel machine, or why they couldn’t have made it the new HQ, given Tony Stark had retreated to a log cabin somewhere in the woods. There were so many ways the writers/directors could have included these fantastic and important characters.

Image Description: The Marvel Studios logo set against a blurry, close up shot of a comic panel. The panel is blurry and undiscernable. It is tinted entirely red. Image Source: https://marvelstudiosnews.com/2017/12/10/marvel-studios-highest-grossing-superhero-movie-8th-consecutive-year/

The only glimmer for me at the end of the film was that it established the old guard were retiring or moving on to other things. We had something of a handing of the baton moment: Captain America gives his shield to Falcon, making him his successor, and Thor finally, officially makes Valkyrie the leader of Asgard (or what’s left of it). It is my hope that in future Marvel films, the creators will focus more on their characters of colour, female characters, and LGBTQ+ characters. They have an opportunity now to start a fresh wave that will resonate with so many more people than the classic, white, fanboy nerd. After all, you don’t make $1.2 billion in one weekend just because white millennial guys went to see a film. Many people love superhero films for a variety of reasons. It’s time we started serving them, too.

By: Tessa Barratt

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of the Sydney Feminists. Our Blogger and Tumblr serve as platforms for a diverse array of women to put forth their ideas and explore topics. To learn more about the philosophy behind TSF’s Blogger/ Tumblr, please read our statement here: https://www.sydneyfeminists.org/a

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mgnemesi · 6 years

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OKAY BUT… REVERSE TIMELINE STUCKY? aka Today’s episode of Nemerambles

Hit by the proverbial lightning bolt this morning. Cool idea, hard to find a “trope name” for it. Let’s go with Reverse Timeline for the time being.

More after the cut ‘cuz this is gonna get LONG.

Basically: Steve’s born sometimes in the… Let’s make it late 80s. So he’s 20-something during the first Avengers movie. He was born skinny, smol, with a laundry list of ailments that was basically a death sentence. He’s picked for Project Rebirth not long before the Battle of New York, and he’s the First Avenger in the sense that he’s Fury’s first pick for the Team, the first to be recruited, and the de-facto leader.

Project Rebirth is based on a study made by a German scientist that came to the US thanks to operation Paperclip. It’s basically a synthetic serum, first thought of during WW2, that “perfects” a human being, eliminating every imperfection and elevating them to an almost God-like status. There’s rumours of the procedure working exactly ONCE during WWII, and of that first subject's blood being used for decades to further the studies. However, there’s no proof or records on another Super Soldier. Steve is the first and only subject to be recognised by the Government. The rest is conspiration theories. Fairy tales.

Steve is given a shield right in time for the Battle of New York, a beautiful, scratched relic that dates back to WWII. It’s made with the rarest metal on earth - vibranium - and the only sure information about it is that Howard Stark himself made it, probably for his war buddy Sg. Barnes back in the day. Steve LOVES the shield, and he uses it incredibly well, better than anybody who ever tested it. It becomes his weapon of choice, and he brings it with him to fight the Chitauri. Long story short, soon into the battle the Avengers seem to be losing; so the government launches a nuke over NY to eliminate the threat themsleves. Captain America decides to sacrifice himself for the greater good. He DOES save the city (and the world); he is thought dead and is mourned by all. But the Tesseract actually saved his life, sending him backwards in time.

To WWII.

Steve wakes up somewhere in Europe. Somewhere damp, echoing, smelly. He’s chained to a table, chilled to the touch and with needle-pricks in the crooks of his elbow. This is right after he makes the jump in time, so he’s shell-shocked, reeling, deeply wounded and exhausted. He realises he’s been captured by Nazis, and a scientist named Zola (”hey,” he thinks, “isn’t that the name of the guy who invented the Serum they gave me???”) starts making experiments on him, drawing his blood, testing his endurance, pumping him full of chemicals and so on. Days into this Hell, Steve is found and saved by the most raucous, diverse, ballsy elite team in the history of EVER(the Howlies) lead by one Sergeant James Barnes, whom Steve is immediately smitten with. The group manage to bring Steve to safety. However, Zola had gotten enough of Steve’s blood to replicate the serum and use it on Johann Schmidt, turning him into the monstrous madman later known as Red Skull, and effectively turning the tables in favour of the Nazis, who now fight with renewed fervour under the lead of the crazy man.

