New Theory Suggests That Thanos Broke Time In Avengers: Infinity War

It’s the moment that’s been burned into the minds of Marvel fans everywhere for a month now – at the end of Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos used the Infinity Gauntlet to wipe out half of all life in the universe. The consequences of this are absolutely staggering, including the loss of several of our favorite superheroes.

But could there be an even bigger – yes bigger! – consequence to Thanos’ actions? Could he have bitten off more than he can chew and actually caused time itself to break? What started this intriguing new theory was the synopsis for Avengers 4. Here’s the line that’s got people talking:

“Our beloved heroes will truly understand how fragile this reality is, and the sacrifices that must be made to uphold it.”

Putting aside the suggestion of “sacrifices” occurring for a moment, let’s analyze what the first part of that sentence means. It seems to be saying that the events of Infinity War have left the whole of reality in a very “fragile” state. But how could this have happened? Thanos was adamant that it wasn’t his intention to destroy everything, after all.

The key factor here could be that the Infinity Gauntlet appears to have been irrevocably damaged by The Snap, as it can be seen to be burned out and smoking after Thanos does the deed. Cancelling out half of the universe is obviously a monumental act, so it makes sense that the Infinity Stones might punch a hole in the fabric of space/time in the process.

It’s also worth considering the Mad Titan’s dream sequence, which immediately follows this moment. It’s generally agreed that this is Thanos visiting Soul World, the spiritual realm contained within the Soul Stone. That he ended up here suggests he momentarily slipped through a hole in reality, perhaps caused by The Snap. Or, alternatively, what he did shortly before The Snap.

Originally, Scarlet Witch succeeded in destroying the Mind Stone, but the Mad Titan merely used the Time Stone to rewind reality and save it. This is very similar to how Doctor Strange used the gem to turn back time in his own movie. Remember what Wong told him when he did that? “You weren’t manipulating the space-time continuum,” he said. “You were breaking it.” And that was just in response to Strange playing with an apple! Imagine the damage that could be done by using it to bring back an all-powerful Infinity Stone.

If this Avengers: Infinity War theory is on the money, it could pave the way for some big changes to the timeline in Phase Four of the MCU, something that’s also been teased by those rumors of time travel being involved in Avengers 4.