7 Day Writing Challenge – Prelude

Love Like This Project Inspired Poem Idea

Love is more than just words accompanied by some cords that are eloquently played to mesmerise the listener.

To make them feel a certain way momentarily but feelings don’t pay the bills, so love is action.

It’s more than a reaction in a heated dispute but love responds to your concerns

with ears to hear and relays dialogue that doesn’t continue to escalate the situation but searches for solutions.

Love is not self serving or self seeking but is scheming of ways to help you to succeed.

To suit up when the distress call comes, leaving the phone booth without glasses and work clothes, a symbol of hope arises in the midst of Metropolis’ misery.

But back to reality where the Bat signal doesn’t glaze over the night sky of Gotham and where spies don’t disguise themselves with Avengers emblems but are like ninjas nurturing the needs of their neighbourhoods.

Silently these sleeper agents ascend when crisis hits and avert their own well being for the goodness of others.

Essential workers that tend to the townsfolk and also find themselves returning to feed the mouths of their own whanau.

This is how you know what real love looks like, not the kind that bubbles up the chemicals compounds within brains cells and this is the part where I tell you that I did not make it past Year 11 science.

Signs and wonders follow those who are prepared to fail, to step out of their comfort zone and to try something even in the midst of not knowing the outcome.

How come good ideas stay just that, it’s time we took some initiative rather than internalising our inventions which in turn never influences anyone apart from I.

An eye for an eye, love doesn’t resort to violence but can deadly if weaponised in the right manner.

Our motives are more important than the messages we mail out of inboxes.

We can be toxic with smiles on dials but to everyone’s surprise end up as the next case on ‘The X Files’.

We all have a monster living on inside, the one who tries to take control or causes us to lose control but the cure for this kind of curse comes with a cost that love was willing to pay.

To pave the way as you would say and this was not cinematic like some Michael Bay franchise.

Love came disguised, leaving behind the accolades and went out of the way to put on display for the world to see what real love resembles.

No “Avengers Assemble!” moment but the third act of the narrative was unlike anything ever comprehended.

The suspense ended as Love ascended and up ended up the grim reaper.

Touchdown, 3 pointer and goal, as the keeper of my soul could not deflect the cross kick that would end it all.

Love celebrates the highs and lows, the triumphs and the not so pretty moments that don’t make it on our storyboards.

Love is generous with time, treasure and talent. Thinking less about themselves and more about others.

Brothers in arm, love is having each other’s back.

Now don’t get wrong love cannot be expressed or exported if it doesn’t come from a place where you’ve first been impacted by the influence of love as an individual.

It’s an overflow, it’s breaking at the seams, it’s on the edge of the seat ready to go out and make a difference.

It’s love like this I could use to.

A Poem A Day Challenge – Day Six

“When The Dust Settles”

This poem was produced due to a writing prompt provided by Eric Soakai on a Facebook community page that I’ve invited to be apart of.

Interesting phrase once spoken by the Mad Titan himself to a defeated Iron-Man who was the last stand in a war that was infinite in its proportions. Now it won’t be all doom and gloom when we open the curtains to a brighter day. When given the all clear to leave our premises, I will return to driving to my vocation. I will go back to my regular 3:30am starts. I will, wait the world will be a different place, if my mind space has not changed between now and then, I will truly have returned back to the future with no life lessons.

Stressing about how I procrastinated my time slot with meaningless hours of television consumption which then again means a lot to me, so I’ll reprieve that comment. But if I was stuck in the same stage then when the boss battle comes, I’ll succumb to the pressures. The challenge of stepping outside my four walls will rattle my cages. Leaving me dazed as I try to calculate my way out of this mathematic equation like, being creativity plus rest plus productivity equals the hitchhikers guide for surviving, no thriving through the lockdown.

Avengers: Endgame – Spoiler Breakdown (Part 1)

Warning Spoilers Ahead!

Worth the Hype!

21 Movies, 11 years later and Marvel Studios is still taking us to school when it comes to movie making. To quote Mordo (Chitwel Ejofor) from ‘Doctor Strange’ (2016), “Forget everything you think you know” would be appropriate because although the fandom have been speculating and theory crafting the events of this film since the conclusion of ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ (2018). It goes above and beyond; exceeding expectations with everything from big character moments to plot points that have been under lock and key and rightly so, for what is the biggest film event of the year.

‘Avengers: Infinity War’ left us in shock as the ‘Mad Titan’ Thanos (Josh Brolin) accomplished what he had planned to do, wiping out half of all existence and by doing so our heroes lost. The aftermath of those events is very evident in this outing as our protagonists try to contemplate the outcome of their latest battle. Not only do they have to comprehend their defeat and lose of friends and loved ones but emotions boiled over as they began to tear apart from the inside. We all knew that our heroes had to win in the end but the question remained, how? And just when you think that you know, the scriptwriters flipped the film both skill fully and creatively.

