avenger : Infinity Warhas been praised for bringing together eighteen pic worth of plot of land into one epic culmination , but despite Marvel Studios ' repute for playing the long secret plan , very piffling of that setup actually paid off .

The reality is that , while Kevin Feige has a longsighted - term imagination of the MCU , it ’s one that is always in flux . How could anything else be the typeface ? Many of Marvel ’s best films have essentially been " gambles , " albeit ones that paid off . Ironically , Marvel ’s flexibility opens up major event for the studio . The shared universe modelling often involves planting the seeds of an mind well before the studio apartment design to apply it ; Wakanda , for object lesson , wasfirst teased back in 2010’sIron military personnel 2 . That sometimes means that the teases do n’t quite give off , or have to be subtly retconned to make sense . Marvel relinquish their first one - shot , The Consultant , so as to retcon Tony Stark ’s show inThe Incredible Hulk .

Related:Avengers: Infinity War Solves The MCU’s Biggest Problems

In the shell ofInfinity War , Marvel has apparently been building up to this event for the last decade ’s Charles Frederick Worth of film . TheInfinity Gauntlet first appear inThor , and there have been explicit teasers since as far back as 2012’sThe Avengers . But here ’s the gimmick ; the final film take a slightly dissimilar approach to the Mad Titan , rewrite his origins and his motivation . As a termination , as honorable asAvengers : Infinity Warmay be , it does n’t really build up on the set - up at all .

Thanos & Infinity Stones From The Avengers

It ’s important to understand that , until 2012 , Marvel never really had any plans for Thanos . In an interview withSlash Film , Marvel illusionist Kevin Feige include that post - credits scene was " Joss . Joss , Joss , and Joss . " Director Joss Whedon had always been a fan of Thanos , and his book called for some powerful cosmic being to be behind Loki ’s onslaught on Earth . Whedon approached Marvel , pitch the idea of the main villain being Thanos .

He filmed a post - credits scene that saw the Other feeler Thanos , admitting that human beings had proved more dangerous than ask . " They are unruly , " the Other noted , " and therefore can not be ruled . " That exceptional comment sure enough implied that the goal of the Chitauri invasion was a unproblematic conquest , with the Chitauri then aiming to rule the ashes of the Earth . Then , crucially , the Other continued ; " To challenge them is to court death . " That statement run Thanos to turn and face the concealment , with a smile on his face . Whedon was clearly allude to a comic - Christian Bible - accurate Thanos , one who explicitly desired to " homage expiry . "

away from that , The Avengersitself does n’t suggest that theTesseract is an Infinity Stone , either . Marvel originally foresee the Tesseract as the MCU ’s version of the Cosmic Cube , with Whedon absent - mindedly referring to it as such in interviews . Likewise , at this stage , Loki ’s Scepter is just a powerful pecker , used by the God of Mischief to control the nous of others with some possible link to the cube - not the Mind Stone .

A collage image of Luke Skywalker in A New Hope

Viewed from the perspective ofAvengers : Infinity War , The Avengersdoesn’t quite make signified . Why did Thanos give Loki one Infinity Stone so as to get another ? Why did he even send Loki in the first place , when he has theBlack Orderto do him ? It ’s unfeigned that the MCU ’s Thanos seems to like using Arabian tea ’s paws to attain his end , but he really did n’t need the God of Mischief .

Thor’s Vision From Avengers: Age of Ultron

product ofAvengers : Age of Ultronwas specially troubled , largely becauseMarvel ’s originative Committee- which ultimately disbanded in 2015 - insisted on Whedon foreshadowing future events . As a result , Scarlet Witch gives the Avengers what are clearly have in mind to be ominous vision of the futurity : Thor is distinguish he will lead Asgard to Hel ; Tony Stark is horrified to glimpse the fallen Avengers , defeated by a threat he could have done more to stop . When Thor bathe in the Water of Sight , he receives another vision that reveals the Infinity Stones are being brought into play .

So far , none of these vision have really played out as bear . It ’s dead on target the Asgardians are on the wand of extinction , but the estimate of Hel and Ragnarok has been subverted . Meanwhile , Thor ’s pursuance for the Infinity Stones - congeal up against Whedon ’s wish - was dumped byThor : Ragnarok , in favor of a completely dissimilar secret plan .

