The ending of Avengers: Infinity War left many people, including myself, very confused. Mumbles of “Is it over?” were echoed throughout the theater after the movie ended. Now that it has been awhile since I’ve seen it, I have been able to conjure up some thoughts about the movie. Warning: there are MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!

So… who’s actually dead? Other than Heimdall, Loki, Gamora, Vision, and Thanos’ Black Order, it seems like no one, technically. At the end of the movie, when Thanos snaps his fingers and supposedly wipes out half the life in the universe, many of the newer characters dissolve and fade away. Those characters include Doctor Strange, Star-Lord, Winter Soldier, Scarlet Witch, Black Panther, Drax, Mantis, Groot, Falcon, and probably the most heart-wrenching of all, young Spider-Man. However, are these characters really “dead”? These characters are actually probably trapped in the Soul Stone. For those who don’t know, in the Infinity Gauntlet comic book story arc, from which Infinity War is based on, those heroes affected by Thanos’ finger snap are trapped inside the soul stone in a place called the Soul World. At the end of the story, the heroes are broken out of the stone when Thanos is defeated by the remaining heroes. There are many reasons that the next Avengers movie will take a similar turn. The first and most obvious one is the fact that there’s no way that any of these characters are just going to never return ever again. There’s no way! Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is slated for a 2020 release, and at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, the credits stated,”The Guardians of the Galaxy will return.” Unless they were just talking about Rocket Raccoon and Nebula in their own adventure, we can expect to see all of the Guardians of the Galaxy to come back in Avengers 4, even Gamora, who was killed by Thanos when he chucked her off a cliff to retrieve the Soul Stone. As for Vision, there’s a good bet that he will also come back in Avengers 4. He is a robot, after all, so he could be repaired in Avengers 4.  However, there are some characters who are out for good. Those are; Thanos’ Dar Order (however there is a chance that Ebony Maw is still alive), Heimdall, and, as much as it pains me, Loki. There is no chance that these characters are coming back. While there is a chance that Thanos would use the Time Stone or something to retrieve his squad, Loki and Heimdall are gone, and I don’t think Thor would try to bring them back, and instead, will choose to host an Asgardian funeral for them both.

Quick recap. At the end of Infinity War, Thanos wiped out half the universe with the snap of his fingers. Everyone who died as a result of that is likely to come back in Avengers 4. Those who are the most likely to remain dead are Loki and Heimdall, as well as Thanos’ Dark Order. For those like me who were shocked when the Infinity War credits rolled, I hope this article has helped you have an idea for what’s in store for the Marvel superheroes.