The level of hype that Marvel movies now make is unprecedented. We get amped up for the release of movies that feature a guy talking to Ants or a Raccoon and Tree teaming up. Now with the chance to see all the wackiest characters combined in one film there can be no greater anticipation. To sum up in a few short words: Thanos is Coming.
The Mad Titan’s arrival has been imminent since we saw him in the end credits for The Avengers, and we knew it would be a big one when he reminded us all of his intentions in the end credits for Avengers: Age of Ultron. Finally we are here for Avengers: Infinity War. The hype has grabbed everyone but only true fans know of the painstaking patience it has taken to get here. Along the way Marvel threw at us some quality films like Guardians of the Galaxy, Captain America: Civil War and Thor: Ragnarok, all of whose stories will be a factor in this film.
So despite Infinity War being the third Avengers film you will need to be aware of the other Marvel Cinematic Universe movies to understand what is going on. Fortunately that will not be a problem for true fans as they must already be well versed with what has been going on.
To put that to the test here are 25 Infinity War memes that only true fans will understand.
25 Friend In Me
To a non-fan this meme might seem like a tardy photoshop job, but to every other fan who has stuck around for the last ten years this will pull at the heartstrings.
The original Avengers will always remain in our hearts.
The most recent of this bunch are Thor, Hawkeye, and Captain America who we first saw in 2011, while Tony Stark and Bruce Banner’s first outings were in 2008. It feels like a whole lifetime ago when we became acquainted with these characters and with speculation that Avengers: Infinity War will see at least one of these guys bite the dust we can’t help but be put in Andy from Toy Story 3’s position and think of these characters as old friends we will be bidding farewell.
24 Part Of The Team?
We’ve seen these movies stretch across several years and galaxies that it is amazing to think about the fact that most of the characters in Infinity War have never met each other before. The first guess would be the Guardians of the Galaxy who have never met anyone from the other Marvel movies. But Thor will be a surprise to some as one of those people who is unaware of the existence of many of the current Avengers.
Thor has been absent from Earth since Age of Ultron so he’s never met Bucky, Ant-Man, Black Panther, and even Spider-Man. All these characters will be major players in the fight against Thanos, but the original Avenger Thor has no idea they are even part of the war. Judging by Infinity War previews, Thor is unlikely to meet them in this movie either.
23 The King Has Spoken
Captain America: Civil War was unlike most of the Marvel Cinematic Universe offerings in that it didn’t make comedy its most attractive quality. The themes of this movie were far more political and espionage related than other films in the series, but it did throw in fair share of jokes as well.
Those who have seen Civil War will know what T’Challa is referring to.
During the airport fight scene a number of Iron Man’s group had the upper hand, but Ant-Man would tip the scales in the side of his team when he morphed into Giant-Man. With this he was able to cause a great distraction and even was able to hold off War Machine, Iron Man and Spider-Man until he was subdued, after which an incapacitated Scott Lang requested some orange slices to help with the pain. We hope he finds them in Wakanda.
22 Avengers Is Love
Chris Pratt’s career has really taken off since he has starred in Guardians of the Galaxy. The funnyman shed his all-comedic image to become a bonafide action hero, as evidenced by his starring role in the Jurassic World series. However, according to this meme he isn’t ready to leave all his funny material behind.
In a scene from Passengers, Jennifer Lawrence asks Chris Pratt to say the three magical words to her. You would think the easy answer would be ‘I Love You’, but in this meme Chris Pratt is 100% in Star-Lord character and instead utters the three even more magical words of Avengers: Infinity War. With Star-Lord finally set to meet the rest of the Avengers in this film we can’t fault Pratt for considering Avengers: Infinity War to be the equivalent of a declaration of love.
21 Where Art Thou, Clint?
Thor finally let go of the Shakespearean elements that had held him back in comparison to the other Avengers in Thor: Ragnarok and became arguably the funniest one from the team. He was responsible for a lot of the jokes seen in his third solo film and for good reason too as his delivery was perfect. Here, Thor questions if Hawkeye is essential to the plot.
The bowman has been very noticeably absent from all promotional material.
Jeremy Renner’s name is not even listed in the cast billing on the theatrical release poster. He hasn’t been seen in the press tour and not even a single poster of him has been released. Marvel bosses have claimed Hawkeye is on a personal journey in Infinity War, but does that mean he is integral to the story?
20 M.I.A. Again
The Netflix shows have been confirmed to be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and yet we never see any connection between those and the films. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is generally the only TV series which shows the fallout from the movies, but the Netflix shows seem to be happy doing their own thing.
