"Avengers: Infinity War" has been one of the most anticipated movies in this decade and had the biggest opening weekend EVER. And I get it. My friends (shout out to Tommy) and I have been watching every Marvel movie (in this MCU) in preparation. On Friday, April 27th, we saw the one we had been waiting for. And can I just say…
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
What even is this movie? I laughed. I cried. The guy next to me was trying to cover his sobs with coughs. By the end of it, I needed an emotional support group to deal with the loss.
I should warn you that after this sentence there are going to be some major spoilers. I will try to keep it minimal, but they’ll still be there. So, please, go watch the movie, then come back and read the rest.
This movie has been called the most ambitious crossover in history. It brings together The Avengers and The Guardians of the Galaxy, both groups that had already added new members in their last movie. There were a lot of characters but in no way too many. They did that aspect very well in my opinion and we got some unexpected but fantastic teams from it. Unfortunately, none of that lasted very long.
Right off the bat, the tone is set, opening with the aftermath of a massacre. The first onscreen death is within five minutes of that. And it doesn’t by any means stop there. By the end of the movie, the body count is in the twenties. But each death is purposeful, so it’s not like a bunch unnecessary killing to make Marvel seem edgier but it is a much-needed revamping of their movie format.
You see, lately, Marvel movies have started adhering to a standard formula. The protagonist gets powers, learns to use them, meets the villain, villain wins the first battle, time passes, the second battle, hero wins, the end. Not here. We already have established worlds and characters going in, so they don’t need to waste time introducing anyone or giving them the powers. Instead, this movie starts by killing off main characters.
When you have a villain like Thanos, the deaths are important. We all knew going in that not everybody was coming out alive. There were some deaths that seemed obvious and really did have to happen, but others could never have been predicted.
The thing with Thanos though, is that he is not a typical Marvel villain. Yes, he is very big and very scary and his thirst for blood seems never-ending, but somehow, he gets a smidge humanized. After taking Gamora from the Guardians, he begins his search for the Soul Stone. There are also some intermittent flashbacks that show how Gamora came into his care and how he really does think he is doing the right thing. Later, you also learn that he is trying to prevent the rest of the universe from facing the same destruction as his home planet. Now, when he gets to the Soul Stone and discovers what he must do to get it, you think “there is no way this guy is going to be able to sacrifice something he loves” and he promptly proves you wrong. As horrible as it is and as horrible as what he does is, it shows that he did love Gamora and does have feelings.
This humanizing detail that Marvel is giving its villains is coming up more and more. The villain in "Spiderman: Homecoming" was doing it for his family and Killmonger was trying to help minorities. It totally doesn’t make their villainy okay, but it gives an extra layer that makes these villains a little more realistic.
Also straying away from Marvel’s movie formula was that ending. While watching the movie I was on the edge of my seat, wondering how they would prevail. It never occurred to me that they wouldn’t. I was in shock and definitely cried when Thanos snapped his fingers. And also angry that Thor didn’t aim for his arm.
Now that half the universe is dead though, I need something to fill my time until the next "Infinity War", aside from the other Marvel Movies that are coming out and have been confirmed to take place before Infinity War. So, let’s talk theories.
First, nobody who was killed by the Infinity Gauntlet is actually dead. This one is a little obvious because Spiderman died, but Tom Holland is signed on for at least two more movies so he has to come back. The now is: how do they come back? My personal theory is that the Time Stone is gonna be involved and they are going to go back to right before Thanos snaps his fingers or possibly before kills vision. Another theory is that the people are trapped in the Soul Stone. Either way, they’re coming back. Or at least they better.
Second, Dr. Strange knew exactly what he was doing giving Thanos the Time Stone. He predicted that there was only was outcome out of 14 million where they win. “This is the only way.”
Third, The Hulk is scared of Thanos and knew something bad was coming. Throughout the movie, Bruce was trying to coax Hulk out to fight, but Hulk refused. It’s possible this is because Hulk knew something Bruce didn’t. About Thanos or the Infinity Stones or the fate of the universe. And Hulk was terrified.
I am very excited to see what’s next, especially with "Captain Marvel." The Avengers have a hell of a lot to figure out in the next movie and I will absolutely be there. But for now, let’s mourn the losses of the first battle in the Infinity War.
