While « Infinity War » is hardly the end of an era, it’s an undeniable turning point with Marvel Studios looking to the future.
Thor no longer has his beloved long locks.
Marvel
» Avengers: Infinity War » is 10 years (and 18 movies) in the making, pitting Earth’s Mightiest Heroes against the universe’s most capable enemy, Thanos. Heroes have risen and fallen, villains have come, gone, and changed allegiances, and audiences have yet to feel exhausted by the sheer magnitude of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s ambitious undertaking. While « Infinity War » is hardly the end of an era, it’s an undeniable turning point, with Marvel Studios looking to the future. Naturally, that makes it a perfect opportunity to reflect on the past.
When the Avengers face off against Thanos and his merry band of monsters, they’ll have had a decade to prepare. As Tony Stark points out in the trailer, they have the upper hand with the fight being brought to Earth, but that’s not to say the challenge won’t be bigger than anything they’ve ever experienced.
Before the gloves are off (which is kind of an ironic saying, given the circumstances surrounding Thanos’ Infinity Gauntlet), let’s take a look at the where all of « Infinity War’s » major players started from.
After all, audiences may be saying goodbye to some of them for good, so when else would there be a better time for nostalgia?
By the time « Infinity War » rolls around, Tony Stark will have gone from a « genius, billionaire, playboy philanthropist » t o a dispirited superhero dancing to the tune of his own looming swan song.
During his entire character arc through seven movies, Tony has proven his capacity for selflessness, transitioning from someone born with a gold-plated spoon in his mouth to someone willing to give his life for a bigger cause. His relationship with physical villains aside, moral conflict has been Tony’s greatest challenge, going so far as to do battle with his partner and friend, Steve Rogers.
While there’s no telling what his fate will be by the end of « Infinity War, » the fate of the first official star in the MCU may ultimately prove just how much he is willing to give once Thanos enters the ring.
Wanda Maximoff (aka Scarlet Witch) has also experienced quite an extensive evolution in terms of her personality, values, allegiance, and style. She made her debut in the mid-credits sting for » Captain America: The Winter Soldier, » alongside her brother Pietro (aka Quicksilver). In the scene, the siblings are locked up in their own private cells, displaying their brand new powers (reality alteration and superhuman speed, respectively).
Once « Infinity War » comes around, not only has she suffered the loss of her brother, but Wanda is a full-fledged Avenger, turning her back on HYDRA (who she only aligned with in hopes that she could seek justice), and preparing to risk her life for the sake of the entire universe.
Like the rest of Team Cap, Wanda’s hair has been changed in « Infinity War, seemingly in an attempt to hide from the authorities.
One of the more complicated characters in the MCU, Loki hit the ground running in his quest for vengeance. First showing up in » Thor » (starring in a movie named after the brother he’s jealous of is just adding insult to injury), Loki made all the wrong moves, which inevitably led to his villainous status. Where every member of the Avengers accepted whatever odds were against them and still fought for the greater good, Loki pursued power — going so far as to form an allegiance with Thanos himself.
In » Thor: Ragnarok, » after finally making up for his awful behavior by helping his brother defeat Hela, he still manages to undo his glimmer of good behavior by stealing the Tesseract (aka the Space Stone), simply making it that much easier for Thanos to complete Mission: Stone Hunt.
Before HYDRA transformed him into the Winter Soldier, Bucky Barnes was — to steal a quote from his lifelong friend Steve Rogers — « just a kid from Brooklyn. » Unfortunately, after fighting side-by-side with Steve (aka Captain America), he fell to his presumed death and disappeared. Cue a century of agony and violence.
Once « Infinity War’s » action is underway, Bucky finds himself on the front lines, doing as soldiers do. At this point in time, he’s been forgiven for the countless deaths he involuntarily caused, though it’s unclear how exactly his and Tony Stark’s reunion will play out — assuming it even happens in the first place.
As far as changes go, Bucky was one of the biggest, evolving from a clean-cut man in 1942 named James Buchanan Barnes to a brainwashed assassin called the Winter Soldier, and finally to a shaggy Avenger called White Wolf.
Though Mark Ruffalo never got the chance to pilot his own standalone film centered on Bruce Banner and the Hulk, the big green guy did get his own movie. It was the second entry in the MCU, following « Iron Man. » Instead of Ruffalo donning the trademark purple pants, Banner was played by Edward Norton.
Actor changes aside, Banner has made quite a leap from his role in » The Incredible Hulk . » He’s battled mental illness, acceptance, self-control, and identity; and by the time he shows up in « Thor: Ragnarok, » after disappearing for two years, Banner and the big guy have learned to accept each other (or they’ve at least considered it).
Once « Infinity War » rolls around, Banner is back on Earth, seemingly a bit more confident in allowing his inner green giant to come out and play when the occasion calls for it.
When Natasha Romanoff (aka Black Widow) made her on-screen debut in « Iron Man 2, » she was very much positioned as a sidekick. She proved that she could handle herself in a fight, but it wasn’t until » The Avengers » that she really got to explore her character, ultimately positioning herself as a key player in the MCU.
That said, given the events of « Civil War, » and how she ended up switching sides in the end, Romanoff is joining Cap and Co. on their run from Johnny Law. In « Infinity War, » she’s even dyed her hair, presumably to better evade detection. She’s going back to her roots (which is to say, she’s going undercover), but she’ll be coming out of the shadows once the fight against Thanos picks up steam.
When audiences first met Thor, he wasn’t worthy. In fact, he was so unworthy of the path his bloodline set him on that his father, Odin, cast him out of his kingdom, banishing him to Earth. From there, Thor’s journey has been especially epic. He’s embarked on interplanetary adventures, fought the goddess of death, and even lost his eye — which have all humbled him immensely, oddly enough.
During the mid-credits sting in « Thor: Ragnarok, » Thor’s ship is greeted by Thanos’ ship, and though it’s unclear how exactly events unfold shortly thereafter, the Comic-Con trailer for « Infinity War » showed Thor floating through space. Odds are Thanos sucker-punches him into said unfortunate position, prefacing his journey for the rest of the film.
When T’Challa made his MCU debut in Avengers 2.5 (aka » Captain America: Civil War « ), he shared the same disadvantage that characters like Black Widow and Bruce Banner dealt with in their respective debuts: not being introduced in his own standalone movie.
What’s more is that his alter ego debuted amid tragic circumstances, limited dialogue, and in the company of essentially the entire MCU. That said, though, he still ended up stealing the show.
T’Challa proved to audiences that not only was it time to add Black Panther into the mix, but that Chadwick Boseman was the man to play him. Just a year later, he’d star in his own standalone movie, only to follow it up two months later with « Infinity War. » New though he may be to the Marvel cinematic family, he easily climbed the ranks to fan-favorite status.
Technically speaking, actor Paul Bettany was part of the MCU from the very beginning, starring in » Iron Man « as the voice of JARVIS. However, things didn’t get physical until » Avengers: Age of Ultron, » when he was brought to life as Vision.
Powered by the Mind Stone and fleshed out with synthetic vibranium (like Captain America’s shield and Black Panther’s suit), Vision was intended to be the final phase of Ultron’s evolution until the Avengers thwart his plan.
In « Civil War, » Vision showed signs of being more than a operating system, and in « Infinity War, » he goes so far as to physically take the shape of a human. Whether he’ll survive Thanos’ inevitable Infinity Stone extraction — which gets a sneak peek in the trailer — is the big mystery.
Colonel James Rupert Rhodes (Rhodey to his friends) was one of the first characters introduced in the MCU back in 2008’s « Iron Man.
