Will Major Marvel Characters Die In Avengers: Infinity War? The Russos Respond

Iron Man injured in Iron Man 3

Needless to say, there are going to be spoilers in the following article, so turn back now if you want to head into Avengers: Infinity War knowing nothing at all.

There's a very good chance that a few Avengers will not make it to the end of Avengers: Infinity War with their lives intact. This is not based on anything that CinemaBlend learned during our recent set visit to the Atlanta set of Joe and Anthony Russo's pending blockbuster. It's just a feeling we have, knowing that Thanos (Josh Brolin) is being positioned as the biggest and baddest adversary the team has yet to face. Also, when we point-blank asked the Russos if any heroes would die in this movie, they danced around a bit before Anthony Russo finally said:

We'll say this. We like mature storytelling. We like dramatic storytelling. We like intense storytelling. I think we appreciate conflict, and we appreciate stakes. And without stakes, there really isn't a lot of value to the story. And I think if you look at the Marvel Universe as a whole, as a story that's been told for ten years, you can look at this as the climax. And the stakes will be higher in this movie than they've ever been. Times ten.

So yeah, I think that means people are dying. Or something worse. Once Thanos (Josh Brolin) gets his hands on the Infinity Stones, he'll be able to manipulate the universe in ways that the Marvel heroes never thought possible. Time travel could be in play. The world could end. We know that the MCU won't end. There are stories to tell beyond Avengers: Infinity War, up to and including Avengers 4.

But the talk of stakes by Joe and Anthony Russo have us believing that things are not going to go swimmingly for the Avengers. So, let's slap on our speculation hats and guess who might not survive. Again, this is NOT based on anything that we learned. Just based on what we know about the MCU.

Vision (Paul Bettany) could be a goner. Thanos wants his Stone, and it's attached to Vision's head. That would be fatal if removed. I think big-ticket names like Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and Captain America (Chris Evans) are in play. A loss has to hurt, and taking out the two titans of the MCU would send a message. Also, their mantles are easily picked up by other heroes in the MCU. There's also a chance that Thanos takes out one of his daughters in the battle. Could Nebula (Karen Gillan) or Gamora (Zoe Saldana) meet their makers at the hands of their father?

We'll know for sure once Avengers: Infinity War hits theaters on April 27. More set visit content is on its way. In the meantime, bookmark our Upcoming Marvel Movies guide to stay up to date on all of the relevant happenings in the MCU.

Sean O'Connell
Managing Editor

Sean O’Connell is a journalist and CinemaBlend’s Managing Editor. Having been with the site since 2011, Sean interviewed myriad directors, actors and producers, and created ReelBlend, which he proudly cohosts with Jake Hamilton and Kevin McCarthy. And he's the author of RELEASE THE SNYDER CUT, the Spider-Man history book WITH GREAT POWER, and an upcoming book about Bruce Willis.