So I’ve been reading a few articles and talking with lots of folks about their theories on what is going to happen in Avengers: Endgame. The one theory I keep bumping into is that someone will go back in time and prevent Thanos from doing The Snap. I believe people are arriving at this conclusion because of two things:
1. The Time Stone is around and can manipulate time. 2. During a post credits scene in Ant-Man and The Wasp, Hank Pym mentions in that the Quantum Realm has time portals.
So let’s address these two points first. Regarding the Time Stone, even with a fully intact Infinity Gauntlet, there are limits to it’s power. So far in the MCU, the Time Stone has only been able to affect small areas, like a city block, and only a small amount of time. The biggest chunk of time traveled so far in the MCU is probably Dr. Strange looking at all the different outcomes of the battle with Thanos, and even that is only him looking into the future. Furthermore, I doubt the Gauntlet is going to make it through the next big fight, and even though Iron Man’s nanotech suit can do many things, it won’t be able to control the Time Stone well enough to send someone through time with accuracy.
As for Ant-Man harnessing the Quantum Realm, Scott Lang doesn’t have the technical knowledge to make it happen. Yes Tony Stark and Bruce Banner might be able to eventually do it with all of Hank Pym’s research, but that would eat up too much run time.
Now here’s the real reason this theory doesn’t hold water: Time-Travel is CHEAP! From a literary standpoint, going back in time to solve a story’s problems lessens the struggles and conflict that gets erased from the time-line. Take Star Trek (2009), they took great pains to say that both time-lines exist because fans would have rioted otherwise. If the MCU is one thing, they are more clever then having Rocket relive the plot of Terminator 2.
So if this was the theory you were leaning on, maybe move on to a different one. My own involves one selfish wish that destroys the Gauntlet, and then a group effort that does a Reverse-Snap.
Let us know what your theories you have below!
