Marvel Comics - Softonic English

7 things we learned from Captain Marvel

Here’s what you need to know from “Captain Marvel” before you see “Endgame.”

The best and worst thing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe is that everything connects somehow. If you’re an avid fan, you’re always half watching the films from a more macro approach, hunting for any references or hints related to other installments in the franchise and geeking out about things like Bruce Banner mispronouncing Wakanda, Howard Stark hanging out with Hank Pym, or Ronan the Accuser making a surprise appearance in the new “Captain Marvel.”

5 Marvel villains who could follow Thanos

Who's next after the Mad Titan?

While these interconnected moments are awesome if you’re ‘in the know,’ they can make you feel pretty left out if you don’t catch the reference. Since “Avengers: Infinity War” we’ve gotten two standalone movies: “Ant-Man and the Wasp” and “Captain Marvel,” which is still in theaters. As you’d expect, the latter film carries with it a handful of new information pertinent to the MCU: Infinity Stones, warring alien factions, and timey-wimey stuff. If you just left the theater with your head spinning, or if you want to get caught up before “Avengers: Endgame,” here’s a list of seven things we learned from “Captain Marvel.”

Oh, and spoilers ahead:

1. Captain Marvel is crazy powerful

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said in an interview that Captain Marvel “will be the most powerful character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe” and that promise has definitely been kept. With experience both on Earth and on the cosmic scale, space flight, super strength, deadly photon blasts, and combat training that could give Black Widow a run for her money, she’s certainly not lacking for punch, even next to powerhouse characters like Thor, Iron Man, or Hulk.

As to how she stacks up to someone like Thanos, it’s tough to say. But the mere sight of her was enough to make Ronan the Accuser turn tail and run. And let’s not forget that she was the first person Nick Fury called when things got too dangerous for comfort. Will she play well with others? Thor seems to like her already.

What we can expect in Avengers: Endgame (if it's anything like the comics)

We're in the endgame now.

2. The full path of the tesseract

There have been numerous unexplained jumps in the tesseract’s location throughout the series, and “Captain Marvel” answered one of the biggest ones. After falling out of Captain America’s jet and being recovered by Howard Stark in “Captain America: First Avenger,” the next time we saw the Space Stone was with SHIELD in “Avengers.” Did Stark give it to SHIELD? Were they fruitlessly studying it for all those decades? The answer is no to both questions, as we learn in “Captain Marvel:”

MCU tesseract Space Stone Captain Marvel — This thing keeps trading hands.

The tesseract was being studied by a scientist in the covert Project Pegasus. While she went by the name Dr. Wendy Lawson, the researcher was actually the Kree Mar-vell, who was studying the cube in order to uncover its secrets of hyperspace travel. The cube was stored on her orbiting lab, and that’s where we see it in “Captain Marvel” … where it gets promptly eaten by Goose the cat, er, Flerken. If you stay for the post-credits scene, you’ll get to see Goose cough it up on Fury’s desk.

Complete Guide to Marvel’s Infinity Stones

Where and what are they?

3. Don’t mess with cats

Among the more important things we learned from “Captain Marvel,” there’s a pretty funny minor detail that finally gets answered: How Nick Fury lost his left eye. Remember the cuddly cat from the above point? Fury got a little too excited about Goose, and the mischievous feline decided to gouge his eye out. No, we’re not kidding.

Nick Fury Goose Captain Marvel — “Last time I trusted someone, I lost an eye.”

Is it an epic tale of vengeance and heroism? Eh. Not really, but it is pretty funny.

Captain Marvel Goose — *purrs innocently*

4. Kree vs Skrulls

As most Marvel fans expected, “Captain Marvel” introduces the famous intergalactic war between the Kree and the Skrull, one of the major ongoing conflicts of the original comics. True to the comics, Carol Danvers herself is a human pilot turned Kree soldier, and the aliens obey the orders and policies of a Supreme Intelligence.

Captain Marvel Kree — “For the good of all Kree!”

Also similar to the comics are the Skrull, shape-shifting green aliens who are locked in a galactic battle against the Kree. Where the movie veers away from the comics, however, is that the Skrull are not the bad guys here. In something of a plot twist, they’re actually searching for a home while being bullied around and exterminated by the Kree. At the film’s midpoint, Danvers opts to side with the Skrull instead of the Kree, promising to help them find a place to call their own.