Aftermath:

The first 20 minutes of the film is fast paced bringing us moments before the ‘snap’ and the horrific outcome that proceeded it. Nothing is more heartbreaking than seeing Hawkeye/ Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) left deserted as his family bites the dust. The marksman sat out of the summer event that was ‘Infinity War’ but it’s effects hit home and quickly reminded us as audiences that this was serious. This kicked off the archers story arc of transitioning from loving father and the less liked Avenger to the sword wielding mercenary that is ‘Ronin’. Ever since ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ (2015), Clint Barton has jumped up the ranks as being a more popular hero and this film definitely puts him through the paces. Not only by stripping him of his family in the early moments but taking him through the ringer with his ‘Soul Stone’ sacrifice duel with Black Widow/ Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) later on.

As much as the emphasis was placed on our heroes lose, there were undertones of humour and a lot of heart through both dialogue and scene choices and none was more awesome than having Iron Man/ Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and Nebula (Karen Gillan) play ‘paper football’ on the ‘Benatar’ (Guardians ship). Never in your wildest dreams would you imagine this happening, I loved how it shows growth especially with Nebula’s character who has come along way from ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ (2014) when she was all about that destroying planets life. To now sitting on a ship, once inhabited by her sister’s crew and playing games with a human. This is a character that has been torn apart limb by limb by a father who never thought she was good enough and favoured her sister and now here she is all these years later, fighting alongside our heroes. She reminds me a lot like Loki, who had a similar arc; going from wanting to kill his brother and ruling Asgard, to sacrificing his life and ultimately dying trying to kill Thanos. Kudos to the writers for humanising Nebula!

On the other hand was Tony Stark’s time on the ship which reminded me a lot of his early moments in the cave from ‘Iron Man’ except this time all tinkering in the world could not get him out of this situation. Of course we knew that Stark would not leave so early in the film and although his recording to Pepper added to the grim nature of the beginning parts of the three hour journey, it was certainly not the end just yet. Captain Marvel/ Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) to the rescue, bringing some light to the vacuum of deep space and if you picked her as Tony’s way back to planet Earth, you have predicted correctly.

Attempt Number One:

Back on Earth and the moment we had been all waiting for since the end of ‘Captain America: Civil War’ (2016) to see Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and Tony Stark on speaking terms again, sort of. After dwelling on their loses, a throwback to ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ was referred to as past conversations of the imminent threat was brought up and how prevention methods were ignored causing the loss to Thanos. Stark referred to the vision that Scarlet Witch/ Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) gave him leading to the creation of ‘Ultron’ and how he was thinking of the ‘Endgame’ which we know has been on his mind since the first ‘Avengers’ (2012) film which also played out in ‘Iron Man 3’ (2013). Steve corrects him that they didn’t work out to which Stark refers to his promise that win or lose that they would do it together.

Now it’s easy to point out the fact that Stark had a choice to turn the pod ship around as Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) stated in ‘Infinity War’ which would have possibly meant that they would have made it back to Earth but on the other hand, you have to get the rest of the Guardians in the story somehow and what if they got stuck in Space? Now some people might correct Tony’s behaviour by bringing up ‘Civil War’ but he did just lose Spider-Man/ Peter Parker (Tom Holland) on Titan (Thanos’ home planet). Although I don’t think everyone will be impressed with Stark calling Rogers a liar and trying to recruit Captain Marvel for to the team in the same conversation. Forgetting that Cap also lost someone in form of Bucky Barnes/ Winter Solider (Sebastian Stan) who he just got back after being wiped off his Hydra brainwashing in ‘Black Panther’ (2018).

Although both Steve and Tony are correct, if ‘Infinity War’ showed us anything, it’s that divided they couldn’t defeat the Mad Titan. A lot of the focus was on the original 6 Avengers in this film, as they were fractured in the last outing with Hawkeye even being benched for good measure. The ramifications of ‘Civil War’ which was an important film especially before the final two Avengers films. Not everyone was dwelling on the past tense as Captain Marvel plotted to kill the Mad Titan herself and reverse the ‘Snap’. This led us to the first of many twists in the film which I thought was epic, coming after a lot back and forth dialogue that our remaining heroes set out to take on Thanos on ‘the garden’ which was last seen at the end of ‘Infinity War’. I loved how easily the team takes down Thanos while he’s making dinner, with Thor chopping of his hand to stop any more Infinity Stone use.

With 20 minutes into it, I for one was thinking surely there’s 2 and a half more hours of film left. And to my shock we find that Thanos destroyed the stones to prevent anyone else from using it. Conclusion the stones no longer exist and the Avengers had in lost indefinitely, with Thor going for the head and walking away. With things looking so promising and Captain Marvel added to the mix, defeat of this kind was not expected and then came another twist with a time jump into the future.

