After 18 movies, Avengers: Infinity War is the first part of a conclusion MCU fans have been anticipating for 10 years. Yes, the first part, because it ends on a pretty sizable cliffhanger: that will leave any moviegoer on the edge of their seat and waiting for the next movie to come out. Every character in the film is left in shocked distress, as is the audience. If you say you didn’t cry, you’re lying -- we needed a separate box of tissues just for Spider-Man. With Avengers 4 not scheduled for release until May 3, 2019, we have so many questions about what’s next. What happens to the heroes who are left and what happens to the MCU when the dust clears.

As moviegoers sat in the theater and waited for the inevitable post-credits scene, fans already began speculating on what was coming. Every small line of dialogue and detail was examined under a nerd microscope to figure out its meaning. Lobbies were packed with people trying to understand what they had just seen. As we all continue to recover from the bomb Infinity War dropped, we need to discuss 25 fan theories for the MCU post Avengers: Infinity War.

WARNING: Major spoilers for Infinity War ahead!

25 THANOS SURVIVES

Josh Brolin gives a fascinating performance as Thanos. He never once sees himself as the villain. As far as he’s concerned, he’s just trying to keep the universe in balance. He even holds a small amount of admiration for the Avengers. A smart studio wouldn’t be ready to get rid of a character this good, when the audience is just getting to know him. Anyone who’s had a passing interest in Marvel comics over the years knows that Thanos has been a constant foe for the company’s heroes. No matter how many times they think they’ve won, he eventually comes back to cause more mayhem and destruction. Over and over the Avengers or someone else has killed him and he never stays dead.

Since this is such a major part of his character, it stands to reason that we will see the same thing happen in the movies.

While we have no idea what will happen in Avengers 4, we figure the remaining heroes will work together to fix what the Mad Titan has broken. This doesn’t necessarily mean killing him, as they may need his powers to reset everything. Even if he ends up dead, there’s no guarantee that he will stay that way. Comic book fans know that death is never really final.

24 TIME TRAVEL WILL PLAY A MAJOR ROLE 

No matter what we think will happen in Avengers 4 we know there’s no way the MCU is moving forward without Black Panther, Star-Lord, Spider-Man, Winter Soldier, Falcon, Scarlet Witch, Drax, Mantis, Vision and Doctor Strange. While it’s true, we would probably be able to go on without some of those people, many of them are big deals, so we know they’re going to come back somehow. If for no other reason than, we know sequels have already been announced for Black Panther, Spider-Man and the Guardians of the Galaxy. The first thought many fans had as the credits began to roll was, how they would go back in time to fix all this.

Before Infinity War came out, there were a lot of guesses about Doctor Strange using the Time Stone to go back and reset things. That seems like a difficult plan now. However, time travel will most likely be a big part of Avengers 4. Whether it’s Captain Marvel, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Adam Warlock or someone we haven’t thought of that does it is the real question. If we learned anything from Infinity War, it’s that the MCU is even more unpredictable than we thought it was. This means the big fix is most likely, a plan we haven’t even considered. For now, we’re going to put our money on time travel.

23 DOCTOR STRANGE JOINS THE AVENGERS

Among the characters who really got a chance to shine in Infinity War was Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange. Every moment he was on screen, he made interesting and important. His movie was a very straight forward origin story, so there wasn’t much opportunity for him to show off. We got a small glimpse of it in Thor: Ragnarok, but here we got a fully grown, confident in his abilities master of the mystic arts and it was amazing. His interactions with Tony, Peter, and the Guardians of the Galaxy showed just how much we’re missing by not seeing him in more movies.

An official Doctor Strange sequel hasn’t been announced yet, but maybe that’s for the best.

Like The Hulk, his character might be better served by being a major part of the team up movies or appearing in a supporting capacity in another hero’s movie. Plus, absolutely no one is complaining about seeing more Benedict Cumberbatch. With some of the original Avengers contracts coming to an end, it would make sense if Strange is one of the characters who steps up to a bigger role and more crossovers. The thought of him in Wakanda or taking over as Peter’s mentor is hilariously awesome.

22 NEBULA JOINS THE GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY FULL-TIME

Before we got to the gut punch of the finale, we suffered through some sizable losses, including Gamora as Thanos sacrificed her to gain the Soul Stone. Peter and Nebula were devastated, as was everyone in the theater. As the remaining heroes go on their journey to save the galaxy, the sad truth is they may not be able to save everyone. If it turns out Gamora is one of those characters that can’t be brought back, it’s possible Nebula could honor her sister by traveling with the Guardians and protecting them the way Gamora would.

