Avengers: Infinity War spoiler thread

[Chris]

From Marvel's perspective, Iron Man 3 (an awful movie) came out 5 years ago, and Marvel has thrived since; and not because of IM3 but because of IM1 (2008) & 2 (2010) -- so to them, they might not need a guy who commands $40-$50M for movies where he's not even on screen for most of the film (see: Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Avengers: Infinity War)...

He's a great actor; and probably has the widest range of acting chops in the MCU other than obviously Cumberbatch. But the Iron Man movies themselves aren't necessarily required for the MCU to go on... He's really a character that can live in the foreground of the group, but doesn't necessarily need a film of his own. Not that an Iron Man movie can't be great, but that it's not necessary given his cost.

Think about it... If you can make Black Panther for $200M, paying the entire fucking cast less than just Robert Downey Jr alone, then you've really got to consider your options if you're Marvel, just from a business perspective. What MCU movie doesn't get made because RDJ is got $200M over the past 5 years?

So for Marvel, yeah, I think it's probably time they give that relationship a breather ... He may ultimately renegotiate a more equitable deal for Marvel by taking less per film but having extended royalty rights over time .. almost like a deferred payment of sorts; but that might take some time away from the role in order for him to consider it.

All that being said, Robert Downey Jr is the sole reason we have the MCU today. Without his embracing of the Marvel Comics material and making a real film out of it rather than trying to ridicule it or reshape it into something it's not (looking at Edward Norton). I think Marvel has found the right formula for finding the right actors for the right roles and for the right price (a price that's sustainable). But I'm not sure if Downey still fits into that formulation?

We'll see though....

I agree about this, and honestly outside of Iron Man the original, I wasn't terribly fond of those movies in general. He's just my favorite superhero, I think his screen time in Avengers has been way more enjoyable to me as an Iron Man fan than the movies dedicated to the hero himself. I just am not ready for it to be the last time I see RDJ as Iron Man on screen...hopefully it isn't. Iron Man is literally the sole reason I got into these movies to begin with, and it's because of RDJ/Iron Man that I've opened up to superhero shit as someone who has never read a comic book, ever, and gone to see movies like Black Panther, Captain America, etc in theaters. Movies I probably would have never touched had I not watched Iron Man back when it came out and realized that these were pretty cool stories that were worth my time.

So yeah, it sounds corny but I have a bit of an emotional connection there so it would be sad to see it end. But Black Panther might be my second favorite at this point and I am sure there is plenty more to come from Boseman and BP in the future. So that's something for me to look forward to I suppose.

 

[gourimoko]

I agree about this, and honestly outside of Iron Man the original, I wasn't terribly fond of those movies in general. He's just my favorite superhero, I think his screen time in Avengers has been way more enjoyable to me as an Iron Man fan than the movies dedicated to the hero himself. I just am not ready for it to be the last time I see RDJ as Iron Man on screen...hopefully it isn't. Iron Man is literally the sole reason I got into these movies to begin with, and it's because of RDJ/Iron Man that I've opened up to superhero shit as someone who has never read a comic book, ever, and gone to see movies like Black Panther, Captain America, etc in theaters. Movies I probably would have never touched had I not watched Iron Man back when it came out and realized that these were pretty cool stories that were worth my time.

So yeah, it sounds corny but I have a bit of an emotional connection there so it would be sad to see it end. But Black Panther might be my second favorite at this point and I am sure there is plenty more to come from Boseman and BP in the future. So that's something for me to look forward to I suppose.

Doesn't sound corny at all; I agree with everything you said... Iron Man's first MCU film was what got me emotionally involved in these films. It repaired the fucked up Spider-Man 3 feeling I had, and made me hopeful for the larger world Marvel was trying to build.

I honestly don't want to see RDJ go either.. I hope they can work out an arrangement that keeps him around indefinitely and that's worth his time, effort and energy.

I just know that, from a corporate standpoint, Disney will consider his continued value at the contract size he commands ... My guess is that they won't be too eager to repay all the hard-work and success he's generated for them, but I hope I'm wrong.

 

[MD13]

IIRC, Black Widow is moving forward with production, but she's like the second most highly paid actor at Marvel, and definitely could be eradicated IMHO. I don't dislike her character, but if we're being honest, Scarlett Johansson is just not a good actress at all.

They will really need to make the movie action-packed to avoid long expositional scenes with Johansson needing to act out her character.... The entire movie should just be guns blazing from start to finish.

So I don't really get why having Black Widow around is at all vital to the MCU. It's not like I actively dislike the character, it's more like she constantly fades into the background for me since she's such a vanilla character. Maybe having her own movie will let them develop her character a bit, but honestly if they just cut her out of future movies with no explanation I wouldn't miss her at all (like with Hawkeye).

 

[Hurl Bruce]

So I don't really get why having Black Widow around is at all vital to the MCU. It's not like I actively dislike the character, it's more like she constantly fades into the background for me since she's such a vanilla character. Maybe having her own movie will let them develop her character a bit, but honestly if they just cut her out of future movies with no explanation I wouldn't miss her at all (like with Hawkeye).

The most I think about Black Widow in these movies is in relation to how she should totally die when she's fighting some of these people. It's not that I want her to die, it's that she is so overmatched that death is the most probable outcome...yet she still goes on.

