6 Burning Questions We Have After Watching ‘Avengers: Infinity War’

The crossover event of our dreams has finally hit screens. Avengers: Infinity War has been 10 years in the making and the final product is a spectacular visual extravaganza bringing together the majority of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s heroes (and a few villains) to battle the biggest bad guy in the galaxy, Thanos.

The Mad Titan, whose appearance has been teased since 2012’s The Avengers, has been winding his way through the galaxy in an effort to gain the Infinity Stones that will power his Infinity Gauntlet. Marvel fans are already aware of the location of most of the stones (here’s a reminder), but the key plot point in Infinity War is how the Avengers can thwart Thanos’ attempts at getting his hands on them. How well they succeed, if at all, is revealed to us in this superhero caper.

The film definitely surpasses expectations, but does it live up to all the hype? Well, that is just one of the many questions that viewers will be asking themselves (and probably everybody in their vicinity) once they exit their respective theatres. Following a number of unexpected twists, the film’s denouement has left many plot holes, character arcs, and story choices up for speculation.

So, in no particular order, here are six questions we are dying to have answered.

But first, a word from our sponsors:

Warning, major spoilers ahead for Avengers: Infinity War.

6. Why are some of the heroes MIA?

When the ever-increasing cast list of Infinity War was announced, fans and critics alike were astounded by the audacity of the venture. But, with the release of the final promotional material, fans noticed that a number of characters were conspicuously missing. Clint Barton/ Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Scott Lang/Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) and Hope van Dyne/the new Wasp (Evangeline Lilly) did not feature anywhere, and despite the reassurances of directors Anthony and Joe Russo, consternation about the state of these characters continued.

And, rightly so. None of these characters show up in Infinity War. When Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) pointedly asks after Clint, he is informed that both Clint and Scott have retired to ensure their families’ safety. And then they proceed to not show up at all during the course of the entire film. Clint and Scott turned up just in time for the Captain America: Civil War shenanigans, but viewers weren’t so lucky this time around.

The Russo brothers have suggested that Clint is off on his own journey somewhere (Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi had said something similar about Jaimie Alexander’s Lady Sif when scheduling conflicts prevented her from starring in the final Thor film). Now, we know that Ant-Man and the Wasp are going to be saving the world later this year, but given what goes down at the end of Infinity War could we presume that the events of that film take place prior to this one? And will characters from that story also be affected by Thanos’ win here?

Other AWOL characters include the aforementioned Lady Sif (how is she still on a mission so far removed from this war?), as well as Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie. The opening scenes of this film see Thanos and his children ripping apart the Asgardian refugee ship – everyone Thor (Chris Hemsworth) loves is killed in front of him, but Valkyrie is not seen nor mentioned once. Can we assume that she’s taken the surviving half of the Asgardians to safety and will be back in Avengers 4 to take on Thanos with the remaining Avengers? One can hope.

5. Does the Hulk know something we don’t?

Much of Bruce Banner’s arc in Ragnarok was about coming to terms with having lost control of the Hulk for over two years. He explains that they each have always had one hand on the wheel, allowing for an easy transformation. His fear is that he will be lost forever if he "Hulks out" again. Much of the second half of the film deals with him battling with the realization that another transformation could mean the end of his human side. The first 10 minutes of ‘Infinity War’ paid attention to that concern, and then some. After a quick defeat at the hands of Thanos onboard the Asgardian ship, Hulk is transported to Earth by a dying Heimdall (Idris Elba) and turns back to Bruce.

As Bruce informs Dr. Strange and Wong (Benedict Cumberbatch and Benedict Wong, respectively) of the threat of Thanos, they team up with Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) to battle two of Thanos’ children. The only trouble is, every time Bruce tries to summon the Hulk, the green monster resists and later outright refuses. Bruce’s habitual conversations with the Hulk leave him and the audience none the wiser.

All of which makes one wonder if the Hulk is doing this on purpose. Having already been at the receiving end of an altercation with Thanos, perhaps the Hulk knows better than to be on the frontlines again. Or perhaps, the Hulk knows who Thor’s favourite is and decides to hibernate instead?