In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, we saw her sort of become part of the crew. Gamora actually wanted her to stay, but she was hellbent on killing Thanos, so she left. In the aftermath of Infinity War, she may decide to stick around this time. One of the best parts of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was watching Nebula and Gamora find a way to become sisters again. With that in mind, the other Guardians wouldn’t want her to be left on her own and would welcome her for Gamora’s sake. Of course, before any of that happens, she will likely be an important part of the follow up, as she knows Thanos better than anyone left alive.

21 COULSON BRINGS S.H.I.E.L.D. TO HELP FIX THINGS

Despite everyone’s hopes and wishes, Coulson and the rest of the S.H.I.E.L.D. team didn’t show up to the fight at the last minute. As a matter of fact, the episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. that aired on the Friday Infinity War opened had a storyline where the team was under attack in the Lighthouse. As such, their communications with the outside world was completely cut off, so they had no idea what was happening. While on a mission, Daisy heard about aliens in New York, but wasn’t really paying attention since she’s got her own problems. Though we have to ask how they were somehow shielded from anyone being disintegrated after Thanos snapped his fingers.

So, this means Phil and the gang were oblivious to the battle in Wakanda and were stuck on lockdown, unable to join the fight for humanity.

However, they will learn of everything eventually and when they do, there’s no way they’re not going to want to help. Plus, they’ve been to space and traveled through time so they probably have some answers that none of the Avengers will have. At his core, Phil Coulson is a hero. He will never walk past someone in need. With Earth’s Mightiest Heroes decimated, they’re going to need an influx of powered people and he just happens to know a lot of those.

20 PETER STILL HAS CELESTIAL POWERS

We always knew Peter Quill was special. When he was able to hold the Power Stone in Guardians of the Galaxy it was confirmed. In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 we found out he was the son of Ego, a Celestial. He learned he had special powers that allowed him to create constructs throughout the galaxy. Unfortunately, Ego was evil and just wanted to use Peter for his power. Peter killed him to save the galaxy, but in the process lost access to his Celestial abilities. Or did he? Some fans are wondering if, since he still has Ego’s DNA, he could still find those powers deep down inside.

It took Peter remembering his mom and using those emotions to access his abilities the first time. Well, if it takes him figuring it out to possibly bring back Gamora, that would be an emotion that would definitely cause a power surge. Perhaps, they will need someone to actually grab the Infinity Stones from the Gauntlet and Peter is the only one who’s ever done that before. If he saves the galaxy again, he’ll be a legend. Of course, this all assumes the others find a way to bring him back.

19 THE TV AND MOVIE UNIVERSE CROSSOVER

On Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., other than a few references, they don’t crossover with the movies as much as they did in early seasons. The team had to clean up after Thor: The Dark World, Phil helped renovate the Helicarrier that saved people in Age of Ultron and obviously The Winter Soldier changed the whole make up of the show. Coulson also likes to reference his death at Loki’s hands every once in awhile. Occasionally, Nick Fury will mention intel he’s gotten to the Avengers and we know he got it from Coulson. As of late, Team S.H.I.E.L.D. has had other problems, so they haven’t been as involved in world events. However, it’s difficult to see how half the population of the world dying won’t affect them.

S.H.I.E.L.D. hasn’t been renewed for a sixth season yet, but if it does return, the show has to do more than mention Infinity War in passing. As for the Netflix series, they barely ever acknowledge the movie universe. They don’t even call the characters by their real names, but again, this is different. We imagine it will catch their attention if people start disappearing. Of course, given the somewhat compressed timeline they seem to take place in, all this could happen and be resolved before any of the Defenders ever know something went wrong. Though if ever there was a time for Marvel to truly make everything all connected, this is it.

18 THE MULTIVERSE 

One of the most fun and frustrating things about reading comics is the multiverse as it’s always interesting to see new versions of familiar characters. Though, it can get confusing when those worlds crossover too much -- don’t act like you’ve never thrown a few comics across the room. With the Infinity Stones in play, anything is possible. No one is really certain of all the power they contain. As the last heroes standing jump through time to save their friends and the galaxy, it’s completely possible they may open a door to other universes, setting up the franchise’s next major storyline.

