The Marvel Cinematic Universe is often accused of adhering to a familiar cookie-cutter formula, but that’s not always the case. While this may be true of the MCU’s archetypal solo movies, the ensemble team-ups have explored a new kind of franchise crossover and, with it, pioneered a new kind of blockbuster storytelling.
The first movie that took full advantage of the MCU’s crossover potential was Avengers threequel also broke a few conventions.
Sticks To The Marvel Formula
Big Superhero Ensemble
Superhero team-ups are the MCU’s bread and butter. The Avengers was the movie that pulled the whole franchise together and Spider-Man: No Way Home teamed up three versions of the same superhero from his cinematic history.
Combining just about every major hero from the Infinity Saga (except for Ant-Man and Hawkeye, who returned in Endgame), Infinity War is the ultimate superhero team-up.
Secondary Villains
MCU movies rarely have just one villain. backed up by the Death Dealer.
In Infinity War, the Mad Titan is backed up by a group of sycophants – the Black Order – whose presence pads out the runtime. These side villains build up a mystique around their cult leader, Thanos.
Magical MacGuffin
The films of the MCU often have a classic MacGuffin sought by the hero (or villain). In Infinity War, Thanos is searching the universe for a grand total of six magical MacGuffins: the Infinity Stones.
Some of these MacGuffins had been MacGuffins in previous MCU movies: the Space Stone was “The Tesseract” in The Avengers, the Reality Stone was “The Aether” in Thor: The Dark World, and the Power Stone was “The Orb” in Guardians of the Galaxy.
Faceless Army Of Goons
The final battles of Marvel epics are often criticized for their armies of inhuman henchmen who create spectacle without adding substance. When the Black Order attacks Wakanda, they bring footsoldiers from a mindless species called the “Outriders.”
Just like the Chitauri or Ultron’s army of cyborgs, the Outriders are faceless goons that beef up the final battle without making an emotional connection to the audience.
Post-Credits Scene
Every time Marvel Studios releases a new superhero blockbuster, audiences sit patiently through the scrolling names of countless VFX artists to see the post-credits stinger that the filmmakers have in store.
After the closing credits of Infinity War, Nick Fury and Maria Hill both turn to dust in the wake of Thanos’ finger-snap. In his final moments, Fury pages his last-resort Avengers recruit: Captain Marvel.
Deviates From The Marvel Formula
The Villain Is The Central Protagonist
The storytelling of Infinity War jumps from hero to hero, from Iron Man to Doctor Strange to Spider-Man to the Guardians of the Galaxy to the post-Sokovia Accords vigilante group dubbed the “Secret Avengers.”
Marvel typically tells its stories directly from the heroes’ perspective, but in Infinity War, Thanos takes the spotlight as the heroes come on and off his radar. It’s rare that an MCU story is told from the perspective of the villain, but Josh Brolin’s performance made Infinity War’s Thanos a surprisingly sympathetic figure.
Avoiding A Typical Team-Up
The MCU usually doesn’t miss an opportunity for a team-up, but the franchise avoided one in Infinity War to hammer home the aftermath of the Avengers’ explosive breakup in Captain America: Civil War.
Even when a cosmic overlord threatens the entire universe, Tony Stark can’t bring himself to call Steve Rogers for help. So, both sides try to stop the Mad Titan on their own, and since they’re not working together, they fail miserably.
Nonlinear Storytelling
Since Quentin Tarantino has never made a Marvel movie, the MCU tends to tell its stories in a linear fashion (this happens, then this happens, then this happens, then this is how it ends).
Infinity War marks one of the rare times that Marvel Studios has explored a nonlinear narrative structure. The movie charts Thanos’ life story with key events like his adoption of Gamora (after wiping out everybody else on her planet) expressed in flashbacks.
Two Final Battles
Like the majority of the films in the MCU, Infinity War culminates in a big climactic battle sequence. But whereas Marvel movies usually have just one final battle, Infinity War shakes up the formula by cross-cutting between two final battles: the Battle of Titan and the Battle of Wakanda.
Steve Rogers leads one batch of Avengers into battle with the Black Order, while Tony Stark leads another batch of Avengers into battle with Thanos himself among the ruins of the Mad Titan’s home planet.
Evil Triumphs Over Good
The biggest way that Infinity War subverts the expectations of Marvel movies is its downer ending. The MCU usually tells stories in which good triumphs over evil and the heroes defeat the bad guys.
In Infinity War, the Avengers lose. The villain goes through with his diabolical plan, exacts the final stages of that plan, and disappears through a portal to leave Earth’s Mightiest Heroes caught within the dire consequences of their failure. This downbeat finale has been compared to The Empire Strikes Back.
