Last month, Instagram user Ultraraw26 posted some pretty sweet Avengers 4 fan art featuring Captain Marvel and Iron Man fighting side by side. Now, they’ve followed that piece up with another image depicting the same pair of Marvel heroes, albeit under much gloomier circumstances.
This time, we have newcomer Carol Danvers cradling the body of a presumably lifeless Tony Stark. In the background, meanwhile, we see the hulking figure of Thanos as he walks away, his enemy slain. Not exactly a cheery picture then, and what’s more, this isn’t even the first time Ultraraw26 has presented us with a death scenario for the Phase 1 Avenger, with a similarly morose piece from a few days ago showing Stark dying in the company of Peter Parker instead.
Of course, Ultraraw26 is far from the only fan to consider this very possible outcome in the next Avengers movie. While there are certainly theories out there that offer an alternative explanation to the character’s eventual fate, Stark ranks inescapably high on the list of predicted deaths, with even Iron Man comic book writer Bob Layton suggesting last month that Marvel Studios could take this tragic route with the character. And with three solo movies and a whole load of crossover flicks under his belt, perhaps the time’s right for the hero that started it all to clear the way for a new generation.
This brings us back to Captain Marvel. While Carol’s solo debut will be set in the ‘90s, it’s been made very clear that the Brie Larson character is intended to play a central role in the future of the MCU. Though we’ve yet to see any completed footage of the hero in action, Avengers: Infinity War heralded her arrival in the franchise with its post-credits sequence, and quite possibly hints at what’s to come from her first film with a potential Easter egg that may connect her to one of Thanos’ cronies.
We’ll be finding more about the MCU’s next major addition when Captain Marvel comes out on March 8th, 2019, before Avengers 4 wraps up this current phase and decides the fate of Tony Stark on May 3rd, 2019.