AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR - Amazing New Stills Reveal Some Of The Film's Biggest Thanos Moments - SPOILERS
"Bring me Thanos!" - You wanted him, well here he is. A ton of stunning hi-res stills from Marvel's Avengers: Infinity War have surfaced online, featuring an extremely spoiler-y look at the Mad Titan!
Avengers: Infinity War is already one of the biggest blockbusters of all-time and now, that it's been out in theaters just around two weeks, a number of VFX companies that worked on the film are releasing never-before-seen stills and in-progress shots of some of the film's biggest and most devastating moments.
Check out all of the new stills, courtesy of Digital Domain and Weta Digital, below:
To view every photo at once, simply click on the VIEW LIST (ONE PAGE) button below!
The Black Order
While they were a big part of the early marketing campaign, Thanos' (Josh Brolin) Black Order were more or less expendable pieces in the grand scheme of things and each member, save for Ebony Maw (Tom Vaughan-Lawlor), was dispatched relatively easily by the Avengers.
Proxima Midnight (Carrie Coon) met her gruesome end at the hands of Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), Corvus Glaive (Michael James Shaw) was stabbed in the back by Vision (Paul Bettany), Cull Obsidian (Terry Notary) was sent flying by the Hulkbuster (Mark Ruffalo), and Maw was launched out into deep space by the combined forces of Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and Spider-Man (Tom Holland), who drew some inspiration from James Cameron's Aliens.
Goodbye Tesseract
After the villains in both Captain America: The First Avenger and The Avengers spent a huge chunk of time trying to harness the power of the Tesseract, the cosmic cube was quickly reduced to rubble by Thanos (Josh Brolin) during Infinity War's opening sequence.
Hello Space Stone
With the Tesseract now destroyed, Thanos (Josh Brolin) is finally able to hold the Space Stone, the second of the six Infinity Stones he's seeking throughout the film. The Space Stone allows him to travel all across the universe without breaking a sweat, which definitely comes in handy during the film's climax.
Welcome To Knowhere
We don't spend a ton of time on Knowhere, but the time we do get proves to be absolutely critical to Thanos' quest for the Soul Stone. Here we see Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) "sneak up" on an unsuspecting Mad Titan (Thanos) as he interrogates the Collector (Benicio del Toro).
However, as we later learn - in heartbreaking fashion - Thanos has already managed to acquire the Reality Stone and was only waiting around for his favorite daughter to arrive.
The Avengers Go To Space
A bird's eye view of Ebony Maw's (Tom Vaughan-Lawlor) spaceship after he captures Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and heads back to Titan to meet Thanos (Josh Brolin). However, unbeknownst to him, Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and Spider-Man (Tom Holland) have also hitched a ride to the great beyond.
The Mad Titan
Thanos (Josh Brolin) on Zen-Whoberi, sporting his golden armor. This was the film's only major flashback scene as we see the Mad Titan and his forces wipe out half of the Zehoberei, including Gamora's parents, in his quest to "save" the universe. He, of course, spared Gamora (Zoe Saldana), and adopted her as his own, training her to be his daughter and his assassin.
I Could Snap My Fingers... And You'd All Cease To Exist
Marvel Studios actually began working with the VFX company Digital Domain about four months before Infinity War began principal photography, in order to ensure that Thanos (Josh Brolin) was brought to life convincingly. He occupies over 40 minutes of screentime and the studios knew that if the character didn't work from top-to-bottom, the film ultimately wouldn't work as a result (via FX Guide).
The End Is Near
Josh Brolin delivered an all-time performance as Thanos, bringing to life one of the best supervillains in any comic book movie ever. While his plan to rid the universe of half its occupants was undoubtedly extreme, it was often hard to disagree with his logic and reasoning, especially considering that the real-world may be on the verge of facing a very similar issue of overpopulation.
The Final Betrayal/Redemption
Thor (Chris Hemsworth) was without question the MVP of Infinity War and despite having lost pretty much everything and everyone he's ever held dear, fought with all his heart and might to stop Thanos (Josh Brolin) before the villain could do the unthinkable.
