Geeklings, we are only four sleeps away from the movie event of the year. That’s it, just four. This is the week we’ve been waiting for since last April when Infinity War turned our hearts to dust and allowed said dust to blow away in the wind. The endgame is upon us and I am a ball of nerves, excitement, giddiness, and a little afraid. It’s a strange gambit of emotions but they all mostly lead to excitement… mostly. At this stage in the game, I’ve gone into full lack of trailer mode, I’m barely clicking on any articles on the movie, and after the reviews/reactions are released on Tuesday will be disappearing from the internet much like the Red Skull did in the MCU. Which actually means that I’ll pop in later in the week to make some comment on Twitter, plug a column, and avoid Avengers spoilers like Paul Rudd would like to avoid any and all #Thanus questions.

It’s going to be a tricky week Geeklings and I wish you all the best staying spoiler free. I promise you that after I see the movie on Thursday night all you’ll get from me is reactions. You will find zero spoilers here at I Am Geek but the rest of the internet won’t be as kind. Just be safe out there and make sure you’re able to enjoy the movie on your terms.

With that being said, I had so much fun dedicating an entire week of I Am Geek to Game of Thrones that it only felt natural to do the same for Avengers Endgame. That’s right, every column this week will be dedicated to the upcoming Avengers film and culminating and an epic review either Friday or Saturday. Depends on when I’m able to pull myself together emotionally again. For immediate thoughts check the Facebook page and Twitter (@iamgeek32).

Now a lot of people choose Monday as the start of their week but here at I Am Geek we prefer Sunday… especially when it means we can start Endgame Week a day earlier! And what better way to start off Endgame Week than with five bold predictions about the upcoming film. Just a reminder, these are NOT spoilers! This is just a massive fan trying to put some thoughts together, that will most likely be wrong, in an attempt to deal with the over excitement coursing through his veins. Again NOT spoilers, I promise.

1. Hawkeye and Ant-Man Will Steal the Show- I wrote about it a couple of months ago how Ant-Man could be the key to saving the MCU and I still believe that everyone’s favorite shrinking/enlarging hero is going to have a very important role to play in the film ahead. By all means, it seems that the Quantum realm is going to be a major plot point in either defeating Thanos, recovering the heroes we’ve lost, or maybe collecting the Infinity Stones before Thanos can even get ahold of them (more on that in a minute), and there is only one character who has navigated the Quantum Realm… Scott Lang. Up until this point in the films, Ant-Man has kind of been a comedic side character. Yes, I understand that this “side character” has had two stand-alone films already, but in the grand pantheon of MCU characters, he would be second tier. Nothing against Scott but… come on. Civil War did a great job in establishing Scott Lang as a legit hero, maybe more so than Ant-Man did, but I fully expect Endgame to bring him up another level. Ant-Man is the key to whatever plan the original six Avengers have hatched and I’m very much looking forward to his coming out party here. Plus, any conversation he has with Rocket will gold.

With that in mind, Hawkeye has been the Avenger with the least amount of screen time. He debuted in a two-minute scene in Thor, was corrupted by Loki in the first Avengers film, had some tremendous lines in Age of Ultron and Civil War, but completely sat out Infinity War. At the time it was a strange choice to see one of the original six Avengers not even suit up for the biggest film in the franchise, and it even sparked an internet movement around him, but I think it was all leading to this. Once Endgame wraps I have a feeling that people are going to be walking out of the theater as huge Hawkeye/Ronin fans. I know that Disney just announced that Hawkeye and Kate Bishop will be getting a Disney+ series, but I’ve got a strange feeling that Hawkeye is still going to die here. For one, Disney never confirmed that announcement at the Disney+ summit and Hawkeye’s death could be incredibly impactful. I’m guessing that he becomes Ronin, gets a bitchin’ haircut and arm sleeve because he loses his family in The Snap forcing him to go rogue. Doesn’t that paint the pitcher of a hero who has nothing left to lose? Couldn’t you see him going out in a blaze of glory if it allows the plan to come to fruition? If there is a chance that the Avengers can reverse The Snap and return his family to earth… I think Hawkeye would gladly give his life for that moment. Nat will just have to tell his family of his sacrifice. I’m a sucker for heroic deaths and I think there’s a really good chance we get an all-timer out of Hawkeye.

