Not for the first time, Joe and Anthony Russo have run the rule over Avengers: Infinity War‘s unforgettable finale – only this time, the creative duo have explained their decision to frame each death in a very particular way.
So whereas Bucky’s final moments are viewed through the eyes of Captain America, Infinity War soon cuts to a visibly distressed Okoye (The Walking Dead‘s Danai Gurira) as she watches Black Panther, the one true king of Wakanda, crumble into dust. It’s pretty distressing stuff, and only works to amplify the emotional impact of what is surely Marvel’s most heart-rending third act thus far.
And as if that wasn’t tragic enough, we also see Rocket Raccoon reach out to his old pal Groot as he fades from view, leaving behind a grieving ensemble and countless broken hearts. But now that Avengers: Infinity War is available to pick up on Blu-ray and DVD, the Russo Brothers have offered a little more insight into their approach of selecting who lives, and who dies (and, more specifically, how they die).
In terms of our choices about who Thanos would end up eradicating with his snap, you know it was very story focused. How do we pay off each individual character’s storyline most profoundly? The first person to go is Bucky Barnes, and it’s shot from Captain America’s perspective. You know we’re watching Cap go through the experience of watching him go away. We’re watching Okoye, whose number one mission in life is to protect the king. She watches the king go in front of her. To see those characters react in those situations is very powerful and resonate.
And you can’t say it didn’t work. Not only was Avengers: Infinity War‘s finale so effective in its devastation, but it’s also left the door open for a truly unmissable follow-up in the form of Avengers 4.
Details of Joe and Anthony Russo’s conclusive epic are few and far between (no surprise there), but we know it’ll be with us on May 3rd, 2019. 262 days, folks… not that we’re counting or anything.