4. Is this the Vision you’re looking for?

Paul Bettany’s Vision is undoubtedly the strongest member of the MCU’s Avengers team. I know Tony’s quinjet said it’s Bruce, but that jet is 3-years-old and he hadn’t got to know Vision well enough by then. So, how come Vision is virtually powerless for the majority of this film? We knew that Vision would play a vital role in the plot since he is created and powered by the Mind stone—the trailers had also shown him prone and at the mercy of Thanos’ Black Order as they tried to pry the stone from his head. That incident takes place nearer the beginning of the film, and Vision ends up badly injured during it. Somehow, Corvus Glaive (Michael Shaw) has a blade that prevents Vision from phasing. How is that possible?

If a creature is able to wield a weapon this powerful, wouldn’t he be up to far more mischief than being Thanos’ henchman? Corvus doesn’t even get as much screen time as the chief-of-exposition Ebony Maw (Tom Vaughan-Lawlor), which is poor people management on Thanos’ part, because Corvus’ blade would have made quick work of Tony’s Iron Man suit in the first Earth battle, thereby reducing Thanos’ workload by half.

But, I digress. Fact is, Vision is incapacitated for the majority of the film, which baffles me because he is literally powered by an Infinity Stone and should be able to heal himself in no time, but somehow the blade interferes with his internal workings. If nothing else, Wanda’s (Elizabeth Olsen) ability to manipulate probability (though not to the degree she can in the comics) could have been used to heal him—but that isn’t mentioned either. I am so curious to know how it all adds up because if there isn’t a good reasoning behind it all, we can only surmise that Vision was reduced to a MacGuffin in the script for plot reasons—and that’s just lazy writing, people.

3. Thanks for Nothing, Thor and Dr Strange

Speaking of MacGuffins, Thor’s entire arc is about regaining a weapon of choice, this time the Stormbreaker axe, that he refers to as the Thanos-killer. It takes a fair amount out of him to have it forged, with the help of giant dwarf Eitri (Peter Dinklage). With the Stormbreaker by his side, Thor is a formidable force in the battle in Wakanda.

Except, when Thor finally does confront Thanos with the Stormbreaker, it makes nary a dent on the guy. Thanos is momentarily weakened, but he still has the wherewithal to belittle Thor, and worse… to use the Infinity Gauntlet and decimate half the galaxy. So, what exactly was the point of Thor wasting so much time and effort on the axe, if the end result remained the same? He might as well have conjured his new lightning power to fry Thanos and slow him down.

Of course, Thor would not have been put in that position was it not for Dr. Strange. Strange, after being rescued by Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland) and Tony, categorically states that nothing will stop him from protecting the Time stone which resides in the Eye of Agamotto that hangs around his neck, not even if Peter or Tony end up in dire straits.

Yet, when Tony is impaled by Thanos and awaiting the killing blow, Strange gives up the stone, telling Tony that it was "the only way." From all the possible outcomes the Sorcerer Supreme foresaw, allowing Thanos to capture all the stones and finally use the Gauntlet was the only way the Avengers could win? Does that even make sense?

Of course, as soon as Thanos acquires the Time stone, he quickly reverses Wanda’s efforts to extract the Mind stone from Vision. This was a particularly heartbreaking moment in the film; Wanda’s formidable skills at altering probability make her power limitless and the only person able to destroy an Infinity Stone. She successfully kills her partner and is still recovering from the emotional toll when Thanos turns back time and gets the Mind stone anyway. Talk about a double whammy. Vision and Wanda deserved better, so here’s hoping Dr. Strange knew what he was doing when he surrendered the Time stone.

2. How Does Thanos Choose Whom to Kill?

Everyone knew that Avengers: Infinity War was going to turn the tide for the franchise. Fans and casual viewers alike deliberated over the possible culling we would witness during the film. Most of the original Avengers’ acting contracts are expiring or have expired, so plenty of blood would be shed. But, the Russo brothers and writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely left the shockers to the end.

In the first five minutes of the film, Heimdall and Loki (Tom Hiddleston) meet their demise at the hands of Thanos. Halfway through the film, Thanos sacrifices Gamora (Zoe Saldana) to retrieve the Soul Stone—this will come as a surprise to many.

