AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR SPOILERS - Ranking The Key Characters From Worst To Best
With Avengers: Infinity War now entering its second week of release, we're taking a look at the movie's biggest characters and ranking them from most disappointing to those who were able to steal the show.
Avengers: Infinity War is the biggest superhero movie of all-time and it may very well boast the most impressive cast of any movie ever too. However, with an ensemble featuring so many different characters, there's no way everyone was going to get the screentime they deserve and it was inevitable that fans would be disappointed by at least a handful of their favourite heroes and villains.
With the movie currently playing in theaters and just hours away from hitting $1 billion, we're now taking a look at 22 of Avengers: Infinity War's main characters and ranking them from worst to best.
From what didn't work with these heroes and villains to those who managed to shine (sometimes with relatively little screentime), you'll find them all here. Needless to say, we think you'll be surprised by this ranking and will no doubt have your own thoughts on them so be sure to click on either one of the buttons below to check out the full list and then let us know your ranking in the usual place.
22. The Black Order
I know each member of The Black Order had something different to do in Avengers: Infinity War but I'm lumping them all together here because they were equally underwhelming. The CGI on these motion-capture characters was a tad underwhelming but so too were their actions as they mostly paled in comparison to their comic book counterparts and failed to make a memorable impact.
21. Eitiri
I'm a huge fan of Peter Dinklage but what was going on here with his performance? While the character certainly served his purpose, Eitiri was nothing special and the Game of Thrones star came across not too differently to Star-Lord earlier in the movie when he mocks Thor by putting on a silly voice! This just didn't work for me and as exciting as it was to have him in the MCU, he was a letdown.
20. Groot
Baby Groot was a definite highlight of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and so I went into Avengers: Infinity War expecting the teenage version of the character to also deliver in a big way. Unfortunately, aside from when he creates the axe for Thor's hammer and is later introduced to Steve Rogers, seeing the sentient tree walk around playing on his video game proved to be immensely dissatisfying overall.
19. The Falcon
Something tells me that many of Sam Wilson's scenes were cut because we never even got to see him have a moment with Bucky! He definitely had some fun action scenes during that final battle in Wakanda but was one of those characters who essentially faded into the background in Avengers: Infinity War. Sadly, that was inevitable for at least a few heroes and The Falcon ended up as one of them.
18. Bucky
The Russos Brothers have alluded to Captain America and Bucky reuniting before the events of Avengers: Infinity War but that doesn't really help us much as fans. After all, the end of Black Panther teased the possibility that the former Winter Soldier would have something more important to do here but we'll presumably have to wait for another movie for his story arc to be touched on again.
17. Star-Lord
I'm not saying that Chris Pratt didn't deliver in this movie and his performance was as great as usual. Unfortunately, I can't quite get over the fact that his stupidity is essentially what resulted in Thanos winning! Had he been able to keep his emotions in check (which admittedly can't have been easy), Earth's Mightiest Heroes might have been able to remove the Infinity Gauntlet from Thanos' hand.
16. Black Widow
Considering the fact that being on the run has quite clearly had an impact on Natasha (she's even dyed her hair), it's a shame Avengers: Infinity War never really delves into how she feels about the whole thing. It doesn't really help that the scenes where she reunites with Bruce Banner were cut from the movie as that would have no doubt given her at least a little more to do in this superhero ensemble.
15. Loki
Tom Hiddleston's God of Mischief only has a very small role in Avengers: Infinity War but he certainly makes an impact at the start of the movie as he finally shows his true colours and makes it clear that his allegiances lie with Thor and Asgard. That sadly leads to him being killed by the Mad Titan but at least he went out a hero and given his past "deaths," at least there's a chance he'll return one day.
14. Nebula
Nebula doesn't wind up having a particularly big role in this movie but that could be because she'll have more to do in Avengers 4. After all, she's one of the few heroes who are still alive after the Mad Titan snapped his fingers but Avengers: Infinity War managed to do a solid job of further establishing her as someone who fights on the side of the angels and will do what's necessary to stop her father.
13. Captain America
It kills me to leave Steve Rogers out of the top ten but aside from some solid action scenes, Captain America really didn't have a whole lot to do here. That's probably because he'll have a much larger role in Avengers 4 (the Russos have said as much) but it would have been nice to see the hero get a somewhat more memorable story arc which involved more than a few haunted facial expressions.
