Things Avengers: Infinity war got right and what it got wrong.
WARNING: This article contains major SPOILERS. Proceed with caution. Scarlett Witch deserved better!
For ten years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been preparing fans for the grandiose, spectacle of Avengers 4: Infinity War. With a plethora of movie stars and a hefty budget, the film would most likely never see failure. With watching Marvel films since the first Iron Man release in 2008, I felt it was my duty to see the culmination of years of bad ass fighting sequences, character arcs, and killing cliffhangers.
Going to watch Infinity war opening weekend was a movie experience I would tell my children about. The feeling of excitement was present, you can almost feel how much everybody in that theatre was hiding their inner fangirl. It was pure excitement, FINALLY. After years of recovering from a somewhat decent sequel to the first Avengers movie, Infinity War promised delivery and closure.
After two hours and thirty minutes of uncomfortable seating and dramatic hand motions towards the screen, Infinity War concluded with an aggravating ending where Thanos seemingly made 50 percent of the population to cease to exist. Avengers succeeded in giving the audience exactly what we wanted and exactly what we feared. However, in doing so, they created cheap shock scenes filling the audience with confusion and in some cases, anger.
With killing major characters like Black Panther and Spiderman, the MCU failed to acknowledge the release projects many are already anticipating. It makes no sense to kill two new franchises that already have sequels in Pre-production. It seemed cheap to me, a quick shock factor to hold the grandness the MCU always delivers.
However, the film is about challenging audience perception and with this devasting plot twist, MCU did do just that. With MCU often honoring the comics, they are known to alter some storylines like Cap already being dead in Civil War. MCU is known to embellish these comics making fans aware of many possible directions the MCU will go.
With about over 40 characters with intricate arcs and relations, it was impressive to see the MCU incorporate each franchise within one major film. However, I believe the MCU fell into exhausting stereotypes with their representation of female characters. I believe the MCU failed to exemplify the strength of the women within the cinematic universe.
More specifically, I am tired of seeing Scarlet Witch subjugated to unnecessary suffering. Yes. Vision's death was inevitable but seeing Scarlet lose her inability to fight with the Avengers because she was fighting her feelings for Vision, was exhausting. I wanted Scarlet Witch to be highlighted as the strongest avenger. I am tired of them using Scarlet Witch as a character of suffering.
With her losing her brother in Age of Ultron, seeing her lose Vision was repetitive. The movie then made her sacrificial act completely reversed with Thanos utilized the time stone. Can we let Scarlet Witch catch a break? After this installment, we may never know since she disintegrated into ashes along with the other half of the MCU universe (Bucky, Falcon, almost all the Guardians).
With my love for Scarlet Witch's abilities and actions, I do note the MCU did give her great fighting sequences with remarkable women like Black Widow, and Okoye. With my complaints about Scarlett's arc, I do give credit where its due. However, as in the clever words of Shuri in Black Panther, "just because it works, doesn't mean it cannot be improved."
The MCU delivered with somehow bringing the elements of each franchise that made the franchise special. Bringing in the hilarious banter and classic music of the Guardians of the Galaxy film, the adorableness of Spiderman, and the arrogance that make Doctor Strange and Ironman who they are. The MCU created exactly what the fans wanted. It was exceptional, emotional, and the plot holes (the disappearance of Wanda's accent and Wong's help), were only minor to its ending.
Although the deaths were heartbreaking, it was expected. It was the grand ending of Thanos attaining the infinity stones circulating all movies. As an MCU girl, I enjoy the films for their action and characters. However, I do believe it is healthy to critique the things I enjoy and always make sure they do better. Lastly, thank you, Marvel, for giving me what I needed and what I fear. I just really want to see Scarlet Witch have a win..
