everyone have their own part to play

List 020 & Movie Review 035

Avengers: Infinity War

character rankings

 MARVEL 

[April 25th, 2018]

Movie Effectiveness = above 90% certainly as the origin story of Thanos and his quest for Infinity Stones put the Avengers under the most lethal jeopardy yet.

As I've mentioned before, everything needs to be a competition, or a list, or a ranking ... with that being said, it is a nice thought process in the aftermath of the War, isn't it?

I might never write that full Infinity War spoiler review since I'm not sure if anyone wants to this late anyway but here is my own ranking if I have to make one:

! SPOILER WARNING !

#22. Eitri

The (giant) dwarf played by Peter Dinklage played its part well as the last surviving one of his kind (yet again) after an encounter with Thanos, and then being revitalized by the tireless determination of Thor to conjure up another weapon that could kill the Mad Titan. Leading the segment that play off the lore being set up in the first Thor film, he is the least influential compared compared to other cast in this ensemble!

#21. Groot

Being the running gag of the film by not being involved in the storyline at all until later in the later part of the third act, providing the handle for the newly forged Stormbreaker despite the searing pain it caused him after seeing how the God of Thunder suffers through the process and then being the capable backup in the Battle of Wakanda to turn the tide just saves Groot from being in the bottom of the list for me. Him 'saying' obscenities and that cute introduction with Steve Rogers are the highlight for me! That "Father" farewell to Rocket though ...

#20. Bucky Barnes aka the former Winter Soldier & Rhodes aka War Machine

An ensemble film of ten years in the making, it is bound to happen for a few of the almost two dozens characters to be sidelined in one film and Bucky and Rhodes are just a couple of them that had to be sidelined to serves others better, providing the spotlight on those who serves the storyline comparatively much more. The 'White Wolf' shakes off the HYDRA mind control and rejoin the war now against a horde of Outriders alongside his childhood friend and of course a new Vibranium mechanical hand! His tragic departure would hit Steve that much harder after the short reunion and would be the motivation for him to turn back time and save his friend.

#19. Drax & Mantis

With such a dire tone emanating through the whole feature, a little levity to break up the somber atmosphere is always welcome and the Russo brothers use the Guardians of the Galaxy members effectively to provide such humour, with Drax and Mantis being the guiltiest culprits. Dave Bautista's timing and delivery (standing still and "Why is Gamora?!") and Pom Klementieff's naivety and childlike perspective are used sparingly to their benefits while their abilities are used surprisingly effectively in the brawl against Thanos on Titan! They serve their purpose in this war I presume and while the latter is theorized to be able to return sooner rather than later, I think they are now making way for others in the fourth Avengers film.

#18. Nebula

Being sidelined for the first half just to be revealed as a bartering item used by their 'adopted' father and as a leverage for the location of the sixth Infinity Stones, being snitched out of Nebula without her consent by taking advantage of her cybernetic enhancements. Feeling betrayed by the 'father' that she used to look up to under duress, Trying to exact revenge by joining in the rest against him on his home planet, she did provided a helping hand before it was all for naught in the end with the plan to snatch the Gauntlet off of his hand failed and that dreaded snap came to fruition!

#17. Sam Wilson aka the Falcon

He fared better by joining up with the former Captain America and now blond Black Widow after the aftermath of Civil War, showing his teamwork by subduing the threat against the Vision and Scarlet Witch quite effectively while sparing their lives which they might regretted later. He was being an effective backup in the Battle of Wakanda while flying up above over the battlefield and providing airborne suppressing fire, showing his effectiveness for a hero that was originally wearing essentially a bird suit!

#16. Rocket Raccoon

Such a fully formed character now with the bizarre concept of a talking raccoon being overshadowed by the charismatic Bradley Cooper, now a character that we can actually relate to and being a wisecracker and someone you can surprisingly have deep conversation with when he needs to be. Providing a helping hand or spaceship in this instance in helping Thor in his quest and then providing a much needed firepower to turn the tide in the seemingly endless war!

