One epic fight in showdown against the Outriders in Wakanda or a final stand in space.36 Characters You Can Expect in Avengers: Infinity War's Big Scene (This Page)
19 Avengers
First up, there's the Avengers themselves to take into . Once they reunite (half the group is still on the run after the events of Captain America: Civil War), there's a core team of Iron Man, Captain America, War Machine, Winter Soldier, Falcon, Black Widow, and Hawkeye, as well as new recruits Spider-Man and Doctor Strange, and space returnees Thor and Hulk. Those last few bring their own associated heroes too in the form of Wong and Valkyrie.
There's a question mark over some other of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Obviously, Vanity Fair photoshoot we know they are going to present in either Avengers 3 or 4 and so can't be discounted.
5 Wakandans
There is, of course, one new member of the team that we've forgotten, and that's because he comes with a pretty sizeable entourage of his own: Black Panther. A major set piece during Infinity War takes place in Wakanda, seeing Panther's people uniting with the Avengers to take on hordes of Outriders (and presumably protect the Black Panther's ing cast can be expected (and even if not, they're likely to accompany their king).
Related: Black Panther is 2018's Most Anticipated Comic Book Movie Character
This means that, along with T'Challa himself, we can add tech master/sister Shuri, Dora Milaje leader Okoye, Man-Ape M'Baku and possibly former Queen Ramonda. These are the five primary Wakandans confirmed for the film, and the numbers could go up depending who survives the solo film next month.
7 Guardians of the Galaxy
Avengers 3 isn't just going to see the Avengers and their friends fighting together; Earth's Mightiest Heroes are going to be standing alongside their cosmic counterparts, the Guardians of the Galaxy. We know from Mackie that at the very least Drax is present for the fight (battling next to Spider-Man), and it's no stretch to say he'll be flanked by Star-Lord, Gamora, Rocket, Groot and Mantis.
There's also another Guardians-related character set to play a big part in Infinity War: Nebula. The daughter of Thanos was partially redeemed in Guardians Vol. 2 and set out to go find her father, a quest that - if her comic version is anything to go by - will make her an essential part of any final conflict.
5 Villains
This final set is a little more contentious as these can hardly be described as "superheroes", but if we're taking Mackie's assessment as being about the full set of actors, then it's surely got to include the villains. Obviously, there's Josh Brolin as the Mad Titan Thanos, but also his four henchmen, the Children of Thanos: Corvus Glaive, Proxima Midnight, Ebony Maw, and Black Dwarf.
Related: Thanos Is Still The Main Villain In Avengers 4
All this brings us - without any real stretches, no less - up to 36 characters. Now, that could easily be the sum, with the 40 a rounding up, but who else could finish off the set? And, perhaps more tellingly, who isn't included?
Who Could Be A Surprise Infinity War Character?B
We could have made the prior 36 predictions at any point after the release of Jude Law's Marvell or Guardians' Adam Warlock, although they're both less likely considering their obscurity within other characters' films.
Aside from known heroes, there is one more appearance that would be all kinds of brilliant: Stan Lee. Naturally, the comic maestro will have a cameo in Infinity War (he's already shot it, along with four other appearances) but to specifically do it in the middle of a massive hero showcase would feel like the ultimate tribute.
Who Won't Appear In The Sequence?
All this said, perhaps the biggest discussion point is who won't be in the sequence. As already established, 70 actors are confirmed for Infinity War, many of them pre-existing characters we haven't discussed. However, there's some who will take a backseat.
Related: The Characters Missing From Avengers: Infinity War's Trailer
Most of the ones we're talking about are traditional : Happy Hogan, Pepper Potts, Hank Pym, Peter Parker's schoolmates and Laura Barton. Also presumably absent will be Thanos' Infinity Stone collection: The Collector, who was the last known possessor of the Reality Stone, and Loki, revealed in the trailer to have swiped the Tesseract at the end of Ragnarok. Whether the absence of Tom Hiddleston's trickster means he's going to meet his untimely end or not, his surrendering of the Space Stone makes placing him in any major battle hard.
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This is all, of course, speculation. Many headline heroes could have fallen (or be otherwise incapacitated) by the time the full team assembles, and even more could have been suddenly introduced. But, as it stands, the stated 36 characters - along with a probable debut from Captain Marvel - will make for the biggest scene in the history of the MCU (and, quite likely, the superhero genre in general). Infinity War can't come soon enough.
