There was a lot to live up to by the time Avengers: Infinity War was set to hit the big screen. The Marvel Cinematic Universe was as hot as it has ever been thanks to great releases like Captain America: Civil War, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Black Panther. The idea that more heroes than ever would share the same screen was exciting, especially once the trailer showed Captain America in Wakanda, Thor working with the Guardians of the Galaxy, and Iron Man interacting with Doctor Strange. To extract the best results from the idea, the MCU had to try something different.
We had seen our favorite superheroes at the forefront of so many movies and in group films like The Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron, the team was at the center. Avengers: Infinity War had to do something unique because there were too many heroes to share the protagonist spotlight and Thanos had to be the biggest bad that the MCU had ever seen. So, the movie ended up turning Thanos, the villain, into the protagonist of the story.
This decision allowed Avengers: Infinity War to feel different from other installments in the MCU, turned Thanos into a well-rounded character, and allowed the story to work better. The end result was the peak of the entire MCU.
If there's one thing about the MCU that has been consistently criticized since it began in 2008, it's that the villains can feel lackluster. Sometimes, they're not as good on the big screen as they were in the comics. In other cases, they don't get the time to develop because so much focus has to be placed on the heroes who we all need to gravitate towards and root for. It has been a problem from as far back as Iron Man to as recent as The Marvels, with only a handful of exceptions to that rule.
Considering how many superheroes were coming together for Avengers: Infinity War, the villain had to be great. With so many characters sharing the screen, it made sense to make them the supporting players and put Thanos at the forefront. It's Thanos who drives the plot forward in Avengers: Infinity War and he gets the most time on screen. While popular heroes like Spider-Man and Captain America are on screen for less than 10 minutes, Thanos is there for just about 30 minutes.
Some villains in the MCU don't get that time in films with only one superhero to compete with, yet Thanos does so with over a dozen. The decision to turn him into the protagonist was brilliant because it made him stand out among other villains and allowed us to really care about him, even if that care is pure hatred. We cared to see what happened to him more than we did with other villains because he's the main aspect of the plot.
To bring heroes from all across the galaxy against Thanos, he had to be established as a threat. The film did that pretty well early on, when he destroyed an Asgardian ship, had Thor on his heels, and then handily defeated Hulk in hand-to-hand combat. Hulk had been established as unstoppable to this point, so that opening scene let us know that it was going to take a lot to beat him. However, for Avengers: Infinity War to truly work, they had to flesh out Thanos beyond being a threat.
That's where the flashbacks came into play, giving Thanos' story the emotional core that it needed. We got to hear him explain how nobody listened to him on his home planet of Titan and it led to the extinction of its people. While we may not agree with his plan or the way he goes about things, that lays out proper motivation for his actions. The film also dove deep into his relationship with Gamora and Nebula, especially when it comes to the former.
Watching Thanos take over Gamora's home planet and then, for some reason, save her and take her under his wing, is intriguing. Gamora and Nebula hate him, yet there's no denying that he cares for Gamora. In his eyes, his actions made her a fierce warrior and he has nothing to apologize for. When it comes time to retrieve the Soul Stone, he must sacrifice Gamora to do so. Had the flashbacks and such not explained their relationship, that scene wouldn't work so well.
Gamora may hate Thanos, but he genuinely cares for her. If he didn't, the sacrifice wouldn't have worked because he wouldn't be giving up a soul he loves for the stone. That made his Soul Stone scene hit hard and proved the lengths he would go to achieve his ultimate end goal.
Thanos being at the center of Avengers: Infinity War is why it stands in the eyes of many as the best film in the MCU. He's the best villain in the franchise, not only because of his power, but because of how well-written and fleshed out he is. Putting him as the protagonist allowed the heroes to be supporting players, which lets them mostly handle the fun action sequences. Every scene is filled with action, with the only lulls often being Thanos scenes that manage to still be captivating.
The thing that everyone remembers most about Avengers: Infinity War is its ending. Thanos attains all six Infinity Stones and snaps his fingers, wiping out half of humanity across the universe. It's a shocking conclusion and it's one that works even better because Thanos is the protagonist. Most movies see the protagonist successfully reach their goal and had the Avengers stopped him here, he would've been a failed protagonist.
By making him the focal point, the filmmakers allowed that stunning ending to come to fruition. It wouldn't work nearly as well if Thanos weren't the main character. That decision makes the incredible ending better, makes the overall film stronger, and gives us one of the greatest villains ever put to the big screen, turning Avengers: Infinity War into a truly special movie.
Avengers: Infinity War is the third Avengers movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Heroes from across the MCU come together as the Avengers fight to take down Thanos before he can collect the Infinity Stones.
