WARNING!!!!! CAPTAIN MARVEL SPOILERS/OTHER SPOILERS

If you haven’t seen Avengers: Infinity War or Captain Marvel then don’t read any further. Also, why the hell did you click on this post if you haven’t?

There is plenty of speculation going around as to which superhero will be the one to deliver the final blow that kills Thanos. Ever since his snap in Avengers: Infinity War (AIW), everyone has at least one reason to kill the Mad Titan, but there are heroes with more reason to kill him than others. Assuming that defeating Thanos will require a group effort, this list is suggesting which hero will likely be the one who delivers the final blow; whether it be in a one-on-one match with Thanos, or a team of heroes attacking and one character gets the last shot. The five following characters are the ones who would make the best ending to Avengers: Endgame…

#5 Drax the Destroyer

Drax is a hero who has had nothing on his mind other than getting revenge on Thanos for killing his wife and daughter. Ever since the first Guardians of the Galaxy, this has been his purpose. He’s obsessed with this plan to seek revenge. As a beloved character who brings a lot of humor to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), it would certainly be a feel-good ending to the main story to see Drax be the one who defeats Thanos and complete his revenge/purpose. It may be hard to do considering he’s literal dust somewhere on Titan at the moment and we don’t know how the remaining Avengers/Guardians will be able to bring him back. If he is brought back from the snap, it is definitely reasonable for Drax to be the one who ultimately defeats Thanos.

#4 The Hulk

Hulk had his first bout with Thanos on the Asgardian spaceship, the Statesman, where he was delivered a pretty swift ass-kicking. The Hulk even got the drop on Thanos and was able to get a few punches in before Thanos decided to “have his fun.” Hulk was sent back to Earth bruised and defeated (RIP Heimdall). Up until this point, the Hulk has never been defeated before. The amount of mystery surrounding Banner and the Hulk is somewhat confusing but it is suggesting that both characters will be experiencing a serious upgrade in Avengers: Endgame. Will Planet Hulk or Professor Hulk make an appearance? All signs are pointing to Professor Hulk, but we will have to wait and see. Now why does he have any reason to be the one to kill Thanos? For starters, he is a top-tier MCU character. The Hulk also has a love-interest in the MCU, Black Widow, who survived the snap from Thanos; but if something were to happen to her, he could easily be # 1 on this list. The MAIN reason for the Hulk to be the one to defeat Thanos is obviously a heavy-weight rematch between the two. Referring back to his fight with Thanos on the Statesman, the Hulk is in desperate need of a bounce-back performance. After getting rag-dolled by Thanos early on in AIW, the Hulk should be primed and ready for round 2. Watching a rematch where the Hulk outmuscles Thanos to save the universe? Yeah, that sounds like a pretty good ending to me.

#3 Captain America

Captain America is another top-tier hero who would definitely be a solid choice for the character who kills Thanos. If he does deliver the final blow, there is absolutely no way he does so without sacrificing his life. I mean, he’s the captain of the team. He’s got nothing left to lose. We were given a quick encounter between Thanos and Cap towards the end of AIW and it ended pretty quickly with a hook to the face of Captain America. He was left to watch half of the people around him turn to dust and there was nothing he could do. We don’t know what his plan is. Does he intend to reverse the snap? Does he intend to just seek revenge and kill Thanos? We won’t know until Endgame comes out, but what we do know is that Captain America is the definition of a hero. He will do anything and everything to save the people he loves, even if that costs him his own life. There is a high chance that he will be the one who kills Thanos, but again; if he is the one to do it, there is no way he does it without sacrificing himself. He is the First Avenger, the Captain, and an all-American kid from Brooklyn (without a NY accent….?), so he is a safe bet to be the one who finishes this, hopefully with his shield in his hands. The real shield, not those stupid triangle things from AIW.

#2 Thor

Have you ever blown a big lead in a game? Have you ever had the puck on your stick in the slot, late during a championship game and missed the net? That’s what Thor did in AIW. He lost the game for the team. He could’ve buried the game-winner in overtime, but instead he didn’t go for the head. Thor needs redemption. We know now that he is powerful enough to do it. Stormbreaker brought him the power to go toe-to-toe with the Infinity Gauntlet so Thor could easily be the one who does it. But did he blow his one and only chance? Does he deserve a second chance? I think so, and Thor has become a top-tier character over the last several movies. He has the best chance out of any of the heroes to defeat Thanos 1 on 1 (Captain Marvel is addressed after Iron Man). Not only has he risen to become one of the strongest Avengers, he arguably has lost the most over the last two movies: Heimdall, Loki, Odin, his eyeball, Mjolnir, and a few more (hopefully Korg is still alive somewhere). So Thor has a very strong case to be the one to kill Thanos and redeem himself. If Thor does get a second shot at Thanos in Endgame, he probably will go for the head. Will Thanos be prepared for that? Probably, he’s no dummy.

#1 Iron Man

We have spent 11 years getting to know Tony Stark. We love him. He has one of the longest and greatest character developments in the history of movies. Iron Man (2008) was the first movie that set the MCU in motion and ever since, Tony Stark has become the fan-favorite. He has been tormented by Thanos for 6+ years, he watched his mentee (Peter Parker) die in his arms, he is adrift in space with no hope of rescue, and potentially has a child-bearing wife back on Earth who may have died in the snap. He has every reason to want to kill Thanos. He has every reason to give his life to undo that damage that has been done. He is the likeliest of heroes that will defeat Thanos in Endgame, and if I were a gambling man, I’d put my money on it. The first fight between these two on Titan in AIW was incredible and of all the people who fought Thanos, only Iron Man and Thor were able to draw blood from him. Thor is a god, but Tony Stark is just a super-genius human and he still accomplished something not even the Hulk could do. How will he kill him? I’m guessing he will be rescued from space by Captain Marvel, he will use new technology developed by Bruce Banner, he will obtain quantum energy with Ant-Man, he will fight side-by-side with all of the remaining heroes, and he will team up with all of the heroes to help him in his final fight with Thanos and take him down for good. A pretty specific guess, but one I’d like to see play out. Hopefully Iron Man’s Proton Cannon makes an appearance in the movie which has been regarded as his most powerful weapon in past comic book and video game stories of Iron Man. Either way, it just makes the most sense for Iron Man to be the one who saves the universe. We have watched him go from narcissistic play-boy to compassionate family man in over a decade’s worth of movies. He has had the greatest story arc that can only be completed with himself taking down Thanos for good and saving the universe.

Honorable Mention

Nebula

Pissed off daughter of Thanos. Survived the snap. She could potentially be the one, but very unlikely.

Gamora/Star Lord

Both are closely related to Thanos because of Gamora’s adopted status. Both however are dead at this point, but assuming they come back in Endgame, they both have a strong case to be the one.

Captain Marvel

Seemingly the strongest Avenger after her debut in Captain Marvel. Can she kill Thanos? Probably, but here’s why I don’t think she will. The MCU storyline has been building for 11 years now. We have watched each character develop from one movie to another. They have all gotten stronger, smarter, etc…. So how lame would it be to introduce the hero who will save the universe just one month prior to the release of the dramatic conclusion? Captain Marvel is a cool character, sure. But we don’t have the same connection with her that we do with Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, or Thor for example. She can’t just show up last minute and save everything. It would kind of undermine everyone else, right?

Ant Man

Who doesn’t love Paul Rudd?

Written by Andrew Silvers

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