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Avengers: Infinity War -- Who Will Live & Who Will Die?Avengers: Infinity War is finally coming to cinemas this week -- the culmination of over ten years of work told over 18 interwoven stories -- and it feels like anything could happen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Which leaves us with the question... Is Marvel going to kill one or some of our favorite superheroes? It's definitely likely, given the impending expiration of certain actor contracts, not to mention the fact that the Avengers are facing the biggest MCU villain to date. Dramatically speaking, it feels like anyone could die, but who will it be? [Teaser]For this article, we've listed out every MCU main character and approximated their chances of SURVIVING or DYING in Infinity War. From Iron Man to Hawkeye, all the way to Falcon and Star-Lord, along with Nick Fury - everyone is accounted for here.[/Teaser] To be very clear, these are NOT spoilers -- we haven't yet seen the movie -- just our best guesses. Let us know your thoughts and whether or not you agree in the comments below. IRON MAN Percentage of Survival: 20% Why?: Robert Downey Jr. has been doing this for a long time and his contract is rumored to be up. Also, in the past films, the character Tony Stark has talked about retiring as well and what better way to go out than either sacrificing himself or going to live a quiet life with Pepper after all is said and done. CAPTAIN AMERICA Percentage of Survival: 10% Why?: Chris Evans has said before that he wants to move on after the upcoming Avengers film, which is when his contract is up like Downey Jrs. In the comic book franchise, he is indeed killed, but someone else takes over his role. Captain America will go down fighting for sure, but there is no way he is retiring. He will be killed off. THOR Percentage of Survival: 80% Why?: Chris Hemsworth is not done making Thor films as he's stated that he wants to make more movies as the God of Thunder. We've also heard that Avengers: Infinity War will basically be a Thor film with everyone else in it, which means that Thor and Thanos will come face to face, which at first doesn't look good for Thor. However, with his power and his Avenger friends, Thor is likely to survive even if he's the last Asgardian out there. HULK Percentage of Survival: 90% Why?: Mark Ruffalo has signed on for six films in the MCU, which means he still has more to go, none of them being an origin solo spinoff movie. You just can't kill Hulk. He's going to be around for a while and will make quite an impact in Avengers: Infinity War. We are going to get a Planet Hulk film for sure after Infinity War and explore more adventures with Hulk and Thor. BLACK WIDOW Percentage of Survival: 75% Why?: Black Widow has been around since the beginning and has proved time and time again that she might be the smartest and most lethal member of the Avengers, even though she has zero super powers or a super suit. There's always a chance she might perish, but it's very small, because Scarlett Johansson has signed on to a solo spinoff film of Black Widow finally. She'll be around for more MCU films for sure. HAWKEYE Percentage of Survival: 50% Why?: Hawkeye has been noticeably absent from all of the Avengers: Infinity War promo trailers and posters. That being said, Jeremy Renner is still signed on for more Hawkeye appearances in future MCU films, although none will be his own starring film. He might be the least popular Avenger, but he also might be the only one to save the day here. Still, if he dies, it will be here and his storyline won't be a big impact on future films. DRAX THE DESTROYER Percentage of Survival: 95% Why?: There's always a small chance that anyone could die here, but as far as the Guardians of the Galaxy are concerned, they will be sticking around for a while. We know that Thanos killed Drax's family a long time ago, so he has a bone to pick with Thanos. Being hot-headed, Drax could be killed easily, but that just isn't going to happen. He's going to be around to make fun of Star-Lord and Rocket for sure. NEBULA Percentage of Survival: 70% Why?: Again, there will be more Guardians of the Galaxy films, but Nebula has been a small and unpopular character for the most part. The catch here is that Nebula is Thanos' daughter who has a love/hate relationship with him. She'll get close to him, but I doubt he will kill her, unless she sacrifices herself for the good of her sister's well-being. GAMORA Percentage of Survival: 90% Why?: Also part of the Guardians of the Galaxy and also Thanos' daughter along with Nebula, there is a tiny chance she might die. Then again, we have more films with her and need to see her romance with Star-Lord advance. There is also no way that Gamora dies and Nebula lives here. Gamora will be around for a long time to come. ROCKET Percentage of Survival: 95% Why?: Everyone's favorite snarky and foul-mouthed raccoon is pretty safe when it comes to Thanos. He will be around for more films and Bradley Cooper just has to record his voice here, so there are no contract or timing issues. I have a feeling Rocket