We’ll be honest, this seems like a longshot, however, no one thought Infinity War would end on the cliffhanger that it did.

It’s no secret that Avengers 4 will be the last film for some of the cast, so why not go out with a bang by having them play crazy or different versions of their characters. On a serious note, examining the multiverse could add a new layer to a franchise heading into its second decade. It also opens the MCU up to a whole new batch of heroes that fans are dying to see on the big screen.

17 THE ANCESTRAL PLANE

With a snap of his fingers Thanos makes half the people in the galaxy crumble into dust. He thinks he’s bringing balance to everything, but he’s just killed a lot of people. In Black Panther, we spend a lot of time on the Ancestral Plane -- it’s where ancestors reside in the afterlife, waiting to offer advice to future generations. Both T’Challa and Killmonger meet with their fathers and have difficult conversations about the past. We learned that Wakanda is a very powerful, spiritual place. So, what if its power coupled with the Soul Stone means that not everyone who died in Wakanda is truly dead. Their souls could all just be on the Ancestral Plane waiting to be brought back.

If true, this could provide viewers with some heartbreaking reunions. T’Challa could see his father or a now at peace Killmonger. Vision and Wanda would be together again, or she could see her brother and perhaps Bucky would meet his old friend Peggy Carter. Sadly, this theory only applies to those who died on Wakanda so Star-Lord, Drax and Spider-Man don’t get teary family reunions. The other side of the coin is that the Ancestral Plane may only be able to hold a finite number of souls at a time and it’s about to get very crowded.

16 T’CHALLA LEADS THE AVENGERS

After the game changing events of Infinity War, we have no reason to believe Avengers 4 will be any less jaw dropping. With Tony talking about having babies with Pepper and Chris Evans confirming that he is done playing Captain America, things are definitely about to change. It’s not jumping to conclusions to imagine the team may need a new leader. While Black Widow would make a good choice, her spy background might make her reluctant to want to call the shots. Hawkeye is retired, Thor doesn’t spend much time on Earth and no one else is really ready for the job. They would need someone powerful and smart, with experience and natural leadership abilities. All those in favor of T’Challa say "aye".

As the torch gets passed to the new crop of heroes, it’s clear Black Panther has struck a chord with fans and will become the face of the franchise going forward.

It would just be logical for that to transfer to the movies, with him becoming the new leader and public face of the Avengers. Steve already likes and respects him, which is important because he’s not handing over the reins to just anyone. Plus, Wakanda would be the perfect place for a new Avengers headquarters.

15 NEBULA WILL FINALLY KILL THANOS

When we first met Nebula in Guardians of the Galaxy she was working for Ronan at Thanos’ request. When Ronan broke away from Thanos and threatened to kill him, she joined him at her earliest opportunity. In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 we learned that she hates Thanos because of all the pain he caused her by favoring Gamora and constantly upgrading Nebula with cybernetic parts. Once she and Gamora had reconciled, she told her sister the only mission she had now was to find a way to kill their father. It’s basically her life’s dream to put an end to Thanos’ reign of terror.

As everything comes to head in Avengers 4, it would be a nice callback for longtime fans and bring Nebula’s story full circle if she were the one to finally kill Thanos. Someone has to kill Thanos, it’s going to happen, but whether it sticks is a different question. At this point it almost has to be Nebula, just so she can breathe, live her life and start her own redemption journey. You just know Thanos would be arrogant enough to let her close thinking nothing could hurt him, only for her to deliver the killing blow. She may not be the biggest hero in the franchise, but it will definitely mean the most to her.

14 THE X-MEN AND THE FANTASTIC FOUR

When Disney announced that it was buying Fox, it was the news nerds had been waiting for. It meant that the Avengers, X-Men and Fantastic Four would finally be under the same roof. Almost immediately fans began speculating about how and when the mutants and the First Family would enter the MCU. Some thought it would be as soon as Infinity War, but that was obviously jumping the gun. Now that we’ve seen the movie, we know that the aftermath will bring some major changes to the universe and a team like the FF could have some answers. As for Xavier and his X-Men, what if one of the side effects of whatever it takes to undo everything Thanos has done is that mutants are now a regular part of the MCU?

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. introduced Inhumans and has been using their stories to tell many of the same struggles of the X-Men.

