In a way, it seems like fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe are always waiting for the next big thing. It’s actually a testimony to Marvel’s ability to give fans what they want: they manage to simultaneously satisfy most of their fan base while leaving them wanting even more from the next movie. That is especially true of Avengers: Infinity War. The film was hyped up as Marvel’s most ambitious movie yet, as it was going to feature all of the major MCU heroes in a single film for the first time. The movie ended up living up to the hype, and then there was just one problem -- even more waiting!
Of course, the cliffhanger ending, in which the villain Thanos not only won, but he eliminated half of the universe, left fans wanting the next movie to come out. Understandably, everyone wants to see how the true final battle plays out. That wait is going to be a whole year, though, so many fans shifted to a more manageable wait. Specifically, the wait for the movie to come out on both Blu-Ray and digital release. This will finally give everyone a chance to pore over the movie for easter eggs that haven’t been found and clues as to the future of the franchise. The movie coming out also means you can pause and appreciate the very best moments. Where should you and your pause button get started? To figure that out, come read our guide to the 20 things in Infinity War to watch out for during a second (or even a tenth) time!
20 STRANGE PAIN
Perhaps our favorite category of “reasons to pause the movie” is also the simplest: trying to figure out what’s going on! Infinity War is a movie cluttered with awesome moments, so it can be difficult to unpack everything. And at the top of the confusing scene list, we’ve got the torture of Doctor Strange.
Ebony Maw has Strange prisoner and is interrogating him with weird needles that cause immense pain without seemingly breaking the skin. We’d like to hit pause simply to figure out what the deal with these things are. Are they weird alien tech? Mystical weapons? Ultimately, the hero is rescued before we can ever find out!
19 CRIMSON BANDS
Many Marvel fans cheered when the Disney and Fox merged was finally approved. This opened the door to letting more franchises into the MCU, including characters like the X-Men. However, if you watch closely, you’ll notice that Infinity War already managed to sneak in some references!
The X-Men movies have always played fast and loose with the source of Juggernaut’s power. In the comics, it’s clear: he’s powered by the Crimson Gem of a kind of evil god named Cyttorak. Doctor Strange sometimes channels this same dark power, and if you pause at the right moment, you can see him using the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak to bind Thanos!
18 MARVELOUS ICON
Those post-credits MCU scenes have never been known for their subtlety. And the one after Infinity War was really in our faces with both the apparent disintegration of Nick Fury and Mariah Hill and the upcoming arrival of Captain Marvel. We really want to hit pause on this scene, though, to check out the device Fury uses to call her.
We know that the Captain Marvel movie is set in the '90s, so there may be shenanigans (being frozen, being displaced in time, or simply living longer) to get her to the modern day MCU. Is that device from the 90s? Is it like a beeper? Why does it have a screen like that? We have questions, and only the pause button can answer them.
17 SPIDEY LEGS
Obviously, the MCU can be enjoyed by just about anyone, ranging from the most casual fans to the most hardcore collectors. However, there’s a lot in Infinity War for comics geeks to drool over. One of the biggest examples of this is seeing the legs pop out of the new Spider-Man suit!
In the comics, this was the famous “Iron Spider” suit from the first "Civil War" event. Its most prominent feature was the extra legs. And while the on-screen Spider-Man doesn’t use those legs nearly as much as his comic counterpart, it’s a crowd-pleasing and pause-worthy moment when they pop out.
16 STORMBREAKER STRIKES
In a movie full of heartbreaking moments, one of the worst was Thor’s failure to take out Thanos. After he goes to all the trouble of creating Stormbreaker (a weapon capable of taking the big guy out), Thor dramatically throws it at Thanos, but it is not a final stroke, leaving the villain free to wipe out half the universe.
Thanks even comments on how close the weapon came to taking him out. That’s why we’d like to pause on this scene and really take it all in: how Thor was, more than any other hero, this close to victory... and yet so, so far.
15 SPIDEY SENSE
MCU fans have really enjoyed seeing Spider-Man in this universe. He was great in Captain America: Civil War, and then Spider-Man: Homecoming really knocked it out of the park. In fact, there was really only one big question fans had after those appearances: where the heck was the Spidey sense?
