Who Will Die in 'Avengers: Infinity War'?

With nearly a month left until the highly-anticipated culmination of the Marvel Cinematic Universe arrives in April's Avengers: Infinity War, I've hit the point of no return as speculation as to what drastic events might occur in the superhero extravaganza continues to quickly consume my every thought. While I strive often to avoid ruining the film for myself by expecting too much (or too little), when such a massive feature as this comes around, it's difficult not to guess at the more tantalizing plot elements that could play into the film. One of the most tantalizing, for a film that seeks to shift the tide of the past decade of Marvel films with one swift wave of an Infinity Gauntlet, is who might bite the dust at the hands of big bad Thanos and his Black Order. While there are a number of obvious choices for what Avenger might meet his or her fate, here are my top predictions as to who could die in Infinity War.

Loki - Even as Tom Hiddleston's jocular god of mischief might stand as the gold standard of villain-turned-antihero within the MCU, rivaling his brother Thor and the Avengers while seemingly diverging onto his own path, his character of Loki seems the most probable to die in Infinity War. Despite the fact that he is set to appear in the 2019 follow-up to this film, what we've seen so far from the character in the trailers begins to speak to him meeting his ultimate fate at the hands of the Black Order. With the latest trailer for the film showing us Thanos (Josh Brolin) begin his rein of destruction by crushing the Tesseract cube (one of the six Infinity Stones) in his grip, we see Hiddleston's Loki at the mercy of the Mad Titan's deadly children. While it also seems likely that Loki, a master of deception and able to easily talk his way out of losing his head, could bargain with Thanos and his allies for the Tesseract, my prediction is that the ultimate death of Loki could play a major role in his brother Thor's actions, as he stands as one of the prominent characters of the story.

Vision - Following his grand entrance into the MCU as the cybertronic creation of villain Ultron in 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron, Paul Bettany's android Vision has slowly matured from a depersonalized artificial intelligence into one of the more intriguing characters of the films. With an attraction between him and Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch clueing us further into the motivations for the character and giving us reason to enjoy his presence in the films, one fact remains clear: There's an Infinity Stone lodged in his forehead. Giving him life, as well as an immense set of abilities, Vision appears to be one of the most powerful Avengers in the films. Despite his power-set, however, Vision seems likely to become a clear target for Thanos and his rein. Whether or not the film might choose to end his character so quickly or divert the big bad's attention from him in some way, could change the fate of a promising character perhaps not entirely given his full potential in the films as of yet.

     

Nebula - Karen Gillian's Nebula has also played an interestingly minor role in the films. Even while she tangled with hunting her adoptive sister Gamora (Zoe Saldana) and proving herself worthy of Thanos' appraisal throughout 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy and its subsequent sequel, we've never truly seen her character blossom into an independent being. While last year's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 might have given us some great scenes between the two sisters, as well as some teases as her character joining the intergalactic team, there remains some untapped places to explore with the dynamic between both Nebula and Thanos. With the film set to delve into Gamora's upbringing as the true daughter to the Mad Titan, we could also see how the divide between him and Nebula created a friction in the family, prompting her to enact revenge. While her death in the film might not hold much weight to anyone other than Gamora, it will be interesting to see how Thanos reacts if Nebula wages her final stand on him alone.

Drax - While Nebula seems primed to fall into the clutches of her feuding adoptive father in her solo quest for revenge against him, another character fueled by vengeance is Dave Bautista's Drax the Destroyer. While it seems unlikely at this point that any of the prime members of the Guardians of the Galaxy will meet their fate by Thanos' hand, Drax seems the most fitting, as his rage against the one behind his family's grisly murder could get the better of him. While I don't see Drax dying early on in the film, the final stand against Thanos and his army could be the chance for Drax to get his violent moment alone with the powerful foe.

Tony Stark/Iron Man - Out of all the OG Avengers heading up the fight against Thanos, the one whose ultimate demise might be the most unexpected would have to be Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark. With directors Anthony and Joe Russo teasing that this film would shift the focus of the films to a new set of heroes, it seems highly likely that at least one of the central heroes might meet their end. With Stark acting as not only the father-of-sorts of the MCU, but also the nucleus of pretty much the entire franchise since 2008's Iron Man, the character has become engrained in the culture of recent Marvel films. While the final blow from Thanos could be aimed at any of the top tier Avengers, like Captain America, Thor, or even Hulk, the one who started it all in Downey Jr.'s snarky industrialist would cement the emotional weight at the center of Infinity War. 

While details on many of the characters set to appear in Avengers: Infinity War remain in the dark (where the hell is Hawkeye??), there's no doubt that someone will kick the bucket within the lengthy runtime of the massive trilogy-closer. Whether the Mad Titan will take some of our most beloved characters in his destruction, or the more secondary characters at the heart of the story, the fate of the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to hang in the balance. Still, the question remains -- Who will die?