Earning almost $2 billion at the box office in a single month, not only has Avengers: Infinity War secured its place as the fourth-highest grossing movie of all time, but has also received critical praise for its energetic action, satisfying character work and emotional weight. Working from a surprisingly tight script from Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, the Russo Brothers have achieved the impossible with Infinity War, balancing a whole Universe full of existing characters while living up to the insane levels of hype surrounding the movie’s ten-year build up -- a goal that many initially considered unachievable.
While the movie does an astounding job of justifying the inclusion of so many heroes and disparate plot threads however, there are also some characters who fall by the wayside in pursuit of Infinity War’s lofty ambitions. Although these characters can often include some of the MCU’s most important heroes, the movie also gives some of its newer, lesser-seen characters their moments to shine. Now, after a full month to digest the monumental events of Avengers: Infinity War, CBR is here take a look at some of the characters who stole the show in the movie, as well as some who left a lot to be desired.
WARNING: Spoilers for Infinity War ahead!
20 LOOKED BETTER: SPIDER-MAN
Despite being one of the most beloved superheroes in comic book history, Spider-Man is still a relatively new addition to the MCU -- in comparison to most the franchise’s long-standing heroes, at least. With that in mind, the extent to which Spider-Man would be featured in Avengers: Infinity War was always somewhat up in the air. While the character’s lack of experience perhaps signalled a more modest supporting role for the Webslinger, his immense popularity and prominence in the movie’s trailers suggested otherwise.
The Russo Brothers ultimately sided with the latter however, giving Spidey a surprisingly meaty role in the conflict, with the character even engaging in fisticuffs with the Mad Titan himself alongside some of the franchise’s most popular heroes, including Iron Man, Star-Lord and Doctor Strange. Exchanging plenty of Marvel’s trademark quips with his fellow heroes, Spider-Man is also an integral piece of the movie’s emotional core, with his destruction at the hands of Thanos really hammering home Tony’s feelings of despair and utter hopelessness in the wake of his protégé’s heart-wrenching end. Tragically dying in Tony’s arms, Spidey’s final scene helped truly solidify the movie’s emotional stakes, while serving as a great reminder of Iron Man’s greatest fear -- living to see all of his friends die.
19 LOOKED WORSE: DRAX
In the lead up to the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie, Drax the Destroyer was perhaps the least anticipated character on the team’s roster. Lacking the instant magnetism of characters like Star-Lord, Rocket Raccoon or Groot in the movie’s trailers, the eventual release of Guardians of the Galaxy saw fans blindsided by Drax’s popularity, with his hilariously deadpan one-liners and tactless attitude giving him many of the movie’s biggest laughs.
Problems with the character began to rear their head in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 however, with director James Gunn leaning into fan’s love of Drax perhaps a little too much, making him more of a giant, muscled-up joke dispenser than a functional member of the team. This is an issue that persists in Avengers: Infinity War, in which Drax is given very little to do aside from crack wise -- or crack dumb as the case may be -- which is disappointing given the character’s bitter, bloody history with the movie’s big bad. There are still several hilarious Drax moments dotted throughout the movie, in fact many of his best lines yet are showcased here, but Drax ultimately doesn’t feel as integral to the plot as he perhaps should be, and that’s a shame.
18 LOOKED BETTER: STAR-LORD
Stealing the show in the most literal way possible, Star-Lord has perhaps the most screen-time of any of the Guardians in Avengers: Infinity War, which is strange given he’s surrounded by characters with a rich, personal history with Thanos. It makes sense of course, considering he’s the central character of the Guardians movies, but his prominent role in the battle against Thanos doesn’t feel as earned as the likes of Gamora, Nebula or Drax. Regardless, Peter Quill remains the charismatic presence he’s always been, and watching him exchange banter with the likes of Iron Man, Thor and Doctor Strange is as entertaining as you might expect.
