As the title indicates, this story is a consideration of things after seeing Avengers: Infinity War. If that isn't you, then these will be major SPOILERS. Do yourself a favor and come back after you've seen the movie.
Avengers: Infinity War was everything that we expected it to be and more. It was a movie on an epic scale that has shaken the Marvel Cinematic Universe to its core. As such, we have a lot of questions.
Odds are we'll be asking questions about Avengers: Infinity War until Avengers 4 comes out a year from now, but until then, here are the biggest questions that we have about the latest entry in the MCU.
Where Did Valkyrie Go?
At the end of Thor: Ragnarok we see Thor, Hulk, Loki, Heimdall and Valkyrie along with the rest of the Asgardians on board a ship when, in that film's post-credits sequence, they are approached by another large spacecraft. In the opening moments of Avengers: Infinity War it is confirmed that the ship belongs to Thanos. All of the previously named characters appear in the scene, with one exception. Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) is nowhere to be found. We don't see her fighting but we also never see her body. Is she alive? We know that Thanos left half the Asgardians alive, but if she isn't dead, why didn't she fight?
Where's Hawkeye?
There were a lot of questions about Hawkeye going into Avengers: Infinity War. As it turns out, those questions were quite warranted, as Clint Barton never appeared on screen in the movie. We're told in the movie that he, like Ant-Man Scott Lang, is under house arrest, but are we really to expect that Clint sat on the sidelines? We were told he'd retired in Avengers: Age of Ultron, but that didn't stop him then, so why did it now? It's a safe bet that Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) is still alive, as removing him off-screen seems unlikely, especially since every other member of the core team from The Avengers survived. What does the future have in store for our favorite archer?
What's Wrong with Hulk?
The Incredible Hulk tries to do his thing at the beginning of the film and he goes toe-to-toe with Thanos (Josh Brolin). Surprisingly, however, he gets beat, and hard. After Thor: Ragnarok, when Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) was afraid he may never be able to change back the next time he became the Hulk, now he finds himself unable to change into the big green guy at all. Is the Hulk really just feeling a lack of confidence following his defeat or is there more going on as to why he refuses to emerge? The Avengers will almost certainly need the big guy in Avengers 4, so what will it take to get him back?
Why Did Strange Give Up The Time Stone?
When trying to come with their plan to stop Thanos, Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) specifically tells Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) that if it comes to a choice between saving the life of him, or Spider-Man (Tom Holland), or protecting the Time Stone, he won't hesitate to save the stone. However, when the time comes, Strange gives up the Time Stone to save Iron Man. This move is especially damning considering Thanos uses the Time Stone to obtain the final stone he needs, the Mind Stone, making it seem like the worst possible move. Surely Strange would understand the power he was giving to Thanos. Strange seems to think he had no choice, but why?
What Happened To [Name Of Off-Screen Character Here]?
We lost a lot of characters at the end of Avengers: Infinity War. For the most part, the movie showed us who we lost and who survived. However, there are several important characters whose fate is unclear. We saw Shuri get blasted while trying to help Vision. It's not clear if she survived the blast and if she did, did she also survive "the snap?" Tony Stark is still here, but did his fiancee Pepper Potts also survive? Ant-Man and the Wasp will star in a movie that is set to take place prior to the events of Infinity War, will they still be around for Avengers 4?
Are the Infinity Stones Still A Threat?
Ultimately, Thanos is successful in obtaining all the Infinity Stones and with a snap of his fingers, he does what he set out to do. However, the next time we see the Infinity Gauntlet after "the snap" it appears to have been pulverized. Since we're told by Eitri the dwarf that the gauntlet was the device that allowed Thanos to harness the power of the stones, if the gauntlet no longer functions, does that mean the stones can no longer be used against the Avengers? We've seen that trying to use the stones directly is nearly impossible for mortals. Does that mean that Thanos no longer has the ability to use the stones to defend himself? Is this the opening our heroes will need in Avengers 4?
Where Has Captain Marvel Been?
The post-credits scene of Avengers: Infinity War tells us that Captain Marvel is likely to play a big role in Avengers 4 after we meet her in her self-titled prequel movie. But where has she been? If she's been available via pager this whole time, then she's not a prisoner someplace or sleeping in suspended animation. Quite a lot has happened, both on Earth and all over the galaxy that Captain Marvel could have helped with, so why didn't she? This question will certainly be answered during the Captain Marvel movie, so we'll have to wait until early next year to find out.
What The Hell Happens Now?
This question covers a lot of ground, but it's probably the one question that we're all asking after walking out of the theater after having seen Avengers: Infinity War. Thanos has succeeded and has now, apparently, retired to a little lakeside cabin in the middle of who even knows where. How do the remaining heroes regroup? How do they even find Thanos, and once they do, is there even a way to beat him? This, of course, all comes after the mourning that everybody will be doing for all of their fallen friends. How do the remaining heroes even recover well enough to move on after all that's happened?