To be continued…

What did you think of Avengers: Endgame? Were you a fan or a foe and think Justice League was better? Let me know, I would love to hear from you!

Avengers: Endgame – Super Bowl TV Spot (Review)

Warning, Spoilers Ahead!

Why So Serious?

Marvel Studios released some new footage during this year’s Super Bowl and it wasn’t your typical action packed set pieces smashed together with upbeat music and laugh out loud moments. This TV Spot really did emphasise the aftermath of the snap and focused not only on the effects that it’s had on our fellow heroes but explores a grim reality for the rest of the universe.

The thirty second clip starts off with a tribute to the fallen heroes with tones of black and white and red being emphasised which I’m pretty sure is symbolic for a whole lot of different things – Reality Stone, blood, Marvel’s red logo colour choice? The Reality Stone idea isn’t too far fetched, the Russo’s have mentioned that Thanos (Josh Brolin) hasn’t been totally honest about a lot of things in ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ and we’ve seen the Mad Titan create illusions using the red coloured stone before.

I think that this is quite left field and it could maybe referring back to the Soul Stone and the sequence that united Thanos and a younger Gamora instead. For what’s it worth, the marketing team did great misleading us with fake scenes and cut outs in the past. So I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s the case with this film.

Now I know what you’re thinking, these characters are coming back so what’s with all the fuse. I don’t think that Marvel is taking this lightly, yes these characters will be back on screen before the credits roll but at what cost. The Marvel Cinematic Universe will not be the same and Captain America/ Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) himself knows it.

I have to be honest, I don’t think I’ve seen Cap this angry since his first outing and it’s more than just the loss of Bucky Barnes/White Wolf (Sebastian Stan) also. The question imposed at the end of Avengers: Infinity War was, “what happens when you lose?”. We’re so use to seeing a story conclude on a happy note that these films can become predictable. Now I know it’s not going to be all doom and gloom in Endgame but Marvel’s really trying to build upon the tension and stakes that Infinity War left us with.

It’s wasn’t all angry Cap, there were other characters too and I’m particularly interested in the shot of Evangeline Lily’s Hope Van Dyne aka The Wasp which I hope is confirmation that she will also join the team before the Avengers go on a break. We also got to see a shot of Hawkeye/ Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) who doesn’t appear to be Ronin in the footage which makes you question whether he will keep the persona or let go off it part way through the film.

Thor (Chris Hemsworth) continues to look broken, I mean give the guy a break – he only has 12.5% of his people left. He also appears to go on journey to a location that looks similar to that of Thanos’ hide out at the end of Infinity. Rocket Racoon (Bradley Cooper) appears to also be at a location with seems like the inside of a house, close to water. We know that Rocket and Thor bonded in the last film and they appear to closely linked in this film.

Meanwhile in Space, Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr) and Nebula (Karen Gillian) appear to be working on the Benatar (Guardians new ship). This could be earlier on in the film before Tony gives his emotional dialogue from the teaser trailer. It looks as if they make it back to Earth, spoiler alert! There is a shot where the remaining Avengers are looking into the night sky and this could be of the Benatar arriving back to Earth.

Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff (Scarlet Johansson) also deals with defeat, this time in a most violent manner, shooting rounds at targets. She’s one of the original Avengers confirmed to have a solo outing in Phase 4 which will be interesting to see if they go for a prequel route or place it in real time. James Rodes/War Machine (Don Cheadle) and Scott Lang’s Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) finish off our list of heroes and what’s more interesting than all their quick shots is seeing Ant-Man suit up with the original Avengers with the likes of War Machine and Rocket. It will be fascinating to see when this occurs and if it takes place not too long ago after the end tag from the previous trailer.

Interestingly enough Kevin Fiege has stated that you’re likely to see footage from the first 15-20 minutes which leaves a whole lot of movie and secrets. As previous trailers have gone and what the Russo Brothers have said, it can be a misdirect. The finally shot is the remaining Avengers all geared up and ready to go for round two. As mentioned before, we don’t know how early on this is on the movie but what we should be asking is, who are they going after? Hawkeye appears to be himself and not Ronin, so can that be reference point but then again, this depends on how early on he changes back.

Altogether this TV spot was brilliantly done, we don’t need a 5 minute trailer (looking at you Aquaman) but just enough to keep us excited for April. I don’t know what’s going to unfold when this finally releases but what I can say is that from what I’ve seen and hear and know so far, which is little and insignificant. This will be one for the ages!

What did you think of the latest footage from Avengers: Endgame? Let me know what you thought, I would love to hear from you!

Avengers: Infinity War – Spoiler Review/Breakdown

Warning Spoilers Ahead!

