'Avengers: Endgame' Theory Says Thanos Snapped Himself in 'Infinity War'

Thanos may have snapped half of Earth’s population out of existence in Infinity War, but what if he also snapped himself? After all, the Mad Titan is transported to what looks like a different realm immediately following his snap, and brazen new theory claims he momentarily ended up in the Soul Stone universe before returning home in Avengers: Endgame.

Although Thanos wields the Infinity Gauntlet, Redditor u/mybustersword believes he still wasn’t able to escape the Decimation.

“Thanos got snapped,” they write. “He was in the ‘soul stone universe.’ He didn’t die, just like no other snapped individual died. They were brought to a newly created universe inside the soul stone.”

Inverse is posing a few theories of its own with Inverse String Theory, ahead of the premiere of Avengers: Endgame.

The theory references the events in Infinity War when, immediately after Thanos snaps his fingers, he appears in a new location. When he arrives there, Thor’s hammer is no longer lodged in his chest and the Infinity Gauntlet is missing. He’s surrounded by nothing but a vast and quiet emptiness, bathed in an orange hue. Thanos then comes face-to-face with a young Gamora, who asks him what it cost. If Thanos did end up inside the Soul Stone realm, how did he manage to leave? This theory assumes he’s able to return because of the Infinity Gauntlet, but the gauntlet looked charred at the end of Infinity War. So it’s unclear why he was spared from the aftermath of his actions while others clearly weren’t.

The theory is plausible because of what happens to Thanos after the snap. On the other hand, it’s just as likely the Mad Titan was having a moment within his own subconscious instead of inside the Soul Stone. After all, Gamora dies before the Decimation occurs, so there’s no reason to assume her soul ends up inside this realm at all. Perhaps young Gamora is the manifestation of Thanos’ guilt for using her to get the Soul Stone. There are also several flashbacks in Infinity War, so maybe that’s what Thanos is experiencing.

The theory also doesn’t explain why all other victims of the snap aren’t in the realm. Why is Thanos the only one there and where could everyone else have gone?

But if this theory proves true, the potential ramifications of Thanos being inside the Soul Stone could prove interesting. How will he escape, and what will it mean for everyone else who got wiped out by his Decimation?We’ll have to wait until Avengers: Endgame to find out.

Avengers: Endgame is in theaters April 26, 2019.