But the biggest shock awaits audiences in the final moments of the film. Thanos, having wielded the power of the Infinity Gauntlet, disappears to a relaxing, verdant planet. At first, the audience and the heroes are unsure whether the Gauntlet has worked, but then…

On Earth, a confused Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) turns to the panicked voice of Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), only to watch Bucky fade away. Soon, other heroes follow the same fate. Groot (Vin Diesel) disappears as a helpless Rocket (Bradley Cooper) watches; Sam Wilson/The Falcon (Anthony Mackie) vanishes just before James Rhodes/War Machine (Don Cheadle) calls out to him; Wanda, still holding onto Vision’s inert form, fades. Many Wakandan soldiers follow suit; worse still, as T’Challa/Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) reaches out to Okoye (Danai Gurira), he disappears too. On Titan, Tony and Nebula (Karen Gillan) watch as all the Guardians vanish, as does Dr. Strange. The bitter icing on the cake is Peter Parker’s frightened realisation that he’s going to die as well. He struggles with his fate in Tony’s arms, as Tony looks on in impotent desperation.

Later, in the post-credits scene, Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson) and Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) are also wiped out.

This is not what we were expecting, but it is a bold move by the Russo Brothers. Having said that, I am still curious to know how Thanos chose his victims. Thor mentions that Thanos killed half the Asgardians on his ship—which half? In a flashback, we see Thanos raiding Gamora’s home planet and dividing up the survivors. What we think will be mass genocide is actually worse. When Thanos instructs his troops to fire, only one side takes aim—the others leave the residents alive.

But, with no clear division on Earth or Titan, it is difficult to fathom why certain heroes were killed. From an audience standpoint, it appears that—among the heroes, at least—only the phase one heroes, including the original Avengers, survived, as well as the cybernetically-enhanced Nebula and Rocket. Of the other Wakandan soldiers and Dora Milaje, who knows what the randomizer calculated!

Regular folk were also decimated, as we see in the post-credit scene, so what does that mean for all the people who were off-screen? Is Shuri (Letitia Wright) still alive? What about Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), who didn’t feature in this film; or Ned (Jacob Batalon), who did? What became of Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), Wong, Hawkeye, et al? Hopefully, Avengers 4 will have a valid explanation for all this.

1. What have you been up to, Nick?

For the first time in a long time, we don’t get a mid-credits scene in a Marvel film. This was obviously a tactical move by the Russos, who didn’t want to cram in too much information into an already overstuffed film, while also allowing audiences to dwell on what had come before. But, they do include a post-credits scene, one which re-introduces a character who has been missing for far too long. Nick Fury was on the run after the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but still managed to get his hands on a S.H.I.E.L.D. quinjet in Avengers: Age of Ultron in time to save the Sokovians. Ever since then, he has not featured in any of the subsequent films or television shows and no one has mentioned him.

Until now. We see him and Maria Hill (who has also been M.I.A.) driving along analysing data, before an errant car crashes into them. As they are about to investigate, Maria starts disappearing. Realising the gravity of their situation, Nick begins sending a message. He disappears just as he hits send and the message is transmitted.

We will come to the recipient of the message in a moment, but I have to ask, where have Nick and Maria been? I am certain the nonsense that was the Sokovia Accords—and its aftermath—could have been avoided had the cool heads of Nick and Maria been consulted. If these two are still part of some underground S.H.I.E.L.D. agency, then they should have been on hand to investigate the crash in Spider-Man: Homecoming, the Yellowjacket attack in Ant-Man, maybe even the Kaecilius madness in Dr. Strange. What about helping out Black Panther as Klaue was busy tearing apart Seoul and attempting to murder CIA agent Everett K. Ross (Martin Freeman)?

Given scheduling conflicts and the number of writers and directors on board, it is understandable that continuity errors will creep in. But, Nick Fury has been a glaring omission. Somehow, bringing him back as a plot device just seems to make the situation worse.

Speaking of plot devices, Nick’s sole reason for being in this film is to contact someone more powerful to help. Once he transmits his message via pager (a pager, really?), all we see is a red and blue logo—the iconic insignia of Captain Marvel.

Marvel’s first solo film with a female hero has been announced for March 2019, two months prior to the release of Avengers 4. This can mean only one thing; Captain Marvel is coming to save the day. But where has she been?

Her solo outing will supposedly be set in the 1990s, which means her character has been around for 30-odd MCU years by the time Infinity War takes place—so why is she AWOL? We will only find out next year, but fingers crossed we do not get a confused and conflicting arc for her like the one we have for DCEU’s Wonder Woman (we blame Justice League for that).

What does it all mean? Won’t somebody please tell us? I suppose we will have to wait until 2019’s Untitled Avengers Movie to explain. Until then, let’s speculate.

Which questions do you have after watching ‘Avengers: Infinity War’?