| For other uses, see Blip (disambiguation) |
| For other uses, see Snap (disambiguation) |
| For alternate versions of the Snap, see the Snap's Event Hub |
- "I'm a survivor."
"Who wants to murder trillions."
"With all six Stones, I could simply snap my fingers. They would all cease to exist. I call that mercy." - ―Thanos and Doctor Strange[src]
The Snap,[4] also known as the Blip,[5] was the event in which Thanos snapped his fingers while using the Infinity Gauntlet, resulting in the extermination of half of all life in the universe. Wanting to restore balance to the universe by averting universal resource conflicts due to overpopulation, Thanos embarked on a quest to assemble all six Infinity Stones needed to achieve this goal. In 2018, during the Battle of Wakanda, Thanos activated the completed gauntlet and initiated the Snap, causing a universal genocide which eliminated fifty percent of all life, randomly disintegrating individuals into dust.
The Snap had devastating universal repercussions. On Earth, the Snap led to a five-year period in which the world fell into societal collapse and many countries abandoned their national borders. In 2023, the victims of the Snap were resurrected by the Avengers, after they went back in time to alternate timelines to acquire their own set of Infinity Stones.
Background[]
Infinity War[]
Thanos' Killing Spree[]
- "The entire time I knew Thanos, he only ever had one goal: To bring balance to the universe by wiping out half of all life. He used to kill people planet by planet, massacre by massacre."
"Including my own."
"If he gets all six Infinity Stones, he can do it with the snap of his fingers." - ―Gamora and Drax the Destroyer[src]
In his quest to obtain the Infinity Stones, Thanos invaded Nidavellir and forced the Dwarves to create the Infinity Gauntlet, a golden glove capable of harnessing the power of the Infinity Stones. Thanos later massacred every dwarf, save for Eitri. Thanos invaded Xandar in order to obtain his first Stone, destroying the Nova Corps, and stealing the Power Stone from the Orb. He also slaughtered half of the Xandarians as part of his desire to balance the universe.
Thanos gains the Power and Space Stones
Thanos and the Black Order then intercepted the Statesman, which was carrying the Asgardian survivors of the cataclysm Ragnarök. While the Black Order slaughtered half of the ship's population, Thanos personally confronted and defeated Thor, the new king of the Asgardians after Asgard had been destroyed. He also easily defeated Hulk in single combat, and murdered Heimdall, who used his last breath to send Hulk back to Earth by way of the Bifrost, prompting Thor to threaten to kill him. He then forced Loki to give up the Tesseract by threatening to kill Thor. When Loki vainly tried to kill Thanos, he murdered Loki as well. Thanos crushed the Tesseract in his hand, revealing the Space Stone as its power source. Having gained the next stone, he destroyed the Statesman with the Power Stone, leaving Thor and the dead Asgardians in space.
