***Infinity War Spoilers Below!***
Now that the dust from Infinity War has settled, the writers and directors have shifted into a new phase of promotion — assuring fans and interested persons that everyone who died in the film are actually dead. No games, no weird time reversals will save them. They’re gone. That dust settling is the ashes of Spider-Man, Black Panther, the Guardians of the Galaxy and half the universe.
Even with the people behind Infinity War insisting that it’s time for fans to move on to the next stage of grief, it’s hard to imagine that most of these characters are actually gone. The Russo brothers, who directed Infinity War, have admitted that they threw red herrings into trailers just to keep fans on their toes. Why not some post-release diversions?
But then you consider Loki’s death at the hands of Thanos, or Idris Elba’s Heimdall, or Gamora’s death which led to the Soul Stone. They seem like they are really, truly dead, and Elba is out here saying goodbye.
#SpoilerAlert Gonna miss my guy…Heimdall… pic.twitter.com/wt97cwJ4vL
— Idris Elba (@idriselba) May 5, 2018
This is bittersweet, even if Elba hasn’t been the most enthusiastic actor when it comes to his work in the MCU. He said filming the first two Thor movies was “work” but after finishing Thor: Ragnarok, his experience with director Taika Waititi made him a bigger fan of the role he has/had, and wanted more: “I wish I was more present in the Marvel family,” he told EW. “I like what I have, but I also wish that I had a bigger character in the Marvel universe.”
Now, unless something extremely strange happens, he’s likely gone forever.