Loki's (Tom Hiddleston) final betrayal was unveiled in this pivotal scene as he revealed to his brother that he was indeed in possession of the Space Stone and that essentially all the death and destruction caused by Thanos on their ship was basically his fault since it could have been avoided had he left the Tesseract in Asgard. However, the God of Mischief did manage to earn some redemption as he attempted to land a killing blow on the Mad Titan, but unfortunately, his luck finally ran out and he paid for the action with his life, leaving Thor another family member to mourn.
Thanos
Ahead of principal photography, Digital Domain worked tirelessly to create a test sequence of Josh Brolin as Thanos. They utilized 3-4 shots of Brolin just acting opposite the directors and using dialogue that wasn't in the final script for the throne room scene. The company then used this footage to create a fully rendered and final quality shot for Brolin to watch on Day 1 of filming, so that he could have a much clearer idea of what to expect and how subtle he could afford to be as he brought the iconic villain to life.
Gamora's Last Stand
A heartbreaking turn of events as we see Gamora (Zoe Saldana) attempt to take down her adoptive father before he can cause unthinkable harm to the universe. Her attack proves unsuccessful and she's ultimately captured by Thanos (Josh Brolin), which also results in a quick confrontation between Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) and the Mad Titan. It becomes even more devastating as we see Peter forced to take a shot at Gamora, only to realize that Thanos was only toying with them both.
To be honest, this movie really doesn't end well at all for any of the Guardians.
Dread It. Run From It. Destiny Still Arrives.
Speaking at great length, Digital Domain VFX Supervisor Kelly Port explained their reasoning behind providing Brolin with that aforementioned test footage. "It was the first day of shooting and we were in the trailer and it was Kevin Feige and these Marvel executives, along with the Russo brothers (the Directors) and Brolin. We were standing in the corner while Josh Brolin was reviewing the test, and already the Marvel guys and the Russo brothers were excited by it, but we needed to show it to Brolin. It was great for him to see that as an actor, given that he was playing a CG character that was very big. It addressed the issue of whether he had to perform that role bigger than he might otherwise do, and that the subtlety of his facial performance was going to come through. I think that enabled him to do the performance the way he wanted to."
Titan In All Its Glory
Upon arriving on Titan, Thanos (Josh Brolin) meets a surprisingly cavalier Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), who had already deduced that this was the Mad Titan's homeworld. He then uses the power of the Reality Stone to give Strange a taste of what his home looked like in its glory days, long before overpopulation damned them all and he was outcast as a madman.
The Iron Spider
While he initially refused the Iron Spider suit at the end of Spider-Man: Homecoming, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) was definitely glad Tony (Robert Downey Jr.) brought it along to save him from falling to his death. The suit also played a key part in Peter's decision to join Iron Man and Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) on the adventure of a lifetime.
Here we see how animators played a big role in bringing Spider-Man and his fancy new suit to screen. Their primary focus was to make sure he looked and felt appropriately heavy in comparison to the much bigger Thanos (Josh Brolin).
Thanos vs. Doctor Strange
While Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) didn't exactly walk out of Infinity War in one piece, the character did see his stock rise especially high after a number of scene-stealing moments, including this epic battle with Thanos (Josh Brolin). With the Reality Stone in the Mad Titan's arsenal, Strange uses nearly every trick in the book of mystic arts to bring the villain down before it's too late.
Enter The Time Stone
Despite giving it their all, Thanos (Josh Brolin) still manages to get the upperhand and delivers a seemingly fatal blow to Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), which forces Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to intervene. After not using the Time Stone during their entire battle, Strange very willingly hands it over to Thanos and simply tells his new ally, "Tony... There was no other way."
No other way... to win?
