Russo Brothers Explain Why They Ended Avengers: Infinity War Like That

Despite having been in theatres for only a few days now, the cataclysmic finale of Avengers: Infinity War has become the subject of much debate.

While Marvel Studios would have us remain hush on the matter – well, at least until everyone’s seen the picture, which at this point, almost everyone has, considering the film’s gargantuan box office haul – complete silence is proving to be a request that’s just too difficult to follow. Especially when co-directors Anthony and Joe Russo are out discussing Avengers: Infinity War’s conclusion, at length, with a premiere entertainment publication.

Yes, that’s right, during an interview with Variety, the Russo brothers commented on those odious final moments of the film and how they came to be. First, Joe detailed the duo’s decision to kill off so many of the shared universe’s beloved characters, and how it came about from instinct.

“We do our best work when we follow our instincts and tell the story we want to tell. We’ve had one or two experiences early in our careers where we didn’t do that and we learned a very hard lesson: When you try to predict what an audience wants, you’re going to make mush.

“When you commit to the story you want to tell, it tends to have a much more resonant impact on the audience. …The audience can tell you they love chocolate ice cream, but if you give it to them every day, they’re going to get sick of it real fast. You’ve got to stay ahead of them.”

Anthony then discussed how crucial it is for these heroes to have real stakes, and not deprive them of their humanity.

“Unless you have real stakes, you’re sort of limited in terms of the emotional impact a story can have on you. You have to go to very difficult places for the stakes to feel real, for the characters to feel like they have something to lose, for the audience to feel like they have something at risk.

“What we’re looking for in storytelling or art is emotional catharsis. And that’s not simply getting what you want. It’s getting an emotional experience that makes you feel and respond to it and energizes you on some level.”

In case you’ve been off the planet, because the eternal void is undoubtedly the only place where Avengers: Infinity War isn’t trending right now, the pic opened to an unprecedented $257 million domestically, narrowly besting the all-time record set by J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($248 million) by just $9 million.

The accolades didn’t stop there, either, for Marvel Studios’ decade-long effort to unite all of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes on the big screen. Next to fall victim to Thanos’ arrival were the records for biggest international opening of all time and biggest superhero opening of all time (domestic and global). Suffice it to say, the sky’s the limit for Avengers: Infinity War, and its ending only has us that much more excited to see where things go from here.