#15. T'Challa aka Black Panther & Okeye

Having the third act war happen in his own kingdom, his decision to open Wakanda to the world was followed up right away by providing a safe haven for the Vision to retreat and buckle down to defend him with everything they got, with him being diplomatic when welcoming the Avengers and leading the Wakandan army in gearing up for the eventual arrival of the Out raiders. It was a short but sweet role for the King with him leading the charge by running side by side with Captain America Nomad and using the Black Panther suit and abilities to the fullest against the invading aliens. It's unfortunate that his role appeared to be ending for this two-parter, with Okoye or maybe M'baku will try to recuperate after the aftermath of the Snap!

#14. Bruce Banner aka the Hulk

After gaining back consciousness and control of his own body, Bruce hit a snag in his relationship with the green guy inside of him, as he wouldn't come to the rescue when he was needed the most in New York and then Wakanda, safely assumed caused by the surprising beatdown in the hands of Thanos with an Infinity Stone in hand. His reunion with Black Widow was cut short but the doctor himself was able to fend for himself and even killed one of the Son of Thanos by using the Hulkbuster's torpedo arm! Their relationship will continue on into 4.

#14. Natasha Romanov aka Black Widow

Coming back with a vengeance, her martial art prowess proven to be helpful in her duel with Proxima Midnight during the rescue of the Ultron couple and then in the fields of Wakanda. Being sidelined as well with that deleted scene with Bruce doesn't do her any favour at all, Black Widow made up for it by going toe to toe with Proxima with the helps of Okoye and Scarlet Witch, killing her in the end in a rather gruesome manner!

#12. Steve Rogers aka Captain America aka Nomad

Since he's been the mainstay of the franchise, the backbone of the ideologies and the running throughline of the MCU, it was disheartening for the fans to see him relegated to second fiddle in the biggest ensemble yet but he led the action with aplomb as the Super Soldier by showing absolute determination without a hint of fear against the Black Order, the Outsiders and then of course Thanos. Even though that comic book moment of him holding onto the Thanos' Gauntlet amounted to nothing in the end, it was a classic moment nonetheless. Even with all their might that they couldn't stop the Mad Titan, his look of despair at the end there would give him much more determination and motivation to bounce back and find a way to make things right again!

#11. the Black Order

Being introduced alongside Thanos as his 'Sons' among massacred Asgardians, they couldn't have made a more grander entrance and they backed it up by posing credible threats to the Avengers cast, especially the excellently creepy and powerful telekinesis user Ebony Maw. Even though there was a purported deleted scene of the Mad Titan going around enlisting the Black Order members and they could have benefited from that, they serve their purpose of providing constant threat that forced the Earth's Mightiest Heroes to fight on their feet and regroup in the end to properly fight them!

#10. the Vision

Being one of the strongest member of the Avengers, he played second fiddle in Civil War while further developed his relationship with Wanda Maximoff and now we see the next phase of that, seeing how he learns humanity from her and then fall in love with her. After learning of the impending threat that heavily involves the Stone on his forehead, he begins to contemplate of his value over the billions of others, understanding the sacrifice that he is willing to take to save others. It's not the show of strength that matters, it is the emotional journey he had with Wanda that matters!

#09. Loki

Oh, after seeing the post-credit scene of Ragnarok and learning of what it signifies, I had been looking forward to see how the God of Mischief would play a part in the quest for the Infinity Stones. In a surprising heartwarming and then heartbreaking turn of event, he lives up to his moniker by playing to the crowd while trying to sneak closer as a final resort. It was admirable to see how far his character has progressed since the first Thor solo film and how his relationship with his half-brother has prosper in Ragnarok and his final hurrah in front of his brother albeit ended tragically must hit Thor really hard especially seeing it happened with his own eyes!

