Ever since the release of The Avengers, the series has been teasing the arrival of a major villain: Thanos. Known as the Mad Titan, Thanos was created by writer-artist Jim Starlin and debuted in The Invincible Iron Man #55. Considered one of the strongest villains in Marvel history, Thanos has been a looming threat throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While mostly staying in the background or just being mentioned, Thanos has always been there, watching over the galaxy. Not only has Thanos appeared in numerous post-credit scenes, but they’ve hinted at his appearance with the Infinity Stones. Each of the stones controls different aspects of existence and the universe: Time, Power, Mind, Space, Reality, and Soul. Following the successful Captain America sequels, the Russo Brothers were tasked with bringing nearly all the Marvel heroes together. 2018 saw the release of this massive crossover event titled Avengers: Infinity War.
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Having taken the Power Stone, Thanos (Josh Brolin) has attacked a ship carrying the remaining population of Asgard. After killing Heimdall (Idris Elba) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Thanos takes the Space Stone, leaving Thor (Chris Hemsworth) to die. Back on Earth, Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) has returned to warn the Avengers of Thanos’ arrival. As Thanos searches the galaxy for the remaining Infinity Stones, the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy form separate teams. Thor, Rocket (Bradley Cooper), and Groot (Vin Diesel) venture to forge a weapon capable of killing Thanos, the Storm Breaker. Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr), Spider-Man (Tom Holland), and the remaining Guardians go off to face Thanos head on. Captain America (Chris Evans), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and Falcon (Anthony Mackie) travel to Wakanda to help Vision (Paul Bettany). It’s a race against time to stop Thanos from wiping out half of the universe’s population.
Given that this was set up for over a decade, Avengers: Infinity War is, no pun intended, a marvel. It’s a real testament to the Russo brothers how well they can balance several characters in one film so well. Every single one of them does a great job, and each is given their own moment to shine. However, the real spotlight is on Josh Brolin, who embraces the character and gives him a lot of depth. What makes Thanos such a unique villain is how he truly believes that what he’s doing is right. Plus, he has moments where you can tell he’s not necessarily evil, making certain choices he deeply regrets. As dark and dire as the film overall is, they manage to inject the right amount of humor in. Thankfully, most of the humor doesn’t feel out of place and flows nicely with the hard hitting drama.
Speaking of the drama, when the movie gets more serious, it’s very impactful and you really feel for these characters. Of course, most people go into superhero movies wanting huge action sequences, and this film more than delivers on that. There’s a massive action sequences at least every fifteen minutes or so, each one just as thrilling as the last. What makes these scenes work is the great camerawork, the well-done fight choreography, and Alan Silvestri’s epic score. Given the stakes presented here, you genuinely get worried that a character you love might not survive to the end. Without going into spoilers, this movie has quite a few moments that come out of nowhere and will surprise you. My only complaint is that sometimes the action can get slightly excessive and some surprises are pretty easy to see. Even still, Avengers: Infinity War is something truly special and worth watching.