However, Avengers: Infinity War is an entirely different case as the events of this film will have long-lasting, and long-reaching, ramifications that simply cannot be avoided. That giant rotating mechanism that will be seen in New York can’t just be handwaved in popular shows like Luke Cage and Daredevil. So the easiest explanation will have to be that the Defenders have chosen to sit this one out just like all the other times.
19 Particular Set Of Skills
We’ve seen Thanos always be commanding in his persona. In The Avengers, his minion The Other gave a pretty scary threat to Loki on Thanos’ behalf and Thanos’ cameo at the end was apprehensive too. Avengers: Age of Ultron and Guardians of the Galaxy gave us further reason to worry for our heroes’ survival.
But if they choose to face Thanos like this they may just catch him off-guard.
Dormammu, arguably the most powerful character we’ve seen in the MCU was defeated by bargaining, while Ronan was defeated because of a dance-off. Thor and Loki’s Get Help routine seemed to work in Thor: Ragnarok, so who is to say all these elements combined won’t beat the Mad Titan? Captain America will ensure no bad language is thrown around either.
18 Not Up To Speed
A significant commitment is required to watch the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Avengers: Infinity War will be the nineteenth film in a series which began with the release of Iron Man in 2008. Some people just aren’t as invested in them as others but even the casuals cannot turn a deaf ear toward the huge buzz that surrounds Marvel’s most famous films.
The original Spider-Man, released in 2002, is the highest-grossing non-MCU film, while Black Panther is the highest-grossing solo-hero MCU movie. These two and Iron Man can be argued to be the most popular films from Marvel, and chances are they would be the most-viewed by non-hardcore fans. But to understand Infinity War only watching these three won’t cut it so it’s no surprise this person is confused watching Captain America and Thanos sparring.
17 You Need A Shave
The Winter Soldier, or The White Wolf as he will be known as in Infinity War, was nothing like how he is now back in Captain America: The First Avenger. In his first movie he was a friendly individual with a kind heart, come Captain America: The Winter Soldier, he had been brainwashed into a machine.
His appearances have reflected this change.
He had had short hair and was cleanshaven in his first appearance but since then each movie has seen him grow his hair out. His facial hair has evolved into a full beard too. He and Steve Rogers look like they are trying something together in Infinity War with the longer hair and beard combo. Come Avengers 4, we can’t rule out a Chewbacca version of the White Wolf.
16 And I Must Scream
From what we’ve seen so far in the Avengers: Infinity War trailers, the journey won’t be an easy one by any means for our heroes. Most of the trailers show them in deep peril, making it highly unlikely that all of them will walk away unscathed. From the first trailer itself it was apparent Thor will be having a torrid time as he will be seen personally by Thanos. Then there’s Vision who will have the Mind Stone ripped off his head. Captain America is the most likely to bite the dust seeing that he will also have a one-on-one confrontation with Thanos.
Doctor Strange was seen in a bizarre situation, where he seems to be trapped among shards, screaming in agony. Due to these previews the summary of the film can appropriately be considered as a scream fest.
15 The Odd One Out
One of the biggest criticisms one can find for the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the lack of weight they carry as far as losing major players is concerned. The MCU films almost always end on a happy note and even if they don’t end up happy, like Captain America: Civil War, they still don’t feature a major character’s end.
Except Quicksilver, who is still not back among the living.
Scarlet Witch will be seen in action until Avengers 4, bringing her movie tally to four films while Quicksilver is relegated to just the one appearance in Avengers: Age of Ultron. He remains the only hero sacrifice to date as all others were brought back one way or another. At least X-Men fans still have the Quicksilver in that universe.
14 Here's Thanos!
As soon as Thanos was seen at the end credits scene in Avengers: Age of Ultron, where proclaimed he would get the infinity stones himself, the countdown had begun for Vision’s days to end. Vision’s life force is the mind gem perched on his forehead and it is the reason the android is still alive.
But Thanos will not stop until all infinity stones are his so you can bet he will be out to get Vision. This meme shows Thanos in the shoes of Jack Torrance from The Shining as he destroys the door hiding a terrified Vision, in order to get his hands on the mind stone. Avengers: Infinity War previews made it clear the mind stone will be taken from Vision by the Black Order so it’s just a matter of when, not if.
13 Loki's Chances Aren't Good
Up until Thor: Ragnarok the main draw to watch the Thor movies hadn’t been the God of Thunder himself. Instead, the favourite character of the series was his brother Loki. Tom Hiddleston amassed an army of fangirls for his portrayal of the God of Mischief, who are quick to forgive any atrocity Loki has or would commit.
According to them Loki can do no wrong.
