Warning! Major spoilers to follow for Avengers: Infinity War. Come back later if you haven't seen it yet.
Joe and Anthony Russo's Avengers: Infinity War notably collects almost every known hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe - and through the events of the film they all go through a hell of a lot. The battle against Thanos and his minions is tough and long, and thanks to the crazy cliffhanger with which the movie ends, most of the characters are left in pretty awful places. We won't know what will become of most of them until next year's Avengers 4, but until then we will have this feature to keep track of where all of them are.
Below and across the next couple of pages we've highlighted all of the heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and have catalogued exactly where it is that they stand following the events of Avengers: Infinity War. Some are alive, some are injured, some are dead, and some fates are unknown. There's a lot to go through, so let's dive in, shall we?
Captain America
Captain America (Chris Evans) led a valiant battle against the Black Order and their horde of outriders, and he managed to walk away from the battle alive - but that's pretty much the end of the Good News list. He delivers what is ultimately the last line of the film - a rather horrific, "Oh, god" - as he realizes the devastation that has come as a result of Thanos' victory.
Iron Man
If it weren't for Doctor Strange, Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) would be counted among the dead on this list - as Thanos successfully got the upper hand against him in battle and stabbed him through the chest with one of his own blades. He wound up living because the wizard traded the Time Stone for his life, but he doesn't exactly see happy about it at the end of Avengers: Infinity War. That will happen when you're stranded on an alien planet and watch all but one of your compatriots fade away and die.
Thor
Thor (Chris Hemsworth) demonstrated just how mighty he really is in the third act of Avengers: Infinity War, as he was the one who came closest to actually killing Thanos. He successfully puts his new axe, Stormbreaker, into the Mad Titan's chest... but it doesn't matter, because it doesn't stop the Big Snap (to paraphrase Thanos, he should have aimed for the head). As a result, he is left as one of the only surviving heroes on Earth as half of life in the universe is eliminated.
Hulk
Yes, Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) is one of the survivors of Avengers: Infinity War, but is he really even the Hulk? Bruce Banner is forced to participate in the Wakandan Battle wearing Hulk Buster armor because the big green guy refuses to come out following his first encounter with Thanos (he seems just a bit freaked out). Will he ever be able to turn into a giant rage monster ever again? Only time will tell.
Black Widow
Despite her lack of super powers, Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) puts up a great fight in Wakanda, and helps take down countless outriders while trying to help save the country. It's a skirmish that she survives, but that just puts her in the position of watching many of her friends fade away into dust following Thanos' victory.
War Machine
War Machine (Don Cheadle) definitely had a rough go of it when we last saw him on the big screen in Captain America: Civil War - being paralyzed from the waist down thanks to an errant blast from Vision - but at the very least he escapes Avengers: Infinity War with his life. His armor is a bit crushed by Thanos, but it's still functional, as he spends his final moments in the movie looking for his friends as they disappear.
Okoye
There is a moment towards the end of Avengers: Infinity War when it looks like Okoye (Danai Gurira) is going to be one of the many killed by Thanos snapping his fingers, but instead she has the horrific opportunity to watch as the man she has sworn to protect turns to dust instead (more on him in a minute). What is the Dora Milaje without a king to project? I guess we'll find out in Avengers 4.
M'Baku
Many Wakandan leaders and soldiers died during the battle against the outriders in Avengers: Infinity War, but M'Baku (Winston Duke) was among those who escaped with their life. He is last seen on the battlefield in the film, watching as many of his fellow citizens/tribesmen disappear and fade away into nothingness.
Rocket
Of the original Guardians of the Galaxy, Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) is the only one to survive the events of Avengers: Infinity War. For the first time in his life he makes his way to Earth, partnered up with Thor and Groot following the former's quest for Stormbreaker, but it's not exactly a happy trip. He helps out in the battle in Wakanda, but his final moments in the movie see him once again saying goodbye to his best friend.
Nebula
Only one hero was left on Titan with Iron Man at the end of Avengers: Infinity War, and unexpectedly it was Nebula (Karen Gillan). In a strange twist of fate, while she spent her entire life being tortured by Thanos, she ultimately wasn't one of his victims when eliminating half of life in the known universe. One can probably guess that she'll just see this as an opportunity to continue her quest for revenge against her adoptive father.