In fact, it’s Star-Lord’s plan that perhaps gets the Avengers closest to defeating Thanos, utilizing the unique powers of his teammates in fun and creative ways to temporarily subdue the Mad Titan. Here’s where the biggest problem with Star-Lord lies in Avengers: Infinity War, however. Peter’s rage after learning of Gamora’s death ends up destroying his entire plan -- and dooming half the Universe as a result -- simply because Star-Lord couldn’t not punch Thanos in the face for an additional few seconds. Despite his otherwise great role in the movie, it’s hard not to feel a certain amount of bitterness towards Peter by the time the credits roll, with the cataclysmic events of the movie’s final act feeling like they’re a direct result of Star-Lord’s rash actions.
17 LOOKED WORSE: BUCKY BARNES
First introduced way back in 2010’s Captain America: The First Avenger, Bucky Barnes has had quite the journey over the course of the MCU’s history -- perhaps even more so than Cap himself. Starting out as Steve Rogers’ childhood best friend, Bucky later becomes Cap’s brother in arms before he’s seemingly killed on a mission to apprehend Arnim Zola. Secretly captured and brainwashed by Hydra, Bucky is then turned into the deadly assassin known as the Winter Soldier, before Captain America once again manages to set him on a redemptive path.
Bucky Barnes’ status quo has changed in every movie he’s appeared in since Captain America: The First Avenger, and that’s one of the character’s best assets -- but is also something that hasn’t continued into Avengers: Infinity War. Making the transformation from forgettable side character to one of the MCU’s central heroes, the post-credits scene in Black Panther appeared to tease a significant role for Bucky in Infinity War. Ultimately, this wasn’t the case though, with the character having very little to do in the events of the movie other than shoot a few bad guys here and there, although seeing him battle side-by-side with Rocket Raccoon was a moment of pure comic book bliss. In the end though, it seems the only narrative function Bucky served was to turn to ash in front of Steve Rogers at the end of the movie.
16 LOOKED BETTER: BRUCE BANNER
Despite what some deceptively edited trailers would have you believe, the Hulk isn’t featured all that prominently in Avengers: Infinity War. Instead, it’s Bruce Banner who steals the show in the movie, with the character getting some room to breathe in the wake of the Hulk-heavy Thor: Ragnarok. After being sent back to Earth via the Bifrost in a heroic final act from Heimdall, it’s Bruce Banner who warns Earth’s Mightiest Heroes of Thanos’ impending arrival, coming face to face with his fellow Avengers for the first time since 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron. Present during Ebony Maw and Cull Obsidian’s initial assault on New York, Bruce later gets the chance to flex his scientific muscles for the first time in a while, working alongside Black Panther’s Shuri to figure out how to extract the Mind Stone from Vision’s head.
Bruce even gets to participate in the movie’s climactic battle sequence despite not having the Hulk to rely on, instead donning a suit of Hulkbuster armor to get the job done. With no prior experience using battle armor, Bruce’s clumsy use of the suit injects some much-needed humor into a conflict with sky-high stakes -- with Bruce even managing to single-handedly take out the powerful Cull Obsidian in the battle.
15 LOOKED WORSE: HULK
While it was great to see Bruce Banner get so much attention throughout Avengers: Infinity War, it still feels like a shame that there was so little Hulk in the movie. Only showing up for the movie’s opening scene, the Hulk immediately attempts to crush Thanos during his assault on the Asgardian ships, only to learn the hard way that Thanos is not one to be trifled with. Although Hulk puts up an admirable fight against the Mad Titan, he’s ultimately no match for one of the Universe’s most powerful beings.
After his beatdown, Bruce Banner is sent back to Earth by Heimdall, with the Hulk refusing to emerge during the subsequent battle with Cull Obsidian and Ebony Maw in New York City -- and for the rest of the movie. There’s never really a definitive reason given as to why the Hulk is cutting himself off from Banner in Infinity War, with most assuming it’s a result of the fear and humiliation felt by Hulk after being defeated by Thanos. Directors Joe and Anthony Russo have suggested otherwise however, hinting that the Hulk is simply tired of being used by others for his strength, leaving Banner to save his own skin for once. Here’s hoping he has a change of heart in Avengers 4.
