Five years ago the world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe changed forever, and some would say it still hasn’t recovered. Marvel fans around the world celebrated the fifth anniversary of the release ofAvengers: Infinity Warand the moment that Thanos finally made his mark on the MCU by defeating Earth’s mightiest heroes and wiping out half of the universe with one snap of his fingers.
In 2018, Anthony and Joe Russo delivered the first part of theInfinity Saga’s finale with a movie that would beone of the biggest superhero films everput on screen – at least untilAvengers: Endgamearrived the following year. Pulling in characters from over ten years of Marvel Studios movies,Infinity Warbrought with it plenty of amazing action sequences, memorable character returns and one huge final battle which culminated in one of the most devastating endings seen in the superhero genre.
Now five years on, with the real world having caught up with the Marvel timeline following its time jump at the beginning ofEndgame, fans have taken to social media to celebrate the achievement of putting the film on screen and share their favorite moments. Naturally, it was also a chance for some to note that it was also a “better time” for Marvel following thelackluster performance of Phase 4in the last few years.
Related:James Gunn Wouldn’t Have Included Infinity War’s Most Selfish Star-Lord Moment
Will Marvel Ever Reach Infinity War Level Again?
That is a question that will only be answered in time, but if they do it will not be for a few years yet, which is a point that many who criticize the Marvel franchise often forget.Avengers: Infinity WarandAvengers: Endgamewere the concluding chapters in a story that took over ten years to tell. After that finale, the franchise needed to almost start again, taking time to show the fallout of theInfinity Sagaand bringing in a new wave of heroes as the balance of characters shifts.
For anyone who didn’t jump aboard the Marvel train untilThe Avengersin 2012, or in some cases even later, it was much easier to jump into the franchise and go back to watch the individual introductions of the likes of Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and Hulk without waiting years to see them collaborating against Loki in the first big crossover test Marvel Studios produced.
Now it is not so easy to know where to start when it comes to beginning a journey into the MCU, with almost 30 movies and a dozen TV shows to choose from, a multiverse timeline to navigate and many new characters to get to know. All of this, an the overbearing expectation that every new movie is going to be anEndgamelevel story. With the exception ofSpider-Man: No Way Home, with did become Tom Holland’s own Endgame of sorts, the latest additions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe has not quite landed in the same as as their predecessors. In time, people may look back on them in a different way, but for now the MCU is still a long way fromrecapturing the movie magic of Infinity Warand Endgame.
For those wanting to reliveAvengers: Infinity War, the epic movie and all other MCU offerings can be found on Disney+.
