It's an extremely exciting time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With Captain Marvel now in the rear view (and making tons of money at the box office), the next movie down the pipeline is the highly anticipated Avengers: Endgame. Phase Three will come to a close, as The Russo Brothers complete the narrative of the current MCU, and follow-up on the surviving heroes in the wake of Thanos' finger snap of death (aka The Decimation).
The trailers for Avengers: Endgame have been slowly coming out, teasing the dark world Thanos left behind after wiping out half the galaxy. One of the biggest questions surrounding the upcoming release was the fate of Tony Stark and Nebula, who were left stranded on Titan after the snap destroyed the rest of the group who were fighting Thanos on his home planet. The first clips of Endgame showed Tony recording a goodbye message to Pepper Potts, although the final look at the blockbuster revealed than Iron Man and Nebula somehow make it home, and suit up with the rest of the survivors.
Whip out the Yaro Root, because it looks like Tony Stark and Nebula will somehow be rescued from being stranded on space. While the new trailer for Endgame doesn't reveal exactly how the not-so-dynamic duo will make it back home, there's some shots of Karen Gillan's signature character engaging in combat. And the piece de resistance was when the extended shots of The Avengers in their cool new suits, with Nebula and Tony seen alongside Black Widow and the rest of the heroes.
Personally, I'm hoping that the two stranded characters aren't rescued too quickly. Tony Stark and Nebula seem like a hilarious character pairing, and we didn't get to see them interact all that much in Infinity War, given that the focus was on the fight against Thanos. Nebula's no nonsense attitude will be an interesting foil to Iron Man's typical sassy mouth, especially with the two forced together for a long period time-- while also dealing with their shared grief.
Still, it's exciting to see those two characters will be part of the main narrative of Endgame, and not just left on the sidelines in space. The surviving heroes make a motley crew, as Rocket, Nebula, War Machine, Ant-Man and Captain Marvel join the original team.
As a reminder, check out the trailer below.
Noticeably missing from the trailers is Danai Gurira's Okoye, who watched in horror as T'Challa faded to dust. Okoye is in the Endgame poster so she'll definitely have a role, although it's unclear how she'll factor into the story. Is she helping to run Wakanda in the place of her king? Also, did Shuri really die as well?
The final trailer for Avengers: Endgame revealed that Tony Stark and Nebula eventually make it to Earth, but it's unclear exactly how this will come about. The duo's situation certainly looks precarious, as the first footage revealed that they were out of food, water, and low on oxygen. Furthermore, Tony seems to think that he's actually going to die, as he records a final message for his lover Pepper Potts.
It's unlike Iron Man and Nebula to go down without a fight, so the motley duo will probably be pulling out all the stops to ensure their survival. One brief clip from Endgame showed them working on some tech within the Guardians' ship, The Benatar. So perhaps they'll find a way to signal help, be rescued, and eventually brought back to Earth.
There's quite a few theories swirling around regarding how Tony and Nebula might be rescued from being lost in space. One of the most popular involves none other than Pepper Potts. A popular Endgame theory says that Pepper will don her own Iron Man armor, and take on the heroic mantle of Rescue. In addition to being a chance for Gwyneth Paltrow to kick some major ass, the name Rescue may tease that she goes into space to save her husband and business partner.
The rumors about Pepper Potts have gained steam thanks to photos Gwyneth Paltrow shared from the set of Avengers: Endgame. The posts showed her in a motion capture suit, so fans put the math together. Furthermore, possible leaked merchandise may have revealed the Rescue suit in advance. So yeah, the fans are hyped.
It also seems possible that Brie Larson's Captain Marvel could possibly rescue Nebula and Tony. Her massive powers thrive in space, and Carol Danvers is presumably venturing across space in response to Nick Fury's pager from the end of Infinity War. While the Captain Marvel mid-credits scene showed Carol appearing in the Avengers facility, maybe she picked up Tony and Nebula on the way? That, or she travels back into the cosmos to rescue them, and assemble the surviving heroes for their final conflict with Josh Brolin's Thanos.
Marvel fans will no doubt be relieved that Tony's story didn't end in space, and that he'd finally be reunited with the likes of Captain America and Black Widow in Endgame's big battles. But Nebula's inclusion in the Avengers is even more fascinating, and show what a big arc Karen Gillan's signature character has already had in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 took the blue girl from vengeful villain to an emotionally and physically traumatized antihero. While she remained focused on killing her adopted father Thanos, audiences saw as she and her sister Gamora finally made peace.
It should be interesting to see how Nebula vibes with the various heroes. As many of the humans venture into space for the first time, Endgame should mark her first time on Earth. Just when we thought the fish out of water stories had run their course, we've got the likes of Rocket and Nebula on Earth, and finally interacting with the other characters. They're the only two Guardians left after Thanos' snap of death, so perhaps they'll also lean on each other in regards to their shared grief.
Answers will come when Avengers: Endgame finally arrived in theaters on April 26th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
