Thanos does a lot of morally dubious things to get what he wants in Avengers: Infinity War, but in one sad scene, the Mad Titan proved once and for all that he cared about more than just himself. When the intergalactic conqueror’s required to sacrifice someone he loves in order to acquire the Soul Stone, he quickly but reluctantly throws Gamora to her death, with the moment serving as a tragic reflection of Thanos’ twisted affection for his adopted daughter. But while he’s supposed to be the villain of this story, one Avengers 4 prediction on Reddit suggests he’s at least a less narcissistic figure than his enemy Tony Stark.
It’s been widely predicted that next year’s sequel will see the death of Iron Man, and according to user Amian246, this sad fate could come as his own choice. The Reddit post starts off by acknowledging the theory that the Avengers will travel back in time in order to get their hands on the Infinity Stones before Thanos can. If this is the case, then this implies that the team will face the same challenge that the purple tyrant did, and here’s where Amian246’s theory comes in.
“There is one elephant in the room though: in order to acquire the soul stone, Tony has to sacrifice what he loves the most. The popular line of thought is that Tony will sacrifice Pepper; but what if he has to sacrifice himself because that’s what he loves the most?
Throughout the MCU, Tony has been built up to be this narcissistic person, so what if he is going to give himself up in order to save everyone else?”
Remarkably, this Reddit theorist has found a way to make a noble self-sacrifice for the good of the universe into a reflection of the character’s own selfishness.
While this could certainly make for a poignant, if unusually pessimistic, ending for the character, to finish Iron Man’s journey on the suggestion that he still loves no one more than himself would likely do a disservice to the progress made by the hero over the last ten years.
Infinity War co-director Anthony Russo has himself acknowledged the journey that Stark’s character has taken since his early days as a self-centered playboy. Could it be that deep down this heroic individual is still as full of himself as he was when he first started this saga in Iron Man? We’ll find out when Avengers 4 arrives on May 3rd, 2019.