Initial Thoughts:

Marvel Studios didn’t hold back for their biggest film to date. Firing on all cylinders and bringing to life one of most memorable cinematic experiences for the franchise. This film was captivating right from the get go, leaving me speechless when the dust had finally settled. There was so much going on within this film, whether it was the quest to retrieve the Infinity Stones that tied all the properties together. Or the interactions of characters who met for the very first time and chemistry they had onscreen. One thing is for sure this was Marvels most serious movie where the stakes felt real but I loved how it was balanced perfectly with the brilliant use of humour and heart. Allowing for it to be more than just fight sequences, the story become more compelling when it dealt with themes that humanised the villain whose idea of bringing balance to the universe was destruction and death.

“Fine, I’ll do it myself” – Thanos

We have been waiting years for Thanos to get off his floating chair and when he finally did, proved why he is the biggest and baddest. We knew that this film would have casualties and it didn’t take long till blood was split. In fact the very first scene saw Loki and Hemidall bite the bullet which set the tone for the remainder of the film. Even the Marvel opening credits had a somber feel to it, leading into a distress call from the ship containing the people of Asgard. This definitely wasn’t your traditional playful Marvel outing, in fact it felt scary when you have visuals of a beaten up Thor, being tortured by the Mad Titan and Hulk getting owned to the point where he was unconscious. It was disturbing in a sense watching our heroes being hurt both physically and emotionally in a way that we had never seen before.

This goes down to brilliant script writers who honoured both the source material but took time to pen this film thoughtfully. I think it’s easy to overlook past all the purple but Josh Borlin’s performance was incredible and it felt like this was his film. As much as it was about bringing together all of the protagonists we’ve come to know, his portal and presence every time he was on screen was menacing. This is a guy you do not want to go toe to toe with, he swatted away heroes like they were flies. In fact it took six heroes to try to get the gauntlet off his hand but due to emotions running high (looking at you Star-Lord), they came close but failed.

Thanos’ backstory from the comics is slightly altered for his film incarnation which is reasonable. This involves the destruction of Titan which in comics is a result of Thanos killing his own people. Whereas in the film, he wanted to help head count of his home planet but wasn’t allowed to because his idea was considered mad. In terms of how he got the idea of bringing balance to the universe by slaughtering half the population. This in the comics is from Thanos’ crush Mistress Death, she brings him back from the dead as there are more people alive than there are dead and she needs someone to do her dirty work. Thanos’ motivation in the comics is to please Mistress Death but she is never impressed and even betrays Thanos after seeing that he loses his mind due to all the power.

The Elephant in the Room:

I had predications as to who wasn’t going to make it and that only included a handful of people but with a fully assembled Infinity Gauntlet and an already existing body count. Thanos snapped his finger and a whole lot of faces disappeared before our eyes and these weren’t just your sidekicks. Black Panther, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, Peter Quill, Teenage Groot, Bucky Barnes, Falcon, Drax and Scarlet Witch were all turned to dust. This moment was a hat tip to the comics but source material aside this was baffling, I mean it reduced the number of supers for sure but added to the level of intensity of the film. I think it was a smart decision, we wouldn’t have cared as much if a number of people died who we had no emotional connection to but when you’re favourite heroes die, it’s something else.

Now I know what you’re thinking surely certain people can’t die, due to upcoming sequels. I definitely do feel like characters will come back for sure but I don’t think that this is a Batman v Superman situation where Superman was killed off for no particular reason. The difference here is that it added to the story, I like how there was no resolution, no happy ending. It ended in a non-Marvel way and set up what will be a highly speculated Avengers 4. It means that the remaining heroes have to band together and somehow fix the current reality while still being emotionally scarred themselves.

Kid at a Candy Shop:

Doom and gloom aside for the moment because this movie, as much as it was an emotional rollercoaster, it had its lighter moments too. This was enforced through the coming together of all the key players from the existing properties. For years Marvel Studios have been saying that it’s all connected and this film was the fulfilment of that. It felt like watching the comics depicted in a live action format and I couldn’t get enough. Everything from the clashing of personalities to the combinations in fight sequences and this film had a lot of that. It was amazing seeing how each hero got to know about each other’s existence whether it was the Guardians getting to know the Avengers or Doctor Strange meeting Spider-Man, it was nostalgic in a sense.

We all knew that these interactions would be humorous and some of the best moments came through the comedy element. It didn’t take away from the situation at hand but meant that it didn’t turn into a DC film in the process. There was so many moments in this film and if anything they outweigh the negatives which are minimal. I think this came with the decision to split up the characters, rather than having all of them fighting for screen time. This was smart because it meant that each person had a significant part to play and the interactions worked better with few faces on screen at a time.

Pacing:

I was surprised as to how quick the film was over. Two and half hours went by in a flash and I think we as fanatics wouldn’t have minded more but it was fitting to have the runtime as it was to justify for the way it ended. The transitions were outstanding and upped the anti as we went from one locale to another, at the same time progressing the story. Now don’t get me wrong there was breathing room which came through character development scenes specifically involving Thanos and Gamora.

