Was Avengers: Infinity War’s Ending A Bit Disingenuous?

Should Hollywood Cater To An Audience’s Awareness?

With all of this prior knowledge, some critics of Infinity War have found this massacre of an ending to be a tad disingenuous.

Looking at The Empire Strikes Back’s iconic ending, it’s a fair comment. After all, its infamy remains, partly because no one knew how its pressing narrative threads would be resolved. Was Darth Vader telling the truth or lying? Was Han going to make it? Did Lando steal Han’s clothes? OK, maybe not the last one…

This is by no means an anti-technology or Hollywood article. However, it’s hard to envision Empire having the same kind of impact if audiences had been able to search for the answers online. It’s the same for Infinity War. How can we truly commit to the emotion of its denouement when we know that the consequences aren’t lasting? Well, that line of thinking might be a tad ingenuous.

If you’re reading this article, then you’re probably someone who keeps up to date with all the latest pop culture news, rumors and gossip. However, for as ubiquitous as they seem, it’s worth remembering that fandoms and online movie circles are relatively small bubbles. The vast majority of people who go to see Infinity War will be children, and casual fans that aren’t interested in every detail about comic books and the MCU’s production slate.

There’s nothing wrong in not knowing any of this by any means. Heck, in this case, ignorance probably enhanced the shocking experience tenfold. So should Hollywood bear this percolation of industry detail in mind when making their films? Definitely not, says Infinity War co-writer Stephen McFeely:

“We can just tell the best version of the story we can… We can’t account for having one step outside the movie theater while you’re watching it. We would be terrible storytellers if we did that.”

In principle, McFeely does have a point. It’s been said on many occasions, but a writer or filmmaker will fail if they attempt to consider every viewpoint or desire of an audience in their work. The subjectivity of art invites criticism, no matter what.

Of course, in this case, McFeely is defending what some have criticized as a dishonest narrative choice. But then again, there’s the artifice of life and death in fiction itself to consider.