If Thanos had, instead of randomly wiping out 50% of all living things, he had instead in each species wiped out only the dumbest 50% what would the reaction of each avenger have been?
He’s not just hyper-literal, he is slow to adapt, rarely displays any strategy beyond direct attack (which gets them into trouble repeatedly) and, you know, thinks he can’t be seen because he’s very still. Drax is loyal and courageous, but intelligence is not among his gifts.
Clint isn't a stupid guy. In the show, he's hard of hearing, which some people might mistake for being dumb if they saw him on the street, for example. But remember how scary he was in The Avengers. Guy could shoot an arrow into the wind and knew it would blow up an engine. You know there's some crazy subconscious math going on there. Also, his counter-terrorism rampage in Endgame wouldn't have been nearly as successful if he wasn't a great planner and tactician.
Also, his counter-terrorism rampage in Endgame wouldn’t have been nearly as successful if he wasn’t a great planner and tactician.
I hadn’t considered this. You’re right. This is a man with no powers whatsoever. Meticulous preparation was essential. A mindless killing spree would have been suicidal.
I can't think of an Avenger or even sidekick who I would put in the bottom 50% of the earth's population. Even the dumbest are probably in the top 10-15%.
Edit: I didn't really think of GotG as "Avengers", but yeah, Drax and Mantis are probably gone, unless they're somehow smart for their species. Or unless emotional intelligence is enough to save Mantis. I don't know if we ever find out enough about Groot to know, but I'd assume he's in the top of his species. I still think everyone else survives (Hulk survives via Banner, or at least Banner survives).