The 10 Best Moments From Avengers: Infinity War

Soon after the Hulk is sent crashing through the roof of the Sanctum Santorum, we witness a pretty impressive battle between the heroes (Doctor Strange, Wong, Iron Man, and Spider-Man), and Ebony Maw and Cull Obsidian of the Black Order. Taking place in Greenwich Village, the sequence certainly evokes memories of the Battle of New York from The Avengers, but the added dynamic of Wong, Strange and Spidey provides a refreshing twist to that MCU classic.

Furthermore, the fight helps establish that the members of the Black Order are extremely formidable in their own right, even without the Mad Titan by their side. Plus, bonus points for Tony Stark calling Ebony Maw “Squidward.”

This moment was teased heavily in the marketing leading up to Infinity War, but that doesn’t detract from the satisfaction of seeing the ragtag group of space vigilantes come face-to-face with the God of Thunder for the very first time. Naturally, this entire scene allows the Guardians’ lighthearted humor to shine; particularly Star-Lord and Drax, who’s opposing views on Thor (the former is jealous, the latter infatuated) make for some of the most laugh-out-loud moments of the entire film. 

After determining that Thanos would head to Knowhere to retrieve the Reality Stone from the Collector, Star-Lord, Drax, Mantis, and Gamora attempt to cut the Mad Titan off at the pass. However, despite Gamora seemingly stabbing her father in the throat, it turns out the Guardians are too late. Instead, it’s all a façade orchestrated by Thanos, who we discover has already gotten his hands on the Reality Stone.

There’re plenty of heavy emotional beats between Thanos, Gamora, and Star-Lord, with just a touch of that aforementioned Guardians humor to add some levity. Overall, though, what this scene does best is hammer home the fact that Thanos isn’t just a powerhouse – he’s also a brilliant tactician, which makes him all the more dangerous.

If you pride yourself on being “in the know” in the lead-up to major superhero blockbusters, then you likely already knew Thor would get his hands on the classic battle ax Stormbreaker in Infinity War. Still, much like his meeting with the Guardians, watching Thor obtain a suitable replacement for the recently decimated Mjolnir is far more satisfying on the big screen.

We’d also be remiss if we didn’t call out Game of Thrones alum Peter Dinklage for his portrayal of Eitri the Dwarf King. The Russo Brothers certainly weren’t joking when they said fans would immediately recognize him once he showed up in the film, and he makes an excellent counterweight to the Thor-Rocket Raccoon dynamic.

While this is easily one of the most tear-jerking moments of Infinity War, it hardly takes a genius to figure out what lengths Thanos was willing to go through to get his hands on the elusive Soul Stone. That being said, it’s still an outright shocking scene, not only because Thanos sacrifices his daughter to serve his life’s mission, but because we also learn that he truly does love his daughter. (Even Gamora is slightly taken aback to see the Mad Titan shed tears.)

Another reason this scene stands out is the surprise cameo few of us saw coming: the Red Skull. Sure, it wasn’t the great Hugo Weaving reprising his role from Captain America: The First Avenger, but it’s still a great callback to the early days of the MCU, back when we were first introduced to the concept of Infinity Stones with the Tesseract.

This sequence begins strong, with Thanos arriving on his decimated homeworld and recounting to Doctor Strange how it used to be a lush paradise until overpopulation turned it into a wasteland. Right there, we’re instantly given the Mad Titan’s motivation for his entire character arc throughout the film, which is often sorely missing when it comes to the MCU’s generally lackluster villains.

Then, of course, we have the action-packed brawl between Thanos and our heroes, who come ever so close to removing the Infinity Gauntlet from their foe’s massive hand before Star-Lord’s emotions get the better of him. The battle is beautifully paced and appropriately brutal, as Thanos throws around Iron Man and Spider-Man like ragdolls. However, we also see that the Mad Titan has a sense of honor, as he agrees to spare Tony’s life in exchange for the Time Stone. That he stays true to his word, even when he has no reason to, makes him all the more complex and compelling as a villain.

Spanning nearly the entire third act of the film, the Battle of Wakanda is far and away the best action sequence Infinity War has to offer. From the gritty, hand-to-hand combat shots to Scarlet Witch proving her worth on the battlefield to Thor showing up with Stormbreaker and completely cleaning house, this brilliant and massive action set piece has everything fans could have asked for.

Even after the Outriders and the Black Order are taken out of the equation, though, the pulse-pounding mayhem continues as Earth’s Mightiest Heroes are forced to deal with Thanos himself. Between the Mad Titan reversing time and killing Vision (again), and his ability to manhandle Captain America without breaking (much of) a sweat, you truly begin to wonder if it’s even possible for the Avengers to win – that is until Thor delivers a seemingly fatal blow to Thanos’ chest with Stormbreaker…

Just when it seems like the tables have finally turned in our heroes’ favor, Thanos – still reeling from the Uru-forged Asgardian battle ax – looks up at the God of Thunder and tells him that he should have aimed for the head. Then, after a brief trip to a state of limbo, the Mad Titan snaps his gauntleted fingers in a shot ripped straight from the comics, summoning a wave of death that slowly begins wiping out countless heroes.

By far, the most heartbreaking of these Gauntlet-inflicted deaths has to be Peter Parker, who pleads for his mentor Tony to do anything within his power to stop him from dying. If your eyes didn’t so much as water up in the least bit during that scene, you might want to see a doctor to make sure you actually have a heart.

No Marvel Studios feature-length film is complete without at least one after-credits scene, and in Infinity War, the Russo Brothers spare no expense when it comes to teasing what’s in store for next year.

As the effects of Thanos’ death-snap begin to make their presence felt in New York, Nick Fury and Maria Hill scramble into action. However, after Hill turns to ash, Fury struggles to send out a distress call before he suffers the same fate as her. Thankfully, it seems as though he succeeds at the very last second because after his remains crumble away, we see the Captain Marvel logo appear on his communication device, which all but guarantees Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers will be a crucial component once Avengers 4 rolls around in May 2019.

What about you? What were you’re favorite moments from Avengers: Infinity War? Let us know in the comments section!