Avengers 4 - Did The Collector Actually Survive Infinity War?
An unlikely survivor?
When Thanos clicked his fingers, you'd be forgiven for believing that he wiped out pretty much all of the characters who weren't seen on screen in the immediate aftermath at the end of Avengers: Infinity War. But we already know that that's not the case with the film-makers confirming some survivors in the wake of its release.
One character they didn't mention was The Collector and nobody would have batted an eyelid. Well before the snap, it looked as though Thanos had killed The Collector to take the Reality Stone from him (how else would he have taken it, after all?) But Benicio Del Toro clearly isn't as certain of that.
He spoke to CinemaBlend while promoting Sicario: Day of the Soldado, who asked him if The Collector was still alive. His response is intriguing:
I think he's alive. Yeah... I think that, you know, I think he's alive. You're talking to him!
Even despite how much it looked like he had been killed, having him return would also serve a narrative purpose. So far, he's been the character most in-tune with the Infinity Stones' history and he's been the only one qualified to dump a lot of exposition about them on the heroes (in Guardians Of The Galaxy).
And there's still a lot that needs to be filled in on that front - including a hint of how the Stones can be destroyed (or what to do with them after they've defeated Thanos). Which means they need someone to do that explaining - and simply having Erik Selvig pop up every now and then simply won't fly any more.
But how did he escape? The Collector is a resourceful character, so it may be that he simply handed over the Reality Stone to Thanos and fled. The Mad Titan only seems to kill those who stand up to him (unless he's fulfilling his kill quotas), so he'd be unlikely to chase after such a pitiful wretch.
And maybe he'll come to regret that?