Avengers: Infinity War and its sequel, the currently untitled Avengers 4, form the finale of the Marvel Cinematic Universe thus far. Together they contain every Marvel hero fighting against an unimaginable force of evil. While there will be more movies to come, the departure of Captain America actor Chris Evans (and probably others) following this movie place it in a unique space. As the climax of everything to come so far and the likely final act for many key heroes, it is not just a celebration of Marvel Studios, but a conclusion for an epic journey that began with Iron Man.
While we all have to wait one more year to see Avengers 4, everything we need to know about the core themes of these films is spelled out in Avengers: Infinity War. A close reading of the movie reveals its morality and a thesis for the collective films of Marvel over the past decade.
SPOILERS AHEAD: This is your definitive spoilers tag with plenty of bolded words to make it impossible to miss. If you have not seen Avengers: Infinity War and do not want to have the ending (and many other details) spoiled, stop reading now. Last warning.
“We’re in the Endgame Now”
Understanding the morality of Avengers: Infinity War is predicated on an understanding that everything has gone as well as it possibly could. That might seem impossible given the terrifying cliffhanger in which half of all sentient life is wiped from the face of the universe. How could this outcome be considered in any way good? The movie states that it is.
Before he is killed in Thanos’ terrible genocide, Doctor Strange does two very important things. First, he looks into the future and sees a scenario in which Thanos is defeated. That means he is not only aware that the possibility exists, but he knows what must happen in order for it to occur. This is critical context for understanding his final words. After Doctor Strange surrenders the Time Stone in order to save Iron Man, he states, “We’re in the endgame now.” There is never an opportunity to explain why he has done this or what he means. A few minutes later Thanos seizes the Mind Stone and completes the Infinity Gauntlet (primarily because of his possession of the Time Stone), and Doctor Strange is killed. However, before he fades to dust, Strange says something very important, “There was no other way.”
Based on Strange’s foreknowledge, audiences must assume that every action he took was to ensure victory. His final words suggest that the surviving heroes are still living in the single timeline of 14 million where they eventually succeed. It’s not just an assumption based on knowing that more Marvel Studios movies are planned; the movie actually tells us that things are going as well as they possibly could. Based on this every success or failure has to be interpreted as the best possible outcome.
You Can’t Negotiate With Evil
Given that context, it’s worth reexamining the most notable failures to occur throughout Avengers: Infinity War. Knowing that Strange died in the best possible timeline, these failures all resulted in a better outcome than success would have, which puts the definition of “success” in question.
The first major failure exists when Star-Lord attempts to kill Gamora to protect the location of the Soul Stone. At her request, he pulls the trigger on his gun only to see bubbles appear. He fails to execute the woman he loves due to the effects of Thanos’ Reality Stone stopping him. Star-Lord faces a second failure when he responds to Gamora’s death by punching Thanos and seemingly ending any chance of seizing the Infinity Gauntlet.
Two more failures occur in more passive terms. Gamora reveals the location of the Soul Stone to Thanos in order to save her sister Nebula. While she believes that Thanos cannot make the sacrifice necessary to take the stone, she is proven wrong in the most brutal manner imaginable. Doctor Strange relinquishes the Time Stone in order to save Iron Man, actively aiding him in the completion of the Infinity Gauntlet. Each of these heroes aid Thanos in order to save a single life.
The final major failure is very similar to the first, occurring between another romantic duo: Scarlet Witch and The Vision. Scarlet Witch seemingly murders her significant other, again at his request, to stop Thanos from seizing the Mind Stone. That doesn’t last as Thanos uses the Time Stone to rewind time and seize the Stone anyway.
Saving Lives Is What Heroes Do
Each of these “failures” share a common thread: heroes fail to kill someone. In the case of Scarlet Witch and Star-Lord, they are prevented from actively killing a loved one. In the case of Doctor Strange and Gamora, they aid the villain to protect someone else instead of passively permitting their death. Each of these moments create the one timeline in which Thanos can be defeated though, suggesting that these are the best possible outcomes and delivering a moral verdict on each moment.
When Scarlet Witch and Star-Lord attempted to kill someone and were prevented from doing so, they were making the wrong choice. When Doctor Strange and Gamora did whatever they could to save someone, they were making the correct choice. This is the essential moral logic of Avengers: Infinity War and the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. Cherishing and protecting life, even a single life, is worth any cost.
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This isn’t an uncontroversial assertion either. It lies at the heart of the civil war between the heroes. When Captain America was confronted with a choice between protecting his best friend and serving the “greater good” as posed by the Sokovia Accords and Tony Stark, he chose to protect a single life from a kangaroo court and likely execution. The utilitarian notion that heroes ought to serve a greater good, even if it comes with a notable cost to a few individuals, is undermined by every event of Avengers: Infinity War. Even Thanos sees his sacrifice of life as a necessary one, after all. The path to hell is paved with good intentions, and it’s clear that once one life becomes expendable it becomes that much easier to accept the deaths of more and more. This is the logic that made the World Security Council the ultimate villain in Avengers and Thanos the villain in Avengers: Infinity War.
No matter where you fall on the debates of Captain America: Civil War, the events of Avengers: Infinity War have made it clear where the moral compass of these films points. There’s no doubt that the events of this film will lead to victory and the lives saved, those of Iron Man and Nebula, will play an integral role. The bad guys devalue life, the good guys protect it. That is the heart of Marvel Studios.
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