will come close to dying, but he won't be the eternal dust this time out. GROOT Percentage of Survival: 100% Why?: Look, this is the MCU's pet dog and there is no way they are killing the pet dog - AGAIN. Groot will be a teenager by this time and grow up to save his friends and the galaxy for many more future films. If Groot dies in Avengers: Infinity War, there will be full-scale riots in the streets. STAR-LORD Percentage of Survival: 100% Why?: Peter Quill/Star-Lord isn't going everywhere. Chris Pratt is what holds this team together and nobody will be able to do it better than he. Not only that, there will be future Guardians of the Galaxy films in the future with him as the star. Star-Lord might get injured, but there is no chance he will die here. He will survive for sure. ANT-MAN Percentage of Survival: 95% Why?: Paul Rudd is one of the bigger comic relief heroes of the Avengers. He also has more movies under his contract, including the upcoming Ant-Man and Wasp movie later this year. That being said, Ant-Man has been absent from most trailers and posters for Avengers: Infinity War, but that maybe that he's too small to see. He will show up at some point here and he will survive for sure. WASP Percentage of Survival: 100% Why?: Why debut a new superhero and immediately kill her off? It doesn't make sense. Sure they did that with Quicksilver, but Wasp is more important right now, and Quicksilver still might come back. If Wasp shows up in Avengers: Infinity War, there is no way she will be killed off. BLACK PANTHER Percentage of Survival: 100% Why?: There is at least one more Black Panther film in the works and the fact that the last Black Panther film has made $1.3 billion so far, makes it a fact that Black Panther will survive. I doubt he will even be scratched or even get a paper cut. He's too valuable and amazing to be injured, let alone killed off. He's here to stay for at least another decade. SHURI Percentage of Survival: 100% Why?: Black Panther's incredible sister was one of the big highlights of the Black Panther film. She's smarter than Tony Stark and can create anything that Rocket can, but better. I have a feeling that if Iron Man dies, Shuri will be the one to take over the costume or at least be involved in the Iron Man technology in some way. VISION Percentage of Survival: 45% Why?: Vision has one of the Infinity Stones in his forehead. We know that Thanos acquires all of the Infinity Stones. We also know that this Infinity Stone provides the life inside Vision. It can be easy to say that Vision is going to die here, which he probably will. That being said, I'd still like to see Vision and Scarlet Witch married like in the comics and we don't know that removing the stone from Vision's head will kill him. SCARLET WITCH Percentage of Survival: 85% Why?: Scarlet Witch is one of the most powerful members of the Avengers, therefor I doubt she will be killed off. Also, Elisabeth Olsen is slated for at least three more MCU films in the future. She will be essential to the fall of Thanos too. I just hope that her romantic interest Vision will be around to see her grow in future films. WAR MACHINE Percentage of Survival: 50% Why?: War Machine isn't a huge character yet in the MCU, although he's had some great scenes. We've also seen him injured before too in previous movies. That being said, I'm willing to bet he is the first death we see in the Avengers: Infinity War. On the other hand to that, if Iron Man does indeed die, Rhodes can don the Iron Man suit and be the new Iron Man. It's possible, but unlikely. Shuri is the prime candidate for this. LOKI Percentage of Survival: 5% Why?: Loki was at first in cahoots with Thanos, but failed him in the first Avengers film. Recently, Loki has become a fan favorite in the MCU, even showing his good side in at least Thor: Ragnarok. Still, Thanos will make an example out of someone, and that someone will be Loki to start the chain of events. Plus, Loki is not exactly a big part of this whole MCU universe right now and could be easily killed off, which will be emotional for sure. SPIDER-MAN Percentage of Survival: 100% Why?: Tom Holland is the best Spider-Man thus far and he has two more Spider-Man films set in the MCU coming up soon. He's as safe as Groot here. They're not going to kill the youngest member of the Avengers here, plus I'm willing to bet Peter Parker will become the leader of a young Avengers team to come shortly. He's going to be alive for a long time. DOCTOR STRANGE Percentage of Survival: 99% Why?: There is already a future sequel to Doctor Strange set in stone and, with Strange's magical powers, there is no chance he will be killed off by Thanos here. Benedict Cumberbatch has several more MCU films under his contract left, so the chances of him being killed off are very small in Avengers: Infinity War. His unique ability makes him a superstar in fighting the big villains. He's going nowhere. WONG Percentage of Survival: 95% Why?: Tiniest chance that Wong dies, but since he was the great dry comic relief and friend to Doctor Strange, there is no way he goes until getting more screen time. Plus, don't you want a