Heart:

I love how the story humanised Thanos and this was done through his relationship with Gamora. You actually felt for him especially with one of the most emotional moments where he was forced to sacrifice her to retrieve the Soul Stone. The flashback that revealed the killing of her people was graphic but also showed how she came to be his adopted daughter. These scenes also gave us a revelation of the rationale behind his conquest, which again added to his agenda.

Locations:

I also enjoyed how we got to explore new locations within the span of the time that we had with the characters. These locations also had an important part to play in terms of story and were mostly based in the stars. Every Avengers film has grown in its threat level whether it was the city of New York, the world and now the universe is in danger. Each location also meant that we got to meet characters whether it be Red Skull who made a return after being transported into space during the first Captain America film. He played the role of guarding the Soul Stone which could only be obtained by those willing to kill their loved ones as the price. We also got to meet Eitri played by Peter Dinklage, who represents a dying race of dwarves responsible for making weapons for Asgardian kings as well as the gauntlet for Thanos.

Black Order:

Amongst the faceless armies that Thanos possessed, we met his elite squad in this latest outing. They like Gamora and Nebula were taken from different planets that the Mad Titan has conquered and used as weapons. The group comprised of Corvus Glaive, Proxima Midnight, Ebony Maw and Cull Obsidian (who in the comics is referred to as Black Dwarf but the film changed his name for appropriate reasons). I liked their presence in the film because they challenged the Avengers whether it was through the use of magic or through the use of spears and other weapons. We all know that Gamora is Thanos’ favourite, while these other supposed children were more like pawns in a sense. They did his dirty work and failure wasn’t really an option but upon getting killed, weren’t mourned for by the Mad Titan. I wasn’t emotionally attached to the characters as much but it was cool seeing Thanos’ evil space version of the Avengers who challenged them through torture or the stabbing of chests (R.I.P Vision).

Infinity Stones:

As mentioned before the Infinity Stones played a vital role in the film and this was the first time we saw them used to their true potential. Sure we’ve seen the Tesseract or Space Stone used a few times for teleportation and Doctor Strange bargain with Dormammu but that was child’s play. Thanos was not only on a hunt for them but he was not afraid to spill blood in the process. We also saw that he understood how they worked at the same time. He used the Power Stone from Guardians of the Galaxy to blow up the Asgardian spaceship. He used the Reality Stone last seen with the Collector (who is also dead) to create an illusion to fool the Guardians and to pull apart Drax, Mantis and also Nebula (his own daughter). The Time Stone which Doctor Strange gave up at the end, Thanos uses to turn back time on Mind Stone’s destruction, only to rip it out of Vision’s vibranium head. He also goes toe to toe with Doctor Strange and destroys a moon, only to throw it at Iron-Man. With that being said these are all trumped by the snapping of his purple fingers with Gauntlet in hand and all Infinity Stones inserted.

Now we didn’t really see Thanos use the Mind Stone in film but this is speculation, in the process of snapping his fingers Thanos is transported to a watery place with a similar structure from Gamora’s home planet and standing in it is her young self seen earlier from the flashback. She asks of him if he did it, to which he replies yes. She asks another question about what it cost and he replies back with something along the lines of “everything”. What does this scene mean, is it more evidence for his rationale or an indication of his love for his daughter? Does it depict the toll that it took to do what he did? The only reason why I bring this is up, it could be a result of the Mind Stone, showing us Thanos’ worse nightmare or him replaying his pain. We know how powerful the Mind Stone was in human hands, creating Vision, Ultron, Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver and affecting the Avengers in a big way. Are we going to see an emotionally wounded Thanos in Avengers 4 as a result of his possession of the Stone, I mean clearly the Soul Stone is already a constant reminder of his loss.

Notable Mentions:

There is so much we can talk about from this film, so to continue I thought I would list them or this could be a novel:

– Bruce Banner crashes into the Sanctum to warn Doctor Strange and Wong that Thanos is coming. Silver Surfer does so in the ‘Infinity Gauntlet comic.

– We finally got to see Spider-Man’s new suit in action which is made from metal and has arms sticking out the back. This is another reference from the comics to his ‘Iron-Spider’ suit which he gets during the original Civil War storyline.

– Bruce Banner can’t turn back into The Hulk after Thanos beats him up. It seems as The Hulk doesn’t want to come back. Could this run in with the Mad-Titan have scared our favourite angry Avenger?

– Stan Lee has a cameo as the driver of the bus that Peter and his classmates are in. He yells at the kids saying, “What? Haven’t you kids seen an alien spaceship before?!” This could be a reference to the battle of New York in The Avengers first outing or be another hint of his adventures as a confirmed Watcher.

– Pepper Potts and Tony Stark are engaged and Tony refers to a dream of them having a baby.

