Avengers: Infinity War was the execution of a design over a decade in the making. The Marvel Cinematic Universe was engineered to be the film franchise to beat all film franchises. It wasn’t just the scope of the movies themselves – all massive blockbusters created at the cost of millions of dollars – but the maintaining of a single story thread through many films, which would all culminate in a comics crossover populated with A-list Hollywood stars.
In 2018, the ultimate design was realized. Cramming 40 superheroes into one feature film would have seemed ridiculous in the past, but as countless fans around the world have happily realized, Marvel managed to pull it off.
The adventure began with 2008’s Iron Man, continued with Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger, ultimately led to the first Avengers movie, and spread out into everything from Guardians of the Galaxy and Doctor Strange. As amazing as this achievement is – Avengers: Infinity War is not without its flaws.
We don’t want to take away from the general awesomeness that flowed across cinema screens across the world, but if there were some polishing the filmmakers could have done around the edges, they have been presented below. To be fair – most of these are not crucial errors that would change everything somehow. A few might be, though, and the rest range from “Aw, come on” to “Lesson learned for next time.” Do you agree? See for yourself!
Here are 20 Things Wrong with Avengers: Infinity War.
Thanos Doesn’t Wear His Crown
Anyone who has read the comics would instantly recognize Thanos’ trademark crown. More than just a sign of his regality, it projects itself as both warrior implement and as an integral part of the character’s design– not unlike Ant-Man’s helmet.
It’s not just the comics, either: in every glimpse audiences had gotten of the Mad Titan in those post-credits teaser scenes, he was clearly wearing it. So why is he almost never wearing it in Avengers: Infinity War?
There are one or two flashback scenes where he does sport it, and it’s pretty snazzy.
Without it, his head sticks out like a sore thumb – because his head actually looks like a thumb!
He may be evil but he is a king, and he should look like one.
Star-Lord’s Dumb Move
Look – nobody’s perfect. We all make mistakes. But one does hope that a professional superhero like Star-Lord would be dedicated enough to his life’s mission to not blow it when the universe is on the line. And especially not over a personal loss!
Thanos is swarmed by a whole bunch of heroes – including Spider-Man, Iron Man, and Mantis – and they come this close to removing the Infinity Gauntlet from Thanos’ hand, thereby disempowering him and ultimately, defeating him. On the brink of victory, Peter Quill hears that Thanos sacrificed Gamora, and instead of letting the team finish the job, he thrown a hissy fit which causes the heroes to lose their advantage.
Result: half of all life in the universe is destroyed.
Note to Star-Lord: wait a few minutes before getting your licks in next time!
Scarlet Witch’s Powers
Wanda Maximoff’s powers have long been a point of contention in the Marvel Universe. Ever since she first appeared in X-Men #4 as an evil mutant, her special abilities have been described as “chaos powers” which she controls with “hexes.” Over the years, she has gone from exhibiting mild telekinetic feats to a massive global “spell” which altered every mutant on Earth forever.
In the films, the Scarlet Witch has the same problem. At times, she holds her own against some very tough characters. At others, she seems almost like a pushover.
Even in her most important scene, protecting Vision from the Black Order, the extent of her strength is inconsistent.
She holds her own while her very powerful android boyfriend is down for the count, but a few seconds later, she seems totally helpless!
Captain America Fights Without a Helmet
It’s understandable that superheroes tend to lose their masks during screen adaptations. After all, being able to see an actor’s face is something that many viewers care about. That’s why Peter Parker loses his mask so often, why Tony Stark retracts his shell-top all the time, and so on.
The problem with Captain America is that his head-topper isn’t just a mask, it’s also a helmet. He’s a soldier, remember? Why in the world would he run into combat in Avengers: Infinity War without the extra protection his helmet provides? It doesn’t make sense and we can ignore it no longer.
Tony and Doctor Strange Bickering
Many fans have complained about all of the snippy back and forth between superheroes. Long before the petty arguments between Avengers happened on screen, the comics always had “misunderstandings” between good guys, just so we can see what it’s like when they fight each other.
In Avengers: Infinity War, two of the smartest characters – Iron Man and Doctor Strange – go at it like schoolyard rivals from the get-go, even when it’s clear that not only the Earth, but reality itself is in serious trouble,
Sorry, but it’s just not realistic that these men would act like petty children when their role as defenders of humanity is facing its greatest test.
Gamora is Not Really Last of Her Kind
As anybody who knows anything about Thanos is already aware of, his whole deal is to knock off half of all life as a method of population control. Before he acquired the Infinity Gauntlet, rather than merely snap a finger, he sent armies from planet to planet to get the job done the old-fashioned way: by making war.