The Avengers and the Masters of the Mystic Arts are alerted by the Black Order's arrival
On Earth, Hulk, who was saved by Heimdall's Bifrost Bridge, crashed into the New York Sanctum and warned the Masters of the Mystic Arts of Thanos' incoming arrival. Doctor Strange, Wong, Iron Man, Bruce Banner, and later Spider-Man, gathered at the Sanctum and discussed the Infinity Stones' history across the Nine Realms. However, Ebony Maw and Cull Obsidian launched an assault in New York City, prompting the four to fight back. During the ensuing battle, however, Doctor Strange was abducted by Ebony Maw, while Wong sent Cull Obsidian through a portal to the Arctic. Iron Man and Spider-Man, managed to sneak onto the Q-Ship. Eventually, Iron Man and Spider-Man rescued Doctor Strange and created a hole in the ship which sucked Maw into deep space, killing him. The three then decided to confront Thanos on his home planet, Titan. In Edinburgh, Vision and Wanda Maximoff were ambushed by Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glaive, who attempted to draw the Mind Stone out of Vision's head. The couple then received combined reinforcements from Captain America, Black Widow, and Falcon. Thanos' two children retreated and the five Avengers traveled to the Avengers Compound to discuss the Mind Stone.[1]
Obtaining the Reality Stone[]
Meanwhile, Thanos personally traveled to Knowhere to obtain the Reality Stone, which was entrusted to the Collector by the Asgardians. He infiltrated the Collector's museum and located the Reality Stone, which was in the form of the Aether. He then solidified the Aether into the Reality Stone and added it to his Infinity Gauntlet. As Peter Quill, Gamora, Drax the Destroyer, and Mantis arrived on Knowhere to confront Thanos, he conjured a false illusion of himself interrogating and torturing the Collector into revealing the location of the Stone, having accurately predicted that the Guardians of the Galaxy would pursue him to Knowhere.[1]
Obtaining the Soul Stone[]
Thanos finally obtaining the Soul Stone
The illusion worked perfectly and Thanos abducted Gamora and forced her to divulge the location of the Soul Stone under threat of torturing her sister Nebula with the Power and Space Stones. She revealed that the stone was hidden on Vormir. Thanos and Gamora then traveled to the mysterious planet, where they were greeted by the Red Skull, who became the stone's guardian as a punishment for abusing the Tesseract's power during World War II. Red Skull explained how anyone who wanted the stone would have to sacrifice someone they loved in order to obtain the Infinity Stone, so Thanos tearfully threw Gamora from the cliff and was granted possession of the Soul Stone.[1]
The Last Confrontations[]
Thanos being restrained by the Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and Doctor Strange
On Earth, the Avengers traveled to Wakanda and tasked Shuri with removing the Mind Stone from Vision's head so it could be destroyed without killing him. However, Wakanda soon was attacked by the Black Order and Thanos' army of Outriders, who demanded the Mind Stone. Bucky Barnes, Black Panther, the Dora Milaje, Jabari Tribe, Border Tribe, and the Wakandan Royal Guard fought back, led into battle by Captain America. Thor arrived on Wakanda with his newly forged weapon Stormbreaker, along with Rocket and Groot. The Outriders and the remaining members of the Black Order were eventually defeated and killed. Meanwhile, on Titan, Thanos was confronted by the combined efforts of Iron Man, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, Star-Lord, Drax the Destroyer, Mantis, and Nebula. Although the seven managed to briefly overwhelm Thanos, he used the power of the four stones to gain the upper hand. A beaten Doctor Strange then relinquished the Time Stone to Thanos so that he wouldn't kill Stark. Having obtained the fifth stone, Thanos used the Space stone to teleport himself to Wakanda.
Thanos takes the Mind Stone from Vision
In the forests of Wakanda, Thanos appeared and used the stones to subdue the Avengers before making his way to Scarlet Witch, who was using her powers to destroy the Mind Stone in Vision's forehead. Although she managed to destroy the last stone and Vision with it, Thanos used the Time Stone to reverse Vision's destruction, restoring him to life and reassembling the Mind Stone. Thanos forcefully extracted the stone from Vision's head, killing him and with it completed the Infinity Gauntlet. The combined power of all the stones surged through him, leaving him momentarily distracted. Taking advantage, Thor brutally attacked his nemesis with Stormbreaker, sending a barrage of lightning down on the Titan. As Thanos fired a beam from all six stones at Thor, the Asgardian launched Stormbreaker at Thanos, the axe easily cutting through the beam and burying itself in Thanos' chest.
As Thor approached the wounded Thanos, he reminded him that he had promised to kill him for his actions on the Statesman, including the murders of Heimdall, Loki and half of the Asgardians. Thanos simply taunted him, saying that Thor should have aimed for his head to ensure his swift death. With what seemed to be his last bit of strength, Thanos, much to Thor's horror, snapped his fingers to activate the Infinity Gauntlet and passed out.