Doctor Strange
In the middle of Avengers: Infinity War, Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) sees only one path to victory among 14,605,000 possible futures - and we can only hope that particular path included him dying. He is among the heroes who is turned to dust following Thanos' deadly snap, disappearing while sitting defeated on Titan.
Spider-Man
Wearing a brand new Iron Spider suit, Spider-Man (Tom Holland) does an amazing job in the fight against Thanos, helping in nearly getting the Infinity Gauntlet away from the Mad Titan - but his death comes as a result of that mission's failure. Not only does he disappear after Thanos snaps his fingers, but he actually has the most drawn out end of anyone, begging Tony Stark for his life as he fades away into nothingness.
Black Panther
It was only a couple months ago that audiences totally flipped out being introduced to the world of Wakanda in Black Panther - but after a very short reign, the king is now dead. In one of the movie's most devastating and shocking moments, T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) is trying to comfort Okoye after the battle in Wakanda, but turns to dust as he's doing it. As an audience we know he will be back, but that didn't make it any less hard to watch.
Scarlet Witch
Of all the characters in Avengers: Infinity War, arguably nobody gets a harsher ending than Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen). First she demonstrates the incredible emotional strength to actually kill the person she loves, but quickly thereafter it doesn't even matter. Thanos goes back in time, reverses her sacrifice, and then kills her love again. And if that weren't terrible enough, she is then one of the heroes to die post-snap. Hopefully she gets a whole lot of redemption in Avengers 4.
Falcon
Operating in the air, Falcon (Anthony Mackie) proved to be a key asset during the battle against the Black Order and the outriders, but still his fate was sealed with the snap of Thanos' fingers. He is tossed aside during Thanos' quest for the Mind Stone, and while War Machine is looking for him in the tall grass, he slowly fades away into nothingness.
The White Wolf
Fans were very happy to see an un-brainwashed Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) - going by the new name The White Wolf - in the post-credits of Black Panther, but that was happiness that didn't last long. Of the characters who die after Thanos snaps his fingers, he is actually the first to go, letting out a desperate, "Steve" while calling to Captain America and turning to dust.
Star-Lord
Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) makes some very controversial moves in Avengers: Infinity War, the biggest being punching Thanos in the face when our heroes almost get the Infinity Gauntlet off of him, but he pays the ultimate price for his actions. When the Mad Titan fully assembles the Gauntlet, Peter Quill is one of the 10 heroes who fades away into nothingness, tearfully disappearing from the surface of Titan.
Mantis
Mantis (Pom Klementieff) isn't exactly a serious physical threat, her most significant power being the ability to make others sleep , but she still proves quite effective when the select group of heroes is battling Thanos on Titan. That being said, it doesn't really matter in the end, as she is another Guardians member dusted after the Big Snap.
Drax
Just as he is in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, Drax (Dave Bautista) is a wonderful source of comic relief in Avengers: Infinity War - but the comedy he provides turns to tragedy by the end of the story. Like just about all of the other members of the Guardians team, Thanos' universe-altering snap leads to his end, as he transforms into dust while on Titan.
Groot
Fans were probably happy to see Rocket survive the events of Avengers: Infinity War, but the same cannot be said for his wooden little friend. We first saw Groot (Vin Diesel) die in the first Guardians of the Galaxy, but now for the second time in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe he has fallen again. He fades away into dust shortly after Thanos snaps his fingers, and it's crushing to watch Rocket's expression as it happens.
Nick Fury
Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) isn't actually featured in the main body of Avengers: Infinity War, but he does pop his head into the action during the post-credits scene. Sadly, in retrospect it might have been better for him to stay away. He winds up being included in Thanos' ridiculously high kill count at the end of the movie - though he's successfully able to send out a very important message before he turns to dust.
Maria Hill
Last among the dead characters we know about is Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders). She is traveling with Nick Fury during the Avengers: Infinity War end credits sequence, but just like the former director of S.H.I.E.L.D., she's not exactly safe. Like 11 of the other heroes mentioned here, she is reduced to nothing but dust when Thanos snaps his fingers to kill half the universe.