Captain Marvel Skrull — The Skrull aren’t the bad guys, at least not **these** Skrull.

5. There are Kree on Earth

It goes like this: Mar-vell was undercover on Earth for years, working to uncover the secrets of the Space Stone. She went unnoticed for all that time, and even had a gigantic invisible Kree science lab orbiting around the planet … which also went unnoticed. Considering that, and that the Kree are actively angry with Danvers after the events of “Captain Marvel,” it seems likely that there are more Kree hiding in plain sight.

Captain Marvel Nick Fury Skrull — Secret Invasion?

And if the Kree had an easy time acclimatizing to Earth, imagine how easy it would be for the shape-shifting Skrull! While the Skrull in Captain Marvel were friendly, that doesn’t mean they’re all like that. It would be very easy (and very in keeping with the comics) for the MCU to cover the Secret Invasion in Phase Four.

6. Fury’s been looking for Avengers since the ’90s

We knew Nick Fury was looking for gifted individuals to put into his ‘Avengers Initiative;’ he told Tony Stark as much as far back as the first “Iron Man” movie. What we didn’t know was how long he’d been actively looking. Turns out Carol Danvers was the one who inspired him to start the project; even her jet was called ‘Avenger,’ as we cleverly see pointed out at the end of the movie.

Captain Marvel Carol Danvers — Good thing her ship wasn’t called ‘The Inhumans’

Fury’s had over 20 years to find more candidates for his program, and he didn’t pick up Iron Man until around 10 years later. Did he find other possible talents during the ten years prior to that? Might we be seeing some of them show up later? We don’t know yet, but it seems unlikely for his efforts to have been fruitless all that time.

Captain Marvel Nick Fury bar — Did Fury’s screening process look something like this?

7. Danvers has been fighting Kree for over 20 years

A fact that’s been glossed over a bit is exactly how long it’s been since Danvers made an official appearance back on Earth. Taking on the whole Kree empire is a lot of work, and Danvers’ absence from the MCU until now hints at a pretty epic story of her adventures off-world. We’d imagine someone of her power, courage, and determination would be able to make a pretty significant dent in the faction in that amount of time (especially given how much she was able to accomplish so shortly after unlocking her full potential). So what’s the status of the Kree empire now?

Captain Marvel ship fight — Will these escapades be the focus of a Captain Marvel sequel?

We already know Ronan’s fate, which must have hurt Kree morale, but we don’t know specific details about the faction’s military strength, plans, or how they were affected by Thanos’ snap. For that matter, we don’t know how it affected the Skrull either. The fact remains that Danvers was away for a very long time. We expect she’ll fill us in on the details in Endgame.

All caught up? Let us know in the comments below how you think Captain Marvel will fit into “Avengers: Endgame,” and we’ll see you in theaters on April 26!

Captain America, Iron Man reunite in final Endgame trailer

The remaining Avengers gear-up for a final showdown with Thanos with the fate of the galaxy in the balance.

“Do you trust me?”

These words from Tony Stark are the first we have heard him say to Captain America since “Captain America: Civil War.” It perfectly sets the chilling tone for the final trailer for “Avengers: Endgame.”

The trailer ends on a more chilling tone when it says, “Tickets on sale now,” as fans everywhere scrambled to grab their credit cards and jump on Fandango.

TRY NOW

Watch movies & TV shows unlimited worldwide

From: Express VPN (advertised)

3 MONTHS FREE

The trailer shows the surviving heroes as they plan to save their friends and ultimately defeat Thanos.

Iron Man and Captain America aren’t the only ones to reunite in this trailer as we also get to see Tony Stark and Pepper Potts embrace each other. Marvel confirmed recently that Pepper survived the events of “Avengers: Infinity War.”

Led by Captain Marvel, the remaining Avengers head off to lay a beatdown on the Mad Titan. The team flies aboard Star-Lord’s ship, The Milano. Despite being the newest entry to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Captain Marvel appears to be taking a leadership role on the team.

Unlike other trailers for Endgame, this one shows more of Rocket Raccoon than we’ve seen before. One shot of a hopeful-looking Rocket looks like it may take place when he sees the Milano land on Earth. The shot is followed later with another of Nebula comforting a very distraught raccoon.

