Who lives, who dies?
That’s the million-dollar question currently lingering over Avengers: Infinity War, Joe and Anthony Russo’s crossover that’s not so much a movie as it is a cinematic event. It’s also the first chapter in a two-part story, given the so-far untitled Avengers 4 is poised to put a bow on the whole Thanos saga – along with the current iteration of the MCU, if Kevin Feige is to be believed – come 2019.
And when it does, the studio’s character roster will be dramatically different to the one that’s helped define the Marvel Cinematic Universe hitherto. But killing off prominent heroes is no bad thing, as it helps raise the stakes for what is undoubtedly the biggest MCU movie yet. In fact, speaking in a recent interview, Joe Russo touched on that, saying that the “best stories have stakes.”
“We love being told good stories, and we love telling good stories, and all of our energy, and our effort, and our thought, and our passion goes into telling the best story that we can. And for us, the best stories have stakes. Characters have to make sacrifices. To really, really feel the true emotion and the hero’s journey they have to go through trials and those trails could cost them something.”
Continuing on, he stated:
“So, for us, its very important that the heroes feel pain and that they make sacrifices because I think that, not only is a great storytelling, but it also is inspiring and I think we need a lot of inspiration in this world right now. So, for us, I don’t know if we can ever get you to accept it, but I promise you this: we’ll do our damnedest to tell you the best story possible, and what you do with it from there is up to you.”
Those who’ve been keeping up with the Avengers: Infinity War promotional campaign so far will know that this is far from the first time we’ve heard that the stakes will be raised significantly. After all, Avengers 3 will be the culmination of the past 10 years of the MCU, and between it and its currently untitled sequel, we’re sure to lose a few of our favorite characters.
Granted, Russo doesn’t explicitly say that anyone’s going to die here, but he heavily hints at it and we’ve already heard from Kevin Feige that a number of the Avengers won’t be around anymore once Phase 3 comes to a close. As such, we have every reason to believe that Cap, Iron Man, Thor and the rest of the gang will “feel pain” and “make some sacrifices” on their journey to defeat Thanos.
It’s been a long time coming, but now, after 10 years and 17 films’ worth of build-up – Black Panther notwithstanding – Avengers: Infinity War is finally prepped and ready to deliver a huge climax on May 4th. The fight against the Mad Titan won’t end there, though, as Earth’s Mightiest Heroes will assemble one final time the following year, on May 3rd, to take down Thanos once and for all.