Feeling guilty, Steve joins the Howlies and fights in secret against Schmidt’s private army (known as “Hydra”) trying really hard not to leave any trace of himself in history records. Quickly, he becomes Howard’s favourite source of amusement, and gets the scientist to make him a shield tailored to his specifics. You know. THE shield. HIS shield. The one he was given (will be given??) in 2012. He becomes Peggy’s confidant, the source of Colonel Phillips’s migraines… and also Bucky’s lover. And this is a hilarious get-together story, because Steve, bless his modern boy idiocy, is kinda convinced that Bucky couldn’t love him back because… he’s from the 40s, you know. No other reason than that. Just the period he was born in. Luckily, Bucky only rolls his eyes at Steve’s level of stupid and silences him with a kiss. Time passes, and The Howlies score victory after victory…until that fateful mission in the Alps, where Steve falls off a train, leaving Bucky to mourn and lead the suicide mission that eradicates Hydra once and for all.

Steve, however, DOES NOT DIE. The Tesseract, or Tony, or Dr Strange, or Vision… someone or something intervenes and brings him back to his own time. He doesn’t adjust quickly to his return, if at all. He’s been “dead” for a few weeks in his proper timeline; but he also spent something like two years in the past. Two of the most wonderful, intense, painful and beautiful years of his life. Overcome with nostalgia, Steve looks up the Howlies, reconnects with the few that are still alive, reads the biographies of the ones who are not, looks up their files in the SHIELD database, goes to visit Peggy in the hospice…

…and then SOMETHING pings on his radar because, WAIT. Something doesn’t add up. Looking closely at the files, it’s easy to see that Zola DID have a test subject that he used and abused for decades. Someone he used Steve’s blood on, turning him into a super soldier, yeah; but also into an unwilling, unfortunate prisoner, someone that’s been treated with less dignity than an animal for his whole life. Overcome with guilt (AGAIN), Steve starts investigating and finds a suspicious pod stored in an abandoned warehouse. Not knowing what he’ll find, Steve drags the pod to the Tower, and asks the Stanner (Stark+Banner Science Bros FTW) to help him open it. The scientists poke and prod the capsule until it opens with a hiss of smoke… …and out spills Bucky. Naked, wet, frozen, with no left arm, but BREATHING, beautifully, incredibly, impossibly alive. It turns out that Hydra had searched for the Red Skull’s body after Bucky’s suicidal stunt, but had found the Sergeant’s instead. His body was “deeply damaged”, Zola wrote in his notes, but “salvageable”. So Zola injected the serum he had left in Bucky’s body, and basically used him as a bargain chip to be included in Operation Paperclip. He was brought to the US, completely free, pardoned, and was given founds for his research. Not that anybody knew he had Sg. Bucky Barnes prisoner, mind you. For the longest time, he was believed dead, and the shield he’d used for his last few missions had been stored by Howard and Peggy as far away from their eyes as they could, since it did nothing but bring them bad memories of their dead friends. Tony volunteers to make Bucky an arm (unless he already has one), Bruce helps with his trauma (despite not being THAT kind of Doctor…) and Steve is over the moon with joy because he has his Bucky back. (This is Steve though, so he feels guilty about being overjoyed, and then sad that he can’t enjoy the miracle, and then angry, and then Bucky rolls his eyes and kisses him speechless, like he did a lifetime and 70 years before…)

#stucky #stucky prompt #stucky au #captain america #steve rogers #bucky barnes #neme rambles #feel free to write fic #fic non fic

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tonystarktogo · 7 years

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@digdipper09 I saw your Tony as a villain comment and raise you Tony as an accidental-clueless-unknowing villain. Not quite what I expected when I started but *shrug*

The Villainous Career of Tony Stark--A Series of (Un)Fortunate Events

A different take on the Tony as the Villains’ Favourite™ concept. Where the consequences of hate and gossip are unpredictable, and nothing ever goes the way you intend it to... Also this is mostly crack. I tried treating it seriously, but not sure I succeeded.