14 LOOKED BETTER: IRON MAN
To anyone familiar with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it should come as no surprise that Tony Stark was one of they key players of Avengers: Infinity War. Not only is Tony the first person Bruce Banner and Doctor Strange turn to after learning of Thanos’ intentions, but he later manages to infiltrate an alien spacecraft alongside Spider-Man to save Strange from the clutches of the sadistic Ebony Maw.
One of the few characters shown to be capable of laying down some legitimate damage on Thanos, Tony even earns the respect of the Mad Titan, with Thanos claiming that he was already perfectly aware of Tony Stark’s existence prior to Infinity War. As you might expect, there’s also some great exchanging of barbs between Iron Man and the characters surrounding him, having particularly good chemistry with Doctor Strange, Star-Lord and Thanos, but Tony also puts the quips on ice during the movie’s serious moments, with the character serving as a huge part of Infinity War’s emotional core. With Thanos’ victory standing as Tony’s greatest failure to date, watching a pleading Spider-Man turn to ash in his arms is a truly heart-wrenching moment, fully validating the intense fear Tony has felt since the first Avengers movie.
13 LOOKED WORSE: BLACK PANTHER
Considering the immense popularity of this year’s Black Panther movie, the return of T’Challa and his companions in Avengers: Infinity War was hotly anticipated in the lead up to the film’s release. While characters like Okoye and Shuri had small but important roles in the Battle of Wakanda however, Black Panther himself seemed to draw the short straw in the movie, at least in terms of screen time. With Shuri busy working to facilitate the removal of Vision’s Mind Stone and Okoye leading the charge alongside the Avengers -- even helping take out Proxima Midnight near the movie’s climax – Black Panther doesn’t really get a whole lot to do during the conflict.
Although his plan to funnel the vicious Outriders into a single lane of attack was vital to Wakanda’s survival in the battle, T’Challa never really got the chance to shine in any other capacity in Infinity War, only appearing a small handful of times throughout the Battle of Wakanda. To top it all off, Black Panther is also one of the characters turned to ash once Thanos completes the Infinity Gauntlet, making a more robust role in Avengers 4 all the more unlikely. Still, there’s no doubt Black Panther will be back eventually, hopefully sooner rather than later.
12 LOOKED BETTER: ROCKET AND GROOT
The role of Rocket and Groot in Avengers: Infinity War is somewhat limited compared to some of the more notable members of the movie’s enormous cast, but the duo is used in the perfect capacity in the movie, proving once again that the Russo Brothers are the masters of character balance. Pairing Rocket and Groot off with Thor was a perfect choice, affording the God of Thunder’s scenes some levity in light of the tragic events of the movie’s opening. In theory, balancing the grim, cataclysmic tone of the movie’s central conflict with humor and genuine laughs should have been impossible -- but the comedy is dished out in just the right amount that its gives the audiences brief moments of relief without sacrificing the impact of the movie’s darker moments.
Groot and Rocket are a huge part of this balance. Too much of them would’ve made the movie feel like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, but not enough would’ve made the characters feel completely superfluous to the plot. Additionally, the characters also have some of the most triumphant scenes in Infinity War, with Groot’s creation of Stormbreaker’s handle and Rocket’s gleeful gunning down of the Outriders alongside Bucky standing out as particularly fun moments, which makes Rocket watching Groot die again all the more heart-breaking.
11 LOOKED WORSE: LOKI
Long considered the quintessential MCU villain, Loki’s introduction in 2011’s Thor movie proved so popular that the character would go on to appear in a total of five Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, easily standing as the best, most compelling villain in the entire franchise. Black Panther’s Erik Killmonger and Avengers: Infinity War’s Thanos have finally lived up to the gold standard set by Loki, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt to watch the God of Mischief go out with a whimper rather than a bang in Infinity War’s opening scene.
Attempting to trick Thanos into trusting him, Loki offers to serve as a “guide” on Earth, all the while inching close enough to the Mad Titan to kill him. Needless to say, the attempt is a complete failure, with Thanos responding by snapping Loki’s neck. The death is cold and abrupt, feeling like an unceremonious end for a character we’ve spent five movies journeying with. The scene does succeed in immediately establishing Thanos as a genuinely imposing threat, but the trade off is the cheapening of Loki’s long-awaited redemptive turn in Thor: Ragnarok. It would’ve been nice for Loki’s final act to have had a little more impact, perhaps even turning the tide for our heroes later in the movie, but as it stands his death almost feels like a waste of one of Marvel’s most influential characters.
