NEW YORK, NY – MAY 01: Actors Tom Hiddleston and Clark Gregg ring the opening bell at The New York Stock Exchange as part of a celebration of the release of Marvel Studios ‘Marvel’s The Avengers’ on May 1, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)
Six years after it blew the superhero genre wide-open, what is the legacy of The Avengers and what impact could it have on Infinity War?
It can be argued that the first Avengers movie is the most important of all the Marvel films. While Iron Man breathed life back into the genre and Guardians of the Galaxy seemingly proved there was no limit to its potential, the first true team-up served as the linchpin for much of the storytelling that has followed, and, in a more tangible way, proved during its ultra-successful test run that multi-hero movies were not only viable, but that they could be well-received and stunningly profitable.
Simply put, until The Avengers came roaring in with its impossible array of larger-than-life heroes, the MCU was little more than a pipe dream, a proposed flirtation with a kind of global entertainment dominance never before dreamed. This movie not only galvanized the Marvel machine and made real a thousand desperate hopes of cohesive world-building, it gave birth to the superhero movement–a cultural phenomenon that has dominated cinema for the last half decade.
While other movies hinted at what might come, the real revolution started right here.
What worked?
Joss Whedon has taken some heat in the comics industry lately. After questionable decisions in films like Avengers: Age of Ultron (according to some) and Justice League (according to many), as well as some bad press concerning his once-sterling reputation as a card-carrying feminist, Joss is no longer the golden boy he once was, but we would do well to remember exactly why he was once held in such high esteem.
In a word: Marvel’s The Avengers.
With a swirling array of moving pieces and battling egos, distinct properties and astronomical studio pressures, Whedon had the unenviable task of mashing all of these things into a coherent, accessible film that would delight both hardcore fans of the genre and casual moviegoers. Not an easy feat, just ask the folks over at DC.
But Whedon, with his combination of charming storytelling and witty banter, absolutely crushed it, managing to craft an adventure for the ages, creating a narrative that satisfies its own inner mechanics and the demands of the greater MCU at large.
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The heroes are, to a one, magnificently portrayed. Iron Man, played by the disgustingly perfect RD Jr is spot-on, even if taking a backseat at times seems against his protocol. Chris Evans proves himself a more than capable Captain America. No minor accomplishment, as Cap is a deceivingly complex individual whose subtle emotions and could have come off as bland in the hands of a lesser actor. Ruffalo as Banner/Hulk is nothing sort of a revelation. His quiet, empathetic take is a stark contrast to the smoldering intelligence and seething anger others brought to the role and it combines with a suddenly believable CG Hulk to deliver a smashing performance fans of that particular hero had long since abandoned hope of. Thor is more two-dimensional, but Hemsworth slays both sides of the demi-god. Even Barton, Fury, and Black Widow, who are more limited in screen time, make their moments count, and each emerges as distinct and nuanced–purpose-driven in a narrative that calls for characters as much as carnage.
Though there is plenty of the latter. While the build-up is slow and focuses on building necessary tension between the group of unlikely saviors, the payoff is nothing short of astonishing. The Battle for New York is on par with the ending of The Return of the Jedi in terms of great cinematic conflicts, with multiple battles fought simultaneously by different heroes, each fight with its own stakes, all answering to a single stalking doom, the ultimate sacrificial moment where Tony Stark truly becomes a hero. The effects are still glorious today, and harken back to the groundbreaking work we saw in films like Independence Day and Jurassic Park.
The finale is loud, beautiful, and thrilling, but without losing the human element.
In a long line of summer blockbusters, The Avengers stands beside any of them shot-for-shot, scene-for-scene. It is large scale comic book fun of the grandest sort, and it is magnificent.
What didn’t work?
The Avengers is a great movie, but all that charm and accessibility can also be somewhat of a double-edged sword. It will forever be remembered as a movie that pushed the superhero genre forward, but never one that pushed its boundaries.
Whedon, for all his affable dialogue and likable characters, is at his best when he doesn’t linger on hard questions, when he is free to dabble in darkness only as a means to give contrast to his lighter work. For all the death and destruction inherent in the plot of this film, it is more of a romp than anything–a modern-day adventure tale where the characters are ready to banish serious discussion with another wry quip at a moments notice, and where evil seems as fantastical as the powers of the heroes who battle it.
The Avengers is family fun. Sure, there’s the “scary” part with the Hulk, and even the chitauri would be downright terrifying as adversaries in a different movie, but here, they’re fodder–robotic goons to be clowned by our unstoppable protagonists–and no amount of grim expressions from Cap and Thor, or somberly scored scenes can change that.
This is not a sin. It’s no crime to have fun. To the contrary, a willingness to embrace fun and humor may be much of what has seen Marvel become a global cinematic force where others have faltered, but even in its own movies, there are tiers of maturity. Avengers never reaches the intellectual or emotional heights of some of its successors.
Its expertly crafted, brilliantly written, and formed with loving, worshipful care toward its source material, but its a kid’s movie and a movie for the kid in all of us.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Civil War, Black Panther, Logan, these movies were able to lay claim to being something other than a superhero movie, something that asked important questions. The Avengers never does.
Is that a fault? If so, it is a minor quibble. Still, for a movie that, for one summer, held the collective attention of an entire nation, maybe it could have been more than just great fun.
NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 28: Actor Robert Downey Jr. attends ‘The Avengers’ Premiere, Closing Night Of The Tribeca Film Festival Sponsored By Bombay Sapphire on April 28, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images for Bombay Sapphire)
How will it impact Infinity War?
Six years later, the events of The Avengers still loom large over the MCU. It’s here where we see the true power of the Tesseract, where we witness the core team assembled for the first time, and where we meet the Mad Titan Thanos, if only for a brief moment.
As Loki says, “There is only the war.” And he’s right. In the MCU there’s only ever been one war that truly mattered–the battle for the Infinity Stones, that collection of cosmic gems capable of granting their wielder unlimited power. In almost every film before and since, we’ve watched them in the background, slipping from owner to owner, attempting to find, like the One Ring, their way into the hands of their dark master.
Without discounting the films that have transpired between them, The Avengers and Infinity War are the tent poles of the MCU.
In The Avengers we get but the briefest taste of Thanos’ war machine. In the years since, heroes have emerged, villains have been vanquished, and battles have been fought, but always the real war, Thanos’ war, lurked in the background. It has always been Marvel’s endgame, and we see it here clearer than in any other film.
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More, many of the character arcs started in The Avengers are still active, still seeking conclusion. Iron Man and Cap are still rivals, one a champion of the past, the other a prophet of the future, each trying to shape the world that will be. Banner has yet to prove that he’s a hero to the most important critic of all–himself. Thor, the naive godling has come into his power, but seems poised, finally, to serve his people not only as an icon, but as a leader.
From Hawkeye to Loki, the characters of The Avengers have evolved since this film, but none have completed the arcs started in this groundbreaking film. As Infinity War approaches, each stands poised over completion like a sword stroke about to fall. For all of them, their ends can be seen in their beginnings. To appreciate the answers Infinity War will bring, we must first understand the questions The Avengers asks.