Run from it, dread it, destiny arrives for everyone: in Marvel's latest blockbuster, Avengers: Infinity War takes the cake and then some.
From the moment of Thanos' arrival in Guardians of the Galaxy, there has been an impending doom feeling in each Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film leading to the famous line heard around the world: “Fine, I’ll do it myself”. The end credit scene of Avengers: Age of Ultron signified the start of Thanos' horrific campaign in finding each of the five Infinity Stones. Though each hero faced adversity leading up to Infinity War, Thanos presented a problem we know only few can handle, with Earth's mightiest heroes trying before ultimately failing before the Mad Titan.
Thanos was not alone in his conquest, bringing along his loyal servants, the Black Order. Once it was announced these heinous villains were being brought to life, I hoped the Russo brothers could seamlessly translate each character’s unique personalities from comic to film. Ebony Maw, wow! Anytime Maw enlightened us with TED talks, I was all ears, even when it was time for him to shut up—“Hear me, and Rejoice" rang in my head the first and second time the phrase was uttered and like Thanos, Maw filled his time up with endless quotes that allow superhero movies to have lasting power. His death was cartoon-like and lame, hindering the way Maw will be remembered (though his fight with Doctor Strange was groundbreaking); with the MCU being under the Disney umbrella, it makes sense that they would make at least one of the Black Order's deaths cheesy. With Proxima Midnight, Corvus Glaive, and Black Dwarf, Marvel decided to not only suppress their power levels to the point of Black Widow being able to hold Proxima's staff (that's criminal), but to make each of their deaths even worse. Like Maw, the rest of the Order had their their moments, Corvus' end being one, and unlike Maw, they felt like filler in the large picture, which is the opposite of who the Black Order is in the comics.
The Thor arc in Infinity War almost redeemed Marvel feeding us a mediocre Thor franchise—and yes, Thor Ragnarok was bad. The problems that occurred in Ragnarok were corrected by the Russo brothers, who blended Thor's light-hearted nature with his fury of thunder. His entrance with Stormbreaker into Wakanda is the legendary Thor scene he's been missing, partnered with the legendary quote, "BRING ME THANOS!”. Even after seeing Infinity War three times, that line still gets me amped up.
Thor almost lived up to his promise of killing Thanos… if only he aimed for the head.
Ironman, Captain America andthe Hulk have all changed in the two years since Captain America: Civil War, no one's change being more apparent than Cap’s new beard and mullet. Each film leading up to this one has shown Tony Stark upgrade his suit but his latest nano technology is upper echelon. Not being a big fan of Tony allows me to appreciate him without being blinded, especially the different kind of abilities he displayed in Infinity War were incredible.
The three Avengers aforementioned each faced Thanos, failing in very different ways.
Stark’s bout with the Mad Titan was so gruesome I thought it was over for Pepper Potts’ man with his newly-displayed energy sword not being enough. Cap's "fight" shocked me with him being able to hold back a Thanos punch for a couple moments leaving Thanos in disbelief before he unleashed a right hook to Cap's temple. Hulk’s go at Thanos was, by far, the worst of the bunch. Not only did Hulk get his ass handed to him, Thanos decided to go UFC on this fool with combos and knee thrusts to the head leaving him unable to recover from all movie long as he hid from the fight.
Interestingly enough, those three weren’t dissolved into dust when Thanos finally snapped his fingers, something to pay attention to before A4 (or whatever its called) releases.
Meanwhile, the newer Avengers, Spider-Man, Black Panther, and Doctor Strange, each encountered their own trials and tribulations. Spidey's story began episode-like, introducing the Spidey Sense ability and a classic high school get away scene, while Strange left his mark on this film from beginning to end. The best dialogue in the film almost always included Strange v. Stark in a snark contest. Strange’s battle with Thanos was the best fight aesthetically, each move being countered till Thanos eventually got his way. Black Panther made two huge decisions that will impact Wakanda’s future as soon as he was introduced, and fought fiercely against Thanos’ horde up until Thanos got his way.
The Russo brothers loved lulling fans into believing the Avengers were finally going to pull through, but Thanos was always there to re-adjust, and in the end, Thanos got to sit as he wished and watch the sun set; a surreal feeling finally seeing a villain's wishes being fulfilled. But it happened and the Avengers, new and old, got evaporated along the way.
"Where do we go from here?" is what most fans are left thinking, I have a few ideas but honestly it feels like Marvel can go so many different routes that I might even be surprised myself. Until then, we have the upcoming Captain Marvel, which should give clarity on some things, as alluded to by Infinity War end-credit scene of Nick Fury paging her as he dissipated from Thanos’ snap.
Well done, Marvel you have made a CBM blockbuster.