10 LOOKED BETTER: SCARLET WITCH & VISION
Sure, this one is technically two characters, but anyone who’s seen Avengers: Infinity War knows that the couple come as something of a package deal in the movie. Introduced back in 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, both Vision and Scarlet Witch failed to find their proper footing in the MCU for quite some time. While the characters were certainly a fun presence in Age of Ultron and Captain America: Civil War, their roles never felt quite as vital as they should have, given the monumental importance of their respective characters in the comics.
With that said, it was about time the MCU further developed the iconic relationship between Scarlet Witch and Vision, and while the implementation of their romance felt somewhat rushed in Infinity War, it provided some weight to the inevitable death of Vision, and finally made the pair feel like crucial characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With both characters having some memorable action sequences in the movie -- their fight with Corvus Glaive and Proxima Midnight in Scotland being particularly great -- it was Wanda’s sacrifice of Vision that stands as their most memorable moment to date. Thanos’ genuine commiseration with Wanda over Vision’s death -- having himself just sacrificed Gamora for the Soul Stone -- serves as a cherry on top of the scene, making his subsequent reversal of time and acquisition of the Mind Stone even more of a bitter pill to swallow.
9 LOOKED WORSE: THE CHILDREN OF THANOS
First things first, it’s probably worth mentioning that the Children of Thanos, better known as the Black Order in the comics, worked as a great plot device in Avengers: Infinity War. Splitting the movie’s action up into several different locations, Thanos’ tenacious minions managed to separate our titular heroes into multiple, more digestible groups, giving most of Infinity War’s expansive roster of characters a chance to shine. While they worked well narratively however, the individual members of the Children of Thanos, consisting of Ebony Maw, Proxima Midnight, Corvus Glaive and Cull Obsidian, largely failed to leave a lasting impression. Ebony Maw is a possible exception to this, being a slightly more memorable presence than the rest of the group -- but he was also the first of them to perish.
Perhaps it’s unfair and unrealistic to expect Avengers: Infinity War to introduce and flesh out four entirely new villains in a movie already overflowing with characters, but when those characters already have distinctive personalities and interesting histories in the comics, it can often lead to disappointment. Given that all four villains die rather viscerally throughout the movie, it’s also unlikely they’ll return for Avengers 4, making the Children of Thanos feel much more disposable than they do in the pages of Marvel Comics.
8 LOOKED BETTER: DOCTOR STRANGE
Despite only being featured prominently in his own solo movie, as well as briefly in last year’s Thor: Ragnarok, Stephen Strange has rapidly become one of the key players in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, commanding a significant amount of screen time in Avengers: Infinity War. Immediately taking charge upon learning of Thanos’ impending arrival, Doctor Strange is Earth’s first line of defence, with the skirmish between the Children of Thanos and Doctor Strange, Wong and Iron Man standing out as one of the movie’s most energetic action sequences. Exchanging witty barbs with his fellow heroes the entire time, Doctor Strange makes for a perfect addition to Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, with the character leaving even more of a lasting impression in Infinity War than he did in 2016’s solo Doctor Strange movie.
Whereas Doctor Strange portrayed magic as some form of weird quantum pseudo-science, Avengers: Infinity War leans more heavily into the traditional idea of “magic”, with Strange turning Thanos’ attacks into butterflies, growing several extra arms and creating countless duplicates of himself over the course of the movie. What’s more, it appears that Strange is also the key to Thanos’ defeat in Avengers 4 despite having turned to ash alongside half of the Universe, having caught a glimpse of the Universe’s only victorious timeline and deciding to give Thanos the Time Stone soon afterwards.