buddy-cop/sorcerer film with Wong and Doctor Strange in the future. Count on that happening. BUCKY BARNES Percentage of Survival: 110% Why?: Groot has a better chance of dying than Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier. Sebastian Stan has signed on for NINE movies in the MCU universe. What's that say? Captain America is going to die and Bucky Barnes is taking over in the role, just like in the comic books. Bucky Barnes will be around still when Peter Parker turns 103 years old. FALCON Percentage of Survival: 75% Why?: Falcon is low on the totem pole as far as Avengers movies go, but if Captain America does die (he will), I can see Bucky Barnes and Falcon teaming up to take up the responsibilities of Steve Rogers. In the comic books, Falcon has donned the Captain America role too. Now, if Captain America does survive for more films, expect Falcon to die quickly and quietly here. NICK FURY Percentage of Survival: 99% Why?: Of course we haven't seen Nick Fury in quite some time and we still don't know if he will re-appear in Avengers: Infinity War. We all know Samuel L Jackson has a great time in this role and will be happy to do more appearances in the MCU. The questions is how he will be presented here. My guess is that at the end of the film or even in the post-credit sequences, Nick Fury will appear and present the Avenger team with new recruits: The Fantastic Four/X-Men.Posted Mon Apr 23, 2018 at 12:35 PM PDT by: -
Coming Soon to Blu-ray: 'Game Night,' 'The 15:17 to Paris,' and More[teaser]Films starring Jason Batemant, Rachel McAdams, Taraji P. Henson, and more are all coming to Blu-ray.[/teaser] New info has been revealed for several upcoming Blu-ray releases from Warner Bros., Lionsgate, Film Movement, Cinedigm, Paramount, and AGFA. Here's a full rundown of recently revealed details and title announcements: First up, Warner Bros. is set to release John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein's Game Night starring Jason Bateman, Rachel McAdams, Kyle Chandler, Billy Magnussen, and Jesse Plemons on May 22. Supplements will include: - An Unforgettable Evening: Making Game Night - Featurette- Gag Reel In addition, the studio is bringing Clint Eastwood's The 15:17 to Paris starring Anthony Sadler, Alek Skarlatos, Spencer Stone, Judy Greer, Jenna Fischer, and Thomas Lennon to Blu-ray on May 22 as well. Supplements will include: - Making Every Second Count- Portrait of Courage Likewise, Suzi Yoonessi's Daphne & Velma starring Sarah Jeffery and Sarah Gilman will also hit Blu-ray on May 22. Supplements will include: - Daphne & Velma: A New Ambition - Featurette- The Iconic Style of Daphne & Velma Re-imagined- An Updated Classic Mystery - Featurette- Gag Reel And rounding out Warner Bros.' upcoming lineup will be Michael Sucsy's Every Day starring Debby Ryan, Maria Bello, Owen Teague, and Angourie Rice. Supplements will include: - An A By Any Other Name: Explore the main character A and how the filmmakers and cast portrayed an entity that wakes up in a different body every day.- Love is Love: See what it really means to love another human being, accepting people for who they are.- Every Day People: The cast of Every Day provides insight into their characters and the story.- Book to Film Adaptation: The cast, filmmakers and author of Every Day discuss the process of bringing the book to life for the big screen.- Deleted Scenes Order the Blu-ray Order the Blu-ray Order the Blu-ray Order the Blu-ray Lionsgate is prepping Nick Park's Early Man starring Tom Hiddleston, Eddie Redmayne, and Maisie Williams for Blu-ray on May 22. Supplements will include - Before the Beginning of Time: Creating Early Man- Nick Park: Massaging the Funny- The Valley Meets the Bronze- Hanging at Aardman Studios: A Workshop Exploration In addition, the label is set to release Simon Kaijser's Spinning Man starring Guy Pearce, Pierce Brosnan, Odeya Rush, Alexandra Shipp, Minnie Driver, and Clark Gregg on June 26. Supplements will include: - Audio commentary by director Simon Kaijser- Inside Spinning Man- Deleted Scenes Meanwhile, Tyler Perry's Acrimony staring Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Nicolet, Tika Sumpter, and Jazmyn Simon is also in the works for Blu-ray. Supplements and an exact release date have not been announced yet, but pre-orders are now live. Likewise, pre-orders for John Curran's Chappaquiddick starring Kate Mara, Clancy Brown, and Olivia Thirlby are also now available. No other details have been revealed at this time. And capping off the studio's upcoming slate will be the Starz series Counterpart starring J.K. Simmons, Harry Lloyd, and Olivia Williams. Supplements and an exact release date have not been detailed yet, but pre-orders are now live. Order the Blu-ray Order the Blu-ray Order the Blu-ray Order the Blu-ray Order the Blu-ray Film Movement has announced plans to release Atsuko Hirayanagi's Oh Lucy! starring Shinobu Terajima, Josh Hartnett, and Koji Yakusho on June 5. Supplements will include: - Deleted Scenes- New York Asian Film Festival interview with director Atsuko Hirayanagi In addition, the label is bringing Sergio Corbucci's The Great Silence: 50th Anniversary Edition starring Jean-Louis Trintignant, Klaus Kinski, and Frank Wolff to Blu-ray on June 5 as well. The disc will feature a new 2K restoration of the film, and supplements will include: - Cox on Corbucci: Filmmaker and author Alex Cox (Repo Man) surveys Sergio Corbucci's career and how The Great Silence fits within the maestro's oeuvre.