We finally see his famous Spider-sense in Infinity War. Peter Parker is on a school bus when his heightened senses alert him to the latest alien attack on New York. It’s cool and appropriately subtle, simply showing the hairs standing up on his arm. It went by quick in theaters, so we’re looking forward to the chance pause the scene to better appreciate it.
14 OH, SNAP
Some of the moments on this list aren’t here because they are cool cameos or weird Eester eggs. These are the moments that are just downright cool and iconic, making it tempting to hit pause and just soak in the scene. And one of the best moments like this has to be the Thanos snap.
This is the famous gesture through which the Mad Titan wiped out half of all life in the universe. It was the most jaw-dropping moment in the entire MCU, so it’s definitely worth a closer look. And who knows -- maybe you’ll be able to figure out how Thanos could snap while wearing such a thick glove!
13 SPACE SUCKS
Speaking of Doctor Strange’s rescue, most of the credit goes to Spider-Man. Our young hero is rather obsessed with pop culture, so he immediately sees a chance to channel Aliens and suck Ebony Maw out into space. With a little help from Iron Man, that’s exactly what happens.
And when it happens, it all goes by way too quickly. We’d like to not only pause, but inch that scene forward in slow motion to see all the details. Plus, Ebony Maw had been kicking so much butt up until that point, so it was damn satisfying to see him get his comeuppance, especially at the hands of Peter Parker.
12 STAN LEE
Everyone knows that a Marvel movie isn’t really complete without a cameo from Stan Lee. Whether inside the MCU or outside of it, you know you’ll see Stan the Man. Heck, he even popped up in the Teen Titans Go movie! And sure enough, he pops up in Infinity War as well.
Appropriately enough, he’s Peter Parker’s schoolbus driver. This is funny in and of itself, but it gets even funnier when we find out that his character is basically jaded by all of the previous attacks on New York. Through the magic of the pause button, you can enjoy cynical Stan in all his glory.
11 NEBULOUS FATE
Comics fans expecting Infinity War to be a more straightforward adaptation of the original Infinity Gauntlet comic were in for quite a shock, as the movie told a (mostly) original tale. Nonetheless, there were quite a few visual references to moments from the comic, and a big one concerns Nebula!
In the comic, Thanos used the power of the Gauntlet to make her into a kind of living zombie, constantly in pain. She eventually turned the tables and took the Gauntlet from him, threatening the entire universe. The movie gives us a version of this by showing her robotic body being pulled apart, and pausing this scene will let you enjoy the MCU’s unparalleled CGI talent.
10 FUNKE CAMEO
In a movie like Infinity War, you’re bound to get a lot of cool cameos and easter eggs. Plenty of that worthy of pausing, but the best cameo is the one we least expected. He didn’t come from any Marvel comic or movie... instead, he came from Arrested Development!
In one infamous episode from the cult classic TV show, Tobias Funke paints himself to look entirely blue, declaring “I blue myself.” If you look closely in the scenes set inside The Collector’s menagerie, you can actually see Tobias as just another weird alien behind glass. It’s a “blink and you miss it” moment, but that’s what the pause button is for!
9 RED SKULL REVEAL
As we said, Infinity War was a movie packed with characters. Nonetheless, you could probably make an educated guess about which ones were likely to appear. However, there was one big surprise that none of us could have guessed: the return of the Red Skull!
He pops up wearing some Grim Reaper cosplay and dropping cryptic hints about what happens to those who quest for the Infinity Stones. While the movie doesn’t give us a lot of answers about his time on this planet, the pause button will let you check the entire scene for clues that will provide an answer!
8 WAKANDA FOREVER
The Black Panther movie was one that many felt would be a hit. Nonetheless, few were prepared for it to become such a global megahit, with its starts and characters quickly becoming household names. And one of the most popular elements was the arms crossed “Wakanda Forever” salute.
In Infinity War, everything ends up coming to a head in Wakanda. And right before they join the battle, Black Panther gives the iconic salute, screaming “Wakanda Forever!” We’d be happy to watch that awesome moment over and over again, pausing to relish each frame. And it’s never too early to get hyped about the Black Panther sequel!