He awakened in the Soulworld where he found a younger Gamora, who asked him if he completed his mission. He solemnly replied he had. Gamora asked what it had cost him, and he replied "Everything". Thanos then returned to his consciousness and, his plan complete, used the Space Stone to escape Wakanda and travel to the Garden.[1]
Snap[]
The destructive effects of the Snap began to be apparent moments after Thanos activated the Infinity Gauntlet, with half of all life in the universe randomly disintegrating into ash. All types of life forms perished in the Snap, including the bacteria in the bodies of the Snap survivors.[6] Beyond Earth and Titan, there were also several Asgardian casualties, including Sif and an Asgardian actor who portrayed Loki in The Tragedy of Loki of Asgard.[7] Even other dimensions, such as the Quantum Realm, were affected by the Snap.[8]
Earth[]
Statistics of Earth after the Snap
On Earth, there were at least 3,797,000,000 humans confirmed deceased or missing worldwide, according to a statistical report issued by the United Nations in conjunction with the World Bank.[9] According to a computer display at the Avengers Compound which depicted multiple worldwide censuses, an average of 57.5% of the human population survived.[10]
The shellshocked Avengers in the aftermath
In Wakanda, Bucky Barnes was one of the first to die, crumbling into dust in front of Steve Rogers and Thor. The raging battle quickly wound down into a ceasefire as many Wakandan warriors and Dora Milaje operatives also disintegrated, while M'Baku and other survivors watched in horror.[1] Casualties of the Golden Tribe included Shuri[11] and T'Challa, who turned to dust in front of Okoye. Rocket tearfully watched Groot disintegrate, as he could do nothing to save his life. Kneeling over Vision's lifeless body, Wanda Maximoff peacefully disintegrated. Hidden in long grass, Sam Wilson disintegrated as James Rhodes called out to him, not realizing his companion was already gone.[1]
The United States of America issued a state of emergency in the wake of the deaths of many of the country's citizens.[12] While driving in Atlanta, Nick Fury and Maria Hill witnessed the Snap claiming the lives of civilians around them, plunging the city into chaos. As Hill disintegrated before Fury's eyes, the former Director hurried to retrieve his last resort Transmitter Pager. Realizing he was disintegrating as well, Fury managed to transmit a last-ditch distress call to distant Captain Marvel before he was reduced to dust.[1]
Hank Pym, Hope and Janet van Dyne all turn into dust
In San Francisco, Hank Pym, Janet van Dyne and Hope van Dyne planned to send Ant-Man into the Quantum Realm to extract quantum energy to aid Ava Starr. Using the portable Quantum Tunnel in Luis' Van, Lang made his way to the Quantum Realm and harvested needed energy. However, Pym, Hope, and Janet were all erased from existence, leaving Lang stranded in the Quantum Realm.[12] The van was later impounded and put into a storage unit along with the rest of Lang's possessions.[11]
Half of Midtown students affected by the Snap
At Midtown School of Science and Technology in New York City, the high school was gathered in the gymnasium watching the marching band at the time of the snap. Half the band and audience disintegrated, much to the shock of the survivors. Among those who were killed were Ned Leeds, Michelle Jones, Flash Thompson, Betty Brant, Jason Ionello, Sue Lorman, and Andre Wilson.[5]
Clint Barton's whole family disappears
Among the billions of other victims of the Snap on Earth were Betty Ross, Erik Selvig, Thaddeus Ross, Jane Foster, Mary Livanos, Erika Denton,[11] Cammie Conroy, David Jerome, Elijah Cortez, Billy Peskers, Hiro Kajimoto, Karen Oggerton and one of her patients, Isaiah Sorenson and his pet cat, Phillip Carroway and his wife, Jenae Jazrem's husband, Theo Boskowtiz's father,[13] a former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent,[7] Monica Rambeau,[14] Laura Barton and her three children, Cooper, Lila, and Nathaniel, who perished at their homestead,[11] May Parker, who was killed in her home,[5] Wilfred Nagel[15], Yelena Belova.[16] and Nicodemus West.[17]
Titan[]
Peter Parker dying while in Tony Stark's arms
- "I don't wanna go, I don't wanna go, Sir, please. Please, I don't wanna go. I don't wanna go... I'm sorry."
