How Avengers 4 Could Resurrect Characters Without the Time Stone

Defeating Thanos will be the biggest goal of Avengers 4, but is there still hope to somehow revive all the heroes and civilians he demolished? VFX supervisor Dan DeLeeuw previously said that the Power Stone was the one that turned half the population to dust at the end of Avengers: Infinity War. So which stone will be powerful enough to undo that damage? The prevailing theory rests in the Time Stone. That was how Thanos rolled things back to undo Scarlet Witch destroying the Mind Stone. Now that we know what that looks like, it’s easy to imagine using that power against him to jump back to before the Infinity Gauntlet was assembled.

Reddit is still reeling over the snap heard around the universe. Use filopj via ComicBook.com has developed a theory that doesn’t rely as heavily on the Time Stone.

“Now if you delve into what the Infinity Stones can do, you would know that the Soul Stone can bring the dead back to life and the Mind Stone can control another’s actions,” filopj wrote. “You probably see where I’m going here. I believe that Thanos will resurrect all the heroes he has dusted and will use either the Mind or Soul Stone to control them and have them act as his minions. If you want, you can also add that he uses the Power Stone to enhance their powers. Or have the Power Stone amplify the affects [sic] of the Mind Stone. They could be tasked with keeping the universes population at half but more importantly fight off the Avengers should they make an attempt to steal the Infinity Stones.

“This would return all of those that were dusted and would add a twist to things. The only way to break the spell would be to either destroy the Mind Stone or steal it, which is no easy task. When they break from their trance, we could get the epic shot of all the heroes that Sebastian Stan teased.”

That’s definitely a compelling theory. As if we aren’t emotionally wrecked enough already, it would be devastating to see Thanos’ army rise to 50% of the population. Filopj may not have everything hammered out exactly as it will happen, but it is interesting to see a theory that involves more than a single stone. It took all six to bring us to where we are now, so it could be a little anticlimactic if all that’s needed to resolve it would be turning back the dial with the time stone.

Also, there are sure to be some really crushing choices, like who is necessary to resurrect and who will have to remain a permanent casualty. Going back in time could bring back some beloved Avengers, but that would also repair the Infinity Gauntlet bringing it back to full power. I don’t think anyone wants to go back there again.

Avengers 4 opens in theaters May 3.

Featured Image: Marvel Studios’ AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR. Thanos (Josh Brolin). Photo: Film Frame. ©Marvel Studios 2018

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kelle Long

Kelle has written about film and TV for The Credits since 2016. Follow her on Twitter @molaitdc for interviews with really cool film and TV artists and only occasional outbursts about Broadway, tennis, and country music. Please no talking or texting during the movie. Unless it is a musical, then sing along loudly.