Hitting theaters on April 26, “Avengers: Endgame” remains one of the most anticipated movies of the era, with Marvel fans raging over this predicted box-office monstrosity in enthusiastic upheaval.

A little over a decade has been dedicated to the expansion of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, allowing all Marvel Comics fans a chance to see their favorite heroes on the big screen. Let’s discuss what we know about the near end of Marvel’s Phase 3 so far and what is in store for us once “Avengers: Endgame” hits cinemas.

WHAT EXACTLY IS THIS MOVIE?

For those who have never picked up a Marvel comic or watched a Marvel movie in their lifetime, I will begin by introducing what this movie is in the first place and why there is much anticipation for its release.

“Avengers: Endgame” is the 22nd entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), a three-phase franchise that began with “Iron Man” in 2008 and has since widened its scope to include the “Captain America” films,  “Thor” films, “Guardians of the Galaxy” films, “Ant-Man” films, “Black Panther” and, most recently, “Captain Marvel.”

“Endgame” is also the fourth and final chapter in a series of movies about the core team of superheroes that began with the 2012 film “The Avengers” and was followed by the 2015 “Age of Ultron” and last year’s “Infinity War.”

WHAT THE TRAILERS TELL US

With the heart-wrenching moment of young Peter Parker turning to dust in his mentor’s arms, “Infinity War” ended with Tony Stark being stuck in space. But, the trailers for “Avengers: Endgame” reveal that our favorite ‘mechanic’ may just make it back down to Earth.

Bear in mind that the directors – the Russo brothers – have admitted that certain shots in the trailers are for marketing purposes only and may not occur in the actual film. So, much of what the trailer reveals is just mere speculation of what may happen in the movie.

Nevertheless, in one of the trailers we see the Benatar, the ship belonging to the Guardians of the Galaxy, soaring through the New York skyline before a clip shows us Tony reuniting with Pepper.  Stark seems to have come back with a sense of renewed purpose, which is highlighted by actor Robert Downey Jr.’s voiceover saying in a melancholy tone, “It’s not about how much we’ve lost. It’s about how much we’ve got left.”

So, what can we infer from Tony’s return?

Note that it’s nighttime when the Guardians’ old ship appears and that Tony and Pepper reunite on the grounds of the Avengers compound. The TV Spot featured a clip of the Avengers standing outside their Headquarters looking up at the sky which may mean that they were watching the arrival of the Benatar.

But what about how the ship got there in the first place? Many theories speculate that Rocket Raccoon, Captain Marvel or even Pepper may have contributed to the rescuing of Tony and Nebula.  But The TV Spot has shown a scene with Tony and Nebula fixing something, so most probably the two saved themselves.

NEBULA AND ROCKET SUFFER LOSS TOGETHER

In a brief trailer clip, a mourning Rocket and a stoic Nebula sit on the steps of the Benatar holding hands and looking defeated.  This scene may be a reflection of Nebula explaining to Rocket that not only did Groot perish, but also the rest of his family, including Star-Lord and Drax.  Watching Nebula mourn the death of her sister and hence, understand Rocket’s emotions, leads to quite an emotional connection between the two.  At least there’s the two of them left.

IS THE CAPTAIN AMERICA VS. IRON MAN RIVALRY REALLY OVER?

“You trust me?” Tony asks Steve in what looks to be a street in downtown New York.  Cap hesitates for a moment before replying “I do” and shaking Tony’s hand.

This is a hugely fan-pleasing moment, but we’re not sure everything is as it seems. For one, Robert Downey Jr. has the same lighter shade of hair and outfit he has in set photos that heavily teased a return to the Battle of New York in “The Avengers.”  So, what if this scene actually comes from much later in the film than the rest of the trailer and has been altered to fool us?  Also, in other clips in this promo, Cap is in a new version of his suit but in this clip, he’s wearing his battered, old “Infinity War” one. Could this be a bit of CG trickery or just one of the Russo brothers put in scenes for marketing?

THANOS RETURNS

“You could not live with your own failure,” Thanos narrates over a shot of Tony looking at a picture of himself with Peter Parker. “Where did that bring you? Back to me.”

As the final line rings out, the Mad Titan is revealed, beaming down to the surface of his ruined home world, Titan. He is once again suited up in his full armor, whereas in “Infinity War” he was without it, hence proving that he may be feeling vulnerable, even if he refuses to show it.

The unfortunate fact of the matter is we only see Iron Man, Captain America and Thor facing Thanos on Titan, forcing us to wonder what happened to the rest of the Avengers. Are we seeing a glimpse of the climax here?  Thankfully, we only have to wait a few days until “Avengers: Endgame” hits theaters to find out.

THEORIES

PEOPLE TURNED TO DUST ARE JUST TRAPPED IN THE SOUL STONE

This theory states that the Soul Stone may be connected to the afterlife in some way.  In Marvel Comics, the Soul Gem, which is the equivalent of the Soul Stone in the movies, houses an idyllic pocket dimension called the Soul World where the souls of people associated with those who control the gem live after their bodies are destroyed.  They are not dead, exactly, but existing in a state of limbo, since they have not progressed into the actual afterlife.