Toward the end, the trailer focuses on the OG Avengers. Captain America and Iron Man shake hands, saying that they trust each other, hopefully ending their feud. The trailer ends with Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor as they slowly walk toward a barely visible Thanos in the background.

We are officially less than a month away from seeing this story finally come to a close after more than a decade of setup. As theaters across the world sell out for what will truly be a record-breaking event, we have to ask if you will be there to avenge the fallen.

Complete Guide to Marvel’s Infinity Stones

Everything you need to know about the most fearsome weapons in the galaxy.

To the average person, trying to assemble a rock collection doesn’t sound like a very evil thing to do. To the Marvel fan, however, saying you want to collect the Infinity Stones raises as many red flags as running around screaming “Hail Hydra!” or “the Skrull are coming!” As Kevin Feige has been saying the past 11 years, “It’s all connected.” All 20 films starting with “Iron Man” and ending with “Captain Marvel” (with more yet to come) exist in the same continuity as each other, all pushing the meta-narrative towards greater heights, danger, and box office records.

Lurking in the background – and finally taking the forefront in “Infinity War” – are the Infinity Stones. Whether you’re new to the MCU or are a veteran trying to refresh your memory, here’s a quick rundown of any and everything you need to know about these uber powerful, all-encompassing, planet-melting plot devices.

** HUGE SPOILERS BELOW **

Ultimate Guide to Marvel’s Infinity Stones

Where did the Infinity Stones come from?

As The Collector excitedly explains, the Infinity Stones were created with the big bang. They are remnants of the beginning of the beginning, possibly (though unconfirmed) created by four Cosmic Entities: Infinity, Eternity, Entropy, and Death.

The explosion propelled the six stones apart, scattering them across the universe. Only beings of great strength are able to hold them, with fewer still able to actually use them. Eson the Searcher was one such being (shown in the video holding the purple stone) able to do so, and destroyed an entire planet.

And he only had one of them. Shortly after the beginning of “Infinity War,” Thanos has two.

How many Infinity Stones are there?

There are six:

capable of destruction and explosions — The Power Stone

capable of illusions and alterations — The Reality Stone

capable of taking souls out of this world — The Soul Stone

capable of fast-forwarding and rewinding time — The Time Stone

capable of opening wormholes and portals — The Space Stone

capable of controlling people's minds — The Mind Stone

How Stan Lee created Marvel’s complex characters

Read Now ►

Which Infinity Stones does Thanos have?

All of the above. (Gulp.)

With the power of the Infinity Gauntlet, Thanos can harness the power of all six stones combined, making him capable of virtually anything – even destroying half of all life in the universe.

You have to wonder how others would fare under the strain. — The Infinity Gauntlet helps Thanos control the power of all the stones simultaneously

What do the Infinity Stones do?

Each Infinity Stone is a capsule of vast power related to its namesake. The way this is portrayed in the MCU is as follows:

Space Stone

At least before Thanos crushed it. — The Space Stone was housed inside the Tesseract

The blue Space Stone is the one we’ve seen the most. Red Skull tried to utilize its abilities in “Captain America: The First Avenger”, but Hydra did not truly understand what they were dealing with. As such, the stone jettisoned Red Skull into space where he wouldn’t be heard from for decades … or 18 movies.

The Space Stone was also in the Tesseract, which played a vital role in “The Avengers,” where it served as the gateway by which Loki was able to travel to Midgard with an army of angry Chitauri.

This stone grants Thanos the ability to warp space, teleporting from planet to planet like it’s nothing. It also allows him to open portals so he can phase in and out of locations, evade attacks, and – when combined with the Power Stone – even throw moons at people.

Power Stone

It ended up destroying his entire building. — Rocket wanted to sell this orb to The Collector.

The Power Stone was the plot device in the first “Guardians of the Galaxy” film, the small purple stone that Star Lord stumbles upon at the start of the story. Ronin the Accuser was sent to deliver the stone to Thanos, but jealously kept it for himself.

The Power Stone serves as sort of an unbridled battery, a turbocharge that by itself is the pinnacle of raw untamed energy – the kind that can destroy planets with a single hit. It allows Thanos to shrug off mighty attacks, hit harder than anybody else, and let loose deathly energy strong enough to overpower even Iron Man.

