Destiny Has Arrived in 'Avengers: Infinity War'
Laura Cafasso ’18/ Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer
**DISCLAIMER: spoilers from previous films**
“There was an idea to bring together a group of remarkable people, to see if we could become something more. So when they needed us, we could fight the battles that they never could.”
Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), Vision (Paul Bettany), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), and Black Widow (Scarlett Johannson) solemnly recite Nick Fury’s (Samuel L. Jackson) infamous quote while Alan Silvestri‘s original theme plays for the unveiling of the Avengers: Infinity War trailer. This is the beginning of the end for the team we’ve watched assemble and dissemble since 2012.
When we last left our heroes, they were more divided than ever. Captain America (Chris Evans) and Iron Man’s differences over the Sokovia Accords spawned an epic showdown and a shattered friendship. We were introduced to the best Spiderman yet — Tom Holland — as he tried to pass his classes, impress “Mr. Stark,” take his crush to the school dance, and battle the Vulture (Michael Keaton). Meanwhile, Bruce Banner / the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) ended up in space and Thor had to face his greatest challenger so far: his evil sister, Hela (Cate Blanchett) who was determined to rule Asgard.
That’s a lot to follow. Simply put, everyone is trying to do their best but their best may no longer be good enough, considering Thanos’ arrival. Here are some key spots from the trailer to analyze:
In several shots, Tony is either bewildered or crumpled in a rare fit of tears — which is fitting because his worst fear has been realized.
Tony has envisioned this destruction since Age of Ultron. Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) messed with his mind, revealing a nightmare where Tony finds his team slaughtered on some unidentified space crater. The worst part of the ordeal, as he confided in Nick Fury, was that he survived while his beloved friends perished. Ever since then, Tony has been on a mission to protect the world and the Avengers, even if that meant signing the Sokovia Accords to play nice with the United Nations. This was the main boiling point in Captain America: Civil War. Steve couldn’t see Tony’s point of view, and now is the perfect moment for Tony to say, “I told you so.”
That is, if Tony and Steve ever connect again. But there’s hope: a quick glimpse in the trailer shows Tony holding an archaic flip phone — the same one Steve mailed him at the end of Civil War in case he ever needed him. Looks like he’s going to make that call.
I guess Steve’s idea of going off the radar is to grow a beard (or Chris Evans was filming movies simultaneously and didn’t feel like shaving). The question is: will he get his shield back? Evans has indicated his Marvel contract is nearing its end, so could this be the demise of Captain America? Maybe that’s why Tony is crying and covering his face. It’s hard to imagine Steve being a match for the sinister Thanos.
Beards aren’t the only new look these vigilantes are sporting. Black Widow has gone an icy blonde, Bucky (Sebastian Stan) has his metal arm back, and Rhodey (Don Cheadle) seems to be flying again as War Machine.
How did Loki (Tom Hiddleston) steal the tesseract again? His pockets aren’t nearly big enough and he didn’t seem to bring any bags on board when he escaped with Thor, Bruce Banner, and fellow Asgardians from their ruined planet. Even though Loki seems to be handing it over to the mighty and purple Thanos (Josh Brolin), he’s Marvel’s greatest antihero so don’t count him as irredeemable just yet.
Speaking of Thanos, that was an underwhelming reveal.The CGI from previous post-credit scenes was noticeably scarier and more sinister than this iteration. We’ve been tracking him with each introduction of an infinity stone, whether it be in Guardians of the Galaxy or Doctor Strange. Remember, once Thanos collects all the infinity stones, his golden gauntlet will be complete and he will be theoretically unstoppable. One would expect some cataclysmic entrance and he just kind of walked through a space portal — what took him so long?
But looks are deceiving and, judging by the way he punched Iron Man and pummeled Spiderman, there’s a reason the biggest and baddest has been saved for last.
Kevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios, recently sat down with Vanity Fair and said that both installments of Infinity War will bring, “things you’ve never seen in superhero films: a finale . . . there will be two distinct periods. Everything before Avengers 4 and everything after. I know it will not be in ways people are expecting.”
For diehard MCU fans, this could mean a serious, staggering emotional blow. Nobody wants to see Captain America or Iron Man die, but that might be exactly what happens. The question really is: who makes it out alive?