The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a fascinating place, especially since Avengers: Infinity War arrived in theaters back in April. The Russo Brothers' did the impossible with the blockbuster, and it was a critically acclaimed installment that also performed at the box office. The film also shocked hardcore Marvel fans and casual moviegoers alike, when Josh Brolin's Thanos succeeded in his quest and wiped out half the galaxy with the snap of his finger.
No one thought the snap would really happen, and audiences were left to watch in horror as countless fan favorite characters began fading to dust before our eyes. Spider-Man, Black Panther, and 4/6 of the Guardians of the Galaxy perished in the snap-- a moment that will be remembered in film history. And now it seems Marvel has landed on an official name for that moment: The Decimation.
News of Thanos' snap being labelled The Decimation comes to us from the Avengers 4 prelude comic (via Comic Book), which helps to bridge the gap between the end of Infinity War and the upcoming new blockbuster. That comic revealed that the survivors of Thanos' assault on the galaxy have given the conflict a name. And instead of simply calling it "The Snap", there's a much more melodramatic title at play.
Of course, The Decimation is a fairly accurate description of what happened when Thanos finally managed to gather the Infinity Stones. While fans saw beloved heroes and various Wakandans fade to dust after the Mad Titan snapped his finger, it was an event that affected the entire galaxy. Half of Earth died alongside the rest of the heroes, as well as various characters from Marvel's cosmic side.
It's hard to imagine how the planet would function in the wake of The Decimation, although it feels like The Avengers meets HBO's apocalyptic drama The Leftovers. Since there's no way of predicting how the world would react to Thanos' finger snap, The Russo Brothers have the freedom to make as many bold narrative choices as they want. And if there's going to be a time jump with Avengers 4, a brand new world could be created ahead of the final installment in Phase Three.
It'll be interesting to see how The Decimation is handled with Avengers 4. Marvel Studios hasn't revealed anything about the upcoming blockbuster, so fans are totally in the dark. This decision was made to allow Avengers: Infinity War to stand on its own two feet, with Marvel also able to release Ant-Man and The Wasp and Captain Marvel in the interim.
Luckily, Avengers 4 answers are coming, as a trailer should be dropping any day now. The movie will arrive in theaters on May 3rd, 2019. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your trips to the movies in the New Year.
