Who dies in 'Avengers: Infinity War'? And what does it mean for the future films?

Avengers: Infinity War is unlike any other film. It’s been ten years in the making, it’s going to be the highest-grossing movie of all time, and it has almost 100 main characters. When you’ve got 76 superheroes in one movie - and don't forget to vote for your best Avengers characters - however, some of them have got to go - especially when the main criticism of Marvel up to this point has been their fear of killing off key characters.

So, does Infinity War raise the stakes? Yes, and then some. Marvel have clearly taken those comments as a challenge, and it’s thus probably not a huge spoiler to say that there are some major deaths. It’s a slightly bigger spoiler, though, to tell you that there are quite a few major deaths. OK, there are loads. We really weren’t ready. That said, it’s a megabucks superhero franchise so some of them may not be quite what they seem and we’re expecting at least a few respawns later down the line..

It’s a massive spoiler, of course, to tell you exactly who those deaths are and how it’ll likely impact the future of the Marvel franchise - so go no further if you haven’t seen the film yet/if you care whether the talking tree and the gun-toting raccoon make it out alive.

You’ve been warned…

Tony Stark/Iron Man

Status: Alive, despite the film’s best efforts to convince you he was a goner after receiving a particularly brutal stabbing on Titan from Thanos. He’s got a deal made by the now-deceased Doctor Strange to thank for still being alive.

Thor

Status: Alive, probably fairly bummed out after the death of all of his family and friends.

Steve Rogers /Captain America

Status: Alive, sporting a very handsome beard.

Bruce Banner/Hulk

Status: Alive, albeit it with a stage fright-induced inability to summon up his big green alter-ego.

Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow

Status: Alive, still kicking ass. Still fancies The Hulk. No longer has red hair.

Doctor Strange

Status: Dead.

Cause of death: Disintegrated along with half of the population of the entire universe when Thanos finally gets his hands on all of the infinity stones.

Will he come back though?: He’s only had one film of his own and he seems pretty integral to where the Marvel universe is going, so yeah, probably.

Wong

Status: We’re not sure. Last we saw of him, he was returning to protect the Sanctum Sanctorum in New York in the absence of Doctor Strange.

James Rhodes/War Machine

Status: Alive.

Peter Parker/Spider-Man

Status: Dead.

Cause of death: Also vaporised by the Infinity Gauntlet, but not before a tear-jerking apology in the arms of Tony Stark.

Will he come back though?: Of course he will. He’s got a sequel in the works!

Black Panther

Status: Dead.

Cause of death: Also disintegrated by Thanos.

Will he come back though?: Did you see how much money made worldwide? He’s coming back, and soon.

Vision

Status: Dead.

Cause of death: Poor old Vision: he (and the Mind Stone) are blown to pieces in a mercy killing by his girlfriend Scarlet Witch, before being unceremoniously brought back to life by Thanos - only to have the stone, and his brain behind it, quite literally wrenched out of his skull.

Will he come back though?: It’s unlikely. He looked in a very bad way, and if there’s anyone the Avengers can probably afford to lose, it’s him.

Scarlet Witch

Status: Dead.

Cause of death: Another victim of Thanos’ master plan.

Will she come back though?: Probably, yeah.

Falcon

Status: Dead.

Cause of death: See above.

Will he come back though?: It’s rumoured he’ll be taking over the Captain America mantle when Steve Rogers inevitably snuffs it (probably in the next film), so it’s likely.

Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier

Status: Dead.

Cause of death: He’s the first we see disintegrate after Thanos snaps his fingers, but not before calling out to Captain America with a heartbreakingly terrified “Steve?”

Will he come back though?: Same as Falcon, basically.

Loki

Status: Very much dead.

Cause of death: Puts up a good fight against Thanos, but ends up being choked to death at the freakishly large purple hand of the Mad Titan himself.

Will he come back though?: No. His death carried a lot of emotional weight, and they’ve already brought him back from the dead before. As Thanos put it, “No resurrections this time.”

Heimdall

Status: Dead.

Cause of death: The first casualty of Infinity War, Heimdall is stabbed through the heart when Thanos and his minions ransack the Asgardian refugee ship in the film’s first scene.

Will he come back though?: Probably not.

Eitri

Status: Alive, for some reason, even though Peter Dinklage’s ten-foot mumbling dwarf could probably have been left on the cutting room floor in favour of any of the actual Avengers.

The Collector

Status: Dead, we’re pretty sure.

Cause of death: Judging by the flames engulfing his home, Knowhere, it was probably a not-very-pretty end at the hands of Thanos.

Will he come back though?: A pretty firm no.

Thanos

Status: Alive, wounded, pretty damn pleased with himself.

Peter Quill/Star Lord

Status: Dead.

Cause of death: Vaporised by the Infinity Gauntlet after losing absolutely everything he loves. Poor guy.

Will he come back though?: Get rid of Chris Pratt? Fat chance. Another is on the horizon, so expect to see him then - if not before.

Mantis

Status: Dead.

Cause of death: Thanos, Infinity Gauntlet, incinerated into dust. Sound familiar?

Will she come back though?: She’s not been around for long, so killing her off now would be a bit of a waste.

Nebula

Status: Alive, making her one of only two of the cast still breathing.

Drax

Status: Dead.

Cause of death: Vaporised by the Infinity Gauntlet.

Will he come back though?: Probably, yeah.

Gamora

Status: Dead.

Cause of death: Thrown from a cliff edge by her adopted father, Thanos, after a resurrected Red Skull tells him he needs to sacrifice the thing he loves in return for the Soul Stone. No, we’re not making this up.

Will she come back though?: Tricky to say. The sight of her crumpled body suggests no, but Star Lord’s angst and the rumours she’s trapped in the Soul Stone suggest great plot fodder for a Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

Groot

Status: Dead.

Cause of death: Vaporised by the Infinity Gauntlet.

Will he come back though?: Yeah. Marvel wouldn’t do away with their best bit of merchandise.

Rocket

Status: Alive, and mourning Groot.

Okoye

Status: Alive, probably technically in charge of what’s left of Wakanda’s army.

Shuri

Status: We didn’t see her disintegrate, so we’re going to say alive.

Ant-Man

Status: Probably alive. Along with Hawkeye he was under “house arrest” for the duration of the film, so expect them both to get their due screentime helping to save the day in the next one. In the meantime, Ant-Man and The Wasp is out in a couple of months.

Hawkeye

Status: As above. Probably alive.

Nick Fury and Maria Hill

Status: Dead.

Cause of death: They didn’t manage to escape Thanos’ wrath either, disintegrating in the film’s post-credit scene - but not before Fury could fire off a cheeky message to incoming hero Captain Marvel on his pager.

Will they come back though?: Fury is already confirmed in flashback form in next year’s Captain Marvel. As for in the present day? Only time will tell.