2. Time Travel- I have stopped watching trailers, including the tv spots, but it seems that the time travel theories are up and running again based on a couple of clips. I don’t know what those clips are but I’m sticking with my Ant-Man theory and how he is able to free himself from the Quantum Realm. Once he explains that to Cap and the other Avengers, I think we get a time travel scenario used to reverse The Snap, but not in the way we would think. I don’t expect our heroes to go back in time and tell Thor to aim for the head as it’s too easy and I’m sure there will be some sort of time travel paradox preventing them. But, what if they travel back and time to secure the Infinity Stones before Thanos can? Picture our remaining Avengers traveling back to important moments spread throughout the MCU involving the Infinity Stones. Guardians of The Galaxy, Thor The Dark World, Doctor Strange, and The Avengers would all be on the table here. If they’re able to secure the Stones themselves, it would prevent The Snap but also create a new timeline within the MCU. A new world to come back to that might not be better off than the world they left.

3. Thanos Won’t Be the Only Villain- Infinity War ends with Thanos watching the sunrise in a moment of self-reflection and victory. He has accomplished everything he set out to do and even made good on his words to Doctor Strange. Now ask yourself this question, what possible reason does Thanos have to keep fighting? I’ll give you a minute… none. The only thing he’d have to fight is the protection of this new universe he’s created and maybe it’s that new threat that forces the Mad Titan out of retirement.

I’ve been trying to mull over who could be the new villain for the film, and I think we can rule out Galactus, Dr. Doom, and any other Fox-owned villains as Marvel Studios did not have the rights to them while filming. Annihilus has been a popular choice for a while but I don’t think you introduce another space creature that destroys worlds. Annihilus is such a force in the comics it would be a shame to treat him as a filler villain when the big show is leading to Thanos anyway.

But what if we’ve already seen this villain before? Wouldn’t it make that transition a bit easier? Infinity War opens the door for a return and I think you could use the Red Skull as a bridge villain to Thanos. Now that he’s done watching over the Soul Stone, the Red Skull is seemingly free to roam the universe again. We already know that he has pursued the Infinity Stones. Is it out of the realm of possibility to see him try and take out a  Thanos who has resigned himself to retirement? Could that even lead to a Thanos/Avengers team-up to rid the world of Red Skull before the ultimate showdown?

I don’t know, but it seems strange to re-introduce the Red Skull only to have him disappear into the ether again. He’s too important of a Marvel villain to keep on the bench. Maybe if the Avengers change the timeline they return to a world run by the Red Skull? I’m not sure, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him show up again in Endgame.

4. The Un-Snapping Could Open the Door to Mutants- I think it’s pretty obvious that we are going to get a reverse of the Thanos Snap in some capacity here in Endgame. Whether that’s by time travel or defeating Thanos and acquiring the Infinity Gauntlet is yet to be seen. There are too many dead Marvel characters that need to return especially when you know about all the sequels coming out. This prediction is a bit more long term, as I don’t expect anything in Endgame to show this, but the world will be forever changed with the reversal of The Snap. Is it possible that one of the changes that come to this new world is mutants? With Disney now owning the rights to the X-Men, Endgame would be the perfect way to help introduce mutants to the MCU. Almost like a reverse House of M.

5. Captain America Will Wield the Infinity Gauntlet- I think we’re on the cusp of a mega Captain America moment here in Endgame, and I already know that I’m not emotionally ready for it. I’ve said it as far back as Infinity War but I think we lose Captain America here folks. And it’s going to be heartbreaking and heroic and maybe even beautiful. My latest theory, literally came to me as I was typing this column, is that Cap is able to get his hand on the Infinity Gauntlet. With arms that can hold a helicopter, we know Cap’s got strength, and catching the Gauntlet while it housed five Stones was a massive flex. Honestly, we don’t talk about that enough. I can see the Steve Rogers putting the glove on to reverse what Thanos has done, but since he’s a mortal man it dissolves him while changing the world. It’s the ultimate Captain America moment. It takes that diving on a grenade scene from The First Avenger and turns it up to eleven. The greatest hero of our time making the greatest possible sacrifice imaginable… I’m here for it even though it breaks my heart.

Bonus Prediction- I could also see us in a post-Endgame world where Tony Stark is dead as well. I know, I know, losing both Iron Man and Captain America in one movie?! Why would I even say something like that?! Well, what if we only physically lose Tony? Say Tony does die in the final battle to save the universe, but what if he uploads his consensus into an AI system much like Jarvis and Friday? Now you can keep the voice of Tony Stark and his interactions with the Avengers but you open the door to a new Iron Man… something that happened recently within the comics with Riri Williams.

Bonus Bonus Prediction- Nebula… she’s going to have a massive showing here. Just watch. That is all.

Alright Geeklings, these are my Avengers Endgame predictions. Now it’s time for yours. Be sure to sound off with your theories, predictions, or explanations to why I’m crazy town banana pants for putting thinking any of this is possible. You can put them in the comments here, on our Facebook page, or throw them to me over on Twitter (@iamgeek32) as we countdown the rest of the week towards Endgame! It’s going to be a hell of a ride and I can’t wait to spend it with you guys.