Avengers: Infinity War Reportedly Starts With A Major Character's Death

Avengers, assemble — for a funeral.

According to a new rumor making the rounds, a major character in the cast of Avengers: Infinity War will meet their maker in the very first moments of the movie, kicking off the epic battle with a point for Thanos' team.

Citing "a reliable source", ScreenGeek has published a report hinting at "the death of a major Marvel character" to take place at the very beginning of the Avengers' third adventure. According to what the source has said, the death will have huge consequences, both in this movie and the adventures to come.

"The beginning of Avengers: Infinity War features the death of a major Marvel character," the report states. "Some fans will be expecting it, while others will be blindsided. It sets the tone for the rest of the movie — as well as the future of the MCU." 

"It's good that the Russo Brothers are telling fans to be emotionally prepared for the film — because they'll definitely need to be," the report concludes. "Whether you're expecting it or not, it's going to be big."

Now, it's hard to respond to this news by doing anything other than throwing out guesses, and we certainly have a few of our own. In reacting to the report, ScreenCrush drew a connecting line between this news and a previous quote from Marvel head Kevin Feige, in which the producer stated at Brazil's Comic-Con that Thanos would establish his "biggest and baddest" bona fides "within the first five minutes" of the movie.

There aren't too many candidates that fit that framework other than Loki, the trickster god who was last seen at the end of Thor: Ragnarok standing side-by-side with his brother as they encountered Thanos' massive ship intercepting them in outer space. 

While we don't know exactly what happens after the sons of Odin meet Thanos, we do know that Thor makes it out of the encounter alive, sailing through space without a suit to encounter the Guardians of the Galaxy. So... where's Loki? 

Avengers: Infinity War will be out in theaters worldwide on April 27. Check out the trailer for the massive team-up now, and be wary of decoy spoilers that may circulate to preserve the movie's twist. We're almost there, folks — fingers crossed that your favorite character makes it out alive.