Avengers Endgame: New theory suggests Tony Stark will sacrifice himself to undo the snap

A new theory posited by a user called CaptainCayden2077 on Reddit says the superheroes will have to retrieve every single Infinity Stone to reverse the snap, and that includes the Soul Stone, the only one which requires the sacrifice of a beloved person.

Now, Thanos may still have the Infinity Gauntlet (albeit damaged) in his possession with every Infinity Stone. But since time-travel is most likely involved in Endgame, it might not necessarily be those very Infinity Stones that the heroes need. They may take other Infinity Stones by going back to the past.

The user goes on to say that however the Soul Stone is retrieved, it would need a sacrifice anyway. And it might be Tony Stark and not Captain America. The user says, “My theory of Avengers Endgame predicts the death of a beloved hero, ‘Earth’s best defender,’ Tony Stark himself. To retrieve the Soul Stone, a sacrifice must be made. I thought long about this and about who would sacrifice someone they love, and why the Soul Stone would have to be in their possession. For obvious reasons, all stones must be retrieved to reverse what Thanos has done to the Universe. There are a few reasons I believe Tony will be sacrificed.”

The user adds, “For one, two beings know for certain that a sacrifice is demanded to obtain the Soul Stone: Thanos and the Red Skull. Neither of the two can and/or will possibly tell the Avengers, but I believe that Nebula has figured it out. While battling Thanos on Titan, Nebula told Quill that Thanos came back with the stone but not Gamora. I am quite confident to say that she has some knowledge about a sacrifice being the price to obtain the Soul Stone, to which she tells Tony on Titan, after Infinity War. Thus, Tony will know that the Stone demands a sacrifice.”

The contract of the actors who played the old guard of the Avengers, like Robert Downey Jr and Chris Evans, is ending with Endgame. It might be renewed, but then again it might not if the actors want to move on from such a giant commitment. Chris Hemsworth is already a part of another popular franchise, Men in Black.

If at least a few of these actors are exiting the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it may mean that they will be killed off to give way to newer Avengers like Spider-Man, Black Panther, Captain Marvel and so on.

Tony’s exit from the franchise is also bolstered by the fact that Gwyneth Paltrow has said, on record to Variety, that she will be quitting the MCU after Endgame.

The Reddit user concludes with, “But then the greatest difference between Tony and Thanos will be revealed in Tony’s humanity. He’ll walk to the edge, and ask Cap to push him off. Not only will that contrast Tony and Thanos, but it will complete what Cap and Tony began arguing about in The Avengers, where Cap claims that Tony would never be the one to make the “sacrifice play.” Tony almost sacrificed himself to defeat the Chitauri, but that wasn’t enough. This, again, will have the audience’s emotions overwhelmed. They’ll be begging Tony not to sacrifice Cap for the Stone, and perhaps even questioning Tony’s sanity, and then suddenly, when Tony reveals that he brought Cap there so he, Tony, himself could be sacrificed for the Stone, the audience will shift and realize they also don’t want Tony to be sacrificed. This, to me, feels like something the Russo’s would do.”

It would be a great payoff for the audiences if, right at the end, Tony and Steve, resolve their differences that began in Captain America: Civil War, and commit the ultimate sacrifice.

Avengers: Endgame releases on April 26