- Western, Italian Style: This 1968 documentary on Italian westerns includes prime behind the scenes footage of The Great Silence.- Two never-before-seen alternate endings, including the option to play one of the alternate endings with Alex Cox commentary.- The Great Silence original theatrical trailer.- The Great Silence 2018 theatrical trailer.- Italian and English language versions.- Ending the Silence: A new essay about The Great Silence by film critic Simon Abrams. Order the Blu-ray Order the Blu-ray Paramount is set to bring John Landis' Trading Places: 35th Anniversary Edition starring Eddie Murphy, Dan Aykroyd, Ralph Bellamy, Don Ameche, Denholm Elliott, and Jamie Lee Curtis to Blu-ray on June 12. Supplements from the previous release of the film will be carried over, including: - Multiple featurettes Likewise, the studio will also release John Landis' Coming to America: 30th Anniversary Edition starring Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, James Earl Jones, John Amos, Madge Sinclair, and Shari Headley on June 12. Supplements from the previous release of the film will be carried over, including: - Vintage interviews with the cast- Behind-the-scenes featurettes- Photo gallery Order the Blu-ray Order the Blu-ray Cinedigm is prepping Saul Dibb's Journey's End starring Sam Claflin, Paul Bettany, Asa Butterfield, Toby Jones, and Stephen Graham for Blu-ray on July 3. No other details have been announced yet. In addition, the label will bring 2018 Stanley Cup Champion to Blu-ray on July 31. Tentative supplements will include: - Behind the scenes with the Stanley Cup- Extended Locker Room Stanley Cup Celebration- Extended Parade Celebration- NHL Network interviews- Top 10 Highlights Order the Blu-ray Order the Blu-ray AGFA is preparing James Bryan's Lady Street Fighter starring Renee Harmon, Jody McCrea, Trace Carradine, and Liz Renay for Blu-ray on August 14. The disc will feature a brand new 2K restoration of the film from the only surviving 35mm theatrical print, and supplements will include: - NEW 2K RESTORATION of Revenge of Lady Street Fighter, the unreleased sequel to the original film- Street fightin' trailers from the AGFA vaults- Audio commentary track with director James Bryan and the AGFA team Order the Blu-ray You can find the latest specs for all of the titles listed above linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule.Posted Mon Apr 23, 2018 at 10:05 AM PDT by: -
Steven Soderbergh's 'Unsane' Committed to Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray[teaser]The suspenseful thriller starring Claire Foy arrives on both formats this summer. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Universal says 'Unsane' will be available on Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray on June 19. Academy Award-winning director Steven Soderbergh plunges audiences into the suspense and drama of a resilient woman's fight to reclaim her freedom even as she risks her own sanity. Still scarred from the trauma of being terrorized by a stalker, Sawyer Valentini (Claire Foy, The Crown) receives treatments at the Highland Creek Behavioral Center. However, shortly after she unwittingly commits herself to the mental institution and is unable to leave, she catches sight of a facility staffer who, she is convinced, is actually her stalker. But is he real or a product of her delusion? Each release (including the HDR-enabled 4K UHD) will feature a lossless 5.1 soundtrack and supplements include Unsanity - Featurette. You can find the latest specs for Unsane linked from our Blu-ray and 4K Release Schedules, where it is indexed under June 19. Order the Blu-ray Order the 4K Blu-rayPosted Mon Apr 23, 2018 at 09:49 AM PDT by: -
Painfully Awkward Video Reveals Exactly How Not to Ask a Question at a Q&A for HBO's 'Westworld'[teaser]A recent panel for the show ended abruptly with a cringe-worthy Q&A.[/teaser] As chronicled in a report from The A.V. Club, the cast and crew of HBO's Westworld recently sat down together for a panel discussion at the Tribeca Film Festival following a screening of the season two premiere, but a planned 10-minute Q&A to cap off the event didn't exactly go as planned. And by that, I mean a single, rambling, hilariously cringe-worthy question brought a screeching halt to the entire thing. The panel was moderated by Atlantic Senior Editor Christopher Orr, and featured co-creators Jonathan Nolan & Lisa Joy, along with stars Evan Rachel Wood, Jeffrey Wright, Thandie Newton, and James Marsden. And though the discussion went well for the majority of the event, with solid questions from Orr and insights from the participants, an attempt to start an audience Q&A session at the end completely dissolved thanks to a textbook example of how not to ask a question during one of these