This whole post will contain spoilers, not just for Infinity War, but for all the movies that led up to Infinity War. This is your warning.
Starting with Thor seemed the best way to start, since the huge ramifications of his character were made clear at the start. But, as the film went on, Thor does play a major part of the fight against Thanos. He had some great moments, including some comedy. This movie does have a lot of comedy and Thor is not excluded from it. His big moment comes when he chooses to create the weapon that is capable of defeating Thanos and has to risk sacrificing himself and survive the full force of a star in order to do it.
While this was a great moment for Thor, I never truly believed he would fail. I think the film wanted me to think that Thor could die during the creation of the axe, but that was not the impression I had. In my eyes, Thor could not die there, leaving the weapon to Rocket Raccoon to take back to Earth or however that would have worked. Thor had to survive this ordeal and get the weapon that could end the war against Thanos. As a result, this moment had some of its impact taken away, although it was still a cool moment.
Then, there’s the Guardians of the Galaxy. Even among a huge cast of characters that have comic relief moments, I feel like the Guardians of the Galaxy stood out as comic relief done well. Each character brought something unique and interesting to the story and Star Lord had some of my favorite lines in the early part of the film. Drax also had some great lines throughout the film that made me laugh out loud, which is not common for me. Rocket Raccoon and Groot were also funny at points, and they do well as side characters for the main story. They play their part and they do it well. This time, they were helping Thor, which helped create a new dynamic for the pair and helped make them stand out more than they would have if they were still with the rest of the Guardians.
Gamora ended up taking a major role in the story, being the daughter and most loved one of Thanos. When she was taken by Thanos, it marked a big split in the Guardians of the Galaxy that they never really recovered from. While I think they would have recovered from Rocket Raccoon and Groot going with Thor, I think that Gamora getting kidnapped set the Guardians on a path that would ultimately last throughout the rest of the film. While she did have a lot of screen time, though, her role in the film seemed to be purely about her relationships with Thanos and Star Lord. While this did have a lot about her backstory, I felt it was too reliant on relationships and not enough about her personally.
Then there’s Iron Man. As always, Iron Man exudes cool and calm in most of the scenes he’s in, shooting out sarcasm as easily as anyone else. That’s why it’s so profound when he gets upset, almost to the point of rage. Iron showed his full development in all the previous movies in this film. With another upgrade for his suit, another problem with Pepper as he goes against her wishes, and another responsibility he feels is thrown into his lap, Iron Man plays one of the lead roles, if not the lead role in the fight against Thanos, and that’s really no surprise. He takes that onto himself.
It’s late in the film that you start to realize that the fear and anxiety that has been plaguing Iron Man since the first Avengers film is finally coming to the forefront. He has been scared of this confrontation for years and it’s finally going to come to an end. Thanos has been the object of his fear, whether he realized it or not. While he did not develop as a character much this film, I think the film does a good job showcasing the growth that he has made throughout the entire franchise.
On a slightly more negative side, there’s the Hulk. The Hulk does not play a major part of the movie. He comes out to fight Thanos near the beginning, finds out he is not the strongest, and refuses to come out for the rest of the movie. Bruce Banner takes over the role as the concerned scientist, and, unfortunately, this issue with the Hulk chickening out of any and all fights does not get resolved before the end of the film. As a result, the Hulk comes across like a minor character. In a franchise that only recently gave the Hulk some depth, it felt like a step back for him with the potential for growth in the future.
More to come. There’s still a lot to talk about with this movie, with even more spoilers.
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