Image Source: Everett Collection
When it comes to Avengers: Infinity War, pretty much no one is safe. All it takes is one look at the film's haunting trailers to know that the stakes could not be higher. After all, evil Thanos plans on destroying half the universe. To say there may be casualties is a serious understatement. In fact, I'd argue that, when it comes to the third Avengers movie, it's not so much a question of whether one of the heroes will die. It's more of a question of which heroes will die.
With the trailers giving big hints about the fates of our favourite characters, fans have already begun to speculate. Right now, many seem to believe Iron Man may be the one to go, while others are worried about the fate of Captain America. But there's another, more obvious frontrunner when it comes to potential victims: Vision, who first arrives in Avengers: Age of Ultron.
As quick refresher, Vision is actually just an android. His vibranium body was originally meant for Ultron, but the Avengers managed to hijack it and imbue it with the remnants of J.A.R.V.I.S., aka Tony Stark's computerised personal assistant. But the whole reason Vision is a functioning entity is that he has one of the six Infinity Stones, the Mind Stone, embedded in his forehead. And of course, the Infinity Stones are what Thanos seeks in his quest to destroy half the universe. The question is, can Vision survive if Thanos rips the Mind Stone from his body? It seems pretty unlikely.
Even in the trailers, a couple of scenes do not look good for Vision. In one moment, our favourite Wakandan princess Shuri seems to have pulled up a hologram of the android. While similar holograms in Black Panther usually show more of the torso, Vision just looks like a disembodied head. And, well, he doesn't look like he's in the best shape either. There's also another shot in which someone seemingly attempts to gouge the Stone out of Vision's forehead while he screams in agony. That . . . can't be good.
On the flip side, there are a couple of other moments that give us hope. When a new spot dropped during the Super Bowl, some fans called out a brief shot in which it looked like Vision was walking around without his Infinity Stone. (I'm not entirely convinced, but let's follow this thread anyway.) If the Avengers know Thanos is seeking the Stones, perhaps they tried to get a jump on the villain by figuring out a way to extract the stone from Vision. I mean, with all the insane technology Wakanda has to offer, perhaps the good guys found a new way for the hero to sustain his life force?
There's also another shot with Scarlet Witch; Vision seems to have taken a human form. Call it witchcraft, or a dream, or a tech-savvy innovation, but it still means there might be another way for Vision to be in the world. And maybe his new form means he goes through some kind of traumatic event and finds his way to the other side. Then again, he does still have the Stone in this particular shot, so I'm not entirely sure his human form means he'll survive the film.
At this point, it's ultimately unclear. We do have evidence that supports both his death and survival, but the fact that he currently must rely on the power of the Mind Stone to function isn't very promising. Luckily, we won't have to wait long to find out: Avengers: Infinity War hits cinemas on April 25.
