Infinity War's Cliffhanger Was VERY Different In The Comics

The cliffhanger ending of MCU movies may operate as part of a shared universe, they're also expected to stand as complete stories in their own right.

This also leads to changes in the source material, which can be seen clearly with Avengers: Infinity War, which ostensibly adapts Jim Starlin's Infinity Gauntlet miniseries from 1991; it likewise dealt with Earth's Mightiest Heroes trying to stop an Infinity Gauntlet-wielding Thanos. Crucially, it features the Mad Titan wiping out half the life in the universe with a snap of his fingers. But as similar as that may seem, it's actually a story of two snaps.

This Page: Thanos' Motives Are Totally Different In Avengers: Infinity War

Thanos's Motives Have Changed

The core difference between the MCU story and Infinity Gauntlet is actually Thanos's role and motivations. In the comics, Thanos has an obsessive infatuation with half the life in the universe as an offering of love.

This contrasts sharply with the Thanos of the MCU. No lovesick lunatic, the MCU's Thanos is the ultimate Malthusian. He's a philosopher who actually believes he's fighting for life. In Thanos's twisted philosophy, population growth across the universe is outstripping the cosmos's natural resources. It's a scenario Thanos has seen play out before, on his homeworld of Titan, where explosive growth in population actually led to an extinction-led event. This version of Thanos believes he is the only one who can save life in the universe, and the only way to do it is by sharply cutting population numbers; he calls it " universe". The logic is insane, but it means Thanos truly sees himself as a hero. He doesn't believe he's cursing the universe; rather, he believes he's saving it.

It's crucial to understand this difference because this changed motive leads to a very different story. Infinity Gauntlet was the tale of a man who had gained cosmic power and of a handful of heroes' desperate attempts to stop him. In a strange, disturbing way, Infinity War posits the villain as a hero in his own right.

Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War snapping with his fingers

Thanos' Snap Isn't A Cliffhanger In The Comics

The a cliffhanger ending, there's a sense in which this is the inciting incident, the "call to arms" for the heroes.

In Infinity War, however, the finger-snap is Thanos's explicit goal. As a result, the film's plot is essentially a twisted version of Campbell's "Hero's Journey," building up to a dramatic cliffhanger moment in which Thanos finally does the deed. The action is signposted and foreshadowed throughout the film, as the Mad Titan attempts to acquire the Infinity Stones. And it's actually possible to care for this version of Thanos, to have a disturbing sense of sympathy for him; he sacrifices so much in order, he believes, to save the universe.

They're very different portrayals. While both the comics and the MCU incorporate the idea of the finger snap, they set it against such a very different context, and as a result have it happen in a remarkably different way.

The Movies And Comics Kill Half The Universe In Very Different Ways

Finally, you have the actual erasure itself - as beings flicker out of existence across the universe. Jim Starlin's Infinity Gauntlet #1 actually devotes 12 pages to this. It starts with a ground-level superhero, Spider-Man, who is staring down at a busy street at the moment half the people there vanish. From there, Starlin's plot does a whistle-stop tour of the Marvel Universe, visiting Captain America, the Eternals of Titan, and even the companions of Adam Warlock. Almost half the first issue is devoted to this.

Contrast this with Infinity War, where the actual erasure only occupies the last few minutes of the film. The main body of the movie really only focuses in on the impact in Wakanda and on Titan, and we see a number of key superheroes dies. In of visual effects, it's actually far more satisfying than the concept in Infinity Gauntlet. The miniseries saw people fade out of existence, while the movie has a much more dramatic effect; their bodies seem to literally collapse into dust. It's beautifully done, evoking the old saying, "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust."

Ironically, it falls to Captain Marvel, of course).

Why Infinity Gauntlet And Infinity War Are Different

Avengers Infinity War Thanos and Gauntlet Finger Snap

It's interesting to see the different approaches deployed by Jim Starlin and the Russo brothers. For Starlin, the first priority was grounding the tragedy in the everyday; he wanted readers to feel that this was happening in "the world outside their windows". As a result, the first hero he goes to is Spider-Man, who watches as crowded streets become half-empty.

In contrast, the Russo brothers mostly concern themselves with showing Even Xandar has been destroyed.

As different as they are, both the Infinity Gauntlet miniseries and the Avengers: Infinity War event movie view this cosmic act as the first chapter in a story that will be continued. In Starlin's comic, it was the inciting incident for the rest of the miniseries. In the Russos' film, it set the scene for the as-yet-untitled Avengers 4, which will surely see Earth's Surviving Heroes strive to undo what Thanos has done.