7 LOOKED WORSE: NICK FURY & MARIA HILL
Memorable as the first piece of connective tissue to tie the disparate movies of the MCU to one another, Nick Fury has long been one of the Marvel Universe’s most vital characters. Responsible for the creation of the Avengers during his time as the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Fury has appeared in an impressive eight MCU movies to date -- soon to be nine with the release of next year’s Captain Marvel -- and has essentially acted as the glue holding the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe together. Although her role isn’t quite as prominent in the MCU as it is in the comics, Maria Hill is also another important piece of the S.H.I.E.L.D. equation, serving as the agency’s deputy director until its fall from grace in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
With Fury and Hill appearing to be masters of espionage and surveillance -- after all, they seem to know where every Avenger is at any given time in previous movies -- it feels a little peculiar that they had no idea about Thanos, the Battle of Wakanda or even the Children of Thanos’ invasion of New York until so late in the game. It makes sense that Infinity War wanted to use Fury to set up Captain Marvel considering his upcoming role in the movie, but having Fury and Hill appear on-screen -- apparently clueless as to the events of the rest of the movie -- only to immediately kill them off just feels like an unceremonious and out-of-character end for the pair, even if they will inevitably be back.
6 LOOKED BETTER: GAMORA
The abuse of Gamora and Nebula at the hands of the Mad Titan is a concept first touched upon in the original Guardians of the Galaxy, with the idea taking on an even more central role in the frankly underrated Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, a movie that’s essentially about the different forms of parental abuse. With that said, it’s great to see Avengers: Infinity War continue that arc in an impactful and emotional way, with Gamora serving as the movie’s heart and soul, rising above her violent past to fight for a future free from monsters like Thanos.
Gamora’s death at the hands of her father is perhaps the most shocking moment in the entire movie -- even more so than the already-iconic “snap” scene -- with Thanos’ decision to sacrifice her for the Soul Stone solidifying him as one of the most complex and despicable villains in comic book movie history. In a movie with such a gigantic cast and dozens of plot threads to tie together, it didn’t seem like there’d be time to further explore the relationship between Thanos and Gamora, but as it turns out it may just be the most important part of Avengers: Infinity War. What’s more, Gamora is one of the few characters to die outside of the snap, meaning her return in the future is anything but guaranteed -- even if it does appear her essence is trapped inside the Soul Stone.
5 LOOKED WORSE: NEBULA
While the exploration of Gamora and her abusive past is one of Avengers: Infinity War’s most vital plot threads, her sister and fellow victim Nebula isn’t given anywhere near as much to do -- either thematically or plot-wise -- despite arguably having it far worse than even her sister. This is disappointing for several reasons. After giving Nebula newfound depth and even a redemptive arc in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, it seemed that the character had turned over a new leaf, and given her murderous desire for vengeance against Thanos, it seemed like the character would be a significant part of the movie’s action alongside our other heroes.
Instead, Nebula pretty much just shows up to be tortured by the Mad Titan, before delivering the news of her sister’s death to Star-Lord, at perhaps the worst possible time, too. Given the pivotal role her character plays in the comic book version of the story, it’s disappointing to see Nebula get so few scenes in the movie, with the formidable space pirate barely even interacting with Thanos at all despite having perhaps the most cause to do so. Still, considering Nebula is one of the few characters left alive by the end of the movie, hopefully she’ll have a much more prominent role in Avengers 4.
4 LOOKED BETTER: THOR
It would’ve been very easy for Avengers: Infinity War’s scenes featuring Thor to have been incredibly depressing in the wake of the movie’s opening scene, in which not only are Loki and Heimdall murdered by Thanos, but seemingly the entire population of Asgard, too. As it turns out however, Thor’s scenes are some of the most triumphant in the entire movie, with they newly reinvented God of Thunder compartmentalizing his anguish to build himself a new weapon and take vengeance on the man who took everything from him -- even managing to have some fun with Rocket and Groot along the way. In fact, Thor’s side quest to Nidavellir is one of the movie’s most entertaining segments despite being somewhat separate from the escalating events of the film’s eponymous war.
