At the end of Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos wiped out half the universe with a simple snap of his fingers. We watched as some of our favorite superheroes were turned to dust: Spider-Man, Black Panther, Doctor Strange, Phone Ranger (probably)… the list goes on and on.
But even as we saw all these heroes die off, along with trillions of other souls in the universe, it’s hard not to notice that the original Avengers of the Marvel Cinematic Universe – Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Black Widow, Hawkeye, the Hulk – were all left standing.
A little curious, don’t you think? It gets a lot more curious as you start to put the pieces together, until you finally realize that these original Avengers ABSOLUTELY colluded with Thanos to wipe out their fellow superheroes and half the universe with them.
Not convinced? Just look at the signs that were staring you in the face the entire time:
You’re Telling Me the Hulk Just Didn’t Want to Fight?
In a real one-on-one fight, the Hulk would beat Thanos. Don’t even try to explain the opening scene of Infinity War, because it’s clearly obvious that Hulk’s defeat was staged. The Hulk LIVES to fight. And with the ability to grow stronger the more he is hurt, there’s no way Thanos could put Hulk down with just a few punches. Hulk was in on this from the very start. Don’t you just think it’s a little too convenient that Bruce Banner couldn’t summon the Hulk at any point during the most important battle in history?
Thor Conveniently Missed Thanos’ Head
With his new Stormbreaker axe in tow, Thor would have surely killed Thanos by simply taking it to the Mad Titan’s head. Obviously he knew this! However, he opts to drive the axe into Thanos’ chest, allowing him to survive, escape, and, oh yeah, wipe out half the universe.
Thor is a god, and one could assume his accuracy with the axe would be unrivaled in the cosmos. But here he is, missing a huge target by his standards. HMMMMMMMM.
Black Widow Is a Spy, So How Can We Trust Anything She Says or Does?
As we meet her in the MCU, Black Widow is deep in her career as what I am to understand is the government’s best spy. But she was a Russian agent first, defecting to the United States for reasons that are unclear in the films. Did she do it because she was in love with Hawkeye at the time? Or maybe, just maybe, she’s still a Russian agent and has been working behind the scenes with Thanos the entire time, making her a, uh, triple agent?
For someone who is an expert in deception, I don’t think we can take anything she’s done in these movies at face value. We therefore have to assume that she has always maintained ulterior motives, which we now know included colluding with Thanos.
Tony Stark Has Always Been Self-Serving
Iron Man knows he’s better off in a world without competition. Hell, Tony Stark knows he’s just better off in a world without so many superheroes. And judging by his actions in Civil War alone, there’s more than enough evidence to suggest that he’d at least understand Thanos’ side of things and eventually come fully around to embracing them while also seeing how he could use those plans for his own personal benefit.
Never forget that Tony Stark is a billionaire. His first priority always has been, and always will be, Tony Stark.
Where Was Hawkeye This Whole Time?
Sure, you could believe that Hawkeye has been hanging out on a farm with his family, but that would require taking some pretty large mental leaps. I think it’s fair to assume that was at least up to something while he was off-screen this entire time, and I think it’s entirely fair to assume that it had something to do with Thanos acquiring the Infinity Stones. Or maybe he was just sent to tend to Thanos’ farm and get that cabin ready for when Thanos was finally able to retire. All I know is that Hawkeye isn’t one to sit on the sidelines.
Captain America’s Disillusionment Finally Broke Him
This might be the one character where you say, “No, no. Cap would never turn on the universe like this.” But think about it: one of the main, ongoing arcs with Captain America in the MCU is his relationship with one’s duty to both country and self. Not to mention he’s always been unsure of his place in today’s world, especially from a sociopolitical perspective.
After countless battles, after seeing his friends die, after leaving his entire world behind to enter today’s society and seeing what we’ve done to it after he fought so hard to preserve it more than seventy years ago, it’s no big leap to understand just how disillusioned Captain America has become. Maybe his motives aren’t entirely rooted in destroying the other late-stage Avengers. Maybe his motives are simply far more in line with Thanos. Maybe he just wants to see the universe pay for its mistakes.
So after seeing this ample evidence laid out before you, your next question might be, “Why?” Why would the Avengers turn their backs on their fellow superheroes – and the rest of the universe – like this? What are they gaining by going against everything we’ve been led to believe about them?
While all might have their own individual reasons for colluding with Thanos, I think the overarching straw that broke the collective camel’s back is just the damage done to all of these heroes’ egos. They’re superheroes, but they’re not without some of the same personal faults you and I have. When these guys were the only Avengers, they were rock stars, and now they’ve got to share the glory with a constantly expanding cast of characters.
Don’t let the past good deeds fool you; the benevolence of the original Avengers only goes so far. I think it’s plain to see that Thanos recognized this seething jealousy and capitalized on it to achieve his ultimate goal. In return, the original Avengers would once again be able to claim their title of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
Now, you will no doubt see them save their comrades in Avengers: Endgame, and you might think that’s proof that I’m a complete idiot, but you’d be wrong. Even if the Avengers do defeat Thanos and restore the population of the universe, here’s the outcome that’s even sweeter: every other hero in the universe now owes them.
What about the other heroes left alive, you ask? Ant-Man, War Machine, Rocket Raccoon, Okoye and everyone else? Look, the original Avengers couldn’t just kill everybody off without making it obvious what their intentions were, you know? They had to leave some people around to throw off the scent and to vouch for their supposedly altruistic intentions.
Make no mistake, people. Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Black Widow, Hulk, Hawkeye – these are the most sinister characters the MCU has ever seen.