In the trailers for Avengers: Endgame, life without half of the living population universe seems dark and bleak – there's a whole lot of empty spaces waiting to be filled. Now, as the second entry in Joe and Anthony Russo's two-part Avengers movie approaches its big premiere, scientists imagine what would really happen if Thanos existed and turned half of the universe's living population into dust.
Fandom spoke with UCLA Physics Department's research scientist Justin Christensen about whether or not life would be better without half of the living and thinking population (Avengers: Infinity War writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeel clarified that Thanos dusted half of all beings that had intelligence and consciousness). Cutting down 7.6 billion people to 3.8 billion might seem overwhelming, but the move would only bring humanity back to its population count in 1970. Earth would return to its 2019 population within another fifty years or so if the survivors of the Decimation aren't properly guided.
Of course, the Decimation would probably cause even more fatalities. Those flying in the air would probably be in big trouble if most or some of the cabin crew got dusted during the Snappening, not to mention the hazards of losing staff at the control towers. A lot of people would die during the ensuing road accidents too.
Not only that, but there'd be even more non-dust-related deaths coming from problems with logistics. Global infrastructure would start to decay without anyone manning them and vital supply chains would be disrupted, causing additional fatalities.
"Without people to maintain and fix vital systems, things like electricity and clean water are likely to be lost to a large fraction of the remaining population. Many people will likely face food and medical supply shortages. How people react to these challenges, and how many people will die as a result is tough to say," Christensen says, "but certainly more deaths will result."
So would the Snappening really achieve the peace and prosperity that Thanos wanted it to achieve? Not really.
Let's see whether the Avengers can undo all of that in Avengers: Endgame which premieres on Friday, April 26, 2019.
Read: Marvel President Kevin Feige On The Avengers: Endgame Leaks