In “Infinity War,” after Thanos snaps his fingers, he appears in some sort of spiritual realm where he confronts a child version of Gamora.  This theory suggests, if the Soul Stone works as it did in the comics, then Thanos probably was not having a vision. Instead, he was talking to the actual soul of the recently deceased Gamora. This means that maybe, everyone who disappeared is not dead, but their souls are trapped and confined in this realm.

THE AVENGERS TRAVEL BACK IN TIME TO THE BATTLE OF NEW YORK

This “Avengers” fan theory has actual evidence to back it up. Some paparazzi set photos revealed Captain America, Tony Stark, Thor and Loki all back in the uniforms they wore in the original “The Avengers.”  But, they can also be seen there with Ant-Man wearing matching watches which may be an important plot device.  It looks as though they’ve traveled through time back to the Battle of New York.

This would make sense with the plot as “The Avengers” was where Thanos first meddled in the affairs of humanity. Perhaps, the plan is to take him out at the start of his quest for the Infinity Stones.

THANOS MAY TRY TO BRING BACK GAMORA

When Thanos sees the young Gamora in his vision, she asks him what he had to give up to achieve this. “Everything,” he replies. Perhaps he does care! And given his newfound invincibility, he may attempt to use the Time Stone to revive Gamora. Though, that could end badly for him if it means the Avengers can take advantage of the time travel.

A SOUL FOR A SOUL

This would be the heaviest of outcomes, but it makes sense, and we elaborate on why. Captain America mentions several times in the film, “we don’t trade lives,” and so much of “Infinity War” is about sacrifice and the consequences of choices. But he and the other Avengers may have to pay the ultimate price, trading their souls and lives for those of the next generation of heroes.

The post-credits sequence pays heavy homage to “The Leftovers” or “Left Behind,” and while Marvel isn’t likely to go as dark as those movies, that path for “Avengers 4” seems to gel with those themes. It makes even more sense considering that on the business end of things, the contracts for the major Avengers are all up after the fourth movie.

WHO WILL NOT MAKE IT OUT ALIVE?

Out of all the characters in the MCU, two of the heroes’ fates seem to be at stake the most.  This is both due to the respected actor’s contracts ending or the fact that their characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe have finished telling their stories and must now pass on their baton to the next phase of heroes.

CAPTAIN AMERICA

Captain America’s story arc may come to an end in “Avengers: Endgame.”  In “Infinity War” Captain America’s scenes stressed a lot on him “not trading lives” such as in the scene in which he refused to take the mind stone from Vision and let Vision die in order to stop Thanos from completing the Gauntlet.  “Avengers: Endgame” may flip that theme and have Steve sacrifice his life for others, since he is Earth’s most selfless hero, after all.

Also, in October 2018, Chris Evans, the actor for the role, tweeted a goodbye to the character, thanking the fans for the memories.  During the “Infinity War” press tour, he stated that 2019 would be “it” and hence, his time in the MCU seems to be coming to an end.

TONY STARK

What’s fascinating is how the first “Spider-Man: Far From Home” trailer goes out of its way to make it seem as though Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark doesn’t survive “Endgame.”

If you look closely, a check from Stark Industries is signed by Pepper Potts instead of Stark. Also, Happy tells Peter Parker that “he’s all alone,” and Stark, who is Parker’s mentor figure in both “Spider-Man: Homecoming” and “Infinity War,” doesn’t appear in the trailer. This could all point to Stark dying in “Endgame,” sure, or it could be a red herring — Pepper Potts is the public face and CEO of Stark Industries; Peter could be all “alone” in Europe, where “Far From Home” is set; and Stark could appear in the movie but purposely not in the trailer to raise speculation. What’s more, one of Parker’s classmates refers to Stark in the present tense, further signaling that he might still be alive.

Besides this, another theory is that if Tony does mess with the past in “Avengers: Endgame” in order to deal with Thanos, perhaps, he changes the future and hence, his relationship with Peter.  So, he may be alive, but a lot of previous events of previous films may not have taken place in the new warped timeline.

Still, while Stark may not die in Endgame, the film could be the end of the road for the character. According to Robert Downey Jr.’s fellow Marvel star Evans, Downey’s contract — along with Evans’s and Chris Hemsworth’s (Thor) — are all “kinda” finished with “Avengers: Endgame”.

“Myself, Downey, Hemsworth, we all kind of started roughly at the same time, and I think we all, through Avengers 4, kind of wrap it up,” Evans told Good Morning America in 2018, during the press tour for “Infinity War.”

In order to find out what truly happens in “Avengers: Endgame” book your tickets ASAP, have some popcorn and enjoy the movie!

Kavya Jeganathan can be reached at [email protected]