#08. Spider-Man

After the surprising hit that is Homecoming, his first foray into the big league unfortunately was the biggest one yet the Avengers have faced and he actually flourished in the action sequences with his trademark Peter Parker persona at full front, to the benefit of the film as his little dose of levity and frankness give the more serious moments that much weight behind them. Having the Iron Spider suit increased his capabilities to help the others fight the Black Order and then Thanos but it was that last scene he shared with Tony Stark that was one of the best performances in the ensemble! That was hard to take in ...

#07. Star-Lord

Whether you understand his universe-defining outburst in the third act, it was a bombshell for him learning about the demise of his latest flame from the 'father' himself! Another relationship being slowly built up from the first Guardians, the family-oriented follow up seeing them grew closer by knowing each other and then we see how close they have come with both of them singing along to the same song while when her past secret came back to haunt her, he with a heavy heart agreed to end her life to save the galaxy despite how they felt for one another. The fact that he actually pulled the trigger and had to live with that decision and then learned that she did died by the hands of Thanos, he had to be crestfallen in that moment and I believe he would let his emotions get the best of him! His action sequences alongside the others are solid as well as they are divided well among them, as he played as supporting player to Doctor Strange and Iron Man.

#06. Thor

After ending his third film with such an amazing high, he was quickly brought down to Earth so to speak with the visit of Thanos and his entourage, having to recuperate and regroup himself after losing half of his own citizens and his own half-brother in the aftermath. He's taking it in strides though and bounced back tremendously by starting back the engine of Nidavellir, forging his new hammer-slash-ax Stormbreaker and then return just in time to save the rest of the Avengers from being overpowered by the hordes of Outriders with one hell of an entrance! Russo Brothers' decisions to seemingly counteract the decision from Ragnarok by giving him a new replacement eye and a new hammer to replace Mjolnir could be viewed as seeing that film as pointless but I believe that while he is the God of Thunder, it won't be enough to defeat the Mad Titan alone especially when he's fully powered with the Stones, forcing his hand to make a weapon that could cut him down. The eye though I think it's purely for visual, although it was a mechanical eye and that could play into Avengers 4. It was brought to my attention that his decision to aim for the body instead of the head to end the third act was for him to deliver the final speech to him as to avenge for Loki and that was proven to be the fatal mistake that he made, just like how Peter Quill was too human to thwart Thanos.

#05. Scarlet Witch

Being the individual grounding down the Vision as not just an artificial being but rather a living breathing being with real feelings, being humane and someone she could relate to. Being her guardian at first, she found solace in the company of the worthy while it developed into something more when we saw the start of it in the Civil War and the surprising budding in Infinity War when we saw them went into hiding together and appeared very much in love! Being the most heartbreaking relationship in the film over Gamora and Quill and Stark and Potts, the impending arrival of Thanos for the very life essence of the Vision put their relationship into question while having a constant back and forth on the very nature of letting him sacrifice himself in order to not let the Mad Titan gets ahold of the Mind Stone, especially when she was presented with the decision to pull the trigger herself since she is the only one capable to do so. As the clock ticked down, Shuri's revelation came a little too late as she was forced to provide a helping hand in the war on Wakandan plains and helped disposing Proxima Midnight in the process but then when it came down to it had to tragically kill her lover with her own powers. It was all for naught in the end though, making it that much harder to swallow. Her anguish throughout the film and finally the breakdown shows us just how much this hurt her, making us relate to them even more ... 

#04. Gamora

It was a bittersweet moment when we found out with the last Stone would tie with, as the feared outcome of her adopted father forcing out the location out of her forced Gamora to make Peter promised to kill her when the time came. It was too much to see her on a rollercoaster ride feeling the high of finally killing her tormenter but then going back down after finding out she was duped in showing her emotions in front of her manipulating 'father', further broken down after she was forced to give out the Soul Stone's location to save her 'sister' Nebula, someone that she became close to at the tail end of Volume Two. Being forced to keep her words by accompanying him to the planet Vormir to retrieve the Stone, she was delighted to know that the Stone would not come easy to him but then hit with a curve ball when she found out that the she would be the soul to be sacrificed to get the Stone! Not only she learned that she was 'loved' by Thanos just like his own daughter but she had to pay for that with her own life! The realisation and then the sense of dread on her face tells everything!