Warning: Contains small amounts of various superhero hate, because villains and terrible people. In this chapter mainly Tony and Bruce.

A rumour doesn’t have to be true. It has to be shared.

There is this kid, barely old enough to drink, yet already well on his way to become a super villain. It’s name--though of no importance--is Ian, and he knows two things, and two things only: 1) Being able to corrode even the thickest of stones with just your spit is unnatural and despicable. 2) Tony Stark is the most revolting, hypocritical, pathetic waste of space there is.

Both lessons the kid learned early on, like many other things, from his parents. A spiteful, bitter pair too occupied spewing poisonous words into every direction to find something worth loving in their lives.

And so it is perhaps inevitable that this kid, Ian, eventually finds his way into the New Yorker underground, where, thanks to his ability, he quickly finds a sponsor. An older, more experienced villain willing to show the kid the ropes and keep him out of trouble with the big leagues until he might be able to handle it.

They talk about super heroes eventually because of course they do. Know your enemy and all. And it’s then, when the mentor goes over Iron Man’s known abilities, that the kid frowns in confusion.

“But Iron Man isn’t a villain?” he says like it’s obvious, a truth that has been drilled into his mind for so long that questioning it is unthinkable--after all, following Iron Man’s path is a large part of the reason why Ian is here in the first place, trying to become a super villain.

The mentor meanwhile is struck dumb by this, this utterly ridiculous statement. He doesn’t even know where to begin refuting this claim, everyone knows Iron Man is a hero, where did this kid even come from?

But when he tries to explain as much to the kid, Ian proves himself surprisingly stubborn for the first time. It’s all “He went out of the arms’ business” “Yes, because he didn’t want to share them anymore, he kept them to himself” and “He saved the world” “Yeah, to save himself”, until eventually, the poor, exhausted mentor has to admit defeat. There is no convincing this kid that Tony Stark isn’t a villain, even though he’s obviously a hero.

...isn’t he?

There’s this lower-class villain mentor who’s a little thrown-off by his protégés insistence that Tony Stark is a villain. He knows it couldn’t be true of course, but there doesn’t seem to be a way to convince the kid of that--and that, that bothers him.

He seeks counsel with a higher-up villain the next day, a man feared enough to have earned his own villain name. Dagger he is called and rumour has it he has even once encountered an Avenger himself.

Dagger has nothing but scoffs and scorn for the mentor, served with a bunch of sharp barbs about how the drinks must’ve softened up his brain. But Dagger holds no love for Iron Man, who at one point blasted him into a wall before he could so much as raise his daggers, and so the answer a curious minion overhears is a snappish “sure is enough of a selfish bastard to fit the bill”.

There’s this man well into his fifties, who’s been working behind the bar of the Gustav’s all his life. He’s used to the odd people slipping through the door way too late, used to barely hidden weapons, used to shady deals and not asking questions.

He’s less used to a bunch of very shady men gathering together in one corner, arguing, louder and louder, drawing more and more attention. Over Tony Stark of all things.

But he’s kept his head down all his life and he continues to do so. Until the men demand a refill and one of them demands to know whether it’s true, whether Tony Stark really is a villain. And this man, who’s rarely ever been asked for his own thoughts, bares his teeth as he thinks of Stark, of the man who has been born with everything he could have ever wanted, and so he rants about arrogance and entitlement and how Stark has done more damage to this world than that damn Loki ever did.

