These are the Heroes Missing From Avengers: Infinity War

WARNING: The following article contains major spoilers for Avengers: Infinity War, in theaters now.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe's story began in 2008 with Iron Man (directed by Jon Favreau), and in the decade since, it has introduced over two dozen superheroes, with more on the way. The long, overarching story revolving around the mysterious Infinity Stones culminates in Avengers: Infinity War (directed by Joe and Anthony Russo) in which the mad titan, Thanos (Josh Brolin), battles Earth's mightiest heroes.

Fans expected to see great big battle sequences, astonishing world-changing moments and of course, their favorite superheroes gathered together for one last fight against the end of the world. But while most of the MCU's film heroes did appear, there were quite a few who were inexplicably absent and some that just had flimsy reasons for not being present. Below, we compile the unexpectedly long list of characters we thought we'd see, but who ultimately never turned up for the biggest fight the MCU has ever seen.

Hawkeye

When we last saw Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), he was on the Raft, imprisoned after coming out of retirement to aid Steve Rogers against Iron Man in Captain America: Civil War. It showed us that he would never turn his back on his friends and allies when they needed him most, even if it meant breaking the law, which makes his absence in Infinity War that much more odd.

The one and only time he is mentioned is when Black Widow explains to Wanda and Vision that Hawkeye took a deal to avoid house arrest. Even though he readily broke the law to save his friends in Civil War, he was evidently unwilling to do it a second time to save the universe from partial annihilation. We know he'll be appearing in Avengers 4, so there's clearly more to his story and absence than the threat of house arrest. We'll just have to wait to find out what it is, exactly.

Ant-Man

Also missing from the film was Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), who, much like Clint Barton, took a deal to avoid house arrest after the events of Civil War, also according to Black Widow. Unlike Clint, Ant-Man will be appearing in his own film, Ant-Man and the Wasp (directed by Peyton Reed) later this year. The film takes place after Civil War but before Infinity War, which means there's a chance it'll offer a more valid explanation for Scott's absence.

Wasp

At the end of Ant-Man, Janet Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) was given the Wasp suit so she could join the fight against evil forces from both our world and the microverse. It's strange, then, that she would be absent during Thanos' assault on the universe -- but no one fully expected her to make an appearance, anyway.

Instead she'll be officially debuting in Ant-Man and the Wasp later this year, and again in Avengers 4 in 2019, so she'll still get her chance to save what's left of the universe alongside the remnants of the Avengers. Some might argue that it's better this way, since she'll be appearing in a major fight after we've had a chance to really appreciate her character, much like we did every other major Avenger in the MCU.

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Valkyrie

The opening scene of Avengers: Infinity War is set on the Sakaaran ship that escaped the destruction of Asgard in Thor: Ragnarok. In that film, almost all the Asgardians managed to escape on that vessel, including Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), who wanted nothing to do with Asgard since the first defeat she faced at the hands of Hela. After literally facing death, she stood by Thor's side, ready to protect Asgard once again so fans naturally figured she'd make an appearance in future films.

However, Valkyrie is nowhere to be found in the opening scene of Infinity War, despite the film taking place mere moments after the end of Thor: Ragnarok. Since there wasn't so much as a small mention of her, we cannot say for certain whether or not she somehow survived the Black Order's onslaught or the fiery destruction of the Sakaaran ship that followed. Her fate was left unknown, but we sincerely hope (and pretty much expect) she'll return for Avengers 4.

The Sakaarians

Speaking of Sakaarian ships, also absent from the film were Thor's allies from Sakaar led by the gentlest rebel leader ever known, Korg (Taika Waititi). We see Ebony Maw stepping over Asgardian corpses, but none of the survivors from Sakaar. When last we saw this crew, they had joined Thor and the Asgardians in their search for a new home, following the destruction of Asgard.

Presumably, they were in that vessel in the opening scene of Infinity War and its perhaps safe to assume that, much like the Asgardians, the survivors from Sakaar perished at the hands of Thanos and the Black Order. Considering the comedic nature of characters like Korg, it was probably best to have left them out of Infinity War in order to maintain the tension that made that scene work so well, but we still hold out hope there's more to their story.

Hulk

Yes, the Hulk is there in the opening scene of Avengers: Infinity War, and his appearance is explosive and all, but its the only impact he makes in the film. He gets a few good hits in in his fight against the mad titan but is ultimately defeated, and pretty spectacularly at that. Evidently it was enough to send the Hulk into hiding within Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo).

We see a hint of green in Banner's complexion, and the Hulk's face a couple of times in the film, but for the most part... he's simply absent. It might have come as somewhat of a surprise to audiences who may have expected him to turn up for the final battle, as shown in the epic charge featured in the first official trailer. That opening scene wasn't the end for the Hulk. Banner will appear again in Avengers 4 and Kevin Feige stated that that film will conclude an arc for the character that began in Thor: Ragnarok, so it's inevitable that the Hulk will return.

Phil Coulson

He was there in the very beginning with Iron Man, and he was there when the Avengers assembled for the very first time in The Avengers (directed by Joss Whedon) in which Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) was killed by Loki. As it turned out, Coulson would return from the dead and continue to covertly serve his country in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Fans speculated that he would make a return to the MCU-proper in Avengers: Infinity War, but this did not come to pass.

It's just as well, since S.H.I.E.L.D/ doesn't make an appearance... at least, not until the very end. Even then, there isn't much room for another cameo or time for an explanation as to how and why S.H.I.E.L.D. is still functioning as a secret government organization for those who haven't been keeping up with the series. While that series is still going on, there's no indication that Coulson will ever make an appearance in future Avengers films, and though he is guaranteed to play a role in Captain Marvel, that film is set decades in the past, offering a potential loophole for his big screen return.

Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, Avengers: Infinity War stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johansson, Anthony Mackie, Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Olsen, Tom Holland, Benedict Cumberbatch, Chadwick Boseman, Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Tom Hiddleston, and Josh Brolin. In theaters April 27.