If you saw Infinity War (and you almost certainly did), youâre probably still reeling over Thanosâ fateful finger snap. And why wouldnât you be? Itâs likely that or more of your favorite inhabitants of the MCU got vaporized. And, given that, you have to wonder about the fate of everyone else. Who among The Other Guysâthe celebrity cameos, the comic relief, and the bit players who appeared onscreen, made an impact, and slipped away, never to be seen againâis still alive in the post-snap universe?
Hereâs our take on who Thanos may have spared and who didnât make the cut. This is purely speculation and extremely unscientific, but I have my reasons for believing what I do, and Iâll try to justify them herein.
(Before you ask why a certain S.H.I.E.L.D. tech isnât listed, Joe Russo revealed in an Uproxx interview that Galaga Guy is a confirmed casualty. Thanks, Joe!)
JUSTIN HAMMER & CHRISTINE EVERHART: ELIMINATED
Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) is the highlight of an otherwise so-so movie. Christine Everhart (Leslie Bibb) is a journalist with a (reasonable) vendetta against Tony that carries over from Iron Man and Iron Man 2 into a sort of smear campaign against all Avengers. Theyâre both a lot of fun in their own ways, but theyâre far from indispensable, and theyâre certainly not immune to vaporization. Oh, and Pepper Potts made it, but Pepper Potts is not an Other Guy.
SECURITY GUARD: SPARED
If there is any justice in the post-Infinity War world, then the late Harry Dean Stantonâs unassuming security guard is somewhere safe, happy, and rubble-free. Iâm betting on justice, just this once.
BENNIE POLLACK & CLAIRE WISE: ELIMINATED
As you may recall, Bennie (Jesse Bradford) and Claire (Lizzy Caplan) co-starred as bank robbers equipped with Chitauri technology in âItem 47,â the Marvel One-Shot accompanying The Avengers. (Both of them were invited to join S.H.I.E.L.D. by the end of the short, which, sure.) Bennie and Claire were brighter than they looked, but that has no bearing here.
GARY: SPARED
Anyone fannish enough about Tony Stark to get a tattoo of his face is inextricably connected to Tony Stark, who was spared. Therefore, so was Gary (Adam Pally), the cameraman who let Tony use his van in Iron Man 3. (Also, itâs what Adam Pally wants.)
THE MANDARIN: ELIMINATED
Not that it really matters in the grand scheme of things.
MOORE: SPARED
Between the two of them, Joe and Anthony Russo directed over 30 episodes of Community, in which Danny Pudi played Abed Nadir. Way back in 2014, the Russos explained that Pudiâs minute-long turn as Moore was a nod to Abedâs love of cameos (via Empire). Given that history, Moore shouldâve been spared for the sake of future cameos. Plus, Iâve been an Abed stan for years. Let me have this one.
AARON THE APPLE STORE EMPLOYEE: ELIMINATED
Speaking of The Winter Soldier, remember when Steve and Natasha posed as mallrats to use a laptop at the Apple Store? And remember how Natasha did the deed while Steve had a stiff conversation with an overly enthusiastic employee (D.C. Pierson)? And remember how the employee paid more attention to Steveâs glasses than Steveâs striking resemblance to Captain America? Yeah, Aaron is a goner.
HELEN CHO: SPARED
Forget what I said about intelligence having no bearing on a personâs fate. Geneticist Helen Cho (Claudia Kim) is one of the highlights of Age of Ultron, and her rapport with the original Avengers lineup seems worth preserving.
AARON DAVIS: SPARED
Donald Glover must remain ubiquitous in all universes; the other guy named Aaron didnât make it so this one should because, you know, 50/50; and in addition to popping up in Spider-Man: Homecoming, Glover played Troy Barnes on Community. This particular Aaronâs survival is inarguable.
COACH WILSON: SPARED
Eventually, Peterâs gym teacher (Hannibal Buress) will have to answer for calling Cap a war criminal, and weââll be there to see it.
TRUCK DRIVER/CHESS-PLAYING CURMUDGEON/BEAUTY PAGEANT JUDGE/SMITHSONIAN SECURITY GUARD/BARTENDER, ETC.: SPARED
Stan Lee transcends space and time to appear in every possible superhero movie. Stan Lee drives trucks, plays chess, tends bar, judges beauty pageants, and fails his employers at the Smithsonian. Stan Lee, within the confines of the MCU, is immortal. Thanos spared Stan Lee, and youâd be foolish to think otherwise.
What did we get right? What did we get wrong? Is there any way of knowing? Let us know in the comments!
Images: Marvel Studios
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