If there was ever any question in the original Avengers that Thor was the team’s most powerful member, any shadow of a doubt has been firmly erased by the climax of Infinity War. Combined with the increased potency of his lightning-based abilities as of Thor: Ragnarok, the God of Thunder’s new weapon, Stormbreaker, may be even more powerful than Mjolnir ever was. Able to negate powerful blasts from Thanos’ recently completed Infinity Gauntlet, Thor even manages to impale the Mad Titan with the battleaxe, easily coming the closest of anyone to killing Thanos. Simply put, Thor is the MVP of Avengers: Infinity War.
3 LOOKED WORSE: RED SKULL
Portrayed by Hugo Weaving in Captain America: The First Avenger, Red Skull is the subject of one of the oldest fan theories in the entire MCU, that the villain is still alive somewhere in the Universe. Unlike many other out-there fan theories though, this one actually ended up being true. After embarking on a bloody campaign to harness the power of the Tesseract during the Second World War, Red Skull eventually made physical contact with the mysterious object, apparently being destroyed by the artefact’s power in the process.
Rather than dying however, Red Skull was sent to Vormir -- the resting place of the Soul Stone -- where he was tasked with serving as its keeper. Advising those who hoped to possess the Stone, Red Skull crossed paths with Thanos and Gamora in Avengers: Infinity War during the Mad Titan’s quest for the Infinity Stones. As far as ways to bring back on old Captain America villain go, this one was incredibly strange. Not only did Red Skull fail to cross paths with Captain America at all, but he barely even resembles the villain featured in The First Avenger after 70 years of guarding the stone, so why even include him in the first place? Hopefully he’ll have some further relevance in Avengers 4, perhaps dishing out some knowledge on how to free Gamora’s essence from the Soul Stone but as it stands, Red Skull’s appearance in Infinity War is one of the MCU’s most peculiar cameos to date.
2 LOOKED BETTER: THANOS
Between his post-credits appearances in The Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron and his brief role in the Guardians franchise, we’d heard a whole lot about how powerful Thanos was by the time Avengers: Infinity War rolled around, but hadn’t actually seen him do anything to back up that claim. Given that Infinity War was set to be tightly-packed with dozens of heroes, there’d surely be no time to establish the Mad Titan as an imposing presence and an interesting character and considering the last ten years of the MCU had built up to this, that could’ve been a disaster.
Fortunately, Thanos has quickly cemented himself as perhaps the greatest villain in the entire MCU, and although it’s been said a million times before, Infinity War really is his movie. Spending a ton of time with the villain, we learn not only what it is that makes the character tick, but just how terrifyingly unstoppable he is, too. Unlike many other characters considered to be “great villains” however, we don’t sympathize with Thanos. He’s an abusive psychopath with a god complex and a magic glove. What Infinity War does well though is paint the Mad Titan as a complex monster and it’s easy to buy that he thinks he’s doing the right thing, even though he very clearly is not. Every second that Thanos is on screen is a joy to watch. He’s a compelling, menacing presence from start to finish -- and that’s an impressive feat when your villain is a giant, purple, CGI monster.
1 LOOKED WORSE: CAPTAIN AMERICA
Considering his status as the heart of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Captain America had surprisingly little to do in Avengers: Infinity War, despite his notable prominence in the movie’s various trailers. While fans had created a whole host of theories regarding Cap’s role in Infinity War, including his lifting of a re-forged Mjolnir and his (permanent) death at the hands of Thanos, it ultimately turned out that Cap was one of the highly-grossing blockbuster’s most forgettable characters, having very little to do outside of tracking down Scarlet Witch and Vision.
At the very least it seemed that Captain America might serve as the movie’s beacon of hope, rallying together a battered and bruised team for one last push using his inexhaustible reserves of optimism. Instead, Cap is overshadowed by pretty much every other major character in terms of both screen time and plot relevance, making his presence in Infinity War feel somewhat hollow. Of course, it’s probably no coincidence that many of the movie’s lesser featured characters are amongst the survivors of Infinity War. Captain America, along with the likes of War Machine, Black Widow and absentee heroes Ant-Man, the Wasp and Hawkeye are likely set to play a more pivotal role in Avengers 4. Still, that doesn’t stop Cap’s presence in the movie from feeling wasted this time around, especially considering the heavy marketing push put behind the character.