A huge clean slate situation would allow the studio to bring aboard big characters without making it a big deal. If after everything someone just says “don’t forget to call the X-Men and the Fantastic Four,” like it’s a regular thing, that would blow audiences minds. Though Avengers 4 and Infinity War were filmed back to back, there will obviously be reshoots, which means there’s still plenty of time to add some huge cameos.

13 TONY WILL USE THE INFINITY GAUNTLET

In the comics, and to a smaller extent in the movies, we’ve seen that very few have what it takes to wield an Infinity Stone. Obviously, Thanos is powerful enough, Peter Quill's Celestial genes let him also do so for bit, and Ronan used the Power Stone to nearly destroy Xandar. Adam Warlock has been connected to the Soul Stone in the comics, but he hasn’t really entered the franchise yet. However, it would take a really powerful person to use the Infinity Gauntlet. First things first, since the Gauntlet is ruined, a new one would have to be made or found.

Tony has already invented a new element so building a suit capable of harnessing the power of the Infinity Stones isn’t out of the realm of possibilities. However, using that much energy would likely burn up his suit and him. It would be a huge final sacrifice for the world’s most egotistical hero to die saving the galaxy. Of course, we don’t know if Tony dies, because none of us know anything, but if he does it’s got to be epic and life altering. His death would also explain the rumors we’ve heard about a funeral scene for a major Avenger. Robert Downey Jr. exits the franchise and Tony goes out in a blaze of glory.

12 SHURI BECOMES THE NEW BLACK PANTHER

Throughout comics and animation we’ve seen Shuri challenge for the Black Panther title several times. In the movies, she seems content to just run Wakanda’s science and technology divisions, though we all know T’Challa would be lost without her. However, we did get a quick look at her fighting skills during the final battle of Black Panther and in a Wakanda devastated by loss and destruction, Shuri would be willing to step up and take her place on the throne, becoming the country’s new queen and Black Panther.

This would add another element to an already popular character and bring a new dimension to her relationship with T’Challa.

There are so many other aspects of Shuri’s personality that would open up as we would get to see her struggle to put Wakanda back together, while also obsessively searching for a solution. Even if everything is erased through some time travel craziness, it would be a story they could always reference back to in future movies. Seeing Letitia Wright in the Black Panther suit is a moment fans would go crazy for in the theater. And yes, it would nice to see the MCU incorporate more female heroes of color -- now that Wakanda has been introduced, there really is no excuse.

11 BLACK WIDOW PUTS TOGETHER AN ALL-FEMALE TEAM

One of the most exciting things about Infinity War is seeing all the team-ups and meetings we’ve waited years for. There are also a few we didn’t know we needed until we saw them happen. One of these is Black Widow and Okoye teaming up to fight Proxima Midnight. Seeing two of the franchise’s greatest female heroes in battle side by side was amazing. Seriously, a Black Widow/Okoye movie would get all our money. It leads us to wonder who else we will see join this dynamic duo in Avengers 4.

In 2015 Marvel introduced the A-Force as an all-female Avengers. Though it didn’t last long, fans appreciated seeing a superhero team featuring all women. The franchise has finally reached a point where it has enough high profile female heroes to do it justice. Not to mention, the success of Wonder Woman has made everyone want more movies led by strong female characters. Once Thanos’ actions are undone, it’s possible we could see Black Widow leading a team that includes Okoye and the Dora Milaje, Nebula, Captain Marvel, The Wasp and Valkyrie (where is she by the way?) either during a huge battle or in her rumored solo movie. If they threw in Daisy, May, Simmons, Jessica Jones, Colleen Wing and Misty Knight, that would be even better.

10 CAPTAIN MARVEL IS THE ONE WHO DEFEATS THANOS

Comic book fans all know how powerful Carol Danvers is. As Ms. Marvel, and later Captain Marvel, she has defeated many powerful foes who underestimated her because she’s a woman. Though we don’t know how she will fit in to the MCU yet, we do know she’s the first superhero Nick Fury meets -- maybe that’s why he’s so unimpressed with Tony when he meets him. Prior to Infinity War’s release fans were speculating that there would be a surprise appearance from Carol, either in the final moments or in the post-credits scene.

Well, they were almost right.

