INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Image copyrightEverett Collection Inc / Alamy Stock PhotoSpoiler alert
This article contains plot details about Avengers: Infinity War.Avengers: Infinity War baddie Thanos has prompted a mass cull of Reddit
users.The population of half a subreddit will be wiped from existence in honour of the super villain on 9 July.The forum
"/r/thanosdidnothingwrong" - which is dedicated to sharing theories and memes about the character - has more than 282,000 subscribers.Their
culling is inspired by the ending of Infinity War, when Thanos clicks his fingers and decimates half the universe's population.To wield this
terrible power, Thanos gathers six Infinity Stones - gems that gave him control over space and time.So it's fitting that the forum's
moderators have had to craft their own virtual Infinity Gauntlet to mimic the villain online.Reddit engineers have designed a brand new bot
that will enable the group to randomly cull users in "a quick and easy manner".Image copyrightRedditImage caption
Members of the subreddit have been discussing the ban at length
Members had been worried that Reddit would block the move
"It would be the biggest mass ban in Reddit history and we'd probably get into some serious trouble," wrote one user, Dragonphlegm.But since
the subreddit is dedicated to glorifying the Marvel baddie, it seems like a fitting way for fans to show their appreciation.A voting thread
on whether the cull should go ahead received more than 150,000 upvotes, prompting members' to ask Reddit's official permission.According the
member The-Jedi-Apprentice, Reddit administrators have now approved the "random 50% ban"
The date was settled for July 9 to allow engineers enough time to settle back after US Independence Day festivities and be on hand if any
technical problems arise.Image copyrightMarvelImage caption
Actor Josh Brolin provides the performance capture for
Thanos.
The stunt is being celebrated among its community as the ultimate joke."Finally balance in the universe," wrote
dwbrab96."I don't feel so good," chimed in Reediamond
But not everyone sees the point in a move that's meant to "bring balance" to an online population.As news of the imminent ban spreads, the
numbers in the subreddit have been swelling."This sub's gonna have more subscribers after the ban than it did before this all started,"
mitch06_11 pointed out.Follow Newsbeat on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter
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