Ever wondered why Nebula survived the Snap in Avengers: Infinity War? Sure, the process of choosing half the universe to vanish appears to be entirely random, but it seems curious that Iron Man and Nebula are the only heroes on Titan to make it out alive. This new fan theory though, using evidence from Avengers: Endgame, may reveal the true reason behind it.
Reddit user u/CapriciousSalmon suggests that Thanos deliberately spared his surviving daughter from the effects of his Snap. Other fan theories have pointed out that the villain may have made himself immune, and even Tony Stark, too, but it’s rarer to hear this option put forward. It actually makes perfect sense, though.
The theorist points out that if Thanos has one “redeeming” quality, it’s that he loves his adoptive children. He’s a terrible, abusive, tyrannical parent, sure, but he clearly cares for them in his own warped way. And on the day of the Snap, the Mad Titan had lost all of his kids except Nebula – Gamora and the Black Order. It’s possible then, that at least on a subconscious level, he wanted one of them to be left standing when it was all over.
After all, as the Redditor reminds us, Thanos did regret being too hard on Nebula right before his life was taken by Thor in Endgame. The best piece of evidence for this theory, though, is what the cyborg says when she reveals where the heroes can find Thanos. Nebula explains that her father always planned for her and Gamora to retire with him to the peaceful world of Titan II once he’d achieved his goal. Clearly, then, he always intended for his daughters to live through the Snap. Remember, he didn’t know he would have to kill Gamora to get the Soul Stone until he collected it.
What do you think, though? Does this Avengers: Endgame theory hold up for you? Sound off below with your thoughts.