In the end credits scene, as people begin disappearing, including Maria Hill, Nick Fury rushes to a communicator and sends out a signal right before he disintegrates. As the signal finally goes through Captain Marvel’s logo comes up. Not only can Carol fly, fight and withstand almost anything, she has experience fighting cosmic threats, making her the ideal candidate to defeat Thanos. We saw from that final fight in Wakanda, that none of them are even remotely capable of taking him on. Plus, it means a lot that in Earth’s most dire moment Nick called on her. He didn’t do it when New York was invaded or Ultron was dropping cities, but this warrants her attention.

9 ANT-MAN AND THE WASP USE THE QUANTUM REALM 

Ant-Man and the Wasp were noticeably absent from Infinity War. This was a little surprising since they’re in the next movie up. There was a quick mention from Natasha where she says that Scott and Clint took deals for house arrest. The trailers for Ant-Man and the Wasp confirm this, making it look like Hope must take over superhero duties for Scott. Rumors are saying that the film involves a closer look at the Quantum Realm as the duo, along with Hank, try to find a way to rescue Janet Van Dyne.

The Quantum Realm is alternate dimension that exists outside of space and time. If this is really the plot of Ant-Man and the Wasp, then it would set up how the remaining Avengers plan to save the world in Avengers 4. In the time between the end of the movie and the post-credits scene, there were already fans speculating that they could use the Quantum Realm to go back and prevent the events of Infinity War from ever happening. If any of this is even remotely part of the plan, then it makes sense why Scott wasn’t in Infinity War and why Ant-Man and the Wasp comes out before Avengers 4.

8 AVENGERS VS X-MEN IS ON THE WAY

Since the moment we saw The Avengers, we’ve been wondering where the X-Men are. Personally, we like to imagine Wolverine is just around the corner slicing up Chitauri during the Battle of New York. As the MCU and X-Men movies were released in parallel, fans couldn’t help constantly discussing the possibilities of a crossover. Alas, studio contracts meant it was never going to happen. However, we began to hear rumblings of Disney buying Fox and the Avengers vs X-Men talk was back on.

In all fairness, the X-Men movie franchise does need a major shot in the arm right now.

Pretty much the minute the deal was officially announced fans were asking when the two teams would meet up on the big screen, and most of all when Deadpool would be in an MCU movie. Business news sites say the deal won’t be done and official until 2019, which means we have an outside chance of seeing X-Men in Avengers 4. More likely is that if they show up, the X-Men would become a major part of Phase 4, leading to the inevitable Avengers vs X-Men movie. Now we just need to convince Hugh Jackman that he’s not actually done playing Wolverine.

7 M’BAKU BECOMES THE NEW KING OF WAKANDA

Since the last act of Infinity War takes place in Wakanda, the devastation is instantly felt from the country. Okoye watches her king crumble before her eyes. M’Baku is helpless as warriors disappear across the battlefield. We don’t know what happened in Shuri’s lab or the city, but it can’t be good news. In the immediate aftermath of all this, Wakanda will need a new king. While the throne and Black Panther mantle would normally fall to Shuri as next in line, but we aren’t even sure she’s alive. Even if she is, her intelligence may be needed elsewhere to help figure out how to fix all of this.

At the beginning of Black Panther, we saw M’Baku show up as a challenger to T’Challa’s throne. He is a skilled fighter and leader. He is also a smart strategist who would see the opportunity of an empty throne and decimated country as his best chance to take over. Maybe he would once again close Wakanda’s doors or perhaps he would be a strong and decisive leader during the country’s worst days. Obviously, T’Challa would come back to reclaim his title, but M’Baku’s quick taste of power would be a good setup for Black Panther 2.

6 SOMEONE COMES BACK EVIL

While we know less than nothing about what might happen in Avengers 4, we can guess that there will be time travel involved. The problem is time is a delicate mistress and one wrong turn could cause events to change in unexpected ways. At this point, we’ve all seen enough time travel stories to know things never work out the way the original traveler intended. Changing things on a scale this massive involves changing the lives and decisions of so many people. It would be no surprise if all the changes weren’t good. That means when everyone, presumably, comes back from the dead, not everyone would be their original selves.

Looking at the list of dead heroes, the most obvious choice would be Bucky, which would be really sad since he just got his life back. Other candidates to break bad are Wanda, who has caused an unimaginable amount of pain in the comics, and Vision, who still has a little Ultron in him. Good guy gone bad is a common story, but it would certainly help illustrate the well-known difficulties of time travel. This theory seems like another longshot, but at the moment, we have no frame of reference for what to expect.