14,000,605 Possible Scenarios
Ahead of Thanos' arrival, Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) utilized the power of the Time Stone to go forward in time to view exactly 14,000,605 possible futures with only one possible future that saw the Avengers and Guardians walking away victorious. However, he fails to divulge exactly how they accomplish this, but we later learn that the gang opts to use Star-Lord's (Chris Pratt) plan of attack, which ultimately blows up in their faces when Peter loses his cool after realizing Thanos already killed Gamora (Zoe Saldana).
Could this have been exactly what Strange saw? Was Quill always destined to f**k up his own plan? Was the snap an inevitability? To give the Avengers an opportunity to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat? You're going to have to wait until May 2019 to find out.
Gamora Is "Saved"
Thanos (Josh Brolin) meets and spares Gamora (Zoe Saldana) before committing mass genocide on Zen-Whoberi. The young Guardian is left helpless as she's forced to leave her home with Thanos while her parents and half of her species is brutally slaughtered behind her.
I Hope They Remember You
In one of the film's best moments, we see Thanos (Josh Brolin) share some words of wisdom with a fallen Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), sincerely telling him that he hopes the half of the world that survives remembers him for everything he's done and everything he tried to do. For the first time ever, Tony is left speechless and can't do much else but watch as Thanos disappears into the darkness of the Space Stone.
You Should Have Gone For The Head
This is obviously not that scene, but we do get a closeup shot of the hyper-realistic Thanos (Josh Brolin). Digital Domain created over 520 shots for the film, which not only included bringing the Mad Titan to life, but also included his Black Order. After seeing the final product, I think we can safely say they did some truly remarkable work on the film.
On another note, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) really should've gone for the head, so let's just hope he gets another shot at it next year.
Josh Brolin Is Thanos
Here are some behind-the-scenes snapshots of the process behind turning Josh Brolin into the Mad Titan Thanos. If you want more details, head over to FX Guide or the Animation World Network.
Also, be sure to check back in later for even more amazing new stills from Avengers: Infinity War!
An unprecedented cinematic journey ten years in the making and spanning the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel Studios’ “Avengers: Infinity War” brings to the screen the ultimate, deadliest showdown of all time. The Avengers and their Super Hero allies must be willing to sacrifice all in an attempt to defeat the powerful Thanos before his blitz of devastation and ruin puts an end to the universe.
Avengers: Infinity War & Avengers 4 features:
Directors: Anthony & Joe Russo
Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man
Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America
Chris Hemsworth as Thor Odinson
Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Hulk
Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow
Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton/Hawkeye
Chris Pratt as Peter Quill/Star-Lord
Benedict Cumberbatch as Stephen Strange/Doctor Strange
Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa/Black Panther
Tom Holland as Peter Parker/Spider-Man
Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man
Josh Brolin as Thanos
Tom Hiddleston as Loki
Zoe Saldana as Gamora
Paul Bettany as Vision
Danai Gurira as Okoye
Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch
Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Falcon
Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes/White Wolf
Don Cheadle as James Rhodes/War Machine
Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer
Letitia Wright as Shuri
Terry Notary as Groot/Cull Obsidian
Vin Diesel as Groot (voice)
Sean Gunn as Rocket Raccoon
Bradley Cooper as Rocket Raccoon (voice)
Karen Gillan as Nebula
Pom Klementieff as Mantis
Benicio del Toro as Taneleer Tivan/Collector
Michael James Shaw as Corvus Glaive
Carrie Coon as Proxima Midnight
Tom Vaughan-Lawlor as Ebony Maw
Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts
Benedict Wong as Wong
Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie
Idris Elba as Heimdall
Winston Duke as M'Baku
Florence Kasumba as Ayo
Sydelle Noel as Xoliswa
Angela Bassett as Ramonda
Callan Mulvey as Jack Rollins
Isabella Amara as Sally Avril
Jacob Batalon as Ned Leeds
William Hurt as Thaddeus Ross
Peter Dinklage as Eitri
Ross Marquand as Stonekeeper
Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury
Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill
Stan Lee as Watcher Informant
Jim Starlin in an undisclosed cameo
Avengers: Infinity War is out in theaters NOW!
Avengers 4 hits theaters May 3, 2019