In each of those cases, he would leave half the population breathing. So why does Gamora claim she is “the last of her kind” in Avengers: Infinity War?
Where did those other members of her species go?
Did Thanos have anything to do with their disappearance? It’s never explained, and it could have been in a single sentence.
The Hulk never busts out
In one of the most egregious examples of bait-and-switch tactics we’ve ever seen in big-movie marketing, Hulk was nowhere to be found for most of Infinity War.
In the lead up to the film, one of the key trailers depicted the initial charge in the Battle of Wakanda. There we see Captain America leading the troops, who include Black Panther, Black Widow, and the Hulk. Except that in the story itself, that never happens!
As anybody who has seen the film already knows, Hulk got rattled by the beating he took from Thanos in the first scene. After that, Bruce Banner’s alter ego never again made an appearance, though Bruce wields Tony Stark’s Hulkbuster armor in order to join the fight.
Where Is Hawkeye?
It’s entirely strange that every single original Avenger is in on the Infinity War action except for one: Hawkeye. The arrow-slinging hero is inarguably among the least powerful members. After all, he’s just a “normal human” who happens to be one heck of a bowman. But he’s far from alone.
Black Widow is also little else than super-spy, and Nick Fury even got his cameo in the post-credits scene. Yes, there are likely all sorts of story reasons for his absence. But let’s face it – it’s just weird.
There are so many ways he could have contributed.
Tony Stark could have given him some high-tech upgrades like he did with Spider-Man. And let’s not make the excuse that he was on the outs after Captain America: Civil War. Nearly everybody else who stood against Iron Man in that story is present and accounted for.
The Avengers trade Wakandan lives for Vision’s
Steve Rogers is one of those classic comic book idealists who inspired basic morality in generations of readers. In Avengers: Infinity War, there’s a moment where Cap expresses what seems to be his typical idealims while protecting The Vision.
The formula was easy. If they destroy the Infinity Stone in Vision’s head, then Thanos can never complete his gauntlet. Cap’s answer is “We don’t trade lives.”
Dozens, if not hundreds, of Wakandans were lost in protecting Vision at Cap’s command.
Plus, ulltimately, this choice lead to the loss of half of all life everywhere! Sorry Cap, you do trade lives and if you had traded the Vision’s life, we would all likely be in much better shape!
Doctor Strange Doesn’t Use All His Powers
Arguably, one of the most challenging Avengers for Thanos to face would be Doctor Strange. Whereas most of the heroes rely on tech of sheer brawn in the battle against the Mad Titan, our favorite Master of the Mystic Arts can mess with him on some other levels.
For one thing, he could teleport Thanos to another dimension.
He could also drive him insane with one of his spells. In fact, Doctor Strange has quite a bag of tricks which could easily contain our universe-threatening villain, but he doesn’t do it. Why hold back? Literally everything ever is on the line. Seems like Strange held back when we really needed him to let loose.
The Victory in Wakanda
This is another one of those “comic book moments” that comes to screen just as clumsily as it did to the pages of our favorite books. When Thanos’ forces attack, not only are the invading forces overwhelming and using superior tech, but the Black Order and Thanos himself have truly been proven to run circles around the most powerful Avengers of all stripes.
To be sure – Wakanda isn’t just any nation. T’Challa and his people are consummate warriors with the most advanced weaponry on the planet. But after bowling over Asgardians, Guardians, and the A-Team of Iron Man and Doctor Strange, it just seems like that one victory – though short-lived – may have come a wee bit easier for our Mightiest Heroes than perhaps it should have.
Thor’s Terrible Aim
Speaking of the Battle of Wakanda, one of the key turnarounds for the Avengers was the last-minute appearance of Thor, complete with upgraded powers and a brand-new magic hammer. It was a refreshing and thunderous return for our favorite Asgardian. Not only that – Thor came so close to taking out Thanos and saving the universe.
In sloppily hurling his weapon at the Mad Titan chest, he lost the opportunity to end the threat.
Thanos even tells him – “you should have aimed for the head.” So Thor is back, more powerful and wise than ever – and we are expected to believe he makes a rookie pitching mistake?
Nobody but Thanos Uses Stones Correctly
Over time, the Infinity Stones have been wielded by a variety of powerful stewards. Everybody from Odin and Thor to Doctor Strange and Vision have owned one of these things. And yet, be they gods, powerful wizards, or super-smart androids, none of our heroes seems to know how to use the stones to the fullest of their potential.
Just look at Doctor Strange. With all his vast knowledge, why can’t he just use the Time Stone to rewind the clock and prevent Thanos from even starting his mad quest?
It seems that only the Mad Titan knows how to use these things correctly.