#03. Doctor Stephen Strange

After setting himself as the Sorcerer Supreme, he was being brought upon to the forefront as the leading antagonist in Thanos' way in completing his quest, from dealing with Ebony Maw first in New York and then being the major threat in the joint force attack against the Mad Titan. It was a delight to see him bounced off his equal in Tony Stark by matching each other's ego and quips blow by blow but it was when they set aside their differences and work together that the movie hits its strides and being such a pulsating action superhero film! Him going toe to toe with Thanos at one point was a marvel to see in the silver screen! Putting his duty first to protect the Time Stone with his life (literally), he later used it and found out that the one possible outcome that they would come out on top in the end (out of over four million possibilities) was by him sacrificing the control of the Stone in order to save the billionaire's life, and in turns his life when the Snap eventually happened. He knew that Tony is the key in saving the universe post-Snap hence his unselfish decision, sacrificing himself just like how he did Dormammu. He was the highlight of Avengers Three and even though Four would see others take the spotlight, I can't wait to see him come back again, hopefully! 

#02. Tony Stark as Iron Man

The one that started it all. Despite being unfit to join the Avengers Initiative at first, he pulled through for the team at the end of the first Avengers ensemble film by ending the Chitauri invasion led by Loki but then causing the birth of Ultron and almost cause the world to burn, causing the Sokovia Accords and further splitting the team into two halves! In the process, he had learned through the visions of the impending doom on the team and the world and were always at the ready for anything to go sour for Earth. It indeed turned for the worse at the start as he was forced to lead the newbie Spider-Man and arguably his equal in Doctor Strange and then being the mind of the plan to thwart Thanos' plan. He had his own hard-hitting final duel with the purple guy himself with the Bleeding Edge suit having its greatest moments here but it was the aftermath that hit him the hardest as he saw them lost a fight with the villain for the first time and suffered the consequences as almost all the members fighting alongside him being erased from existence. It was the last death that was the most heartwrenching as the kid, Peter Parker, that he became a father figure to, suffered through the whole stages of grief when he didn't feel so good, making Tony beat himself much more as he brought him into this world and it costed his life as a result. He could come back from this but we would need a miracle ...  

#01. Thanos

Well ... when they said this would be a predominantly Thanos film, they are not kidding! Despite the rather inconsequential teases across the MCU films, this is the proper reintroduction of the Mad Titan and his neverending quest to search for all six Infinity Stones and wipe out half of the humanity to bring back balance to the universe. The Black Order serves as a reminder of his leadership but it was the first fight with the Hulk that let us know how powerful he is physically (that Power Stone certainly helped) and how threatening his words are, talking the talk and walking the walk, backing up what he initially claimed. Far from being a one-note antagonist, we actually learn of his motivations which we actually could relate to although the way he went by it was what separated the rational and the irrational, being warped by his grand ambitions that he would do his darnedest to achieve it despite how many would suffer for it. It was the destination and not the journey that he's focused on and nothing would get in his ways, and that includes his daughter, Gamora, that he with a heavy heart (and surprising tears!) sacrificed to acquire the elusive Soul Stone. Granted the journey was shockingly personal as we see Thanos being belivably human with raw emotions for his daughters and others that he happened to cross path i.e. Peter Quill and Tony Stark. It certainly help that the CGI are second to none as the Mad Titan looks alive like a fully breathing being that we won't even mistaken him as a computer creation but a real life character, as a result of the brilliant motion capture performance of Josh Brolin and the visual effects department of Digital Domain. His physical and magical prowess was the highlight of every scene he is in, and that while he actually achieve his goal and actually did the SNAP(!), it costed him everything. With an ax wound on the chest and a damaged left arm and Infinity Gauntlet, he is able to watch the sunset over the grateful universe.

How can Avengers Four be?! How will Captain Marvel play into this?!

! SPOILER WARNING !

- - - - - - - - - -

source: comicbookmovie.com

- x -