– Hawkeye and Ant-Man don’t make an appearance, it is talked of how they didn’t want to get involved after the Accords due to their families. This will obviously change with the Avengers 4, it is interesting to note that both Hawkeye and his wife were supposedly listed to be in the film but was later removed. Also the Russo’s did say that he was on a side mission which never eventuated in the theatrical release.

– Secretary Ross makes an appearance by hologram/projection and so does his whole board room.

– Rodey can walk properly now and also is War Machine again.

– Natasha and Bruce meet for the first time since Avengers: Age of Ultron, that was both an awkward and touching moment.

– Vision can know change his appearance and make himself look like a human even hiding the Mind Stone in public.

– Tony Stark is announced missing on the news.

– Thor mentions that half of his people died or were killed. What happened to Korg and Miek or Valkryie? Did they escape with the other half? Did Hemidall send them to Norway?

– If Xander is mentioned as being wrecked by Thanos. If this is so why didn’t they call the Guardians of the Galaxy for help? Did he blow up the whole planet?

– Thanos meets Star-Lord (the boyfriend) while he has captured Gamora and has a liking for him after he is pulls the trigger to shoot her. That scene with Gamora appealing to Peter Quill that he had promised to kill her if Thanos got her was emotional.

– During Thanos and Gamora’s conversation in his throne room, we find that it took 20 years before Gamora become the weapon that Thanos wanted and for her to by believing his lies. He also talks of how he wanted her to sit on the chair one day.

– Thanos also speaks of how there are powerful entities in the universe that aren’t willing to do what he is willing. Could they make an appearance in the next Avengers to match the source material or is it just a further development of their existence within the franchise?

– Shuri is smarter than Bruce Banner.

Bucky gets a vibranium arm which Rocket asks for as well as his gun.

– Rocket and Teenage Groot are the first Guardians to make it to planet Earth from the team.

– Bruce Banner using the Hulkbuster was pretty fun.

– It is important to note that Vision although the Mind Stone was ripped out of his head, still has a body. Originally it was destroyed along with the Mind Stone by Scarlet Witch.

– The fight sequence between Iron Man and Thanos was amazing. Tony only manages to get a single cut on Thanos’ skin to which Thanos wrecks Iron Man and ironically used his own armour to stab him. Unfortunately Thanos doesn’t kill him.

– Doctor Strange sees into future and out of all the million possible outcomes, there is only one where they win.

– Doctor Strange before he dies tells Iron Man that, “it’s the end game now”. Could this be the outcome he saw where they won and in order to do so, they had to first lose.

– In Iron Man and Thanos’ conversation, Tony tells the Mad Titan that he’s been in his head for the last 6 years (battle of New York). Thanos then states that he knows Stark, referring to how intelligence knows intelligence.

– Doctor Strange tells Tony Stark earlier in the film that he’s main concern was to protect the Time Stone and wasn’t concerned that if him and Peter Parker died as a result. That changed in the span of the fighting alongside each other.

– Bruce Banner has a brilliant moment when he finds out that there is a Spider-Man and Ant-Man.

– On Titan when Star-Lord is criticising Tony Stark’s plan, his fellow Guardians come to his aid bringing up his dance battle victory over Ronan. To which Stark is confused, thinking what would a dance off do against Thanos.

– Thor understand Groot and refers to how he took it as an elective in Asgardian school.

Post Credits/Avengers 4:

Finally the post credit scene of which there is one, it shows Nick Fury and Maria Hill in present day. While driving they are stopped by a car crashing into them and after finding out that there is no passenger, start to see destruction take place around them before they too start disappearing. We know due to the conclusion of the film that this was due to Thanos’ doing. In saying that before Nick Fury dies, he gets out a device and contacts someone. The device falls on the ground and loads, only to reveal a colourful logo which belongs to Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel who is played by Bree Larson. The female Green Lantern of the Marvel Universe has a stand-alone film next year.

It is been said that she will be in Avengers 4 after her first outing and will have a massive impact no doubt, along with missing heroes such as Ant-Man and The Wasp who also have a film later on this year. Both films look to taking place before the events of Infinity War, well Captain Marvel for sure. It is fair to say that after those who were sidelined for this film will be called in for help for Avengers 4. The film has no title at this point but we know that with an unresolved story line and a whole lot of missing characters that this next team up movie will definitely revolve around Thanos and his new colourful glove which took a toll after its powerful act.

It is important to note that leaked set photos from the next adventure of our heroes have been out and show what could be an interesting Avengers film. Also there are a lot scenes that were deleted which we will see when it’s release on Blu-Ray/DVD.

Character Death Observation:

While further dwelling on the death of the characters in the film, it is important to note that most of Guardians of the Galaxy didn’t survive this outing with Rocket the only left standing on Earth. In terms of the earth based heroes and I don’t enough if this was on purpose but all the characters turned to dust were apart of the new roster which include the likes of Black Panther, Spider-Man, Doctor Strange. As well as Bucky who is now the White Wolf, Falcon, Scarlet Witch and Vision.