- ―Spider-Man[src]
On Titan, in the aftermath of their defeat by Thanos, the effects of the gauntlet began to claim more lives. Mantis was alerted to what was happening and soon became the first to vanish, followed by Drax and Star-Lord. Doctor Strange claimed there was no other way to win and soon vanished. Lastly, Spider-Man sensing his death soon succumbed to the effects of the Snap while desperately begging to live before crumbling away in Iron Man's arms, leaving Stark and Nebula as the only survivors on Titan.[1]
Aftermath[]
Universal Repercussions[]
A poster for a support group of the survivors
- "World governments are in pieces. The parts that are still working are trying to take a census. And it looks like he did... He did exactly what he said he was gonna do. Thanos wiped out... fifty percent of all living creatures."
- ―Natasha Romanoff[src]
On Earth, the majority of world governments were in a state of chaos because half of the world's population had disappeared. Over the course of five years, the victims of the Snap would come to be known as the Vanished, with memorial sites erected in their honor in every city in the world.[18][11]
The effects of the Snap benefited surviving crime lords such as Wilson Fisk as they were able to thrive with the collapse of national boundaries and law and order, though there was some staunch opposition from costumed vigilantes that were not erased from existence most notably Clint Barton who assumed the mantle of Ronin and started a campaign against criminal syndicates around the world such as the Mexican Cartel, the Yakuza and the Tracksuit Mafia.[16][19]
A quarter of all children worldwide were left orphaned in the wake of the Snap. They were placed in the charge of an organization in Washington, D.C.[20]
Maria Rambeau, the leader of S.W.O.R.D., remained hopeful that the people killed in the Snap, including her daughter, would someday return. Because of this, she created policies and guidelines specific to the S.W.O.R.D. agents who had died, so that in the event they were ever restored, they would only be allowed terrestrial operations.[14]
As the planet lost a big portion of its population, the seed of Tiamut the Communicator, that was planted by the Celestials on Earth a million years ago, did not have enough life-power on which to feed. As a result, Tiamut's Emergence, as well as the destruction of Earth, was delayed.[21]
Post-Battle of Wakanda[]
- "The universe required correction. After that, the stones served no purpose beyond temptation."
"You murdered trillions!" - ―Thanos and Bruce Banner[src]
In the aftermath of the Battle of Wakanda in 2018, Captain Marvel arrived on Earth due to receiving Nick Fury's signal from his Transmitter Pager. Finding herself with the remaining Avengers at the Avengers Compound, she inquired about Fury's death,[9] and later went to find Tony Stark, who was adrift in space on the Benatar, the ship he used with Nebula to escape from Titan.
Danvers located the Benatar and brought Stark and Nebula to the Avengers Compound. Danvers and the Avengers traveled to Planet 0259-S, where they recognized a power signature emitting from the planet's surface, similar to the power signature the activated Infinity Gauntlet emitted. Arriving on Planet 0259-S, they learned from Thanos that he used the Infinity Stones to destroy each other. With all hope lost, Thor beheaded Thanos with Stormbreaker.[11]
World Without Borders[]
- "For five years, people have been welcomed into countries that have kept them out using barbwire. There were houses and jobs. Folks were happy to have people around to help them rebuild. It wasn't just one community coming together, it was the entire world coming together."
- ―Sam Wilson[src]
In the aftermath of the Snap, the Earth's governments saw an emergence of global unity and the nations came together, putting aside their hostilities and differences. Most countries across the globe opened their borders to provide the Snap's survivors with support to live through the tougher times, essentially building a unified community. Many people approved the new state of the world and believed that Thanos was right in his convictions, which led to an ideology of a world without borders and the formation of the Flag Smashers five years later, who believed that the world was better after the Snap.[22]
Time Heist[]
In 2023, five years after the Snap, Scott Lang was freed from the Quantum Realm and witnessed the aftermath of the Snap for the first time. Lang then traveled to the Avengers Compound, where he proposed to the Avengers the idea of resurrecting the victims of the Snap by using the Quantum Realm to travel back in time and obtain the Infinity Stones from the past.
