'Avengers: Infinity War': Here's what you need to know before watching the film

In a few short days, a story that started 10 years ago will see its biggest upheaval yet. The ambitious moonshot Marvel Studios gambled on with the launch of Iron Man in 2008, paid off with the superhero team-up in The Avengers (2012). After one sequel where Earth’s mightiest heroes faced off against the villainous Ultron, and a spiritual sequel in the cerebral superhero slugfest that was Captain America: Civil War (2016), we have the film that pays off the set-up that Marvel gave us at the end of The Avengers: the arrival of the Mad Titan Thanos.

What do I need to know?

Quite a lot, considering this film has 18 movies of backstory feeding into it. The crux of the matter is that intergalactic baddie Thanos, who has been on the quest for six Infinity Stones (which have played a role in the events of the previous films), is finally tired of orchestrating events from behind the scenes and has come for the limelight. He has got a gauntlet that just so happens to have six Infinity Stone-sized slots, and uniting all six would give him near limitless power, which is not good.

But the Avengers can handle him…right?

With a fully-charged gauntlet, it is a tough job. But what makes it even tougher is that Thanos is attacking a house divided. Avengers founding members Iron Man and Captain America have had a (seemingly temporary) falling out, resulting in Tony Stark expending his energy mentoring Spider-Man and Steve Rogers going into hiding to grow a luxuriant beard. Thor was missing a home and an eye and under siege when we saw him last, and The Hulk, who was accompanying him, somehow manages to fall out of the sky and back to Earth. From what we have seen so far, Black Widow is still up to Black Widow stuff, lamenting not getting her own movie, and Hawkeye and Ant-Man are nowhere to be seen (we assume in the case of the latter; maybe we just can’t see him). Mind Stone and Time Stone, two things Thanos really wants, are wielded by Vision and Dr Strange respectively, so things do not look rosy.

What does this mean for our intrepid heroes?

Quite a lot. Marvel has long made it clear that the franchise will keep rolling, but an event of this magnitude will likely see casualties. Considering how long some of the original actors have worn their mantles, this could be the event Marvel uses to neatly give some of them heroic send-offs and pass the torch to the newer heroes. We may see Captain America go and the Winter Soldier pick up his mantle, and even Robert Downey Jr, the heart and soul of many a Marvel movie, suit up for the last time as Iron Man. Vision, with an Infinity Stone embedded in his forehead, is another prime candidate for termination, but of course, we speculate. Even if these events come to pass, Marvel has enough manpower in the likes of Black Panther and the ever-popular Spider-Man to carry on telling stories.

Who are the wildcards?

Those would be our space-faring ragtag rogues, the Guardians of the Galaxy. Infinity War will finally see the Earth-bound and galactic heroes team up against Thanos, and while they seem more adept at choosing great music, cracking quips and entering impromptu dance-offs with villains than saving the world, two characters who have bested Thanos in the comics, Drax the Destroyer and Adam Warlock, feature in the Guardians movies, though the latter is still unconfirmed.

There is also the matter of Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel, another superpowered being, making a cameo appearance, which could even the odds. The undiscovered Soul Stone, rumoured to be in Black Panther’s native Wakanda, should also come into play in Infinity War.

Lastly, there is the fact that the Mad Titan is not at full strength in the footage we have seen, and is still on his Stone collection quest, meaning the final, climactic battle that begins this month, will likely be resolved only in the as-yet untitled second part of this film.

Okay, all set

Avengers: Infinity War hits theatres on April 27 in India, which means there is still enough time to binge-watch all 18 Marvel movies. Check out the Netflix series featuring the Defenders, and of course, there is Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, and that fun romp Agent Carter. Did we mention the one-shots…?