'Avengers 4: Endgame' Spoilers: Time Loop Theory Undoes More Than the Snap

It’s been all but confirmed that Avengers: Endgame will feature some sort of time travel, but we still have no idea how exactly that will work. Now, however, a new fan theory may finally explain how the Avengers defeat Thanos and reveal why everyone seems so chill in the Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer. In short: It’s all about time loops.

As redditor u/93652877410random notes, time loops are nothing new to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Dr. Strange creates one in his origin movie in a scene where we see a green pattern looping around his wrists, and we see a similar special effect in Infinity War when Thanos uses the Time Stone to bring Vision back to life so he can add the Mind Stone to his collection.

Additionally, in Dr. Strange we learn about the risks of creating time loops. So considering that Thanos isn’t trained in the mystic arts, it seems possible (even probable) that he’d accidentally create a time loop. This also lines up with the popular theory that Dr. Strange may have manipulated the Time Stone in some way before handing it over to Thanos on Titan.

“Dr. Strange had to give Thanos time stone in infinity way so it’s not the last stone Thanos gets,” u/93652877410random writes. “Thus Thanos has to (mis)use it pre-snap and accidentally create a loop.”

What does this mean for Avengers: Endgame? If there is a time loop, then assuming the Avengers manage to kill Thanos in the new movie, we would simply revert back to the moment when he first used the Time Stone. In response, Thanos would simply snap his fingers again, but now that the heroes know what’s happening they’ll have to travel even further in time to undo the time loop entirely. That’s where Ant-Man and the Quantum Realm could come in.

Once the Avengers are able to break the cycle and defeat Thanos, it would be like the Snap never happened. That means almost everyone would forget, including Spider-Man. And even if Peter Parker remembers the Decimation, he’ll probably be ready to take a vacation and forget all about the events of Infinity War and Endgame.

Avengers: Endgame hits theaters April 26, 2019. Spider-Man: Far From Home will be released on July 5.

Related video: Nick Fury Recruits Spidey in Spider-Man: Far From Home Trailer