Best ‘Avengers: Endgame’ Theories Are About the Only Two Dads in the Marvel Universe

For many Marvel fans, the big takeaways of the brand-new killer trailer for Avengers: Endgame are either Tony Stark’s lonely spaceship angst or the return of a clean-shaven Captain America. But, Endgame also brings back the only two big superheroes absent from Infinity War; Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner). Notably, these guys also happen to be the only legit dads in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In fact, in Infinity War, we’re told the reason both of these guys are sidelined is due to their family concerns. (Though in Ant-Man and the Wasp we find out it’s because Scott Lang is on house arrest, but whatever.) The point is, the trailer makes a big deal of the return of both Ant-Man and Hawkeye, meaning the only way the universe is going to get saved in what is possibly the biggest Marvel movie ever, is going to be thanks to two dads.

With that in mind, here are the five best theories we’ve got for Avengers: Endgame, and yeah, they mostly involve Ant-Man and Hawkeye.

(What follows is pure speculation, but if these theories happen to be true, they could be spoilers. So, you’ve been warned, possible spoilers ahead.)

First up, here’s that awesome trailer again.

Now, on to our theories!

5. Hawkeye’s family was hit hard by Thanos

In Infinity War Clint Barton/Hawkeye doesn’t join the fight because we’re told he’s protecting his family. But, what if Hawkeye’s family was turned into dust by Thanos snapping his fingers. In the new trailer, Jeremy Renner looks like he’s playing Hawkeye with a crazy-ass berzerker thing going on. Why is Hawkeye so pissed? Why is he back in the game? Easy: he needs to avenge his family.

4. Captain America will die but Iron Man will survive with the guilt

There’s a huge fake-out moment in Avengers: Infinity War where you think Tony Stark is getting killed by Thanos, but it doesn’t happen. Still, because Tony is the beginning of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in earnest (none of these movies would exist without 2008’s Iron Man) it makes sense that Endgame will conclude in Tony’s death. Makes sense, right? All of this is kind of his fault, so on some level, it would be fitting and poetic for Endgame to see Tony pass into the great beyond. The new trailer really implies this will happen, too! Which, of course, why it won’t happen. Instead, Captain America will die(for real) and Tony will feel terrible about it. Then, it will be revealed Pepper Potts is pregnant and Tony is going to be a father. The movie will end with him naming the baby “Steve” in honor of Steve Rogers. You heard it here first!

3. None of the “dead’ Avengers will return in Endgame until the very end of the movie

From Spider-Man to Black Panther, to Scarlett Witch and all of Ant-Man’s friends, and most of the Guardians of the Galaxy, a ton of characters died in Infinity War thanks to the Thanos snap that turned them all into dust. Here’s one big prediction: Avengers: Endgame won’t bring any of them back to life until the very end of the movie.

2. Something at the end of Captain Marvel will set-up Endgame

The post-credits scene for Avengers: Infinity War found Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) sending a page to someone who is (presumably) Captain Marvel. But, because Captain Marvel is a period piece set in the 1990s (hence the pager) this seems to imply Samuel L. Jackson can send time-travel messages either to Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) or to his younger self. Either way, the fact that the founder of the Avengers, Nick Fury, is a main character in Captain Marvel, that movie will totally lead into Avengers: Endgame.

1. Ant-Man will save the universe

In the final moments in the post-credits scene in Ant-Man and the Wasp, Scott Lang was trapped in the Quantum Realm while seemingly everyone else (Hank Pym, Hope Van Dyne, and Janet Van Dyne) was killed by Thanos. In the hilarious coda of the new Avengers: Endgame trailer Ant-Man/Scott Lang shows up to hang out with Captain America and Black Widow. This strongly hints that Ant-Man surviving in the Quantum Realm will be key to the Avengers reversing everything terrible that’s happened. And because there are all sorts of funky rules about time in the Quantum Realm (Michelle Pfeiffer was stuck there forever) it stands to reason everyone will use this bizarre dimension to somehow defeat Thanos.

Avengers: Endgame is out everywhere on May 3, 2019.