When it’s combined with other stones, however, the Power Stone really hits its stride. Imagination is the limit when you combine immense power with the ability to tear holes in space, turn back time, or warp reality. At the start of “Infinity War” we learn that Thanos has already taken the stone from the Xandar government, where the Guardians of the Galaxy left it to be safeguarded. At the start of the film, Thanos is already in possession of it.

Reality Stone

It would make sense that of all the stones THIS is the one that's randomly a liquid. — The Reality Stone was the aether from Thor: Dark World

We first saw the red Reality Stone in a strange liquid form known as the aether in “Thor: The Dark World.” As with Red Skull and the space stone, when an Infinity Stone falls into mortal hands who don’t know what they’re dealing with, things get … weird.

“Dark World” showed the Reality Stone to be incredibly unstable, causing wormholes and rifts to open – kind of like a Space Stone that can’t get its act together. In Thanos’ hands we get a clearer idea of just what it is the Reality Stone can actually do: Create powerful and complex illusions, and temporarily alter reality to appear the way you want.

The stone can also be used in combat to pretty scary effect – effortlessly turning people into silly piles of geometric shapes and inanimate objects.

Time Stone

Except he realizes that it won't end well if he does — The Sorcerer Supreme must guard the Time Stone with his life

The green Time Stone was introduced in “Dr. Strange” as the power housed in the Eye of Agamotto. Arguably the most powerful stone of the bunch, the Time Stone lets the user travel back and forth in time on a whim, making them capable of undoing literally anything.

Dr. Strange used the powers of the time stone to defeat Dormammu by forcing him into an endless stalemate where he could return from death indefinitely. During the battle on Titan, however, the Doctor conceded the stone to Thanos in exchange for him sparing Tony Stark’s life.

Mind Stone

Remember Loki's scepter? And how it made the Avengers crazy when they stood near it? — Remember how the Avengers got angry when they stood near Loki’s scepter?

We’ve seen the yellow Mind Stone in “The Avengers,” “Age of Ultron,” “Civil War,” and “Infinity War,” though it’s changed hands a number of times. It was first given to Loki at the start of “Avengers” as a scepter – a weapon with which he could conquer Earth. The scepter allowed Loki to do two things: Fire powerful blasts of energy, and corrupt the minds of anyone he chose.

Poor Hawkeye. At the end of “Avengers,” the scepter was taken, eventually falling to Hydra following the events of “Captain America: Winter Soldier.”

The Avengers were able to retrieve the scepter at the start of “Age of Ultron,” but once the mad robot was unshackled, he broke the Mind Stone out of the scepter and implanted it into the yet-to-be-born Vision, a synthetic entity meant to be his replacement.

The Vision used the stone over the course of the movies to deadly effect until the closing events of “Infinity War.” Vision was destroyed by Thanos, and the Mind Stone taken – it was the final stone Thanos needed.

Soul Stone

He had to give up everything for it. — Thanos had to sacrifice one he held dear to acquire the elusive Soul Stone

The orange Soul Stone is the most mysterious of the bunch, and is the only one whose powers have not been expressly stated. Before “Infinity War,” Marvel fans were clamoring for any details on the stone’s location, often leading to outlandish theories. As it turns out, the only one who knew the location of the final stone was Gamora, who had earlier discovered it on the planet Vormir.

Thanos took Gamora to the planet and found it to be the place where Red Skull was transported so long ago. Red Skull revealed to him that the stone would only come to him at the price of something he cared deeply about. Thanos was forced to kill his own daughter on the spot in pursuit of the stone.

What does the Soul Stone do?

What the Soul Stone is capable of is up to speculation, but chances are, it was the stone most responsible for the ‘deaths’ of so many character at the end of “Infinity War.” Since we’ve already gotten a trailer for “Spider-Man: Far from Home,” it’s probably safe to say that many of the roster will be returning shortly.

How much more? Stay tuned, folks. — The stone is a purgatory for captured souls, but is also so much more.

The directors of “Avengers: Endgame” have already confirmed that the orange location we witnessed at the end of Infinity War is indeed Soul World, a dimension housed inside the Soul Stone. Expect to see Soul World play a big role in “Endgame,” and we’ll likely be seeing many ‘deceased’ characters make an appearance there. At least until something – or someone – can free them.

Stan Lee masterclass: How to create a good villain

Read Now ►

Are Infinity Stones indestructible?