And the men listen silently, occasionally nodding in solemn agreement, and the next round the bartender gives out for free.

There is Carter Whistney who hasn’t been high up in HYDRA’s hierarchy. Which might just be the only reason he is still alive and free. But ever since HYDRA’s fall--or setback, depending on whom you ask--he has begun to make a name for himself. And whilst not as high up in the underworld as, say, Loki, he is doing well indeed.

As such, when the first rumours of Tony Stark being secretly a villain reach his ears, he could afford to spend ten minutes laughing about how gullible his minions really are.

Then. Then he takes the situation for what it really is. A chance to besmirch the name of Tony fucking Stark, an irritating nuisance in every honest villain’s butt.

And so he turns back to his terrified underlings with a wide, crazed smile on his lips and uttered a single confirmation.

There is Brock Rumlow tilting his head to the side in consideration. For the past three weeks or so, the underworld has been abuzz with rumours about the one and only Tony Stark, a name that never fails to draw attention from every side of the legal line.

It’s not the first time that uninformed morons and FOX reporters insist on the inherent evil-ness of the guy, but those rumours usually dissipate within days. This time it seems like every minion in New York has been won over at the same time.

It could be a coincidence, mere happenstance, but Brock Rumlow doesn’t believe in coincidences. And since this time the theory clearly isn’t gonna disappear on its own, perhaps it’s time to--reconsider.

After all... There has been the Incident.

(Nobody talks about the Incident.)

With a sign Rumlow pulls out his newest burner phone. It’s time to let the others, who are less likely to pay attention to their underlings’ worries know of this new development. Whether it’s true or not, rumours as persistent as this one will have uncomfortable consequences sooner rather than later.

They need to deal with this as quickly as possible.

The Council of All That Is Evil And All That Spreads Evil is in full session. Which is to say, all its twenty four, highly esteemed members are shouting and flinging insults at each other, as is usual at this stage in the informed decision making process.

“This is preposterous!” one of the more conservative members interrupts. “Why do we even waste our time with this pointless discussion? Iron Man is a hero, there’s no questioning that!”

“Then where was he during Project Insight?” another one throws in heatedly. “Why wasn’t he defending his precious civilians from all those armed helicarriers? Helicarriers that he built by the way.”

“Hulk wasn’t there either and I don’t see you trying to turn him into a villain!” the first one shoots back.

“Psh,” a third member scoffs. “Hulk runs all the time.”

“And someone explain to me how a man who routinely hacked SHIELD and other secret government data banks, could not know about HYDRA’s continued survival!” the second one continuous with new fervour. “Explain how a man with the most developed computing skills didn’t know his own business partner made deals with terrorists.”

“He almost got killed by said terrorists,” the first one scorns.

“Oh, like you’ve never gotten rid off your partner because he knew too much,” the second snarks right back.

“I can’t believe we’re even considering this.” A fourth villain buries his face in his hands.

“You have to admit though, there’s a lot of holes in these stories,” his seat neighbour comments. “I mean, do you really think SHIELD could just sneak a spy in right under Stark’s nose and he’d suspect nothing?”

“Order! Order!” the Council’s president bellows. “I do not believe that we will resolve this issue today. Therefore I ask that you keep your eyes and ears open, and gather as much information as possible for the meeting in two weeks, where we’ll discuss this again. Meeting adjourned!”

Technically there are 2-3 more parts planned. Two more from various villains’ perspectives and then one from Tony’s point of view. But this was getting ridiculously long as it is and also I’m increasingly less sure if it’s a good read? Damn you, insecurity. Let me know what you think?

Btw the alternate title for this was The Only Acceptable Consequence Of Tony-Hate, just because.

#ReRe writes #Tony Stark #Tony as the Villains' Favourite™#sort of #Villain Tony #misunderstandings #rumours #gossip #misinterpretation #Tony and Villains #Brock Rumlow #The Council of All That Is Evil And All That Spreads Evil #fic #ficlet #humour #crack

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arcadiaoblivion · 7 years

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My Thoughts on Who I Think Will (and Won’t) Die in Infinity War

Let’s face it, we all know at least SOMEONE is going to be killed off in Infinity War and/or its sequel.

