Infinity War (2018) is Marvel's masterpiece. While I do have lots of love for Endgame (2019), Infinity War is on another level. The Russo Brother's ability to weave this many arcs in a concise manner is unparalleled in the genre, and quite frankly, in any genre.
Respect for the Arcs
I think Infinity War respects the character arcs in a way that previous Avengers movies have not. Joss Whedon had a preference towards Tony Stark (understandably) but threw most of the other characters away. Thor, in particular, finally gets his day in this in Infinity War. For the first time, Thor has a journey in an Avengers film that is not an afterthought; It is one of the main driving forces of the story, and it is a direct continuation of where Ragnorak (2017 ) left off.
Also, they weren't afraid to put the most fitting ending to Loki's story. Loki's journey is one of tragedy. He finally gets to be equal to his brother, and this connection is ripped from him instantly. In fact, he accepts the totality of his nature and lets Thor know that he loves him before failing in his attempt to kill Thanos.
Tony's relationship with responsibility continues in a fitting manner. The best part of Tony's journey is that the story sets it up for him to fail miserably. The film uses Peter Parker as a symbol of Tony's ultimate failure to protect the Earth. When Peter goes away, Tony witnesses his greatest fear: Helplessly watching his friends die while being forced to live on.
Peter Quill's behavior is agitating to fans but well established in the Guardians franchise. Quill has a temper. In GOTG2 (2017), he attempts to kill his father, Ego, after learning of his mother's death. That is echoed almost directly in Thanos revealing that he killed Gamora. Both Ego and Thanos claimed they had to take away a person that Peter loved dearly so that they can be masters of the universe. His frustration, while irritating, is in his nature. Furthermore, Tony Stark, who is prone to similar irrational anger, is there to watch what he may consider an echo of his failure with Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes.
Wanda and Vision get their best arcs in this adventure as well. They find a way to creatively sideline the couple through their love for one another. Their dialogue is also one of my favorite aspects of the film. I love it when the ending is snuck into the dialogue. Wanda and Vision just want "time." Their story begins with them sneaking away to share moments with each other, to learn if their relationship can work. Vision asks Wanda what she feels and she says, "I just feel you." Then, in the end, they are out of "time." Vision reassures Wanda that she shouldn't feel bad for killing him because "I just feel you." Wanda destroys the thing she loves the most; a thing all of the other characters are unable to do. Finally, resident bastard, Thanos says, "now is no time at all" and reverses time, thus undoing Wanda's sacrifice and simultaneously twisting the knife at their loss of time. Vision had finally become human and he died for it.
There are plenty more characters to discuss but I'll end with Gamora. Gamora's tragedy is that she is murdered for her good deeds. She has always tried to make up for the wickedness that Thanos puts in the universe. Instead, she helps him accomplish his greatest evil of all. It is true to the character though. She saved Nebula to help her family and, in doing so, dooms the universe. She could have run from her fate but instead, like the hero she is, dove face-first into the challenge.
Thanos is full of shit and a sadomasochist.
To all of the people that say, "Thanos was right" are either stupid or crazy or an internet troll. Thanos' logic doesn't even make sense. Earth has more than enough resources, they just aren't evenly spread out. Furthermore, why doesn't he just double the resources?
I have your answer. It is hidden at the beginning of the movie. Loki tells Thanos that he'll never be a god. That's Thanos' desire; He wants to be all-powerful. In no way does he desire peace or gratitude in a humane sense. Thanos wants to feel powerful and god-like. He claims to take no pleasure in killing people but that sexual sound he makes after killing Loki says otherwise. Then, he smiles as he lays Loki's body in front of Thor. Again, that's pleasure. Normal people don't make pleasure sounds when killing people and then smile as they throw the corpse at their relatives.
Then, he tortures his own daughter, whom he claims to love. "But Chad, it's for a greater purpose." Calm down there, Stalin. One: Killing people for a "greater purpose" has been used throughout all of history to commit mass murder, and frequently, the "greater purpose" isn't even achieved; it was always a mask for committing atrocities against humanity. Second: I don't believe for one second that you can kill someone that you love. I'll hear your argument but claiming you love someone and then immediately yeating them off a cliff, to use my wife's terminology, is absurd. He doesn't love Gamora. He thinks of his children as possessions. He loves Gamora like his favorite lawnmower. So, to Thanos, he just chucked a lawnmower over a cliff for an Infinity Stone.
The difference between the Avengers and Thanos is that they are protecting what makes us human while he is using what makes us human to gain power. He does it over and over. He threatens to kill Thor to trick Loki, he threatens to kill Nebula to trick Gamora, and he threatens to kill Tony to trick Dr. Strange. Humanitarians aren't known for their approval of torture. I don't see any Green movement people advocating for waterboarding any time soon. If the Avengers stopped valuing life, they could have won. But what would they have lost? In the end, they do lose. They lose because they are heroes. Thanos wins because he is a power-hungry creature with no morals who desires to become a god. The final line of the film is "Oh god." Then, it cuts away to Thanos. He achieved ultimate power.
Best Suit ups/Entrances/Action Sequences in the Franchise
"BRING ME THANOS!" I'll leave that there. It speaks for itself.
Tony's nanotech entrance is badass.
Can't forget about Cap's subway entrance either. The Avengers theme swelling as Cap, Nat, and Sam swoop in to kick some ass is one of my favorite scenes.
The fight on Titan may still be the coolest thing I've ever seen on the big screen.
Later, they use space dogs to involve some other characters in the action back in Wakanda.
The Russo's are untouchable with fight sequences. I don't know who creates the outlines for the fight scenes they produce, but their films always have the most unique sequences. The symmetry and cohesion of the fight on Titan are fantastic. They incorporate all of the different abilities into seamless transitions. The little kid in me was prepared to crap his pants at getting to see this in a live-action film.