They are not. This was confirmed towards the end of “Infinity War” when we saw Scarlet Witch use her powers to explode the mind stone, killing Vision in the process.

While they can be destroyed, it takes a lot of power to be able to do it. So far, Scarlet Witch remains the only example, but there could well be others.

Can Infinity Stones be reversed?

Yes, they can. Immediately upon arriving in Wakanda, we see Thanos casually remark about the pointlessness of Vision’s death … as he uses the Time Stone to bring him back to life before ripping the Mind Stone from his head.

Does this mean the Time Stone could also reverse the effects of the Soul Stone, bringing back the cast? It could! Though it probably wouldn’t be Thanos who does it.

We hope this guide has brought you up to speed on one of the most pivotal continuity elements in the MCU, and are eager to see what’s in store come April 26 with “Avengers: Endgame.”

Let us know in the comments below what you think we’re in for, and what you think the Soul Stone will do!

What we can expect in Avengers Endgame (if it’s anything like the comics)

INFINITY WAR SPOILERS BELOW

After the infamously bold ending to “Avengers: Infinity War” in 2018, the Marvel fandom has been running wild with rumors, conjectures, and theories as to what direction the upcoming sequel might take. Every scrap of idle gossip spoken by the Russo brothers, the cast, or by Kevin Feige has been shared, documented and dissected to the point where the fan base is second guessing practically everything. While the Marvel Cinematic Universe has certainly taken liberties with the franchise and characters, the original comics are still the roots they’re grown from, and the MCU dusts a sprinkling of nods and references wherever they can.

Obviously, there were some huge changes that took place between the comic and the film, most notably Thanos’ relationship and motivations involving Mistress Death, the role of the cosmic entities, the critical roles played by Dr. Doom and the Silver Surfer, and of course the glaring fact that at the start of the comic Thanos was already in control of all the gems.

While not accurate panel for panel, “Infinity War” was chock full of respectful allusions to the Jim Starlin’s 1991 Infinity Gauntlet series. Aside from the neat visual cues, the story arc for “Infinity War” also matched up pretty neatly with the concept from the comics: Thanos acquires the Infinity Stones and uses them to wreak havoc on Marvel’s superheroes, eliminating half the universe with a snap of his fingers.

Need a refresher? Watch “Infinity War” online.

Given both the general tone and the current state of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it’s abundantly clear that they will not be following the comics frame for frame. However, we think it is likely that certain crucial concepts will be adapted to the yet-to-be-titled Avengers 4. We’ve listed what we think are the five most likely:

1. Nebula will be hugely important

Since audiences first saw her in the 2014’s “Guardians of the Galaxy,” Nebula’s background and motivations were crystal clear: Like Gamora, she is the daughter of Thanos, molded into a deadly weapon of destruction. Unlike Gamora, Nebula was not the favored child. While her sister was praised time and time again for her successes, Nebula’s failures resulted in her being tortured and grotesquely mutilated with the twisted intent of enhancing her combat abilities.

Nebula has made it no secret that she wants Thanos deader than dead, and that she wants to be the one to do the deed. We’ve already seen that she was not affected by Thanos’ snap at the end of the film, and is currently with Tony Stark on the ruins of Titan. But what will be her role in Avengers 4? If it’s anything like the comic, you may be surprised just how important she’s about to become.

The power of the infinity gauntlet unsurprisingly sends Thanos on a huge power trip. In the comics his search for power and control go far beyond killing half the universe – rather, that’s where the power trip begins. Thanos’ conquest eventually leads to him overpowering even the cosmic entities of the universe – omniscient, almighty beings such as the Living Tribunal, Galactus, and Eternity. Upon defeating Eternity, Thanos himself becomes bonded with the very fabric of the universe, attaining literal godhood.

But this godhood is brief. When Thanos usurps the mantle of Eternity, his material body is left uninhabited. Nebula reaches forward and takes the gauntlet for herself, healing her injured and broken body, and reverting Thanos back to his physical body.

Considering that her revenge on Thanos is the driving motivation behind Nebula’s character in the MCU, we think that this scenario is very likely to play out on-screen, at least in some way. Perhaps she and Tony Stark will go directly to the farm planet where we saw Thanos at the end of the movie. They’ll make a plan to take him down together, but Nebula betrays Stark and takes the gauntlet for herself. Either way, her character has been building up to this moment from the start. Definitely expect a resolution.

