More precisely, if Ryan was among the half who vanished, Thanos wouldn't be able to snap his fingers.
But if he wanted Ryan to vanish, he couldn't wipe out half the universe's life.
It was an agonizing choice.
Thanos glared at Ryan in frustration. The man was a monster.
What kind of being was worth half the lives in the universe all by himself?
But however agonizing the choice, sometimes it still had to be made.
Thanos felt space ripple. Ryan was probably about to use a Portal again, sending scarlet chains through it to bind the Infinity Gauntlet.
If Ryan succeeded, Thanos would lose his chance.
Ryan, meanwhile, wasn't worried about Thanos's snap.
He had faith in Doomsday. Doomsday had overcome death long ago. Ryan figured he could probably overcome being erased by Thanos's snap, too.
But though everyone watched Thanos tensely, he still didn't move.
Ryan began preparing a Portal to bind him.
"I am inevitable." At the last possible moment, Thanos made his choice. As he spoke, he brought his fingers together.
The snap rang across the battlefield, through the sky and out into the universe, reaching the depths of every heart.
In the bright sunlight, Black Panther stared at his hand in shock. A breeze caught it, and it crumbled into drifting dust.
It felt as though his body had been made of sand all along.
Beneath the sky, Black Panther wasn't the only one. Countless people turned to dust. Some settled on the ground and mingled with the soil; others rose into the air and blew away on the wind.
Thanos watched, deeply moved. "Beautiful. This is what I've always wanted. This is the world I dreamed of. You see it too, don't you, Ryan?"
"Hard to say I do." Ryan shook his head. He