Avengers: Infinity War – Source Material and Predictions

The time is near. It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for. Marvel is coming out with the third installment of The Avengers – “Avengers: Infinity War” – on April 27, and we’re here to hit you with quick history lesson, as well as our predictions.

The excitement surrounding this movie is surreal. People all over the world are getting ready for what we all know is the end of an era in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Of course, there will be more Marvel movies, but producer Kevin Feige has gone on record – saying nothing will be the same after “Infinity War.” Now before this movie comes out, there are many things to consider and contemplate. What do the Infinity Stones stand for? What happens in the source material, off of which the movie is based? Who will live? Who will die?

BRIEF SYNOPSIS OF THE SOURCE MATERIAL:

The Marvel cinematic universe has taken inspiration from the comics, but has changed them up to be more accessible for the general audience (we can’t all be comic readers). So what inspired “Infinity War?” What does the source material tell us about what we can expect in the upcoming film?

There are four major comic book arcs which might give us insight: “Infinity Gauntlet” (1992), “Infinity war” (2006), “Infinity” (2012), and “Infinity Gauntlet: Omnibus” (2014) 

“Infinity War” (2006) is centered around the evil version of Adam Warlock, who, in the MCU, has only been mentioned in a mid-credits scene of “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.” Taking a look at the previous title might give us more understanding. In “Infinity Gauntlet,” Thanos has assembled all of the Infinity Stones, and every marvel hero teams up to try and stop him. Thanos’ goal is to impress the literal embodiment of Death (just go with it). The movie version will, of course, have a different motive/backstory for Thanos, as we haven’t seen Lady Death in the MCU (yet). Really, though, the story is about our heroes teaming up to beat a giant, unstoppable, pink guy with a weird chin. It’s as silly and glorious as it sounds. As in the comics, defeating Thanos will likely take something other than raw strength. Dr. Strange puts everyone in a pocket dimension for a little while where Thanos can’t see them (again, just go with it).

There are also a lot of plot points getting taken from “Infinity” (2012). Here, we see the creation of Thanos’ Black Order, which is a standard fare bunch of bad guys, following a bigger bad guy. Several members of the Black Order get up to no good in Wakanda, which is something we also see in the “Infinity War” trailer.

INFINITY STONES:

Most people don’t know what all the stones are, where they are, what they can do, or who has them. Here’s the low-down on the six most powerful magic rocks in the MCU:

Sometime after the big bang, Celestials (godlike figures) stored the power of the universe into 6 stones (yet again, just go with it). Each stone represented a different aspect of the universe (Space, Mind, Reality, Power, Soul, and Time).

Here’s a quick summary for each stone, as seen in the MCU:

• Space Stone: The Space Stone is hidden in the blue Tesseract we have become so used to through the Marvel movies. The last time we saw it was with Loki in a weapons vault in “Thor: Ragnarok.” Basically, the stone can control space itself by providing instant access to any place in the universe.
• Mind Stone: This is a yellow stone, originally contained within Loki’s scepter. It is now engraved in Visions head. Like the name implies, it grants the user great mental abilities and increases intelligence. It also has limited mind-control capabilities.
• Reality Stone: This stone is red and hasn’t been seen around since The Collector had it in “Thor: The Dark World.” It appears as dark red liquid and acts as a symbiotic force capable of absorbing into any living host. It also allows the user to manipulate matter.
• Power Stone: This is a purple stone, and last time it was spotted was in the Novacorps headquarters. It’s an incredible power source, and the person who has it is granted super strength and can manipulate energy. Its container is an orb of sorts, seen in “Guardians of the Galaxy.”
• Time Stone: My personal favorite, this is a green stone that Dr.Strange currently has stored in the Eye of Agamotto. When wielded by someone with the necessary knowledge and skill, it can control time itself. Notably, the stone can manipulate individual objects in time – returning them to their previous state, or accelerating them in time to apply changes which have not happened yet. It can also be used to create a time loop.
• Soul Stone: Finally, the soul stone. This stone I predict will be most important to the plot and has much debate over who currently has it. This stone orange and little is known about it. It is said to have brought back someone who has died…

I have no idea what to expect in terms of who will make it through “Infinity War.” However, I am confident the newest heroes like Black Panther, Spiderman and Dr.Strange will all live for another round of battles. Our original Avengers (Iron Man, Cap, Thor, Black Widdow, Hulk, Hawkeye) might not make it through. In the comics, everyone (yes, everyone) dies.

“Avengers: Infinity War” hits theaters on April 27, and we can barely contain the hype.