Superhero Media: Avengers Infinity War

Part of me just wants to write "fuck yeah this was awesome!" and leave it at that, but as time moves away from the pop culture "moment" that was Avengers Infinity War, the discourse around the film has become so polarised that I feel I have to say something. Even if you're not a person who enjoys the Marvel Cinematic Universe films, or superhero films in general, you have to acknowledge that Infinity War is a momentous achievement, the culmination of 18 previous films in a sequence of serial storytelling pretty much never before attempted by a major studio. Given how Marvel Studios practically bent over backwards to make all of the films accessible to a broader audience, I don't feel that Infinity War being "for the fans" is all that big a crime, and if you were a fan watching it opening week and seeing the ending, it was a powerful moment and one not soon forgotten. Watching the film again for this article, I experienced a lot of the same emotions as the first time I saw it, but will admit some slight tainting of those responses when I considered it in the light of Alt-Right Thanos Stans, the narrative of abuse as love and even Endgame and how that changes the function of Infinity War. 

Man, don't you wish you lived in a world where talking about a superhero fight movie didn't have to involve Internet Nazis clamoring that Thanos, one of the biggest bad guys in comics history, had a point, actually? His name is literally Death! Sadly, these days seeing someone post a "Thanos was right!" meme means they may actually be in favour of ethnic cleansing, rather than just being an immature shitbag looking to start a fight for fun. The message that Thanos is a selfish person who can't see past his own hubris is made plain with a single line of dialog; "I finally rest. And watch the sun rise on a grateful universe. The hardest choices require the strongest wills." Thanos cannot conceive that his actions can possibly be harmful for him, personally, which is why he takes his sacrifice of Gamora for the Soul Stone so hard. Thanos assumes he'll be fine, so has no problem making other people take risks for him. Hell, if he'd been a little less impatient, he could have gone to Earth himself and not lost The Black Order. This isn't secret film graduate and/or comic fan knowledge, this is the literal text of the film. Want it more obvious? Captain America fought the Nazis in WWII and now he's fighting Thanos at personal risk to his own freedom. 

A few, brilliant, critical pieces, most notably from "Movies with Mikey" (YouTube) addressed the issue that Thanos has a clearly abusive relationship with Gamora, who he considers his daughter and someone he "loves". There is a very real issue that little is done to resolve this representation, and it can be read as legitimising family violence. Now, I really can't disagree with that reading, it's valid and I really hope anyone in an abusive family situation wasn't too badly traumatised by seeing it in their favourite superhero film. Thing is, and this is my final serious point before I get to the fun stuff, promise, the resolution of this abuse and how it is a thing that cannot be tolerated does come, only in Endgame, three whole films later. Now, that probably isn't ideal, in a objective viewing of the films, but the world in which Infinity War existed without Endgame also existing lasted only 12 months. For all the impact, good and bad, which Infinity War had, it only existed as a stand-alone film (of a sort) for one year. The only way in which I can experience the feelings of watching Infinity War for the first time is to do so vicariously, through others that aren't aware of the whole story, because I already know what is coming in Endgame and beyond. 

Ok, despite the, occasionally toxic, discourse around Infinity War, I fucking love this film. It's a series of brilliant moments strung together by a fight narrative that culminates in a series of emotional gut punches, but somehow it comes together and is amazing to watch. This article could have easily just been a list of awesome moments from the film and it still would have been completely honest. Peter getting the Iron Spider armour. Iron Man facing down Thanos. Captain America pushing back the Infinity Gauntlet. Scarlet Witch and Vision being in a relationship. Scarlet Witch having to kill the love of her life, only to watch it be undone and him being murdered in front of her. Surly teenage Groot finally standing for something and becoming part of Stormbreaker. Thor, Rocket and Groot arriving in Wakanda and Bruce Banner saying "You guys are so screwed!" Bruce being shocked that there is both a Spider-Man and an Ant-Man. The fact that Thor studied Groot as a language elective at university. The new, even more punched-up "Avengers" theme that slips into minor key for the credits. The hype is real, Infinity War is amazing, and probably always will be.