Avengers Infinity War ending: [SPOILER] spared as must DIE sacrificially in Avengers 4?

WARNING SPOILERS FOR AVENGERS INFINITY WAR AHEAD

The Marvel epic wasn’t exactly a happy ending, as Thanos really did gather all six Infinity stones, click his fingers, and kill half the universe.

But with Avengers 4 around the corner we know the surviving superheroes will need to come up with a plan to reverse the genocide.

Doctor Strange is certainly key, having viewed the one possible future where they beat Thanos, he willing gave up the Time Stone to Thanos in exchange for Iron Man’s life – knowing full well that he’d die as a result.

The Sorcerer Supreme said, “We’re in the endgame now” and just before he turned to ash told Tony Stark, “It was the only way.”

Now one popular theory on Reddit reckons Doctor Strange knew Tony couldn’t die at the hands of Thanos because he’d need to die sacrificially in Avengers 4.

Reddit user u/lawnerd14 wrote: “[Doctor Strange] foresaw that it would need to be Iron Man and only Iron Man who wielded the gauntlet to save the universe.

“Therefore he gave over the [Time] stone, not for the hope that Thanos would use it or not use it, but because it was the only way to save Iron Man’s life.

“It also explains the sadness when he tells Iron Man this is the only way, because he knows that this path will ultimately lead to Iron Man’s death.”

AVENGERS INFINITY WAR HAS ALREADY BEATEN JUSTICE LEAGUE’S TOTAL WORLDWIDE GROSS

They explained: “The movie sets up Iron Man’s central role in using the gauntlet in a number of ways. First, we are working under the assumption that putting on the gauntlet requires something special.

“I think that something special is ‘the curse of knowledge’ as Thanos puts it. He tells Iron Man that he shares this curse, and that he both relates and respects him for it.

“Iron Man is also the first character to cause Thanos physical damage while fully armed (followed by Thor). Thanos and Iron Man are the only two in the universe, as Thanos realises, to understand what it means to bear the responsibilities of a species, or even the universe itself on their shoulders.

“The gauntlet requires this awareness to be wielded. It is a theme and character trait in Iron Man the MCU has been developing since Avengers 1.”

They concluded: “Doctor Strange perceived that the only path to salvation is through Iron Man’s survival, so that he can repossess the gauntlet with the help of the surviving Avengers, and bring everyone back.

“Strange realises that even if he protects the Time Stone forever Thanos has enough power to wreak his desired level of destruction with the five other stones.

“The other reason the movie suggests this ending is that using the gauntlet would likely kill Iron Man, as a mere mortal. His death would have the largest emotional impact, given his foundational history with the MCU and given the reintroduction of Pepper Potts to advance Iron Man’s newfound father ambitions.

“To be extra poetic, the movie could have Iron Man die in Spider-Man’s arms, feeling like he has achieved fatherhood and saved his adoptive son. This poetic end would also give Spider Man some of the depth of fatherly loss not yet explored in this most recent reboot.”

Avengers 4 will be released in UK cinemas on April 26, 2019.