events. The embarrassing exchange begins around the 49-minute mark in the embedded video below. As you can see, the awkwardness bursts forth right out of the gate as the cast & crew complain about not being able to see the questioner -- perhaps preemptively hiding his shame for what follows. From there, the questioner commits a plethora of Q&A sins, beginning with a vague, rambling shower of praise for the show that doesn't seem to be leading anywhere, hogging up time for other guests without actually saying anything. And then his attention turns specifically to writer Jonathan Nolan, leading to more wandering praise before "casually" revealing that he and his brother are aspiring screenwriters themselves. Yeah, I think you all know where this is going. After some laughter from the crowd, our brave questioner blurts out exactly what everyone expects but not so-secretly prays he won't, "We hope that one day we can actually show our screenplay to you." Cue a grumble of snickers and groans. Now seeing that the crowd is turning on him, the questioner wisely retreats with a quick "have a great night." And from there, sensing the night has been lost, Orr abruptly ends the Q&A before it really got a chance to start. Did the man even have an actual question to ask? I guess we'll just have to add that to the growing list of unsolved Westworld mysteries. Fans still hoping to get some actual answers about Westworld, can tune into HBO tomorrow, April 22, to watch the season two premiere. Source: The A.V. ClubPosted Sat Apr 21, 2018 at 02:30 PM PDT by: -
The Ultimate Avengers: Infinity War Character Guide[Teaser]Welcome one and all to High-Def Digest's Ultimate Avengers: Infinity War Character Guide, a fun new article series where we take look back at all the great characters we're going to see in part one of Marvel's most epic cinematic universe crossover adventure to date. This article will serve as a digital HUB to all the other articles in the series. Click on each character name to learn about that character's comic origins, MCU origins, our favorite scene with that character, and our best guess about the future of that character in Infinity War and beyond. Enjoy![/Teaser] Ten years ago, Marvel Studios had a vision to make an interwoven film franchise based on (what remained of) their biggest superhero properties. To make something that gave cinema-goers the same experience as comic lovers. Though it seems simple now, no studio had ever tried to create a single-story cinematic universe before. Today every major studio has or is trying to create one, but Marvel seems to be the only one succeeding. Marvel started with Iron Man in 2008, kicking off not only the movie itself but the trend of including an extra scene during the credits that teased the series' destiny. Marvel wasn't just making one-offs, but building towards The Avengers -- the biggest Marvel superheroes teaming up to fight Earth's biggest threats. Iron Man went on to make almost $600 million at the box office and, a few years and a few stand-alone superhero movies later, we got the first Avengers film, which made over $1.5 billion dollars. Needless to say, there was no stopping Marvel and their superhero films from then on. At the end of that Avengers film, though, were introduced to one of the biggest villains in all of Marvel Comics - Thanos. Since then, we've only seen a few seconds of Thanos on screen, but Marvel has had one big plan since the start in 2008. That's to have the Avengers battle Thanos to the end. Yes, what Marvel has been working towards is finally coming to fruition with Avengers: Infinity War. Everything is on the line. Thanos wants nothing less than to destroy the Avengers, Earth, and even the Universe itself. Make no mistake about it, big superheroes in the Avengers will die and others will come into play as a bigger role. With numerous different superheroes set to be featured in Avengers: Infinity War, along with their complex storylines all coming to a head in this film, it all seems overwhelming, doesn't it? How will one movie feature all of our beloved superheroes? Hopefully, this guide to all of the current MCU superheroes will help you going into Avengers: Infinity War. With this guide, you'll be able to learn about each character's comic book origin, their MCU origin, the best scene thus far for each character, and what to expect from each superhero in Infinity War -- as well as future MCU movies, and more. Here's our list of character guides, organized by MCU order of appearance: Iron Man Hulk Black Widow Thor Hawkeye Captain America Guardians of the Galaxy Vision Scarlet Witch Ant-Man Spider-Man Black Panther Doctor Strange ThanosPosted Fri Apr 20, 2018 at 03:01 PM PDT by: -
