It’s not often you see a Hollywood popcorn movie commit to such a devastatingly bleak finale.
And yet, such was the case with Avengers: Infinity War, which delivered a cliffhanger ending good enough to leave viewers in a confused state of shock and awe, as big-name characters like Doctor Strange, Black Panther and the young Spider-Man crumbled into dust. We’re not crying, you’re crying!
Because even after the release and subsequent success of Ant-Man and the Wasp, we’re still no closer to unravelling the super-secret story behind Avengers 4. Not that we’re complaining, as Joe and Anthony Russo’s decisive blockbuster is still a full nine months away.
Still, as Cinema Blend points out, there are a number of key moments during Infinity War that foreshadow what’s to come next year, beginning with the fact that Strange witnessed the only way to defeat Thanos – something that’s backed up by co-writer Christopher Markus.
He generally comes off as the adult in the room. Very reassuring. And that, regardless of what happens over the course of the movie, I think Strange might know how this is going to work out. I have faith in him.
Which brings us to the Infinity Gauntlet. Turns out Thanos’ most-prized possession sustained massive damage after that snap, thereby opening up a window of opportunity for Tony Stark and his allies to forge a second Gauntlet to undo the Mad Titan’s genocide.
This was previously teased by Joe Russo, who admitted that the combined power of all six stones not only damaged the Gauntlet, it also did a number on Thanos himself.
See there, with the Gauntlet and his arm… the power that it takes to use all six stones is significant, and it clearly damaged the Gauntlet. And damaged Thanos permanently.
This will no doubt spawn rumors that Captain Marvel will be the one to wield said Infinity Gauntlet, as she’s the only one strong enough to harness such raw power. Perhaps Carol Danvers will do just that when Avengers 4 rolls around then?
Whatever the case, Cinema Blend’s findings conclude by drawing a line under the ‘trading lives’ motto that originates between Captain America and Vision. Could it be that Infinity War‘s surviving heroes (see: Rocket, Iron Man, Okoye, Captain America) will have to pay the ultimate sacrifice so that they may save their nearest and dearest?
Time will tell, but we’ll leave you with an extract from the Avengers: Infinity War audio commentary track, in which Joe Russo speaks about the Soul World:
Thanos is transported, through the power that was needed to wipe out half of the life in the universe, into this dream state inside the Soul Stone. He was allowed one last meeting with that which he gave up to get there. The spiritual representation of his daughter.
