While half the internet seems to be predicting the death of Iron Man in next year’s Avengers 4, a new fan theory suggests that at least one notorious individual assumed Tony Stark would be meeting his end before the credits even rolled on Avengers: Infinity War.
This alleged failed forecaster is none other than the Mad Titan himself, Thanos, and this recent speculation all stems from one little line delivered by the intergalactic conqueror: “I hope they remember you.” When taken out of context, these words could almost be seen as strangely flattering, but when spoken by Thanos at the end of his fight with Iron Man, the connotations are clear that Stark is expected to die soon.
Yet, despite Thanos stabbing the Avenger before erasing half of all life from the universe with the snap of his fingers, Robert Downey Jr.’s character remains standing. Could it be that Thanos incorrectly assumed that Stark would be killed in one of these two events? If so, then perhaps this implies that the element of surprise will play a major role in the upcoming sequel, with Stark managing to take advantage of his supposed death as a means of catching the tyrant off guard.
Granted, this could all be a bit of a stretch. You’d think that if someone as careful as Thanos had really wanted Stark to die from the stab wound, he would’ve properly finished the job before leaving, especially since the subsequent snap left his foe with a 50% chance of survival. Then again, Infinity War co-director Joe Russo’s statements on the film’s audio commentary track strongly support the idea that Thanos was trying to kill Stark in this scene, with the director saying:
“Almost no one ends up being a threat to the agenda except for Tony, who I think feels he has this sort of existential connection to Thanos. It’s the one moment where he is actively…since brutally murdering Loki for disobedience, where he actively is going to murder someone for standing in his way.”
Regardless of what Thanos’ intentions were, it’s a safe bet that Stark will play a major role in the final fight, with Avengers 4 set to bring the saga full circle when it hits theaters on May 3rd, 2019.