The Ultimate Avengers: Infinity War Character Guide: ThanosThis is a big time, perhaps the biggest time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe -- as Thanos sets out to destroy not only the Avengers, but also life throughout the universe including Earth. That being said, there are many different superheroes that will be featured in Avengers: Infinity War, along with their complex storylines all coming to a head in this film. It all seems overwhelming, doesn't it? How can one movie contain all of our beloved superheroes? [Teaser]Welcome one and all to High-Def Digest's Ultimate Avengers: Infinity War Character Guide, a fun new article series where we take look back at all the great characters we're going to see in part one of Marvel's most epic cinematic universe crossover adventure to date. [/Teaser] Hopefully, this character guide will help you going into Avengers: Infinity War. You'll be able to learn about each character's comic book origin, their MCU origin, the best scene thus far with each character, and what to expect from each superhero in Infinity War -- as well as future MCU movies, and more. THANOS Name: Thanos Created by: Mike Friedrich and Jim Starlin 1st Appearance: Iron Man #55 (February 1973) Comic Book Origins: Where to even start with Thanos? First, he appeared in an Iron Man issue where he fought Drax from Guardians of the Galaxy and Iron Man. In the issue, Thanos' head is busted open to reveal a robot, as Thanos was never really there in the first place, leaving him still out there. That's his first appearance in comic book form. That being said, how does this really relate to the MCU? I have some theories. In the comics, Thanos grew up on Titan to parents who really didn't like him. As a young Thanos, he liked pets more than people, but later on in life he grew fascinated with death, and even fell in love with its physical form known as Mistress Death. At some point, Thanos became sort of an inter-planetary pirate, causing havoc and fathering many children, which didn't excite him at all. This is where he had to prove his love for Death -- where he gained all the Infinity Stones and wiped out half of all living things in the entire universe. Yes, half of all living things are dead, due to Thanos having all the Infinity Stones, making him omnipotent. After this, Adam Warlock undos all of Thanos' evil and at some point Thanos and Adam team up to become guardians of the Infinity Stones and protect them from evil. Now, remember the post-credit scene in Guardians of the Galaxy 2? A new artificial being named Adam was created in hopes that he will destroy the Guardians. I'm willing to bet we will see him turn up somehow in Avengers: Infinity War or in the next Guardians film or in this storyline, if this is the same Adam we are talking about here. Marvel Cinematic Universe 1st Appearance: The Avengers (May 4th, 2012 - Directed by Joss Whedon) - In the post-credit scene for first Avengers film, we see The Other, talking to his master on some remnant of a once distant planet. This master is indeed Thanos, which locked in the Avengers' ultimate enemy that they've been working towards since then. Thanos tried to send Loki to Earth to take it over for him, but he failed. Since then, Thanos has been collecting all of the Infinity Stones for his gauntlet, but we have no idea why yet. We can only speculate. From then on, we've only seen a few seconds of him in some of the MCU movies, either in the post-credit sequences or small scenes during the films. I'm sure we will get something big in the form of an origin though with Infinity War. Best Scene Thus Far: There are really only a couple of minutes of screen time of Thanos so far in the MCU, so it's difficult to pick out a favorite scene. If I'm pressured to though, it has to be from Avengers: Age of Ultron during the post-credit sequence where we see the Infinity Gauntlet arise -- completely empty of Infinity Stones. Thanos enters the picture, grabs the gauntlet and puts it on and says, "Fine, I'll do it myself", as he smiles into the camera. It's a great scene and foreshadows all of the horrors that he is to place upon the universe, delivered perfectly by actor Josh Brolin. What To Expect from Infinity War: This is what the Avengers movies have been working up to, the battle with Thanos. As described above, Thanos has almost all of the Infinity Stones. The one he lacks is the Mind Stone, which is in Vision at the moment. I fully expect a big origin story with Thanos, showing him growing up, having his kids including Gamora and Nebula, and his descent into his love with death. Thus, stealing the Infinity Stones and basically wiping out half of all life in the universe. He will be too powerful to beat at certain points and perhaps some of our favorite superheroes will die, but according to the comics, Thanos never thought he should have this much power, or at least he wasn't worthy enough for it in his own mind, therefore he always left a failsafe for him to be beat. This might happen in the film or the second part of this film, which will debut next year. Do I think its possible for perhaps Thanos to turn good at some point in these Infinity War films? It's possible, however unlikely. I'd be more willing to bet we see Galactus show up and revive or even help Thanos in his conquest. Future MCU Appearances: Unfortunately, I think we will only see Thanos in Infinity War and its sequel next year. I would love to see him in future films, because his story and time as a good guy and bad villain are equally super cool, but as far as the MCU