Avengers: Infinity War had one of the most heartwrenching cliffhangers in modern cinema, one that enamored audiences until the release of Avengers: Endgame. In the one-year gap between the films, numerous theories were cultivated by audiences to talk about what Thanos might have done, coming up with more than a few interesting explanations, that were as brilliant as they were creative.
One theory that was making the rounds in the wake of Infinity War was the fact that Thanos did not wipe out half the life in the universe, but split it in two, creating two separate realities, one where one-half of the Avengers disappeared, and the other where they other half was ‘blipped’.
Avengers could have fought Thanos in two separate universes in the wake of Infinity War
The theory suggested that the Avengers were split into two universes and that the battle in Avengers: Endgame would be that of reunification, where two iterations of the Avengers would fight Thanos and his minions to reunite the universes into one.
There are several reasons why this theory would have been perfect for Avengers: Endgame. Given that the characters that survived the snap in the main universe were the original Avengers, while those that would be in the ‘other universe’ would be the new members of the team, it would have been the perfect setup to say goodbye to the original version of the team, while concretely setting up what the Avengers would look like in the coming phases.
It would have been important for Marvel to set up the next iteration of the team from the get-go, which would have allowed the studio to establish the new faces of the MCU, and even have the following phases feel a little more connected.
The split universe theory could have shown us how the new Avengers function as a team
While Avengers: Endgame would have served as the final stage of the arcs of the Original Team, bringing an end to their story, Avengers: Endgame could also have served as a litmus test for the new Avengers, and how they would function as a team and rise to the occasion, without any of the Original Avengers to guide them.
The characters would be able to form their team dynamics, come together to create a team that was uniquely theirs, and prove themselves in the field, without the older Avengers to guide them in battle. In doing so, Marvel could have established the next faces of the MCU, looked at how the team might function on the big screen, and more cleanly set up the next 10 years of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
By having the new team fight a version of Thanos as well, the audiences would be greeted with a new version of the team that could prove to be just as competent as the previous version of the team, and could also tease the multiverse into the MCU, setting up the Multiverse Saga in an organic and palatable way, one that felt less disconnected.