7 GRAY VISIONS
Most of the items on this list are here for the cool factor. This next one, though, is here for the morbid factor, with some comic trivia as the cherry on top. And the moment in question is when Thanos successfully plucks the final Infinity Stone from Vision’s head.
It’s a truly brutal scene, and that alone may make it worth pausing for those morbid viewers out there. However, it’s also interesting to pause and watch Vision’s color change after the Stone is taken out. His new, gray-ish color matches up with one of his distinctive appearances in the comics.
6 BRUCE BANNER CRASHES OVER
The opening of Infinity War is very action-packed. It also had plenty of surprising moments, ranging from the destruction of Loki and the Asgardians to Hulk getting his butt-kicked. Seemingly the only thing that saved Hulk’s life was the last act of Heimdall, who teleports our green friend back to Earth, where he crashes over at Doctor Strange’s place (literally).
We really want to hit the pause button to see Bruce Banner after he lands. There’s a lot going on there, including the pure terror in Banner as he tells them about Thanos. And for comic nerds, it’s fun to see how this parallels the moment in the Infinity Gauntlet comic where Silver Surfer landed there and warned everyone about Thanos.
5 CAULDRON OF THE COSMOS
Speaking of comic nerds, there is another crowd-pleasing moment hidden inside those early Sanctum Santorum scenes. At one point, we see Strange and Wong walking past a simple and rather unassuming cauldron. You might think it’s a simple magical artifact, but comics fans know this as the Cauldron of the Cosmos!
This relic allows the Strange of the comics to look into the past as well as into other realities. We’d like to pause to get a closer look at it. If you miss it the first time, you’ll get another chance when an unassuming Tony Stark actually leans on the thing before Strange uses the Cloak of Levitation to stop him.
4 DEEP FRIED MEMES?
Some fans were a little surprised at just how serious Infinity War ended up being. Sure, there were some quips and snarks from the more comedic character, but the movie was mostly filled with a lot of grim action, especially towards the end. However, a pause button can help you find some additional laughs!
In the earliest scenes with Scarlet Witch, she and Vision are having some forbidden meetings in Scotland when they are attacked by bad guys and then recruited by Cap. If you pause at the right moment, you can see a sign behind Scarlet Witch that reads “we will deep fry your kebab.” It mocks the Scottish tendency to deep fry everything while also joking about her assorted mental voodoo powers.
3 SEEING SHAPES
When the movie was over, many people talked about the Thanos snap and its after effects. One word used a lot was “sad,” as fans were sad to see various characters fade away. However, turning into dust wasn’t really that said -- if you want to see some true sadness, you’ll have to bust out the pause button!
Even before he has all of the Stones, Thanos has the ability to alter reality. When the Guardians of the Galaxy confront him, he ends up turning all of them into various shapes. It’s a really scary moment, showing how he can manipulate our heroes at will. And by pausing, you can soak in the scariness of each individual transformation.
2 FALL OF GAMORA
Even the most casual Marvel fans know how the next movie is going to go down: the good guys will somehow beat Thanos, and then most of our departed heroes will be brought back. However, there’s a big question -- what about characters that perished before the snap, such as Loki and Gamora?
This is one of the reasons we’d like to pause on the scene with Thanos throwing Gamora to her doom. First, it’s impressive to see how much emotion comes through on Brolin’s CGI face. On a sadder note, though, it may be worth pausing while Gamora falls because this is one of the last moments we will ever see her alive!
1 TEAM-UP ON THANOS
Marvel has a rich history of fans imagining different outcomes to iconic battles. In fact, that was the whole premise behind the old What If? line of comics. And the moment where it seems like Infinity War could have gone differently is when our heroes almost managed to remove the Infinity Gauntlet.
Of course, Star-Lord ended up getting emotional and, in an infamous moment, ruined everything. Before that, though, there was an awesome scene of each hero working together to try to take Thanos out. It’s a moment worthy of the pause button, and we’re pretty sure you’ll see this on more than a few smartphones as a wallpaper!