is concerned - his main gimmick will be in these two films. He might win in part one, but it's very likely that he'll die in part two. In Conclusion: Thanos is one of the most ruthless villains in Marvel comics and films. He is responsible for killing half of all life in the universe. This will be the Avengers greatest foe thus far and I think it will come at a dire price. Josh Brolin will, for sure, have an excellent time playing this villain, but I hope we see some redeeming value with this character during the course of the next two Avengers movies, because after all, the Avengers have been moving this way since 2012. Let's just hope the payoff is satisfying and grand. ``` If you'd like to read about more Avengers: Infinity Wars characters, check out our other guides in this series (organized by MCU order of appearance): Iron Man Hulk Black Widow Thor Hawkeye Captain America Guardians of the Galaxy Vision Scarlet Witch Ant-Man Spider-Man Black Panther Doctor Strange ThanosPosted Fri Apr 20, 2018 at 02:06 PM PDT by: -
The Ultimate Avengers: Infinity War Character Guide: Doctor StrangeThis is a big time, perhaps the biggest time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe -- as Thanos sets out to destroy not only the Avengers, but also life throughout the universe including Earth. That being said, there are many different superheroes that will be featured in Avengers: Infinity War, along with their complex storylines all coming to a head in this film. It all seems overwhelming, doesn't it? How can one movie contain all of our beloved superheroes? [Teaser]Welcome one and all to High-Def Digest's Ultimate Avengers: Infinity War Character Guide, a fun new article series where we take look back at all the great characters we're going to see in part one of Marvel's most epic cinematic universe crossover adventure to date. [/Teaser] Hopefully, this character guide will help you going into Avengers: Infinity War. You'll be able to learn about each character's comic book origin, their MCU origin, the best scene thus far with each character, and what to expect from each superhero in Infinity War -- as well as future MCU movies, and more. DOCTOR STRANGE Name: Doctor Strange (Dr. Stephen Strange M.D.) Created by: Stan Lee and Steve Ditko 1st Appearance: Strange Tales #110 (July 1963) Comic Book Origins: The comic book and Marvel Cinematic Universe origins for Doctor Strange are quite similar with some minor differences here and there. Dr. Stephen Strange M.D. is a successful surgeon, however, he is arrogant, egotistical and cares nothing for his patients or the furthering of any medical advancement. He is one of the world's biggest jerks, as despite him being a great surgeon he's only in it for the money. One day, the Doctor is in a car crash that damages his skilled hands, and will never be able to perform surgery again. He hears of this far-off place that is able to heal people in India, and of course, he journeys there. Once there, the Ancient One refuses to heal and teach him the magic ways, due to Strange's arrogance and ego. However, a former student Baron Mordo comes into the equation and tries to destroy the Ancient One, where Strange finally changes his ways and puts others before himself to save the day. The Ancient One is impressed and decides to teach Strange. All this being said, none of it was ever mentioned in his first appearance in Strange Tales #110. Instead, it took five months for Doctor Strange's origin tale to make it to comic book form in Strange Tales #115. So, in issue #110, Dr. Strange is already the amazing sorcerer who is skilled in martial arts and magic, when a patient of his arrives complaining of nightmares. Dr. Strange telepathically visits his mentor and asks for help. Once this occurs, Strange has a plan and meets with his patient and enters his dreams and sees some nasty enemies in there. Once Strange figures this out, things come to a head in real life and the patient confesses to his crimes as Strange saves his life. It's an interesting way to debut a character for sure, considering this issue #110 was a co-story with Fantastic Four's Human Torch. Marvel Cinematic Universe 1st Appearance: Doctor Strange (November 4, 2016 - Directed by Scott Derrickson) - We first see Doctor Strange in his own film, where he is the biggest jerk of a doctor we've ever met. After the car crash, he travels across the ocean to heal and become the magical sorcerer we know him as today, while changing his former wicked attitude. In some of the more impressive fight scenes, we see the now good Doctor take charge and save not only the planet, but the universe here with his magical powers with the help of his friend Wong. We then see him in a brilliant cameo scene in Thor: Ragnarok where it seems he is in full control of his magical powers and able to stump even the strongest Avengers. Best Scene Thus Far: With fantastic scenes in his own film, such as first contact with his cloak of levitation, the big city reversal fight scene, and even his amazing inter-dimensional fight with Lucian, none of these compare to his cameo scene in Thor: Ragnarok. That makes it his best scene