For Avengers: Infinity War to hit all of the right marks and reveal how powerful Thanos is (especially when using the Infinity Gauntlet), it will be necessary for the film to have a couple of high-profile deaths among characters we’ve met throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s three phases. This was also true for some of the characters in Thor: Ragnarok, who met their ends for the purpose of establishing the extent of Hela’s power.
But this may not mean that this will be the final time we’ll see these characters in the shared universe. Flashbacks are always possible. And the Skrulls are coming, and the shapeshifting aliens might impersonate anyone.
The best example of this is Clint Burton (Jeremy Renner). Better known as Hawkeye, he’ll undergo a drastic change, and pics from the set have hinted that he will take on the persona of Ronin. But is he actually a Skrull? Or will something tragic happen to him (and his family) in Infinity War, prompting him to leave aside the bow and arrow and get more personal with a katana?
It remains to be seen. But we can be sure that Renner will return for Avengers 4.
Renner’s character won’t be alone in being confirmed to appear in the movie. Robert Downey, Jr. posted a new pic on his Instagram account that reveals that Steve Rogers, Scott Lang, and Natasha Romanoff will also be back for the presumed final Avengers installment:
Again, this just confirms that the actors will return as these heroes. However, given the magnitude of the Infinity War, it’s not quite safe to bet that all of them will survive their first encounter with Thanos. Only Ant-Man is guaranteed to survive, as he’ll appear in Ant-Man and the Wasp a couple of months after Infinity War.
