“…to wipe out half the universe. If he gets all the Infinity Stones, he can do it with the snap of his fingers.”
It was a finale long foretold. Having gotten his hands on all six gems – namely Power, Mind, Space, Reality, Time and the elusive Soul – Thanos executed his devastating master plan that ultimately ended with half of the population being reduced to dust.
That is, in a nutshell, the third act of Avengers: Infinity War, which ramped up the stakes to dizzying new heights just as the credits rolled. Much to the horror of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, Thanos had won, and if you’ll recall, the end of the film saw the Mad Titan in an unknown location, smiling as he watched the sunset. Fans have been theorizing that at this point, he’s in the Soul Stone, but according to co-director Joe Russo, that’s not the case.
In a recent interview with Uproxx, the filmmaker and his brother shed some light on the situation. Here’s how their exchange played out:
“So, at the end of the movie, what is this planet that Thanos is on?
Anthony Russo: Oh, the new planet?
Yes. He seems very content.
Joe Russo: It’s his whatever place that he goes.
Is that his house?
Anthony Russo: He’s like a holy warrior. Once he puts his armor down in that movie he becomes like a holy warrior and this is his resting place for him. He says in the film he’s just going to sit and watch the sunrise.
Joe Russo: He accomplished his mission.
So at that point he’s not anywhere weird or inside the Soul Stone or anything?
Joe Russo: No, no.”
Anthony Russo: Look, if you look at Thanos throughout the movie, what’s noble about the character is it’s not about ego for him. He believes that creatures and beings are suffering because of this. So he believes the road for the right way to peace and balance is through eradicating half of all life. And he believes that will bring balance and new life and peacefulness and joy to people – and he dedicates himself to that mission. His choices are remarkably focused on that. He’s not killing people he doesn’t need to kill. He only kills people in furtherance of that goal.
Clearly, the brothers are holding back some information here and trying to divert attention away from where exactly Thanos is, but at the very least, we can now rule out that the Mad Titan is inside the Soul Stone at the end of the pic. They also make some interesting remarks about how, as Anthony puts it, “it’s not about ego” for Thanos.
The villain has convinced himself – and others – that his reasons are the altruistic push for universal balance and order, and that he’s ‘saving the universe,’ when he’s, in truth, seeking only to dominate. This is where it gets truly fascinating, because this is what really sets Thanos apart from every other MCU villain thus far.
Previously, villains of the franchise have been the enemy seeking vengeance – and usually against the hero. But, the Mad Titan’s delusions flip that equation, putting him on the side often occupied by the protagonist.
Not only that, but it places him in the driving seat of the narrative, making Avengers: Infinity War essentially a Thanos movie, as opposed to an Avengers movie. His story and character are more heavily emphasized than that of any of the heroes – partly because there are so many of them to fit into the tale, but mostly because this is a whole new era for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and we can’t wait to see what comes next.
