I’m often asked these questions by friends after they watched Avengers: Infinity War. Might as well answer them for folks with similar questions. It’s already made over $1 billion dollars, but the answers won’t cost you that.
What happened to Xandar?
That’s the question that immediately came to mind in the first few minutes of the movie. Thanos had the Power Stone, and last we checked it was on Xandar. Presumably, Thanos attacked Xandar and took the stone. In an interview, the Russo brothers decided to skip the scene and let the audience put two and two together. They didn’t want the film to begin with two negatives as it would be very dark. Loki dying was already too much for some fans. Thor just tells us that he somehow found out that Xandar was destroyed a week prior. So that happened before Thor: Ragnarok or during?
Why did Doctor Strange give up the Time Stone?
Many audiences were puzzled at why Doctor Strange gave up the Infinity Stone for the life of Tony Stark. Strange simply gave it up to save Tony from getting killed by Thanos. When Thanos got the stone, he stayed true to his word not to kill Stark which says a lot about this villain. Now I thought at first that Strange simply had a change of heart and that he can’t watch someone die, then I quickly remembered that he was ‘browsing’ the future outcomes of the whole thing. 14,000,605 of them with just one possibility of victory and that victory involves both giving up the Time Stone and saving Tony’s life. Possibly, in that one outcome, Tony plays a major part in the victory and that giving up the Time Stone was a strategic move, much like sacrificing a chess piece.
Where were Scott and Clint aka Ant-Man and Hawkeye?
Unless you listen very closely, this is unfortunately easy to miss. Why isn’t Ant-Man and Hawkeye included in the movie? Even though Steve Rogers freed them from the Raft, and Tony probably negotiated with Ross for their ‘freedom,’ they decided to go back to their respective families. Rhodey said that the two were on house arrest and it’s there on the Ant-Man and Wasp trailer. Clint probably didn’t want to be away from his newborn child and had to make a sacrifice. We’ll see what Scott is up to in the next film Ant-Man and the Wasp.
What’s wrong with the Hulk?
Funny how Marvel messes with the fans with false trailers. We see the Hulk running with Cap’s team in Wakanda in the trailers, but after Hulk crash lands in the Sanctum Sanctorum, we no longer see him in the entire film. It’s entirely possible that Hulk has never experienced such a defeat before, except maybe with Thor. Now Hulk may either be afraid or humiliated or even both and is afraid to show his face. It was just hilarious and amazing how Bruce handled his final battle with Cull Obsidian with Bruce saying that he’ll deal with Cull Obsidian himself.
What happened to the Gauntlet?
During the last seconds of the battle in Wakanda, Thanos snaps his fingers as Thor pushes Stormbreaker into his chest. Thanos makes his wish with a blinding flash of light. But after that, the gauntlet looks ruined. Was killing half the universe’s population too much? Perhaps. The gauntlet with the stones may be all-powerful, but it’s nice and a bit believable that it’s shown to have some limits. A bigger wish could have destroyed the gauntlet and scattered the stones, kind of like that long-running anime franchise. In the comics, before the beginning of Secret Wars 2015, Captain America used the gauntlet to push back another Earth to prevent it from colliding with Earth 616. And it was quite surprising since I thought the gauntlet could do so much more, that the Infinity gems shattered after Cap used the gauntlet. Guess it’s really up to the writers.
Where were Thanos and little Gamora?
Thanos entered a strange realm when he first got the Soul Stone and later when he snapped his fingers and wiped out half of all life. Where is this mysterious realm where he meets little Gamora? In the comics, there is a realm inside the Soul Stone called the Soul Realm where apparently, anyone who Thanos wished out of existence would go. Fans are unanimous that it was the soul realm as evidenced by the appearance of Gamora’s soul. Since Thanos had to sacrifice Gamora to get the stone, it would make sense for her to be there.
And the last Avengers: Infinity War open-ended question we, unfortunately, cannot answer…
Why is Gamora?
Now if you’ll excuse me, I don’t feel so good.