Which Marvel Character Is Most to Blame for ‘Avengers: Infinity War’s Ending?

Warning – this post contains Major Spoilers!

Avengers: Infinity War ended with Thanos achieving his big victory, assembling the complete Infinity Gauntlet and using it to wipe out half of all life in the universe. However, Marvel fan discussions have been coming back to one topic, in particular: all the ways that the heroes could’ve prevented Thanos’ ascension, if they’d only made slightly different choices.

It’s a subject that’s even divided our staff here at Comicbook.com, as debate about subjects like whether Star-Lord’s emotions and drastic decisions were handled correctly. However, the list of MCU heroes catching blame for Thanos’ big win is longer than you might think, and after compiling all the culprits, we have to ask: which MCU hero deserves the most blame for Avengers: Infinity War‘s ending?

Gamora

Gamora gets faulted for knowing exactly where the Soul Stone was hidden all along, and not doing more to protect it, or stop Thanos before he started upping his power levels. In her defense, Gamora did keep one of the most important secrets in the universe and never let it slip; on the other hand, knowing how crucial that knowledge was maybe should’ve kept her as far away from Thanos as possible, at all costs.

Star-Lord

Peter Quill has become the biggest target of fan ire, mostly because he’s also the easiest target. Star-Lord’s big emotional breakdown after learning Gamora was dead cost the MCU half of its lives – including Star-Lord himself. In his defense, the Guardians of the Galaxy movies already laid out why Peter gets so triggered about a woman he loves dying. On the other hand, maybe Quill should’ve matured in his time as a leader and seen the greater good in restraint. You decide.

Thor

Thor’s blame in all this is pretty clear: homeboy went all the way across the galaxy to obtain a powerful new weapon – and in the end, he didn’t make the killing stroke he really needed to. In his defense, Thor struck as quickly as possible, in a drastic moment, with a killing strike. On the other hand, one of fiercest warriors in the galaxy should probably understand that the only way to be truly sure of a kill is a headshot. 

Doctor Strange

Doctor Strange’s Time Stone was probably the easiest stone that Thanos had to obtain – namely because it was the only one that he didn’t have to step over any corpses to get. In Strange’s defense, his one-in-a-million master plan to beat Thanos probably hinged on handing the Time Stone over. On the other hand, a lot of fans felt like it was a punk move to surrender. Hopefully Avengers 4 helps explain the decision. 

Scarlet Witch

Scarlet Witch catches flack for having the power to take out one of the Infinity Stones all along, but refusing to do so due to a paltry thing like love for a (quasi-)man. In her defense, Wanda isn’t the only MCU hero to adopt the credo that one life in exchange for billions wasn’t an acceptable trade – and once Thanos had the Time Stone, anything she did to Vision could’ve been reversed. On the other hand, her hesitation didn’t prevent her from having to inevitably destroy the stone anyway, so it really seems selfish, in retrospect. 

Nick Fury

Nick Fury is getting double the blame right now, because we learned that he’s always had the power to call in a cosmic heavy-hitter, in the form of Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel, who may have helped turned the tide against Thanos. In his defense, we don’t yet know the context for Fury and Carol Danvers arrangement. On the other hand, Fury waited until after The Battle of New York in Avengers, and the Battle of Wakanda in Avengers: Infinity War before making the call – and that isn’t sitting well with Marvel fans. 

Hawkeye

In Marvel Comics, Hawkeye has been known to make some of the most crucial, game-changing shots needed to take out dangerous foes (or friends). A lot of fans think that Hawkeye’s prowess as an assassin would’ve come in very handy during the Battle of Wakanda. On his defense, Clint Barton was with his family, exactly where he maybe should’ve been, during the possible end of the world. On the other hand, Hawkeye had the power to help prevent the end of the world (again), and maybe should’ve contributed. 

Dr. Fine & Dr. Broussard

Okay, okay, this one is just us having a little fun. Joe Russo had a cameo in Captain America: The Winter Soldier as Dr. Fine, the man who saved Nick Fury’s life; he also appeared as “Dr. Broussard,” the shrink Zemo killed and impersonated in Civil War. Since the Russo’s were the ones who pulled the trigger on Thanos killing half the MCU, the may have to carry that blame!

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Do you blame one of these MCU heroes (or any others) for the dark ending to Avengers: Infinity War? Or do you think Doctor Strange’s master plan is going to justify the mistakes? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War are now playing in theaters. Ant-Man and The Wasp is set for release on July 6, 2018. Captain Marvel will follow it on March 6, 2019, with the untitled Avengers 4 set to tie everything about the Marvel Cinematic Universe into a bow on May 3, 2019.