Avengers: Infinity War is the first Marvel movie that really pisses me off — but in a good way

I promise, all of this will be spoiler free. I swear on Groot’s handheld video game that he carries throughout all of Avengers: Infinity War.

The latest Marvel movie hits theaters May 4th April 27th, and it’s the 19th film over the last 10 years. That is, yes, a startling and bonkers number and you might be asking yourself, “Where the hell does Marvel even go from here? What is there left to even DO?” The answer is: Everything. In bold and brave move, the MCU is now headed into uncharted territory. Infinity War takes everything you know, love, and cherish about Marvel movie and just fucking destroys it. 

Every Marvel movie has left me with a different feeling leaving the theater. Iron Man gave me literal chills, even to this day. Captain America: The First Avenger was the first to make me cry, because everything about Peggy and Steve makes me cry. The OG Avengers made me feel like I was invincible. Ant-Man gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling because I just love Paul Rudd, okay? And Thor: Ragnarok made me appreciate Thor, who has always been my least favorite Avenger (sorry, Thor).

And Infinity War? I’m pissed, you guys.

It’s very hard to explain this feeling — and it’s even harder to explain it without spoiling anything about the movie, so please bear with me. But this is the first time anything in the MCU has left me feeling this way. I’m pissed. I’m mad. I’m angry. My first reaction following the movie was simply, “How dare you.” And then as the dust started to settle, and realization began to hit me, and my emotions ticked down a few pegs, I realized I wasn’t just pissed, I was impressed.

Looking at Infinity War as a whole, it is damn impressive that the directors, Joe and Anthony Russo, managed to pull off even half of the stuff they did. While Infinity War is by no means my favorite Marvel film (as that will always belong to Winter Soldier), it is breathtaking because it lays new groundwork for the next 10 years of Marvel movies.

It also, literally,  took my breath away when [spoiler] did [spoiler] and then [spoiler] fell [spoiler spoiler spoiler] and then Peter Parker [spoiler]!

But in the same breath I use to say the film is an amazing feat, I can say I’m still pretty upset with it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m upset about this movie because it tugged on all the heartstrings I’ve got and gave me whiplash watching action bounce from Avenger to Avenger. That’s also the point. It’s supposed to leave you with a wide range of emotions, including anger. During a recent interview with HelloGiggles, Anthony explained to me:

"We aren't afraid to leave the audience with complicated feelings at the end of a movie. I think that [there] is a constant in our films, emotional realism is really important to us. We really like to deconstruct things through emotional realism."

Is Avengers: Infinity War a clear cut situation for emotional realism and hella high stakes? You bet. And honestly, that’s why I’m so pissed at the movie, because it made me *feel* these things I haven’t felt before in the MCU. And after 18 movies, that’s surprising. There’s been talk of “superhero fatigue,” and lol, that’s cute. If Infinity War is any indication, the MCU is only just now gearing for its second act, and doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon. I’m pissed, because once again, I’m so invested in these characters and their outcomes.

There’s no straight, concise way to describe the movie other than epic. Marvel has been billing it as a movie of epic proportions — and also the “most ambitious crossover” in history — and you know what? It is. It’s crazy watching Captain America interact with [spoiler — and it’s a good one] and it’s certainly nothing we’ve seen in the movies before. Well, knowing how the movie ends, it’s not one we might ever see again, so cherish this movie and these characters while you can.