It’ll be the tenth anniversary of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and as epic as the movie will already be (I mean, the Avengers AND the Guardians of the Galaxy TOGETHER!), the people at Marvel need to do something to keep things fresh and give us, the audience, a shock. We also know that some of the actors’ contracts are pretty much done, so that gives us some good hints as to who may be the one(s) to kick the bucket.

A lot of people think Iron Man and Captain America will be the ones to go (or at least one of them). I agree with that, and I will discuss them. I also want to talk about some other people who I think may be killed off, as well as the characters I don’t think we have to worry about.

WARNING: this post contains spoilers for several films in the MCU. It’s also really freaking longwinded (sorry).

Who I Think is at Risk:

Right away, I thought of Nebula, one of the characters in the Guardians of the Galaxy series. A big part of her story arc is the fact that she was always treated like second best because her sister, Gamora, would always beat her in combat training. Their adoptive father, Thanos, replaced several parts of her body with robotic parts because she kept losing to her sister. Because of this, she resented Gamora and has a grudge against Thanos as well. As of the end of Guardians 2, she has reconciled with her sister and has set out to find and kill Thanos. With all this information in mind, I predict that Nebula will help the Guardians and the Avengers fight Thanos. I think she will either confront him about how he treated her in the past and get killed, or sacrifice herself in some way in order to protect Gamora.

Next is Vision. Vision has one of the Infinity Stones (the Mind Stone) on his freaking forehead. This immediately would make him a target for Thanos. Plus, he is pure of heart (I mean, he’s worthy enough to lift Thor’s hammer, for God’s sake,) so I think he would be willing to sacrifice himself or put himself in harm’s way if he believed it would protect the people he cares about *COUGH COUGH Wanda COUGH* or help defeat Thanos. Also, Paul Bettany has been acting in the MCU since the first Iron Man (for those who don’t know, he was the voice of JARVIS before playing Vision), so his contract is probably coming close to an end. Therefore, I think it’s likely that Vision could die in the infinity war.

Pretty much any of the core Avengers could be in danger. In Tony’s vision in Age of Ultron, he sees all of them lying on the ground, actively dying. This means it’s a possibility that any one of them could die. No one is safe. However, I really doubt all of them will be killed off, probably only a couple will be.

I think it’s pretty likely that Captain America is going to die in Infinity War. Chris Evans has said that once he’s done with Marvel, he’s thinking of stepping away from acting, and he’s stated in the past that he thinks he will be done being Captain America soon. Plus, having Steve Rogers die would have a HUGE impact. Captain America was the first Avenger. Without him, the Avengers might not even exist. His death would send shockwaves through the team, hell, through the world. Plus, his relationships with Bucky Barnes, Sam Wilson, and (despite how rocky things were in Civil War) Tony Stark would make it so much more emotional and hard-hitting. Bucky would be devastated. His best friend, the only thing he has left of his old life before everything went to hell, would be gone. He would be alone. Sam would be heartbroken, his close friend and coworker killed in action. And Tony would shut down. He and Cap have been through so much together. They have been through hell and back, and despite the shit that went down in the fight over the Sokovia Accords (and the fact that Steve knew Bucky had killed Tony’s parents and didn’t tell him), they still care about each other. Cap’s death might be the final nail in the coffin, giving the Avengers and the Guardians the strength needed to kill Thanos. I think it would be the right way for the First Avenger to go out.