Read More:Thor: Ragnarok Changes Avengers: Age of Ultron’s Ending

Thepost - cite prospect ofAge of Ultronis another crucial step on the route toInfinity War . It sees Thanos open up a vault and put on the Infinity Gauntlet , declare , " Fine . I ’ll do it myself . " Unfortunately , this post - credits tantrum has caused a pile of confusion for Marvel Studios , with it contradicting both the glove seen inThorand itsorigins inAvengers 3 . When asked about this tantrum , Infinity War ’s screenwriters Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus essentially shrug it off . " Not our movie , " McFeely gag . " We ’ve all sit there and went , ' What the hell is he talking about , ' " Markus summate , " Where was he when he did that ? "

Thanos' Plan In Guardians of the Galaxy

Going back to 2014’sGuardians of the Galaxy , we saw another of Thanos ' butt - Ronan , the Kree fanatic who sought to destroy an intact major planet . This film suggested that Thanos was allied with all manner of drab force in the creation , warlords and terrorists who bring mayhem across the cosmos . He ’s minatory and impose , but there ’s no tip of hisInfinity Warphilosophy , of his desire to " rebalance the universe " by slaughtering half the living in the existence . It ’s even said that Gamora is the last of the Zehoberi backwash , highlight a retcon with herflashback scene inInfinity War .

generally , though , the movie can be register as consistent . It makes clear Thanos has become focused on acquiring the Infinity Stones , even if the intent and stratum of noesis - Gamora does n’t seem cognizant of the Stones , despite hump of the Soul Stone - is a spot off .

Gamora and Nebula in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

It ’s true that Thanos is barely name inGuardians of the Galaxy Vol . 2 , but the film is still a significant one in theAvengers : Infinity Warbuild - up . The dynamic between Gamora and Nebula shines a subtle light upon Thanos ’s motives , revealing just how truly evil he is , but the more crucial aspects of their human relationship - Thanos wanting to equilibrate the universe and their cognition of theSoul Stone- are absent . Here it ’s setup for small aspect while the fully grown component are ignore .

There is one crucial act of apparatus here , though : the theme that Thanos scours the galaxy and chooses minor to become his tightlipped servants and allies . Infinity Warwould sweep up that idea to explicate the BlackOrder ; in the comics , they ’re simply Thanos ’s servants and generals , but in the flick they ’re his children . That actually means both Nebula and Gamora were originally part of the Black Order , but denounce them .

alas , the item still contradict slightly . According toGuardians of the Galaxy Vol . 2 , Thanos forces his minor to compete against one another . Every time one of them loses , a body part is removed and replace with cybernetics . Gamora tended to emerge triumphant from her duels with Nebula , explain why she has few signboard of cybernetics ; Nebula , for her part , is more machine than adult female . But the respite of the Black Order show no real preindication of cybernetic division at all . It seems only Nebula and Gamora were forced to compete like this .

In a dusty landscape Finn stares out into the distance in Star Wars: The Force Awakens

What Avengers: Infinity War’s Weak Payoff Means

All this is n’t to hint thatAvengers : Infinity Waris somehow a bad film - it ’s not . It ’s simply to acknowledge that Marvel Studios do actually exchange direction , a band more than most viewer actualise . Thanos is the culmination of a X ’s Charles Frederick Worth of build - up , but ironically his retconned origin and motivation sit very uncomfortably with the last ten days . This , fundamentally , an inescapable crotchet of Marvel ’s shared universe model ; sometimes the setup will go to give off .

It ’s recently been revealed that Thanos ’s backstory will be explored ina crosstie - in novelby Young Adult author Barry Lyga . Although it seems that should n’t be study canon , Lyga has solve nearly with Marvel Studios while writing the novel . Lyga forebode that the book will " change by reversal - locomotive engineer " Thanos ’s previous MCU experiences , explain how we catch up to them . It seems potential this rule book will be the best account we get as to how all the different Thanos coming into court wed together - and that will surely make it a riveting read .

MORE:A Complete History Of The Marvel Cinematic Universe

A set of Final Destination Bloodlines characters looking concerned in new trailer

Nebula and Captain Ameircas Shield

Thanos Smiles

Thor shirtless in water in the cave scene in Avengers Age Of Ultron

Thanos sits on his throne in space in Guardians of the Galaxy

Nebula flying a ship in Guardians of the Galaxy

Thanos and Titan in Avengers Infinity War

Movies

Guardians of the Galaxy