2. Someone will play the role of Adam Warlock

If you’re at all familiar with the Infinity Gauntlet comic arc, you know that Adam Warlock is the linchpin from start to finish. The closest character Marvel has to a Christ figure, Adam Warlock is a cosmic demigod with superhuman abilities and power so vast that he is able to both foretell the future and to manipulate space on a quantum level. In the Infinity Gauntlet comics, Adam Warlock was the figurehead leading the charge against Thanos, and ultimately the one who defeats him and receives the gauntlet, resolving the crisis – at least for a time.

Though Adam was referenced at the end of “Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2,” it is highly unlikely that he will make an appearance in Avengers 4, seeing as he’ll have had no screen time or introduction prior to its release date. As such, a different character would have to take up his role as the leader. There’s a good cast of characters for the MCU to choose from, but here are our three most likely candidates. Two we’ve listed below. The third we’ll get to just a little later:

Iron Man

Tony Stark has been the connecting piece for the Marvel Cinematic Universe since the very beginning. He’s the character that launched the MCU’s initial success, and we think it would be most appropriate if he were the one to see the Infinity War through to the end. Additionally, Tony Stark is one of the few characters we’ve seen interact equally with Spider-Man, Dr. Strange, the original Avengers, and the Guardians of the Galaxy. Of the heroes to engage Thanos directly on Titan, he and Nebula were also the only two to survive.

If Iron Man takes on the role of Adam Warlock it would also be in line with what Dr. Strange said – the time stone had to go to Thanos and Dr. Strange had to die so that Tony Stark would live; only he can bring the band together to face off with Thanos. It’s also a great excuse for him to make amends with Captain America, something that Avengers 4 will undoubtedly highlight.

Captain Marvel

Scheduled to be the next hero introduced to the MCU, we already know much about Captain Marvel’s importance in Infinity War 2. Kevin Feige and James Gunn have both confirmed that she will not only be the most powerful female character on the roster, but one of the most powerful characters that the MCU has ever seen. With a resume like that, it certainly sounds like she could fit the role of a game-changing character like Adam Warlock. It’s also telling that in his last few moments before being sadly disintegrated, Nick Fury’s first instinct was to immediately reach out to her, of all people.

Lastly, we feel Captain Marvel is a logical choice because of the character’s connection to the Kree-Skrull wars. While it’s unlikely that we’ll actually be seeing Thanos face off against the cosmic entities as he did in the comics, we do think it’s logical that we would see other factions in the universe try to oppose the Mad Titan. If you’re interested in other Marvel villains we might see on the big screen after Avengers 4, check out our list here:

5 Marvel villains who could follow Thanos

Who's next? Read Now ►

Since the upcoming Captain Marvel film is set to take place in the 1990s, it could very well be that we get to see Carol Danvers make some deal with the Skrull that they need to “pay in the future.” It’d be cool to see the Skrull coming to the aid of Earth’s Mightiest Superheroes to acknowledge a deal they made with Captain Marvel decades ago. And it’d be cooler still if the Skrull afterward reneged on their deal, making for a smooth segue into the Secret Wars saga.

3. Soul World will come into play

Since Thanos has gained the elusive soul stone, it has remained the only stone about which we still know next to nothing. While we’ve witnessed other stones hypnotize, create wormholes, alter reality, and bend time, the unique powers of the soul stone remain a mystery.

Soul World was first alluded to in Jim Starlin’s Strange Tales 179, published in 1975. Closely tied to Adam Warlock, Soul World served as a kind of purgatory for the souls captured by Warlock, and acted almost as a “pocket dimension:” A realm housed within the soul stone itself. If time travel is not involved in Avengers 4, the most likely explanation for Thanos’ finger snap is not that those victims were killed per se, but “removed” – their consciousnesses transferred into the soul stone.

This brings us to our third candidate for a character to take on Adam Warlock’s role from the Infinity Gauntlet story arc – Dr. Strange. Seeing as we’ve established that the Infinity Stones do work on each other (Thanos uses the time stone to repair the broken mind stone), it would make sense that Dr. Strange saw himself in the Soul World along with the half of the universe that was imprisoned there.