Red Skull’s New Role
There are few more loathsome villains in the Marvel Universe than the Red Skull. The founder of Hydra is nothing less than an apex sociopath, hell-bent on war and subjugation. Unlike other more complex bad guys, he doesn’t really have an empathy window.
Loki, for example, has a complicated past where Odin was less than kind to him. Other antagonists like The Vulture, Killmonger and even Ultron can claim extenuating circumstances behind their less-than-nice dispositions. But Red Skull is just a classic psycho with too much power.
When he disappears at the end of Captain America: The First Avenger, it’s in chasing one of the Stones.
Now, he’s become a sort of monk and timid acolyte.
We know he had a cosmic experience, but it’s hard to see how he didn’t go more in the direction of a Thanos than of a kind of robed butler.
Thanos’ bad decisions
Avengers: Infinity War goes a long way to explaining that Thanos isn’t just a bad guy for the sake of being a bad guy. He sees a huge problem with life in the cosmos and feels he must act to protect the greater good. Unfortunately, his remedy for all the ills of the universe is wiping out half of all life!
Is this really the only solution he could come up with? Presumably, possessing the full power of the Infinity Gauntlet not only allows you to control reality, it allows you to have deeper insights and wisdom.
It is very hard to believe that someone like Thanos can’t come up with a better plan.
What’s Up with Bucky’s Arm?
Poor Bucky Barnes! He’s been through so much!
First, he is lost and presumed gone in Captain America: The First Avenger. Then it turns out he’s become a sleeper agent for Hydra, brainwashed into becoming a cybernetic organism and assassin, complete with a bionic arm for major butt-kicking. Now, just as it seems he has found some kind of solace living a new life in Wakanda, here comes Thanos to disturb his long-sought peace.
On top of that, the marketing campaign for Avengers: Infinity War added another indignity: making his metal arm normal. Yup, the poster gets his arm wrong (look at the wrist). Just when you thought he was a real flesh-and-blood human again, we find out somebody in the graphic design department messed up!
Tony Stark’s Cheap Cell Phone
Hello, this is 1998 on the line – can you please stop using our old-style flip phones? For some reason that’s hard to understand, The Avengers seem averse to using smartphones. One would think that having access to the internet might be helpful. But no. Instead, we see Tony Stark using a Breaking Bad-style burner phone to call up Captain America.
Yes, Steve sent Tony the phone as a gesture at the end of Civil War, but this is the most advanced tech magnate in the world.
He couldn’t come up withs something better than using a flip phone to communicate with a fellow powerful superhero? How about some high-tech S.H.I.E.L.D. device instead? Or even an iPhone, Tony?
“Normal Human” Black Widow Holds Off Proxima Midnight
The Black Order, Thanos’ elite cadre of super-cosmic-enforcers, are pretty dang scary. There isn’t a single heavy-hitting Avenger they squared off with who they didn’t either outright defeat or at least drive to a standstill. And yet, during the Battle of Wakanda, it’s the Avengers’ non-powered member who is able to hold Proxima Midnight at bay.
Black Widow faces Proxima Midnight along with Okoye and Scarlet Witch. Yeah, okay, they’re working together, but Wanda gets taken out early.
Can a couple of martial arts moves really hold off so formidable a foe?
Not really, and while we love both Widow and Okoye and cheer on their efforts, this one was tough to believe.
Spidey Gives His Secret Identity Away
While in the comics, maintaining secret identities is a big deal, with very few masked vigilantes revealing their true identities, the films are quite the reverse. From the very first Iron Man movie, it seemed that superheroes just didn’t worry about giving away who they are, but Spider-Man clearly does not want to lose Peter Parker’s anonymity.
Still, when he sees New York City under attack, he takes almost no precautions to exit the school bus unmasked.
In an era of cell phones and dashboard cameras, there’s no way somebody on that road didn’t see his face!
It would not have been hard to write in a moment where Peter could at least throw the mask on before crawling out the window and into public view.
Why Didn’t More Asgardians Fight?
The opening scene of Avengers: Infinity War features the lost spaceship filled with the survivors of Ragnarok flying around the cosmos. When Thanos’ vessel intercepts them, even Thor, Loki, Heimdall and the Hulk can’t defeat the Mad Titan and his Black Order. But hey! There’s a whole ship full of Asgardians in there!
Technically, they are all gods, even the children.
With their very existence laying on the line, one would think the full force of the survivors would be brought to bear in defense of not only the Infinity Stone, but their own lives. And yet, the battle was relegated to just four heroes.
Seeing as how all was lost anyway, perhaps giving Thanos more of a run for his money would have been in order.
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What other problems with Avengers: Infinity Wardo fans choose to overlook? Let us know in the comments!
