The Marvel Cinematic Universe has spent 10 years building up one the most complex and intricate story arcs ever to be seen on film. April 27th will mark the global release of part one of this story’s epic two-part climax - Avengers: Infinity War. Very little is known about the film, even the cast weren’t allowed to read the entire script to avoid the leaking of any spoilers. However, with a speculated budget of half a billion dollars (the highest of any film ever made), the film is surely going to be a revolution in cinema.

But what do we know about Avengers: Infinity War?

1. There are 76 Characters


In a recent interview with Postmedia Network, Chris Hemsworth stated ‘This is one of the biggest things in film history and to be a part of it was incredible… There are 76 cast members or something like that.’

Now, this isn’t including extras or anything like that - this means we are about to see a film with 76 characters from the MCU that we have been introduced to over 18 films. The sheer scale of this film is almost impossible to comprehend.

2. No-one is safe

Some of these 76 characters we have come to know and love over the past 10 years are going to die. I’m sorry to break the news if you weren’t already aware. 

Now, I don’t mean this in the way that some heroes have ‘died’ but have somehow managed to make a comeback. The directors, The Russo brothers, have stated on their Twitter that characters will die in Infinity War and when they do, they will be gone for real.

And for those of you who think, ‘well they never really kill off the main characters in films, so it’ll probably be the minor characters that die’ - I have some bad news for you.

Firstly, many of the actors' contracts with Marvel are coming to a close and secondly, the writers of the script confirmed that Marvel Studios gave them full license to kill off anyone they wanted. Anyone. 



So for those of who have complained that Marvel’s films have had relatively low stakes up to now and that the heroes always end up winning so it’s not worth watching… be careful what you wish for.

3. Thor & Thanos are important

With such a phenomenally large cast, it’s inevitable that some characters are going to get more screen time than others. However, the Russo brothers have confirmed the names of the two characters that have the most screen time in Infinity War: Thor and Thanos.

While this doesn’t give away much about the story, multiple sources are reporting that Thor undergoes a transformation that is just as character-defining as he does in Thor: Ragnarok. Expect the God of Thunder to play a significant role in the events that unfold.

But don’t worry if your favourite hero doesn’t get much time on the big stage in this film, The Russo brothers have also said that characters that may not have had a lot to do in part one, will take centre stage in part two (if they manage to survive part one that is)! 


4. A compelling villain

A popular critique of the superhero genre is that the villains are often 2 dimensional and boring.

It looks like Marvel has set out to explicitly address this issue with Thanos. 

It turns out Thanos is one of the characters with the most screen time because Marvel wanted to ensure he was a fully developed character with a backstory, an intriguing psychology and a clear motivation.

Joe Russo has been quoted as saying ‘Thanos has an incredible amount of screen time in this film and in a lot of ways I would say it’s his movie’.

The popularity of MJB’s Killmonger in Black Panther shows that having a villain whose motivation is clear for audiences makes the experience that much more enjoyable and we can expect to see more of the same on April 27th.

5. Avengers 4

Although Infinity War is chapter one of two in the MCU’s climax, the Russo’s made it clear very early on that they didn’t want the story to be unresolved at the end and force audiences to wait a year to find out what happens. 

Avengers: Infinity War and The Untitled Avengers 4 will undoubtedly be chapters in the same story but each film will feel totally different in tonality and story and will be able to work as stand-alone features.

The MCU is bound to be shaken up after the events of Infinity War and we can only speculate as to what Avengers 4 will consist of but the Russo’s once again made the stakes clear when they tweeted this…

I’m excited and terrified in equal measure. Check out the trailer for Infinity War below:

Hero source