Given his notorious ego, Strange may not have been referring to Tony Stark when he told him that “it had to be this way,” but rather to himself: The only way that the universe could come out on top was if the lives trapped within the soul stone were unified and assembled unbeknownst to Thanos.

Adam Warlock had a very close relationship with the soul stone, and was able to even live inside of it. He was also able to emerge from it when he needed to, which is how he was the one to wrest control of it from Nebula’s grasp. Dr. Strange seems the type to know his artifacts well enough. It would be awesome to see him and a bunch of other “dusted” superheroes emerge from the soul stone to take down Thanos when the time was right.

2. Characters killed by the gauntlet will be restored

In the comics, any and every character that was killed by the Infinity Gauntlet ended up being restored by Nebula. It wasn’t at her behest, however. Surprisingly enough, it was Thanos who pushed her to restore them; more as an act of guile and manipulation than any earnest desire to restore them.

While it was a refreshingly dark spectacle to see Marvel actually kill some of its cast of characters, does anyone really believe this is the last time we’ll be seeing some of these guys? They’ve already confirmed “Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3,” “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” and rumors abound pertaining to a “Dr. Strange” sequel. After the record-breaking success of “Black Panther,” we’re sure to be seeing a return of King T’Challa as well. As such, this is one similarity to the Infinity Gauntlet comic you can count on making it to the big screen.

1. Captain America will face down Thanos by himself

The final allusion to the comics that we’ll be seeing comes down to Captain America. For the second time in his life, the First Avenger’s closest friends and allies have disappeared, this time before his very eyes. In Infinity Gauntlet, Captain America was one of the many heroes to take on Thanos on the titan’s own turf. He fought his damnedest while his brothers in arms heroically died in the line of duty around him until he was the last man standing. Despite Thanos’ cynical jeers, Captain America stood strong, delivering an stalwart speech about fighting the good fight and dying with dignity. It’s one of the most beautiful moments for his character.

Chris Evans’ portrayal of the star-spangled hero resonates perfectly with this aspect of Captain America’s character, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see this scene play out in the movie exactly as it did in the comics. It may also be Evans’ farewell to the character seeing as it’s the end of his contract with the studio. If it really has to happen, it’d be hard to have a more poignant sendoff.

We’ll be armed with tissues.

We hope this list has given you some insight as to what elements of the Infinity Gauntlet comics the MCU might try and incorporate into Infinity War 2, and look forward to seeing you in theaters come 2019!

Black Panther

Watch Black Panther Now ►

How Stan Lee created Marvel’s complex characters

Learn how Stan Lee’s layered characters changed pop culture forever.

“My name is Stan Lee. I’ve been writing stories for the young generation for the past 30 years. During this time, I think I’ve learned a lot about how young people think, and more importantly, what young people are.

Today, we’ve come to a time in history when there definitely is a generation gap. It seems to us that perhaps anything that could be done to bridge that gap, to help present the point of view of these young people without being patronizing, without hostility, with respect, with attention, would be a very beneficial thing. Oh sure, they talk a lot and they yell a lot, but nobody really listens to them!”

-Stan Lee on his talk show in 1968.

Beloved comic book writer and creator Stan Lee passed away at the age of 95. Stan Lee is one of the most influential comic creators of all time, creating heroes like Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Hulk, the Fantastic Four, and Black Panther. He was always a man of the voiceless, giving young people and minorities stories and characters that made them feel wanted in a society that told them to stay quiet. Below, we’ll talk about how Stan Lee crafted these complex, iconic characters, and why they resonated with so many people.

How Stan Lee created Marvel’s complex characters

Stan’s characters had real problems

For all his heroics, Spider-Man is still an everyman who’s down on his luck

Before Stan started writing, comic books were primarily power fantasies that appealed to youth. Superman was an invincible man with an unbendable sense of justice, Batman was a billionaire playboy who doubled as the world’s greatest crimefighter, and so on. Knowing that comic books appealed primarily to teenagers, Stan wanted to give them something other than a power fantasy. He created characters that young readers could relate to rather than look up to.

The primary example of this is Spider-Man. In many ways, Peter Parker resembles the typical comic book reader. He’s a teenaged boy who’s dorky, bullied in school, unathletic, and has little-to-no luck with women. Before Spider-Man, teenagers were never portrayed as superheroes, only as perky sidekicks like Robin, Speedy, or Bucky Barnes. Casting a teenage hero, and a realistic and troubled one at that was an incredibly refreshing and innovative decision.