His betrayal of Thor in Thor was explained by his fans as Odin’s mistake for supposedly being a bad father, while his vicious turn in The Avengers was reasoned to be manipulation by Thanos. After his more heroic appearances in Thor: The Dark World and Ragnarok, fangirls have accepted Loki as their golden boy. But given that Loki is only seen in one scene from Infinity War in all trailers, the odds are stacked against Loki’s survival and we can expect fangirls to start crying soon.
12 Name Confusion
It’s a real coincidence that the cast members all have similar names. Tom Hiddleston and Tom Holland even have the same initials, so they can’t even be called Tom H for clarity purposes. Then there’s the matter of Three Chrises being onboard. All three of them have headlined their own movies comprising of Captain America, Thor and Guardians of the Galaxy.
It also doesn’t help that the Toms and Chrises are rather reminiscent of one another with Tom Holland and Hiddleston both looking like young and older versions of the same guy while the three Chrises are all buff dudes in general. It must have been interesting on set when referring to any one of these guys as the others would have always looked back in mistake.
11 Time To Shine
Thanos was first seen in 2012 in The Avengers, a full 6 years before the release of Avengers: Infinity War. Even in the first movie all we saw of him was a head turn and this was the only thing to go by until Guardians of the Galaxy where he is finally seen in his full appearance. But in that film he is onscreen for barely two minutes with all scenes involving him brooding on his throne.
Finally in Avengers: Age of Ultron we saw him stand up for the first time as he put on the Infinity Gauntlet. Since then the only glimpse we have seen of him was in the end credit scene for Thor: Ragnarok where his spaceship, Sanctuary II is sighted. So you can imagine Thanos’ glee at finally being able to get up and wreak some havoc on a personal level.
10 How Long Was I Asleep?
Bucky’s inclusion in the Black Panther end credits scene was welcome because we saw his psyche return to normal, leaving no doubts when we see him again in Avengers: Infinity War that he will be back to how he was in Captain America: The First Avenger, mentality wise. It’s a shame, though, that we won’t be seeing what his initial reaction would be when he finds out he needs to fight in an actual space war.
The poor guy can’t seem to catch a break.
Just when his mind was brought back to normal he has to go ahead and battle alien foes. Add in the fact that the Steve Rogers he had seen in Captain America: Civil War looks nothing like the one in this film. Bucky’s own moniker of the Winter Soldier has changed into the White Wolf.
9 Not Your Usual School Trip
It is a certainty that we will be seeing Spider-Man head off into space in Avengers: Infinity War. The trailers have revealed that Spidey will be stowing away on the giant rotating mechanism that was situated in New York City, and it appears he will be saved by Iron Man, who will make use of a new jet boost of sorts to do so.
One question that might not be in many people’s minds is how Aunt May will react to Peter’s excursion in space, and an entirely different planet. From what we saw of her in Spider-Man: Homecoming she is somewhat of a ditz so the explanation Peter might give her should be along the lines of this meme where he simply asks her permission for a trip to space.
8 Can Hardly Wait
Unfortunately for DC, and many fans who actually enjoyed the movie, Justice League was a box office bomb as it grossed $657 million on a budget that required the film to make around $750 million to break-even. A lot of the lack of interest for Justice League has to be its build-up which saw little or no introduction to its main members in the previous DC Extended Universe movies. The MCU, though, has been building up to Avengers: Infinity War for ten years.
It goes without saying that anticipation is rife.
One fan was so hyped up for the film that he made use of Batman’s quote from Justice League to voice his excitement for the film. We’d like to imagine even Batman wants in on the Infinity War hype.
7 A Dream Pairing
After four years and two movies we finally get to see the Guardians of the Galaxy interact with the Avengers. The Guardians’ films had a lot to do with building up to Thanos’ arrival, as we first saw The Mad Titan’s full appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy while in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 we were made known to Thanos’ behaviour toward his daughters, something that should be expanded upon in Avengers: Infinity War.
One interaction everyone wants to see is between Star-Lord and Iron Man. These two have the biggest, and fastest, mouths in all of the MCU, so the chance to see them go at a word sparring session would surely be a treat. In the film’s trailer we already saw Peter Quill one up Tony when he told him his plan sucked. No doubt Tony has something good to hit back, too.
6 The Original Team
The Avengers would have been a risky venture indeed just a decade ago. It took ten years worth of build up to get us this hyped for this team up movie and a lot has to be attributed to the initial superhero films that had ensured there was a market for this genre.
The original X-Men film was the first superhero team-up movie.
Released in 2000, it was a big risk as superhero movies were scarce back then, much less a film depicting an entire team of superheroes. The success of X-Men paved the way for further films like the original Spider-Man and with these success stories Iron Man was released and the rest, as they say, is history. So maybe Wolverine isn’t in the wrong when he suggests the X-Men have hand in Infinity War’s success. Sorry, Tony.