There have been a lot of disappointing superhero films in recent memory, from Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Sometimes it can even feel like superhero films in general are getting progressively worse. Each film is hyped up and because of that, half the time we're disappointed by what we end up seeing on the big screen. As expected, there is a lot of hype surrounding Joe and Anthony Russo's Avengers: Infinity War, partly because the trailer was masterfully thrilling and partly because this is a story ten years in the making.

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We want this film to be as awesome as it looks, but after so much disappointment, should we be getting our hopes up? Almost every film entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has taken a formulaic approach when it comes to storytelling, which isn't a necessarily a bad thing. A lot of the time, those films are still able to offer new and exciting twists, even if their stories are virtually the same. However, it's not always enough to satisfy an audience undeniably passionate about comic book adaptations. It's obviously bigger, but from what we can tell, the story will still be the same. Will Avengers: Infinity War really be able to offer us something as new as we've been promised? Or is the hype and our own passion setting us up for disappointment?

If you take a good, long look at the MCU, you might just be able to reign in your expectations and take an educated guess at what's actually in store for us.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been split up into phases. Phase One began with Jon Favreau's Iron Man way back in 2008 and culminated in The Avengers (directed by Joss Whedon), after several years of brilliant characters introduced through similar plots. Now, the actual plot of The Avengers wasn't anything new, it just occurred on a much larger scale and it did something no other film had ever done before: it tied the bits and pieces of a film universe together.

Phase Two culminated with Avengers: Age of Ultron (directed by Joss Whedon), but that wasn't nearly as well-received as its predecessor. It introduced new characters, it pushed more familiar ones into other journeys -- like Thor's inevitably unsuccessful quest to find the rest of the Infinity Stones -- and it helped to develop the dynamic between our favorite superheroes. Critics and fans alike agreed that there just weren't as many memorable moments, proving that offering more epic fight scenes isn't always the way to go, especially when they're strung across a plot we're all too familiar with: big good guys versus big bad guys. Of course, the Avengers would ultimately win, and Ultron would lose. The death of a new character wasn't enough to allay the familiarity of the plot.

Steve Rpgers and Tony Stark in Captain America: Civil War

Then in Phase Three, we got to see Captain America: Civil War (directed by Joe and Anthony Russo), which had big repercussions for MCU's ongoing story. There weren't as many real fight sequences as the Avengers films-- there wasn't even a huge bad guy-- but it didn't need them. The film's focus was on the relationships between each superhero and the consequences of their reckless antics. The main antagonist, Baron Zemo, was distinct from other supervillains - not only did he not have any powers, but he actually succeeded in his goal of ripping the Avengers apart.

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The films have come a long way since Iron Man in terms of both plot and tone. For one thing, each film seems to be slightly more self-aware than the last, which is a quality the films of Phase One didn't have until The Avengers. Recent films are also tonally lighter than their predecessors. Iron Man 3 (directed by Shane Black) was significantly darker than the films that came before it but it was still in keeping with the tone of Iron Man and the other entries of Phase One. If you compare that to a film like Spider-Man: Homecoming, Doctor Strange, or Guardians of the Galaxy, you'll see that it almost seems like it doesn't belong at all.

What does that mean for Avengers: Infinity War? That unforgettable trailer suggests a more serious tone, for the most part. But some heroes, like the Guardians of the Galaxy, may not work if the film gets too dark. It's possible that in order to maintain a suitable tone for some of its heroes, the film will have to sacrifice some of the impact of its more poignant moments, of which there are sure to be at least a few.

This film is being directed by the Russo brothers, who directed Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War, both of which maintained a heavy atmosphere without becoming depressing, perfect for their respective stories. Judging from those films, it's unlikely the Russo brothers will include as much of the MCU's subversive humor in Avengers: Infinity War. The upcoming film might also avoid the established superhero movie formula as the Russo brothers managed to do for both of their Captain America films.

The only issue here is that where villains like Alexander Pierce and Helmut Zemo were almost forced to use their minds and their resources to enact their schemes, Thanos actually has overwhelming power. Thanos doesn't need to use his mind. Will that stop the Russo brothers from weaving some sort of thought-provoking commentary into the plot as they have done before? Probably not, but it may not be as relatable or even as accessible a message as the impact of government-intervention or sacrifices made in the name of security. Of course, regardless of message or tone, we cannot forget one of the film's most important function: to mark the end of an era.

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The Marvel Cinematic Universe is no longer unique. The critical and financial success of Marvel's shared universe inspired the expansion of several properties in order to replicate that success. There are now other major film universes, including the DCEU and Fox's X-Men universe, the latter of which may be integrated into the MCU after Disney's acquisition of Fox.

Those shared universes have been growing, though not to the extent of the MCU. The X-Men universe consists of a series of X-Men films and several spin-offs, but there seems to be no overarching plot, just individual stories setting things up for their own sequels. The DCEU is different. There is an overarching plot, one that has been touched on in the recent Justice League movie in which Darkseid was mentioned. But the DCEU is still introducing superheroes. Neither of those shared universes are anywhere near finishing their stories, not in the way the MCU is now in a position to do. They've introduced all the major characters, developed them and set them up to fight a great, mysterious threat, one that has been teased for more than half a decade.

Avengers: Infinity War is more than likely going to follow the same basic structure of almost every superhero film we've seen. It might sacrifice one or two characters-- especially since a lot of the actors, like Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, and Chris Hemsworth have not extended their contracts past the upcoming Avengers film-- but we can predict the overall plot, which means that while it might feel like it, the stakes aren't all that high from the audience's point of view.

Avengers: Infinity War

We can oversimplify and conflate plots all we like, but the truth of the matter is that Avengers: Infinity War still promises to be unique. There's no doubt that it will offer something new, just as Iron Man did in its post-credits scene, and just as the first Avengers did when it first assembled our beloved Marvel heroes. Avengers: Infinity War will distinguish itself by concluding a gigantic story and representing a huge change to the shared universe in that the focus will almost certainly shift to new characters like Spider-Man and Captain Marvel. A major shift on that scale has certainly never been done before.

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So even if all the tropes are present and the plot has familiar story beats, there's no reason not to be excited about this film. We know that we're in for an epic ride that will give us something completely new to look forward to, maybe even a slightly different Avengers roster... if the Avengers are still around by the end. Simply put: the familiar elements may be there, but it's almost a sure thing that we've never seen a superhero film like this.

Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, Avengers: Infinity War stars Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, Chris Evans as Captain America, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, Elizabeth Olson as Scarlet Witch, Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange, Paul Bettany as Vision, Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther, Paul Rudd as Ant Man, Chris Pratt as Star Lord, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Don Cheadle as War Machine, Tom Holland as Spider-Man, Anthony Mackie as Falcon, Vin Diesel as Groot, Bradley Cooper as Rocket, Dave Bautista as Drax and Josh Brolin as Thanos.