Top 10 Spider-Man games

Read Now ►

Even after gaining amazing spider powers, Peter still deals with all of these issues in school, often struggling to balance his personal life with his heroic life. Despite dealing with both typical teenage problems and superpowered antics, Peter still keeps his head on straight and tries to do the right thing.

He’s not a pillar of justice like Superman, and he sometimes acts selfishly or carelessly, but he learns from his mistakes and tries his best. Despite saving the day time and time again, Peter is filled with self-doubt as soon as something new goes wrong. Stan Lee’s Spider-Man demonstrated that having powers doesn’t automatically make you a superhero. Instead, superheroes are people who choose to make simple, everyday decisions to stand up for and help people who can’t do it themselves. The point of making heroes realistic was not only to make them relatable to readers, but to show them that they are perfectly capable of becoming heroes themselves.

Stan put it best himself in his appearance in Spider-Man 3:

Stan’s characters represented different ideas and feelings

The Silver Surfer gazes into empty space

Each of Stan Lee’s characters is meant to embody a simple, relatable feeling or idea. No matter how over-the-top the character is, readers can empathize with them on a basic level.

For example, Bruce Banner is a timid and anxious scientist who is shafted constantly, no matter what he does. When he finally reaches his breaking point, he explodes in anger, becoming the Incredible Hulk. When the Hulk was created in the 1960s, the Hulk became a counter-culture icon, representing the repressed rage felt by a generation who was told that they were entitled for wanting to be taken seriously, a problem that keeps the character relevant to this very day.

What we can expect in Avengers 4 (if it’s anything like the comics)

READ NOW ►

Characterized by Stan, the Silver Surfer is a powerful but lonely hero who travels through space serving a power that he hates but is forced to keep in his life. As the Surfer soars through the heavens, the spectacular sights and adventures he sees do little to excite him, as he is kept away from all of those that he cares about by a higher power that he can’t fight or escape. Like the Surfer, many people grow weary of the wondrous world around them, drifting aimlessly and alone, their enthusiasm and lust for life sapped by power structures and situations that they cannot hope to control. Readers empathize with the Surfer’s struggle to regain his humanity as they grow older in a world that seems increasingly indifferent to their presence.

Feelings like loneliness, disillusion, or anger are problems felt by ordinary people and superpowered adventurers alike. By creating larger-than-life heroes like this, Stan helped his anxious readers feel less alone in the world.

Stan’s heroes represented equality

Beyond being believable and relatable, Stan’s heroes often reflected the struggles felt by minority groups in America. His superhero team, the X-Men, is one of the most enduring symbols of tolerance and acceptance in pop culture even to this day.

Created in the 1960s, an era marked by minority groups like African-Americans and women making huge advancements in civil rights, the X-Men are mutants fighting to promote acceptance in a world that hates them. In the Marvel Universe, mutants are ordinary people who suddenly gain superpowers around puberty, causing them to be feared and hunted down by a panicked populace. Even though the X-Men are hated by the public, they fight using their mutant powers to fight evil and protect humans in hopes of showing that they aren’t monsters. In many ways, the X-Men and its leader, Professor X, resemble Martin Luther King Jr. and his peaceful fight for equality, rights, and respect.

Top 5 non-political speeches of all time

Read Now ►

The X-Men were created by Stan Lee as a metaphor for any kind of minority group the reader belonged to, whether that be their race, religion, or sexual orientation. The X-Men team itself is made up of an incredibly diverse group of people, displaying how different subsets of people can work together in the fight for an equal and fair world.

It should be noted that while the mutant X-Men are hated and feared by the population, non-mutant heroes like Captain America and the Fantastic Four are not. This is an intentional point, demonstrating that the X-Men are considered monstrous outsiders for no real reason at all, and that there is intrinsically nothing wrong with them, just as there is nothing wrong with belonging to a certain race, gender identity, religion, or sexual orientation.

Stan Lee and his creations influenced millions of people, and he will always be remembered for his warm and heroic spirit. Who’s your favorite Marvel hero? How have they impacted your life? Let us know!

5 Marvel villains who could follow Thanos

Who's next? Read Now ►