This wild Avengers theory claims Thanos snap wasn’t random at all—and here’s why some fans disagree

A thought-provoking Reddit post has kicked off new talks about one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's most memorable scenes: Thanos's Snap in Avengers: Infinity War. A Reddit user posted,

"The snap wasn't fully random. While it was random, I think Thanos was still honoring the deals he made for the stones throughout IW. Loki gave up the space stone to save Thor, Gamora gave up the soul stone to save Nebula, and Strange gave up the time stone to save Tony. All three survived the snap."

Reddit users didn't waste time sharing their thoughts. Some of them disagreed the post and suggested another avengers theory.

"I think the only real one here is Tony. Strange said “spare his life and I’ll give you the stone.” This could be taken to mean in the immediate fight but also during the snap (whether consciously or subconsciously)," a user wrote on Reddit.

"If it was actually random, they'd put everyone's names in a raffle bucket and have all of the names picked get snapped," another commented.

"If I was thanos or Tony stark and I just clicked my fingers. You wouldn’t see me for about two seconds but in that time I would have lived the last fifty million years examining everything that could possibly happen and fixing what I don’t like. Then I’d come back with a distant look on my face like I don’t understand what I’m seeing and then close my eyes. I would be surprised if we don’t get some sort of timey Wimey shenanigans as the Russo’s have just gotten the reigns again," another wrote.

"It was always the plan to have the original Avengers survive. These movies have been their story," one user wrote.

"I think Thanos spent decades or hundreds of years thinking about it. "Well of i do half women half men... no that won't work... half of each... no it'd have to be per planet... etc. "So makes it thr stones do the heavy lifting. "Dear stones please make half the population go but do so with the understanding that it's balanced in a way that is most universally fair. Please excuse my dear friends tony and the wizard and the blonde point break dude. But balance out them with others," another user commented.

Fans question the fairness behind Thanos’s snap

A fresh idea is catching on with Marvel enthusiasts challenging the long-held view that Thanos's Snap was random. The bad guy said he wiped out half of all life without favoritism, but people on Reddit are spotting hints that point to a more complex carrying out of his scheme.

One Reddit user, in particular, noticed a trend among those who lived—people linked to important deals involving the Infinity Stones. This has got some fans thinking about whether Thanos might have mixed in a kind of picky judgment into what was meant to be an unfeeling act. The post sparking the discussion claimed that specific agreements struck during Thanos's quest were kept after the Snap.

Every instance mentioned involved a bargain struck to save a life, and in each case, the person saved didn't disappear. This view has led people to wonder if Thanos followed a secret moral code one that affected the result in ways viewers hadn't thought about before. As more people chimed in, opinions split. Some favored the idea of unconscious motives—hinting that Thanos, despite what he said, might have let personal choices creep into his fair reasoning.

Others took a broader perspective, proposing that the Snap might have also accounted for factors like past experiences on certain planets or Thanos’s evolving sense of destiny. Despite differing views, what remains consistent is the intrigue surrounding Thanos’s motivations.

While the directors have stated the Snap was random, the persistent speculation among fans reflects how deeply audiences continue to engage with the MCU’s layered storytelling. Whether the Snap was shaped by honor, instinct, or simply narrative structure, this fan theory has added a compelling lens through which to re-examine a pivotal cinematic moment.

Gomala Devi is a journalist at Primetimer. 

She holds a Bachelor's degree in Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering and has over three years of experience as a content writer.

Gomala was drawn to writing after reading the Harry Potter series, and she developed an interest in fashion and pop culture at the same time.
She loves exploring the newest developments in the lifestyle space and crafting interesting opinion pieces. She references official websites, interviews, and social media to ensure that her work is factually sound.

In her spare time, she loves to read books and play chess.