Marvel’s decision to turn half the Avengers into dust at the end of Infinity War came as a pretty huge shock, but it turns out the movie’s directors may have been teasing that outcome for years. A possible Easter egg in Captain America: Civil War (also directed by the Russo Brothers) might have revealed which characters would survive Thanos’s Decimation in one pivotal frame.
As noted by “Disney Expert” Lou Mongello in a recent tweet, the Civil War scene in question shows six heroes seated around a table with Tony Stark/Iron Man parked in the back corner of the room. On the left side of the table: War Machine, Black Widow, and Captain America. On the right: Scarlet Witch, Vision, and Falcon. Fast forward to the end of Infinity War and everyone on the right side of the table is dead, while the three characters on the right all survived.
As for Stark, he’s also on the left side of the screen and survived the Decimation, but his distance from the rest of the group may reflect that fact that he was the only pictured character not present at the Battle of Wakanda. Instead, Stark was busy fighting Thanos on Titan, and we all know how that went.
It’s a fascinating little East egg, and the fact that the Russo Brothers directed both movies means it’s possible they may have done it intentionally. Then again, there are a few issues with this theory: primarily the fact that Vision didn’t get dusted like the other heroes. Of course, it’s also pretty unlikely that the Russos new what Marvel planned to do with Infinity War when they were directing Civil War, but it’s possible they had some idea of what was coming.
The more likely explanation for who survived the Decimation, as others have noted, is that the original members of the Avengers were spared. That seems like more of a thematic decision in the way it sets up Avengers: Endgame, but it’s also possible that each character’s rank within the superhero team might have informed where they were seated in that particular Civil War scene.
Either way, it’s a pretty cool coincidence and one that has us wondering what other Easter eggs the Russos may have hidden in their various Marvel movies (Infinity War included) that might just reveal a key detail about Endgame.
Avengers: Endgame will be in theaters on April 26, 2019.
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