12. Drax
Drax has always been the funniest member of the Guardians of the Galaxy but he delivers some of Avengers: Infinity War's most memorable one-liners. From his attempt to prove he's invisible to "Why is Gamora?" the hero never fails to steal the show and the only real downside is that his hatred for Thanos after he murdered his family isn't taken a little more seriously over the course of this story.
11. Black Panther
Marvel obviously didn't realise how popular T'Challa would be coming out of his solo movie and he didn't wind up having the biggest role in this movie. He did, however, still manage to make an impact as someone quite clearly confident in his abilities to lead a nation and an army, a sign that he's really grown as a character since the Russo Brothers first introduced him in Captain America: Civil War.
10. Scarlet Witch
While Elizabeth Olsen had pretty much completely lost her Sokovian accent in Avengers: Infinity War, her journey in the movie was still compelling and seeing her romance with The Vision develop was extremely satisfying. That build-up to her having to kill the man she loves felt earned and it's fair to say that her future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is now looking bright even without The Vision.
9. Bruce Banner
We only got a little bit of The Hulk in this movie when he had his ass kicked by Thanos in the opening few minutes and so the spotlight was then put on Bruce Banner for the rest of Avengers: Infinity War. Seeing the scientist have to step up and be a hero without the Jade Giant ended up being immensely satisfying, especially as he was able to use brain over brawn to take out the massive Cull Obsidian.
8. Rocket Raccoon
Rocket went through a lot of changes in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and many of those were evident here, especially when he attempted to comfort Thor as he mourned the dead. Heading into Avengers: Infinity War, I would have guessed that Groot would be the CGI Guardian who had the most potential to steal the show but Rocket ended up bringing a whole lot of heart to this epic superhero ensemble.
7. Spider-Man
I was never overly keen on going back to a teenage Peter Parker but Tom Holland has impressed from day one and he delivered his most spectacular performance to date in Avengers: Infinity War. As enjoyable as it was seeing him interact with characters like Star-Lord and Doctor Strange, his best moment arguably came near the end of the movie during that heartbreaking exchange with Tony.
6. The Vision
Ever since he managed to pick up Mjolnir in Avengers: Age of Ultron, The Vision has managed to make a significant impact in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and his story arc in Avengers: Infinity War was a satisfying one. While it was a shame seeing him spend the vast majority of the movie injured, the android being willing to make a sacrifice for the greater good established him as a true hero.
5. Gamora
Of all the members of the Guardians of the Galaxy, it was Zoe Saldana's Gamora who made the biggest impact in this movie (and not just because of the way her story wrapped up). Exploring her relationship with Thanos proved to be even more fascinating that we could have possibly imagined and that scene on Knowhere was a definite highlight and helped make this character quite a bit more layered.
4. Doctor Strange
Despite all those comparisons to Tony Stark's origin story, I loved Doctor Strange and was very excited to see him back in action in Avengers: Infinity War after that memorable Thor: Ragnarok cameo. The Russo Brothers not only expanded on his magical abilities but showed that despite his frequent clashes with Iron Man, he's definitely a character with the potential to lead the next roster of Avengers.
3. Iron Man
I've never been the world's biggest Iron Man fan but the Armored Avenger definitely redeemed himself in my eyes following the events of Captain America: Civil War in this movie. The Russo Brothers managed to remind us all what makes Tony Stark such a great hero without putting too much of the focus on him and seeing that new Bleeding Edge suit in action ended up being a definite highlight.
2. Thor
Due to the way the God of Thunder has been characterised, Thor has always struggled to steal the show in The Avengers movies but that wasn't a problem for him here. The moment he arrives in Wakanda with his new Stormbreaker hammer and Rocket and Groot by his side was quite possibly one of the movie's best scenes and the humour the God of Thunder brought to proceedings was great.
1. Thanos
Before the release of Avengers: Infinity War, the Russo Brothers claimed that the movie's lead character was Thanos. It was an unexpected remark and one which many fans assumed was all talk simply because the villain would have a more significant role here than past baddies. However, the filmmakers weren't kidding and the character stole the show. Josh Brolin, meanwhile, was amazing.