Black Panther: Wakanda Forever finally arrived in cinemas last weekend, delivering easily one of the best Phase Four projects while also serving as a touching and emotional tribute to Chadwick Boseman, who tragically passed away before filming. The movie broke the November box office record on its way to earning a staggering $180 million at the domestic box office. Faith in the MCU had been wavering a little after the disjointed and bloated Phase 4, but Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has reminded people of the might of the universe and reignited excitement for the upcoming phase five.
There are many questions surrounding phase five, but none are more important than the question of survival. The stakes are getting higher as we get closer to the end of Multiverse Saga, and many characters hang in the balance.
Hank Pym — 'Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania'
Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) has been a loyal and reliable mentor to Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) since giving the ex-con his Ant-Man suit, but his time in the MCU may close. The epic trailer for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania revealed that the protagonists would find themselves trapped in the Quantum Realm, and we think the world's first Ant-Man might never escape.
How Hank will die is a mystery, but we feel he might sacrifice himself so that his daughter and wife, whom he reunited with after decades apart in Ant-Man and the Wasp, can live. This would be a very fitting end for a man who has always valued his family above all else.
Maria Hill — 'Secret Invasion'
Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) has been underutilized in the MCU since her introduction to The Avengers. She has mostly been relegated to small supporting roles, never allowing audiences to become familiar with Maria beyond being Nick Fury's right-hand woman. This is a tragic shame, and even worse, given the fate we fear she might face in the upcoming Disney+ series, Secret Invasion.
The MCU has moved beyond spies now, with Gods and mutants, and monsters now the focus of the cinematic universe, which means we can't see a way for Agent Hill to feature meaningfully in any upcoming projects. Unfortunately, this likely means Secret Invasion will be Maria's last appearance. We hope we get to know her better first.
Nick Fury — 'Secret Invasion'
He may be responsible for first assembling The Avengers, but we fear Nick Fury's (Samuel L. Jackson) time in the MCU may be drawing to a close. The one-eyed spy has seen his importance in the franchise dwindle since S.H.I.E.L.D fell apart in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
Though the Spider-Man: Far From Home post-credit scene led us to believe he played a key role in creating S.W.O.R.D., we haven't seen anything yet to prove this or his importance to the organization. Admittedly, nothing is set in stone, but we're worried that Fury won't have a big enough role after Secret Invasion to justify the iconic character's survival.
Kragling — 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3'
One of the major benefits of working with an ensemble cast is that it allows directors to be brutal when killing beloved characters. James Gunn has never shied away from this responsibility with the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, killing a version of Groot, Yondu, and allowing present-day Gamora to be sacrificed by Thanos.
This leads us to believe that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Gunn's last film in the franchise, will carry on in a similar vein. It may even offer up more death than previous installments, with many of the core characters' stories expected to conclude in the much-anticipated movie. Though Kraglin is played by Sean Gunn, the director's brother, we think he's most at risk because he's a new team member and isn't as well developed as other characters. Maybe Sean should take James off his Christmas card list.
Nebula — 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3'
The relationship between adopted sisters Nebula (Karen Gillan) and Gamora (Zoe Saldana) has been one of the most interesting dynamics of the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. Though they initially hated each other because Thanos regularly pitted them against one another, they have grown to accept and love one another after realizing neither of them is to blame for their childhoods.
With that in mind, the perfect way for that dynamic to resolve would be to have Nebula sacrifice herself for her sister, allowing her to live out her days with Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), the man she loves.
Drax — 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3'
Drax (Dave Bautista) is one of the most beloved characters in the entire MCU. The fact that he takes everything literally and is painfully honest no matter the scenario makes him the funniest character in the MCU and one fans will miss when he's gone.
Despite his hilarity, Drax is a character filled with grief for the daughter and wife he lost, and though Bautista feels Marvel dropped the ball on that storyline, he has talked about his excitement to finish the character's journey. Though we don't want to accept it, we think that journey might end with him being reunited with his family in the afterlife after saving the world one last time.
Loki — 'Loki' Season Two
Ok, this is a bit of a weird one considering that Loki (Tom Hiddleston) is technically dead already, but we think the second season of the hit Disney+ series Loki might signal the end of the God of Mischief once and for all.
Season one of the series led us to believe that Loki could not survive beyond his fateful encounter with Thanos in the sacred timeline. Of course, Sylvie destroyed the sacred timeline when she killed He Who Remains, which gives Loki a chance to survive, but we've come to the crushing conclusion that everybody's favorite villain is on borrowed time. Sooner or later, we'll have to bid the character farewell for good.
Agatha Harkness — 'Agatha: Coven of Chaos'
Agatha: Coven of Chaos is one of the more intriguing properties in the fifth phase of the MCU. Kathryn Hahn will return as the incredibly popular character first introduced in WandaVision. Given that we know nothing about the series so far, it's safe to say anything could happen.
This could be the perfect opportunity to bring the Scarlet Witch back into the fold, something Kevin Feige has confirmed the studio is looking to do. Perhaps, after a rather severe change of heart, Agatha will realize the world needs the Scarlet Witch and sacrifice herself to bring the iconic character back into the fold.
Red Guardian — 'Thunderbolts'
Red Guardian (David Harbour) enjoyed a redemptive arc when he was introduced in Black Widow. After initially dismissing the children he had pretended were his family while undercover in America, Alexei turned his back on them, allowing them to be tortured and brainwashed on their journey to becoming assassins.
After Natasha (Scarlett Johansson) and Yelena (Florence Pugh) reunite to break him out of prison, Alexei reassesses his life choices, rues his mistake, and vows to help his daughters make it right once and for all. He may have lost one daughter, but he will fight alongside Yelena in Thunderbolts. We wouldn't be surprised to see the hilarious character complete his arc by sacrificing himself to save the only daughter he has left.
Bucky Barnes — 'Thunderbolts'
This is a bit of a stretch, and we're hoping it doesn't happen, but Bucky Barnes' (Sebastian Stan) journey in the MCU may be reaching the end of the line. He will undoubtedly be the captain of the Thunderbolts due to his huge amount of experience, and, as we're all well aware, the captain always goes down with his ship.
Truthfully, we fear Bucky won't survive because we're not entirely sure where he fits into the MCU anymore. There is perhaps a future for him as a street-level hero, but it's equally likely that Bucky will pay the ultimate price in his next outing. We hope it doesn't happen because we feel there's still a lot more to come from the White Wolf, but he learned from Steve Rogers that heroes sometimes have to make the ultimate sacrifice to protect those they care about.