All the main characters that survive were part of the original line up of characters which includes Iron-Man, Thor, Steve Rogers, Black Widow, Bruce Banner and War Machine. Isn’t it interesting that none of the A list Avengers died in this film but instead the story meant that the up and coming Avengers would be killed off. I think that the remaining Avengers will be left to pick up the pieces and resolve the story with additional help but it might cost some of them their lives. It has been long rumoured that the fourth Avengers film will be the passing of the torch and what better way to go out then to bring back to life half the population of the universe.

Rating:

This film is so good on so many levels and is my favourite comic-book/superhero films of all time. And with that being said I would rate it a 9 out of 10.

Let me know if I missed anything or I got something wrong. What are your theories for Avengers 4? Do you agree or disagree with my rating? Comment below, I would love to hear from you!

Avengers: Infinity War – Preview

Warning Spoilers Ahead!

Destiny Arrives:

As Avengers: Infinity War dawns us, what has been months of speculation and secrecy will finally come to a close. As theatres all over the world open their doors to fanboys and fan girls who over the last 10 years have been waiting for this moment. Marvel Studios have done something really special with its franchise creating a Cinematic Universe that is interconnected and at the heart of it all has been Infinity Stones.

Ever since the mid-credits scene in ‘The Avengers’ first outing, teased of a purple coloured alien sitting on a floating chair, sweaty nerds have theorised that this day would come. Where the Mad Titan would go on a quest to collect the coloured stones in order to wield them and have rulership over the universe. Six years later, after 5 of the 6 Infinity Stones have been displayed before our very eyes, Josh Borlin’s Thanos will do so but standing in his midst our beloved superhero favourites. This movie brings together everyone that has had their standalone outing which includes The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Strange, Ant-Man, Black Panther, Spider-Man and other memorable sidekicks.

Unanswered Questions:

But if you’re a fanatic you already knew that and you’re more concerned about deeper questions like where is the sixth and final Infinity Stone? There is much speculation about the location of the Soul Stone after it did not make an appearance in both Thor: Ragnarok or Black Panther. One thing is for sure, it is not with Adam Warlock who was teased in a post-credit scene in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. For those who aren’t comic-book literate, Adam Warlock is the holder of the stone. In saying that if you’re familiar with the ‘The Infinity Gauntlet’ storyline which the film is inspired by, it might lay some clues as to its whereabouts.

Soul Stone – Prelude Comic Explainer

Now for those who haven’t read the prelude comics that ties into the film, it does gives us an identification as to its location. This can be seen through a conversation between Doctor Strange and Wong where they discuss the lack of information on it. They also discuss it’s power level as being of a greater measure compared to other stones and we are given a picture of space in a book with text. Could this mean that it is on another planet as a pose to Wakanda or is it in another dimension altogether?

Infinity Stones aside the actual plot of the film still remains a mystery. This was alluded through interviews from the cast themselves who didn’t get a read of the whole script and also from the director who in the plea to keep things spoiler free stated that only a handful of people knew the films true plot. Thinking about it, the footage so far and an additional content has focused on specific scenes that we are familiar with but any other interactions or plot lines have been kept tight lipped. So what really is the plot?

Another point is that we still are yet to see a fully assembled gauntlet with all the Infinity Stones inserted and not to mention that we haven’t seen the stones used to their full capacity. If anything we’ve seen Thanos teleporting from place to place and throwing space objects at people in battle. The source material does allude to the fact that when more than one Infinity Stone are together, power levels are heightened. It is interesting to note that Marvel in past has used special effects trickery to hide things and this could be the cause as they want to save the moment for the films release. If that is the case I do respect that Marvel has been guarded when it comes to how much content is released. This just goes to show how much respect they have for their diehard fans.

When it comes to the film there has been concern with the lack of appearances when it comes to certain characters who have not been included in both promotional material and also footage. These include the likes of Hawkeye, Ant-Man, The Wasp and also Peter Potts just to name the main candidates. Now it’s important to not that the film consists of so many characters and I wouldn’t blame the studio for not including every single one of them. This could also come as some of the characters would have minimal roles in the film or generally because it was the studios decision to wait for the films release. The world was up in arms when Hawkeye did not make an appearance after being spotted on set but could it be true that his absence was intentional . The Russo’s did state that he was on a secret mission but what could that be?

One of theories is that Hawkeye bites the dust early on in the film but then comes back surprisingly taking up another identity. Sounds familiar, well that sums up ‘The Winter Solider’ in a nutshell but in this instance Clint Barton becomes ‘Ronin’.