Deciding to initiate a Time Heist, Tony Stark created a Time-Space GPS along with a Quantum Tunnel that the Avengers used to travel to various points in the past, creating alternate timelines from where they could acquire the stones. When the Avengers had finally acquired all the Infinity Stones from the past, they returned to their timeline's 2023, unaware that a version of Nebula from an alternate 2014 had joined them to bring her timeline's Thanos to their time.
Hulk holding up the Nano Gauntlet
As they fit the Stones into a Nano Gauntlet, it was decided that Hulk would be the one to wield it. Despite the great difficulty of wielding the Infinity Stones' raw power, Banner was able to snap his fingers and ultimately resurrect the victims of the Snap. The Avengers were alerted to Banner's success when Lang witnessed several birds seemingly appear out of nowhere, while Clint Barton received a call from his wife, an initial victim of the Snap.[11]
Mark in History[]
- "Historic. Over five years ago, half of all life in the universe, including our own Midtown High, was wiped from existence. But then eight months ago, a band of brave heroes brought us back. They called it the Blip. Those of us who blipped away came back the same age. But our classmates that didn't blip grew five years older."
- ―Betty Brant[src]
The Snap was remembered as a historical event. Although the Blip eventually brought back all living beings who perished, their sudden return was unsettling to most of the survivors, who had moved on with their lives without thinking they would ever return. Their return also caused confusion surrounding their identity documents, because those who returned remained the same age they had been before vanishing, despite the five year lapse. For example, the students of Midtown High who returned had to repeat the entire school year the following term, despite having already completed midterms, much to their frustration. In 2024, a documentary film about the event, entitled The Snap, was released.[5]
Victims[]
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Appearances[]
Trivia[]
- The victims of this event are also known as "The Vanished".
- In the book The Cosmic Quest Volume Two: Aftermath, the Snap is referred as the Decimation.[23]
Behind the Scenes[]
- Kevin Feige has said that half of "all life" in the universe was erased from existence, including all sentient and insentient beings.[24]
- The term "Blip" originated in Spider-Man: Far From Home, used to describe half of the population disappearing due to Thanos' Snap, the five year time period as well as the resurrection five years later.
External Links[]
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References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Avengers: Infinity War
- ↑ "4/30/2018" on Scott's laptop in Ant-Man and the Wasp
- ↑ Marvel Studios' The Marvel Cinematic Universe: An Official Timeline
- ↑ Marvel's Kevin Feige on the MCU Multiverse, Far From Home Post-Credits Scenes and the Future of Spider-Man
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Spider-Man: Far From Home
- ↑ ‘Spider-Man’ Writers Break Down What Really Happened During the Marvel Blip
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 'Avengers: Infinity War' Directors Reveal Who Died And Survived Off Screen
- ↑ SDCC 2019 Panel Recap: Writing Avengers: Endgame with Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Captain Marvel Mid-credits Scene
- ↑ Avengers: Endgame VFX Graphics
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6 Avengers: Endgame
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Ant-Man and the Wasp
- ↑ The Daily Bugle
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 WandaVision 1.04: We Interrupt This Program
- ↑ The Falcon and The Winter Soldier: 1.03: Power Broker
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Hawkeye: 1.05: Ronin
- ↑ Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
- ↑ ‘Avengers: Endgame’: The Screenwriters Answer Every Question You Might Have
- ↑ Hawkeye: 1.01: Never Meet Your Heroes
- ↑ The Directors of Avengers: Endgame on Its Biggest Twists
- ↑ Eternals
- ↑ The Falcon and The Winter Soldier: 1.01: New World Order
- ↑ The Cosmic Quest Volume Two: Aftermath
- ↑ Kevin Feige Still Won’t Tell Us All Marvel’s Future Plans