Finally, we have Iron Man. The first Iron Man film was the very first instalment in the MCU. Without the success of Iron Man, we wouldn’t have the great film franchise we have today. We owe it all to this guy. However, Robert Downey Jr.’s contract is probably pretty much up, and he might not want to keep doing the same thing he’s been doing for ten years. He’s not getting any younger, either - he’s in his early fifties, so it’s not like he can keep being Iron Man forever. This would probably be the best possible time for him to go out of the MCU. Plus, much like the possible death of Captain America would, the death of Tony Stark would change EVERYTHING for the other members of the Avengers. Rhodey would lose his close friend, heck, the guy who helped him walk again. Steve would lose the friend that he cares about deeply despite differences they’ve had in the past. Bruce would lose the guy he loved talking about science and working in the lab with. Peter Parker would lose his mentor, the guy he looked up to the most. The death of Tony Stark would be both the end of an era and a new beginning for everyone, and I think that’s the direction that Marvel Studios will take.

People Who I Think Might Die, But Probably Won’t

Another theory I have is that maybe someone at SHIELD will die. Either Nick Fury or Maria Hill, I’m not sure which. (Then again, maybe Marvel wouldn’t go down this route because it would take away too much from the main plot, or it would make it so too many people were dying.) Still, it would be a heavy blow to the Avengers, like Phil Coulson’s death in the first Avengers film was, and it would help show just the gravity of what they’re dealing with.

Another Guardian who could die is Rocket. I don’t think he actually will, in fact I doubt it heavily. However, if he did, I imagine him dying trying to protect Groot. In the first Guardians film, Groot sacrificed himself to save his friends, which was a very emotional and impactful scene, especially for Rocket. Of course, Groot came back as Baby Groot (now Teen Groot in Infinity War) and Rocket became a kind of father figure to him. Again, I don’t actually think Rocket will meet his end in Infinity War, but theoretically, if he did, I think it would be trying to save Groot from a blast or something. I think he would tell Groot something sweet or inspirational (and slightly sarcastic, knowing Rocket) before dying that would give Groot the strength to continue fighting without him. This probably won’t happen, but maybe they’ll do a fake-out similar to this. Who knows!

People I Don’t Think We Need to Worry About

Spiderman. Peter Parker is the newest addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and he seems to be a fan favourite from the get-go. Tom Holland is signed on to do several more movies, so I really don’t think we have to worry about our friendly neighbourhood Spiderman getting killed. Plus, I think Tony would be careful about protecting Peter from harm and making sure nothing happens to him. That being said, that doesn’t mean he’s safe from being injured in some way, and IF THANOS LAYS A SINGLE PURPLE SAUSAGE FINGER ON MY LIL CINNAMON ROLL I’M GONNA-

I said earlier that any of the core Avengers could be at risk. However, I don’t really know if Black Widow, Hawkeye, Thor, or the Hulk will die. I’m kind of on the fence about them. I don’t think we know these characters well enough that their deaths would hit us as hard as if, say, Captain America died, so I don’t know if Marvel is going to go in that direction. Plus, Thor is literally a god. And Clint has a wife and three kids, come on, they can’t be heartless enough to let anything happen to him!

Scarlet Witch, the Falcon, and War Machine. Aka the New Avengers. These guys are still relatively new, so I kind of doubt that anything will happen to them. Besides, if some of the - shall we say- bigger Avengers die, we’re going to need these three to help keep things going in the future. I don’t think we need to worry about them dying.

The Guardians of the Galaxy. There’s still a Guardians 3 in the works, so odds are they’re going to be fine (except for possibly Rocket, but again, I don’t personally believe that will actually happen.)

Ant-Man. Production has just begun for Ant-Man and the Wasp, set to come out in July 2018, so if Ant-Man has a new movie coming out after Infinity War, he’s obviously gonna be fine.

Doctor Strange. Like Spiderman, Stephen Strange is a relatively new addition to the MCU, and Benedict Cumberbatch is signed on to do at least one more solo film, so I don’t think we have to worry about him.

...And that’s about it! What are your opinions on the subject? Feel free to message me or send me an ask if you want to talk about it or if I made a mistake in my post or something.

#infinity war #avengers #Guardians of the Galaxy #ant man #doctor strange #marvel

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