'Avengers 4' Fan Theory Suggests a Heartbreaking End for SPOILER

At this point, almost anything feels possible with regards to Avengers 4 -- which makes a new fan theory all the sadder.

A new Reddit fan theory has been making the rounds online, which suggests one possibility for how the remaining Avengers would be able to acquire the Soul Stone. Considering the fact that none of the team was present when Thanos (Josh Brolin) killed Gamora (Zoe Saldana) to get the Soul Stone, the theory suggests that Nebula (Karen Gillan) could factor into things somehow.

Assuming that Avengers 4 involves a bit of time travel - something that has been its own running theory for Marvel Cinematic Universe fans - the future version of Nebula could theoretically travel to before Gamora goes to Vormir with Thanos, letting her know what's about to happen. The two of them would then travel to Vormir, where Nebula would force Gamora to sacrifice her and push her off of the cliff in order to get the Soul Stone.

Gamora/Nebula Avengers 4 prediction from r/marvelstudios

Granted, this would be a pretty heartbreaking outcome for the two sisters, but it would make sense on some level. For one thing, it fulfills the whole "trading the living for the dead" theory around Avengers 4, which suggests that most of the characters currently standing will sacrifice themselves in some way. And as the Reddit post argues, this would help Nebula's character arc come full circle, helping get revenge on Thanos while proving that Gamora absolutely loves her sister -- both things that Nebula has wanted to happen across both Guardians of the Galaxy films.

"I thought when I signed onto the first Guardians that I was going to shoot for eight days and then die," Gillan said of playing Nebula during a recent convention appearance. "That's what it was in the script."

"The fact that all of this has happened with the character is really surprising, but not." Gillan continued. "Because when I did the screen test for Nebula, it was quite an emotional scene between her and Gamora, which never made it — it was a fake scene, so it wasn't in the movie. It was an emotional scene, but I started crying during it [laughs]. And then James Gunn really responded to that, I remember, and then we felt that we'd found this whole other aspect of a character that could have just been bad, you know?"

Even then, it's entirely possible that Nebula could have a more optimistic outcome in Avengers 4, with many theorizing that she could get her moment with the Infinity Gauntlet from the original comics. Either way, it sounds like fans should get ready for Nebula to have a significant role.

"It's funny because I read the Infinity Gauntlet, which is what the new Avengers films are based on, as research for my character because it's her sort of biggest moment within the Marvel comic book world." Gillan said in an interview earlier this year. "And then to find out they're making a double-bill feature based on that, I was just so excited actually because Nebula gets some really cool stuff."

Would you want Gamora to sacrifice Nebula for the Soul Stone in Avengers 4? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Avengers: Infinity War is now available on digital platforms, DVD, and Blu-ray. Ant-Man and the Wasp is in theaters now. Other upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movies include Captain Marvel on March 8, 2019; the fourth Avengers movie on May 3, 2019; and Spider-Man: Far From Home on July 5, 2019.