Though the plot of
Avengers: Infinity War is fairly straightforward, the entire film is basically a long list of massive surprises and shocking reveals, and we've listed 'em all for you right here.
Were all of the rumors leading up to the Marvel epic's release true? Do lots of main characters die? Does it end on a cliffhanger? Where the hell is Hawkeye?
All of those questions and more are answered below, but if you haven't seen Infinity War yet, it's obviously best to avoid these
MAJOR SPOILERS and come back later.
To view all of the moments at once, simply click on the VIEW LIST (ONE PAGE) button below!
We Lose loki And Heimdall In The Opening Scene
We expected to lose
someone here, but both Loki and Heimdall are killed off.
The movie opens with Thanos and his forces having already decimated the Asagardian refugee ship (half of them manage to escape). When the Mad Titan makes short work of The Hulk, Heimdall uses the last of his power to send Banner to earth, which costs him his life.
Then, Loki pretends to side with Thanos only to attempt an assassination. The Titan is ready for the attack, though, and crushes The God of Mischief's throat in a particularly brutal scene.
The Hulk Gets Stage Fright
After Banner crashes to earth via Doctor Strange's Sanctum Santorum, The Hulk refuses to put in an appearance.
We see Banner try to summon the Green Goliath a couple of times during the early fight against Maw and Obsidian, and then again against the latter in the final battle - and Hulk always refuses.
So, we never get that scene of him smashing out of the Hulkbuster armor, and that slo-mo shot of him running towards Thanos' army along with Cap, Widow and the others is not in the movie.
Stark And Strange Really Don't Like Each Other
Some tension was hinted at in the trailers and spots, but Tony Stark and Stephen Strange have a genuine dislike for one another in
Infinity War that extends far beyond a bit of good-natured banter.
At one point, the good doctor actually tells Tony that he'd let him die in an instant to save the Time Stone - which is the right thing to do to protect the universe, but still pretty damn cold!
Of course, they do put their differences aside in the end, but it's hard to imagine these two ever becoming bosom buddies.
Thor Gets A New Eye
If you were wondering why Thor was shown with both eyes in some of the marketing material, it's because The God of Thunder picks up a new peeper in
Infinity War.
Feeling sorry for his multiple losses, Rocket gives his new friend a mechanical eye that he stole during one of his many double-crosses.
Thor looked pretty awesome with the patch, so this seems like an odd decision. Perhaps the Russos simply weren't that keen?
Hawkeye Is Not In The Movie At All
After being absent from all marketing, fans have been been wondering what role Hawkeye would play in
Infinity War, and the answer is very simile: He doesn't.
In fact, we only get a single mention of the archer when Black Widow informs Banner that he and Ant-Man took a deal to stay off the radar in order to protect their families.
We thought Jeremy Renner had filmed some scenes for this movie, but they were obviously for
Avengers 4.
The Red Skull Returns
In perhaps the biggest surprise of the movie, The Red Skull returns!
Fans have been wondering what happened to the villain since he vanished at the end of
Captain America: The First Avenger, and it turns out the Tesseract somehow banished him to a far-off planet to become the keeper of the Soul Stone.
When Thanos and Gamora arrive, Skull (not played by Hugo Weaving this time) appears in a hooded cloak and explains what The Mad Titan must do to retrieve the gem.
Thanos Kills Gamora
It turns out, Thanos must sacrifice what he loves to get the stone, and the only thing he truly cares about is his "daughter", Gamora.
In one of the most heartbreaking scenes of the movie, The Mad Titan reluctantly flings Gamora to her death before waking up with the Soul Stone.
The dreamlike quality of the sequence may lead to speculation that the GOTG member could return at some point, but that seems highly unlikely.
Peter Dinklage Does Indeed Play Eitri The Dwarf
There was a lot of speculation relating to Peter Dinklage's role in
Infinity War, and it turns out the majority of you were on the money about him playing Eitri.
In order to forge a new weapon to defeat Thanos, Thor, Rocket and Groot travel to Nidavellir only to find all but one of the Dwarves there slain by The Mad Titan. Their King, Eitri, still lives, but Thanos has taken away the use of his hand, forcing Thor and his new friends to forge Stormbreaker themselves.
Star-Lord Screws Everything Up
If you or someone you know vanished in a swirl of ash leaves recently, blame Star-Munch.
Towards the end of the film, Stark, Spidey, Strange and the GOTG manage to subdue Thanos. They're just about to remove the gauntlet when The Mad Titan admits that he killed Gamora, sending Quill into a rage. He smashes the villain in the head, allowing him to get free and travel to earth for the final stone.
What. A. Moron.
Strange Looks Into The Future/Gives Thanos The Time Stone In Order To Save Iron Man
At one point, Doctor Strange uses the time stone to take a glimpse forward to see if there are any scenarios in which they defeat Thanos. Out of millions, there is only one.
Later, when Thanos seriously wounds Stark, Strange offers him the stone in exchange for his fellow Avenger's life.
Though it's never explicitly stated, both of these things seem to be connected and will likely factor into
Avengers 4.
Thor Joins The Battle Of Wakanda And Kicks All Of The Asses
Just as things are looking bleak for our Wakandan-based heroes, The God of Thunder shows up with Rocket and Groot and proceeds to wipe out Thanos' Outrider army with the help of his powerful new weapon.
This is one of the most fist-pumpingly brilliant sequences in the movie, and is sure to result in goosebumps.
As if taking out Thanos' forces wasn't enough, Thor also manages to (temporarily) defeat The Mad Titan. If only he'd "gone for the head."
Scarlet Witch Is Forced To Kill Vision... For Nothing
When Shuri's attempt to extract the Mind Stone from Vision fails, Wanda is forced to destroy it, and her lover, in one of the film's most powerful moments.
Unfortunately, it's all in vain, because Thanos uses the Time Stone to reverse what happened, before ripping out the stone himself and re-killing Vision in the process.
Ouch!
Thanos Snaps His Fingers And A LOT Of Heroes Die
Right at the end of the movie, Thor buries Stormbreaker in Thanos' chest - but the Mad Titan still has the wherewithal to snap his fingers, wiping out half of all life in the universe.
Of course, that also includes some of the main characters. It's actually easier to list off who survives! On earth: Cap, Rhodey, Widow, Banner, Rocket Thor, Okoye and M'Baku. On Titan: Stark and Nebula.
Of course, it's highly unlikely these heroes will stay dead, but it's still quite shocking to see them all simply cease to exist in this manner.
We End On A Major Downer
For the first time in the history of The MCU, a Marvel Studios movie ends on a downer with the bad guy winning.
Having made good on his mission to "balance" the universe, Thanos does just what he told Strange he would: sits and watches the sunrise with a smile on his face as we cut to credits.
Sure, we still have the second part of the story to come, but this is still a pretty risky move on The Russo's part, and will likely wind up being a divisive one.
Post-Credits Scene Teases Captain Marvel
There is only one post-credits scene, but it's a doozy.
We see Nick Fury and Maria Hill discussing the invasion of Wakanda when they narrowly avoid a crash. Then, Hill and some of the background extras begin to vanish. Fury races to grab his phone, before beginning to fade himself.
However, as he disappears we see who he was attempting to contact: Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel!
Continue on for our Avengers: Endgame breakdown!