 

[Jack Brickman]

I just know that, from a corporate standpoint, Disney will consider his continued value at the contract size he commands ... My guess is that they won't be too eager to repay all the hard-work and success he's generated for them, but I hope I'm wrong.

Technically, I think they've already repaid him by giving him that mammoth deal to begin with. Yeah, he's the reason that Marvel's cinematic universe is a thing, but he also received a shitload of money for making it one.

At any rate, I think Captain America is dead for sure. Iron Man might die, but I could see Stark retiring too and handing over the Iron Man suit to someone else, which would allow him to perhaps continue with more of a Samuel L. Jackson role in the universe where he shows up from time to time and has bigger roles in some films but just bit roles in others.

 

[MD13]

The most I think about Black Widow in these movies is in relation to how she should totally die when she's fighting some of these people. It's not that I want her to die, it's that she is so overmatched that death is the most probable outcome...yet she still goes on.

It was *very* far-fetched when she started beating the two sidekicks of Thanos that were about to kill Vision of all people. The same Vision who's definitely stronger than every other Avenger to the point that they have to keep him busy so he doesn't instantly beat other villains and render the movie pointless.

 

[gourimoko]

So I don't really get why having Black Widow around is at all vital to the MCU. It's not like I actively dislike the character, it's more like she constantly fades into the background for me since she's such a vanilla character. Maybe having her own movie will let them develop her character a bit, but honestly if they just cut her out of future movies with no explanation I wouldn't miss her at all (like with Hawkeye).

I mean, she's in the comics in the background, of many of these stories ... I get having her as a background character. The problem more relates to Scarlett Johannsen being such a big deal, a star in her own right; that's what creates this drive for her to have her own film -- while no one will ask for Scarlett Witch, a much more interesting character, to have her own movie, say a retelling of the "House of M" ..

 

[Jack Brickman]

I mean, she's in the comics in the background, of many of these stories ... I get having her as a background character. The problem more relates to Scarlett Johannsen being such a big deal, a star in her own right; that's what creates this drive for her to have her own film -- while no one will ask for Scarlett Witch, a much more interesting character, to have her own movie, say a retelling of the "House of M" ..

Personally, I think a Black Widow movie could be really good if it was more of a spy thriller type of film like Winter Soldier.

 

[Rich]

I like the Robert Downey Jr. keeps asking for more and more money. Hollywood studios are about as corrupt as any business in America and actors should try and take them for every penny. Disney might finally decide they can still thrive w/o him, but he's already made more money off of them than probably any two actors combined ever.

 

[col63onel]

Better cinematic moment?

Vader wrecking fools at the end of Rogue One

vs

Thor wrecking fools with Stormbreaker in Wakanda

 

[Dr. Gymbo]

Better cinematic moment?

Vader wrecking fools at the end of Rogue One

vs

Thor wrecking fools with Stormbreaker in Wakanda

Big fan of Marvel - but my heart always lies in a galaxy far, far away. Gotta go with Vader in this case.

 

[Jack Brickman]

Better cinematic moment?

Vader wrecking fools at the end of Rogue One

vs

Thor wrecking fools with Stormbreaker in Wakanda

The Vader scene was definitely a better shot and directed scene. It did a wonderful job of showing just how dangerous and terrifying Vader could be in a way we've never really seen before, even in the original trilogy where we only saw him fight a handful of times (and two of those fights were against an old man and a barely trained Luke). And the prequels made him seem a hell of a lot more like a whiny bitch than a timeless badass.

Thor wrecking fools was cool, but we've seen Thor wreck fools before. Dude went toe to toe with Hulk in Ragnarok.

 

[The Human Q-Tip]

Round 2 and I was even more enthralled

Thor is the star of this movie in my opinion, but everybody was great.

He's really good, and Hemsford should be able to keep the character believable even as he gets older.

 

[The Human Q-Tip]

Yes, it was Captain Marvel's symbol.

Strange saw the millions of outcomes and knows which of the handful would work. Presumably he tells Tony about this.

But, my educated guess is that Ant-Man is part of that solution. If you go back and watch Ant-Man you will know how that would work. Ant-Man and the Wasp and Captain Marvel both come out before IWII so they have to be linked to the end-game. And Hawkeye.

Also, I am interested to see how Adam Warlock will play into all of this in the Captain Marvel film.

I don't think he told Tony anything -- Stark seemed shocked that Strange would (apparently) sacrifice half of the universe just to save him. But Strange clearly knows that Stark had to survive for them to win in the end.

 

[Derek]

Better cinematic moment?

Vader wrecking fools at the end of Rogue One

vs

Thor wrecking fools with Stormbreaker in Wakanda

Not going to lie, I got chills when Thor, Groot, and Rocket dropped into the battlefield. Such a cool scene.

Beats Vader in Rogue One for me.

I don't think he told Tony anything -- Stark seemed shocked that Strange would (apparently) sacrifice half of the universe just to save him. But Strange clearly knows that Stark had to survive for them to win in the end.

No doubt, Tony knew nothing. I don't even think it's so much that Tony needed to survive for them to win, but that they had to lose that battle and allow Thanos to reach his end game in order to eventually emerge triumphant.