The Decimation’s Effects
Obviously, the big talking point of Avengers: Infinity War was Thanos’ snap, how exactly it worked and exactly what it had done. Fans have theorized about that incessantly ever since and the Russos and writers Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus have clarified bits and pieces but the Avengers: Endgame trailer properly explains the outcome of the event.
Black Widow tells the rest of the team – we see Steve Rogers and Bruce Banner, but there might be others present – that “Thanos did exactly what he said he was gonna do. He wiped out 50% of all living creatures.” This confirms that it was not just sentient beings that were turned to dust but all forms of animal life as well all across the universe.
If you’re wondering what to call the finger snap, by the way, fans have been referring to the event as the Snappening for months but a recent MCU tie-in novel officially titled it “The Decimation.” We’re not sure as yet if this detail will recur in Endgame or not as the term wasn’t mentioned directly in the trailer, but I guess we’ll soon find out.
R.I.P. Shuri
In this same scene, as Black Widow’s explaining the full effects of the Decimation, digital read-outs of the damage in front of Steve and Bruce show some familiar faces, those who are believed to be among the victims of the massacre.
First off, the face of Scott Lang is seen. Anyone who’s watched Ant-Man and the Wasp knows that Scott wasn’t affected by the Decimation but the Pyms were, leaving him stranded in the Quantum Realm. Naturally, it’s been assumed that he was turned to dust with the others.
Next up is Peter Parker. Sadly, Spider-Man was killed by Thanos’ snap, dying in Tony’s arms on Titan. It’s interesting that the Earth-based Avengers know this, however, as – as far as we know – Iron Man has yet to return home by this point. Perhaps it’s the same case as Ant-Man: he’s missing so assumed deceased.
Finally, the third character we see will come as a real shock: it’s Shuri, princess of Wakanda and Black Panther’s genius little sister. We didn’t find out what happened to Shuri in Infinity War but many had assumed that, with her brother T’Challa also being killed in the event, she would take over as the new monarch of the country. And perhaps also as the new Black Panther. However, that appears to not be the case.