Gamora
All of the characters discussed in this section thus far died because of Thanos eliminating half of life in the universe, but the death of Gamora (Zoe Saldana) comes before all of that. When Thanos is trying to get the Soul Stone, he learns that he must sacrifice what he loves - and that means throwing Gamora off of a steep cliff. It's a harrowing moment in Avengers: Infinity War, and unquestionably one of its saddest moments.
Vision
As alluded to earlier in the discussion of Scarlet Witch, Vision (Paul Bettany) not only dies in Avengers: Infinity War, but actually dies twice. The first is when his love uses her powers to destroy the Mind Stone, but that winds up getting reversed by Thanos. Instead, Vision meets his end when the Mad Titan literally reaches into his head to take out the final Infinity Stone, and then he is simply left to crumple to the ground.
Heimdall
Another pre-snap death, the end of Heimdall (Idris Elba) is significant because it is the first depicted in Avengers: Infinity War. He is successfully able to use the last of his magic to transport Hulk to Earth, but it's an act that comes with serious consequence. Thanos, angry that he couldn't kill the Hulk, decides to take it out on Heimdall, and uses Corvus Glaive's famed weapon to stab Heimdall through the chest.
Loki
It's a bit weird to call Loki (Tom Hiddleston) a "hero" after all the crap he's done over the last seven years, but in death we'll bestow him the honor. After all, he does have Thanos spare Thor's life at the start of Avengers: Infinity War, and then even makes an effort to try and stab the Mad Titan in the neck. Unfortunately this move directly led to his death, as he's chocked out by a giant purple fist, but we as fans will always remember him.
Shuri
Shuri (Letitia Wright) is a key player in Avengers: Infinity War, helping to try and the get the Mind Stone out of Vision's head - but her fate remains unknown. She is last seen in the movie getting knocked around by Corvus Glaive in her Wakandan laboratory, and the film doesn't make a point of showing whether or not she got "dusted." We'll probably have to wait until Avengers 4 to discover whether or not she is alive or dead.
Hawkeye
Much to everyone's surprise, Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) doesn't actually show up in Avengers: Infinity War - though at the very least he is mentioned. It's noted that he is no longer a fugitive from the Sokovia Accords because he decided to take a plea deal so that he could be with his family. Sadly, though, that's all we know about where he currently stands. Like the other original five Avengers, we expect that he is still alive post-snap, but we won't know for certain until next year.
Nakia
As noted previously in this feature, there are many characters from Ryan Coogler's Black Panther who appear in Avengers: Infinity War, but Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o) is not one of them. It's never mentioned where she is during the events of the story, but given her role as a War Dog it's not too hard to imagine that she is out of the country and not in Wakanda. That being said, because she doesn't appear and isn't mentioned, we don't know if she is alive or dead.
Ant-Man
We didn't really expect Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) to be in Avengers: Infinity War, given the fact that he has his own solo movie sequel due out in a couple months - but he does at least get a shoutout in the film. Like the situation with Hawkeye, it's revealed that he decided to take a deal so that he wouldn't be a fugitive and separated from his family. Again, though, we don't know if he's alive or dead now, and probably won't find out until the end of the upcoming Ant-Man & The Wasp.
The Wasp
There was very little chance that Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) would make her debut as The Wasp in Avengers: Infinity War, as it's been long said that the costumed hero wouldn't really make her debut until Ant-Man & The Wasp. Of course, that's not stopping us from worrying about her fate after the end of Avengers: Infinity War. Will she be counted among the heroes spared after Thanos' snap, or will did she turn to dust? We currently have no idea.
Valkyrie
Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) is actually in a much different position than the other names on this list. We know that she was on the ship that got attacked by Thanos at the start of Avengers: Infinity War, but she is never actually shown (either alive or dead). Given Thor's line about half of Asgard being killed later in the movie, we can assume that she got away on an escape pod or something, but that's just a guess, and we have no idea what happened to her after Thanos' snap.
Wong
With Doctor Strange out protecting the world, Wong (Benedict Wong) makes a fairly early exit from Avengers: Infinity War, announcing his intention to stay behind and protect the Sanctum Sanctorum. Sadly, though, this means that we don't really know what happens to him after the events that go down at the end of the blockbuster. Is he solid, or is he dust? Time will tell.
