Avengers: Infinity War was the story of victory in the face of adversity as Thanos completes his mission to eradicate half of all life from the universe. But while that gloomy tale chose its villain as the main focus, a new post on Reddit argues that next year’s Avengers: Endgame will serve as the more optimistic flipside, showing how the deaths are undone from the point of view of one of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
Earlier this year, Infinity War already drew a vague parallel between Tony Stark and Thanos when the Mad Titan told Iron Man that he wasn’t the only one “cursed with knowledge,” so if the upcoming sequel were to mirror the structure of the last film, Robert Downey Jr.’s character would likely be the most natural choice for lead. And according to Reddit user Asongofparksandrec, the parallels may not end there.
Just as Infinity War was structured around Thanos acquiring each of the Infinity Stones to cause the Decimation, it’s argued that Endgame could consist of Tony tracking down the same stones, only with the intention of reversing the recent universe-wide genocide. It’s also suggested that Stark’s guilt about Peter Parker’s death could motivate him in a similar way to how the fall of Titan drove Thanos in his mission, and that Iron Man could also meet with Eitri on Nidavellir in order to acquire a means of harnessing the stones.
The post concludes by suggesting that Tony’s reversal of the snap might require the character to sacrifice himself, as so many fans have predicted, or may even see him ascend to a higher plain of existence.
Of course, this is all just speculation, and there are plenty more ways that Avengers: Endgame could play out – in terms of both the structure and the content of its story – but it’s clear that Iron Man will be at the forefront of the action either way. And we’ll find out what journey awaits Stark and his peers when the film hits theaters on April 26th, 2019.