Avengers: Infinity War - What Does The Ending Really Mean?

6. Unless It's The Original Heroes Who Are Actually Dead

Now it's time to venture more into theory territory. The characters who survive are, for the most part, Marvel's biggest: all of the original Avengers (Hawkeye's status pending) are still around, along with just a few supporting players.

But then, consider that the future is written for those who are considered dead - Homecoming 2, Black Panther 2, Guardians 3, Sebastian Stan's ridiculously long contract etc.

On the other hand, the key members here are coming towards the ends of their contracts, and have reached points where their arcs could be considered satisfyingly wrapped-up, especially in the cases of the big three. So maybe, just maybe, they're seeing the people disappear because they're actually the ones dying? Those characters would still need to be worked into Avengers 4, but it'd be a massively ballsy move on Marvel's part, and make it all the easier to bring their stories to a close next year. A slight alternative to this is that these are the heroes who'll then take the places of those who died, giving a soul for a soul, a life for a life.