Disney Encouraged Infinity War’s Dark Ending, Say Directors

Disney was fully behind the dark Avengers: Infinity War ending, directors Joe and Anthony Russo revealed. The beginning of the culmination of the 22-film arc that Marvel Studios has been treading since 2008’s Iron Man, the film brought together all pockets of the MCU to fight Thanos and his minions as he attempted to collect all six Infinity Stones in the hopes of wiping out half of life in the universe.

Earth’s Mightiest Heroes were joined in their most dangerous mission yet with the Guardians of the Galaxy, as well as other independently operating heroes such as Doctor Strange, Spider-Man and Black Panther. Sadly, despite their gallant efforts, the Mad Titan ultimately succeeded. The film ended on a low note as life across the galaxy just suddenly disintegrated into dust, including several of MCU’s heroes. The finale immediately became the talk of the town and is still a favorite topic of discussion among fans. And despite its tone, it turns out, Disney was all for doing it.

Related: Infinity War Directors Clarify the Location of Thanos’ New Planet

Making a rare appearance at Business Insider Ignition (via Deadline), the Russos opened up about the creative process of making Infinity War, especially with regard to the film’s surprise ending twist. When asked what Disney initially thought about what they were planning to do, Joe said that “they were incredibly encouraging of the choices we made.” Anthony further explained why the House of Mouse had no qualms about what they were planning to do.

“The only way to drive a conversation is to surprise people. If you’re constantly adhering to convention, you’re not going to surprise people. [Plot twists properly done create] pop culture talking points for an audience, but they’re also just good narrative.”

Disney Encouraged Infinity War’s Dark Ending, Say Directors

The Russos have been vocal about how Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige had been nothing but supportive of the creative choice they made to end Infinity War. But since the brand is under Disney, at the end of the day, they would have to follow the mandate of their parent company. Considering that the entertainment conglomerate is known for their family-friendly projects, it’s quite surprising that they didn’t get any pushback. Since Marvel was given this leeway in terms of crafting Avengers 3, fans can rest assure that the directors alongside directors Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely have control over what’s going down in Avengers 4.

Disney’s willingness to let Marvel Studios and the Russo Brothers pull the dark Avengers: Infinity War ending is a good sign with regard to their plans for the IPs they’ll soon acquire after the buyout of Fox’s film and TV assets is finalized next year. It can be remembered that one of the main concerns of the public about the sale is the possibility that the House of Mouse will water down inherently dark and gritty projects to fit their family-friendly reputation. Fans would just have to wait and see how this will be all handled once the legalities of the sale is finalized.