Speaking of deaths, since this film consists of Thanos and his Black Order which are his version of the evil space based Avengers expect casualties. Marvel has held back in the past, sure minor characters have had to bite the bullet but no one that we as fans have become attached to has had their swan song. Expect heads to role and there is a lot of talk that someone as prominent as Steve Rogers who no longer holds the mantle of Captain America instead using the alias of Nomad in this film, is at the top of the list. This comes as Evans himself has vocalised his departure after Avengers 4 and if set photos which were leaked tell us anything, this theory could be correct but take it with a grain of salt. I mean this would have serious stakes for the film and would really be a devastating blow for earths mightiest hero maybe even giving them the morale boost to take down Thanos.

Other characters could include Loki who lost both the space and mind stone in the events of ‘The Avengers’. Since this will be his first encounter with Thanos since then – I’m thinking things will go south pretty quite. Also this could take place at the beginning of the film, imagine if Loki dies straight of the bat, that would definitely set the tone for the rest of the film and have a big impact on Thor.

Speaking of the lord of Thunder, could our favourite Asgardian come to his end, now this is left field but comes through gauging leaked set images from the fourth Avengers film. I know what you’re thinking those don’t confirm anything but this conclusion is made through the revelation of a very different Thor to what were used to. The next on the list could be Drax the Destroyer who in the comics has the sole purpose of killing the Mad Titan. We have become attached to the comedic killer from the Guardians but knowing his logic, he would aim to kill Thanos and could come off second best. I mean look at how he tried to take down Ronan all on his own in the first Guardians of the Galaxy film and was didn’t come out on top. This theory is also backed from some footage leaked from the film and also dialogue from the Drax where he vocalises his mission of killing Thanos after what was done to his wife and kids.

Now the last person I think could die in this film would be Nebula. She is a daughter of Thanos or one of many. As we’ve seen through the courses of Guardians films, she has been despised by her father who even went as far as replacing her body parts with metal, just so she could be like Gamora – her sister. Now in the comics she has a big role in taking down Thanos and I think that the writers will give her character a shot at taking down her father but at the same time, it will end horribly wrong. This way, it doesn’t end up being an exact replica of the comics. These deaths are just in theory but I believe that they will play as a motivator for taking down the big bad after the dust settles. It is not clear if anyone will die but each death has to be significant especially for characters who we have been attached to over the course of years.

Questions and speculations aside this film will go down as being one for the ages. Marvel Studios and everyone at it deserve all the credit and recognition for the work that has been put in bringing to life what we now know as the largest franchise in cinema history. So with that I encourage you to get out to your local theatre and witness it for yourself, this was meant to be seen on the big screen in all of its glory. Oh, yes please don’t walk out until the end – it is worth the wait!

Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War Trailer – Review

So if you didn’t know the first trailer for the highly anticipated Avengers: Infinity War was released and caused an uproar on the internet. Basically below are questions to ponder that I conjured up while repeatedly looking for clues about the mother of all superhero team up movies.

Also spoilers ahead for other Marvel Cinematic properties.

Thoughts:

⁃ Infinity Stone confirmed for Black Panther? Massive battle sequence involving Wakandians. What do the children of Thanos want with Wakanda – surely it’s not the vibranium.⁃ How does Bruce Banner get to Earth? Thor and him are separated in this trailer.⁃ Vision is not in make up and still has Infinity stone in his head.⁃ A lot of earth sequences, less space based – what does this mean? ⁃ Are there going to be more alien based entities apart of this Infinity war? Hence the group of individuals running at the army of Wakanda.⁃ Hulk buster armour, who is operating that?⁃ What will Captain America’s shield look like?⁃ Does Vision die?⁃ Will there be two battle sequences towards the end – one on earth, one in space?⁃ Will this movie be more earth based?⁃ Confirmation for the death of Asgardians?⁃ Will Loki die after handing over the Tesseract to Thanos? That would set the tone for movie?⁃ When did Tony get another arc reactor?⁃ When does Peter Parker get the Iron Spider suit from Homecoming in this movie?⁃ What alien like planet are our heroes on in this movie? Referring to the space battle sequence.⁃ We didn’t see as much space battle sequences in this trailer? Does it mean that we will see a lot more in the following movie or I’m just thinking to much into it considering that this is only a 2 and a half minute trailer?- Does Loki use the Tesseract to send Banner back to earth to warn the Avengers before him, Thor and the Asgardians get wrecked by Thanos.

Conclusion:

Altogether I thought this trailer was everything we wanted and so much more, I loved how Marvel wasn’t trying to hide the things that had already leaked but at the same time, left out some bits of footage we were familiar with. Obviously being the first trailer, it’s more just shots and bits of footage put together with bit of voice overs but the next one will be more story focused.

Either way I am hyped and cannot wait for this movie and it’s sequel. This is going to an exciting wait, I’m pretty sure that the speculations and fan theories will escalate between now and the next bit of footage