thus far, which is where we see Thor and Loki trying to find their father, Odin. Thor brings Loki to Earth, and this is where Dr. Strange intervenes. He brings Thor to the Sanctum Sanctorum and just completely owns Thor with his mystical powers to a highly funny degree. We also see just how easy it is for Dr. Strange to use his powers, whether it be teleporting, giving Thor a giant mug of beer and refilling it, or transporting other people. This scene shows how far Dr. Strange is willing to go in order to keep Earth and its people safe. The scene comes to a close where he forgets to bring Loki in, who has been in free-fall limbo for 30 minutes. What To Expect from Infinity War: In the trailers for Infinity War, we see Doctor Strange fighting on Titan, which is Thanos' home planet. Other than that, we really don't see a lot of him in the trailer. That being said, I do believe Doctor Strange will be one of the biggest allies to the Avengers, given his insane amount of powers and mystic abilities. I'm still not sure we will see him on Wakanda during the big battle, but once on Titan, I bet we will see Strange try to find something from Thanos' past in order to defeat him, or at least make it more difficult for Thanos to do his job. I doubt we will see Doctor Strange biting the big bullet too as there is much more to come from him. Future MCU Appearances: Right now, there are no plans for a Doctor Strange sequel. The first film made almost $700 million, which is enough to warrant at least two sequels. Perhaps there just wasn't enough time or room for one to be announced yet, but that will all change. I expect for Doctor Strange to be around quite a bit in these next Avengers films, and perhaps show up in Guardians of the Galaxy 3 in 2020 and even perhaps Captain Marvel. Needless to say, he isn't going anywhere and I hope he'll be getting a sequel soon. In Conclusion: Doctor Strange is one of the more powerful Avengers due to his unique and amazing mystic powers to control a variety of people and objects. He will be vital to the destruction of Thanos, but from a different point of view than the other Avengers. Benedict Cumberbatch just owns this role too, as he plays him with wit, charm, class, and a bit of ego. It's highly entertaining and I have no doubt Doctor Strange will come through on all levels in Avengers: Infinity War for himself, The Ancient One, and his teammates. ``` If you'd like to read about more Avengers: Infinity Wars characters, check out our other guides in this series (organized by MCU order of appearance): Iron Man Hulk Black Widow Thor Hawkeye Captain America Guardians of the Galaxy Vision Scarlet Witch Ant-Man Spider-Man Black Panther Doctor Strange ThanosPosted Fri Apr 20, 2018 at 01:33 PM PDT by: -
Amazon Now Selling Marvel & 'Star Wars' Blu-rays Exclusively to Prime Members[teaser]You need to be a Prime member to buy many Marvel and Star Wars discs now.[/teaser] According to a report by The Verge, Amazon is now selling several Blu-rays, 4K Ultra HD Blu-rays, and DVDs for Disney's Star Wars and Marvel franchises as Prime Exclusives. Though the discs are still readily available from other retailers, if you want to buy them from Amazon you will need to sign up for a Prime subscription. It's not yet clear how long the Prime exclusivity will last, but it seems to be covering all of the major releases for both series, including The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, Rogue One, Ant-Man, The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: First Avenger, Captain America: Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Iron Man 3, Doctor Strange, Spiderman: Homecoming, Thor, Thor: The Dark World, and Thor: Ragnarok. As of press time, the only main exceptions appear to be the original and prequel trilogy Star Wars titles, and The Incredible Hulk. Likewise, some DVD and 4K versions of certain titles, like the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray for Spiderman: Homecoming, don't appear to be included yet. Amazon has sold other discs as Prime Exclusives before, but never on this scale. The move to push buyers toward Prime memberships with these films is likely being made to capitalize on the upcoming theatrical release of Avengers: Infinity War and Solo: A Star Wars Story. With that said, it looks like third party sellers are not impacted by the decision, so some discs and used copies for certain titles can still be ordered from affiliated retailers through Amazon. A current Amazon Prime subscription costs $99 per year or $11 per month. Source: The VergePosted Fri Apr 20, 2018 at 01:15 PM PDT by: -
The Ultimate Avengers: Infinity War Character Guide: Black PantherThis is a big time, perhaps the biggest time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe -- as Thanos sets out to destroy not only the Avengers, but also life throughout the universe including Earth. That being said, there are many different superheroes that will be featured in Avengers: Infinity War, along with their complex storylines all coming to a head in this film. It all seems overwhelming, doesn't it? How can one movie contain all of our beloved superheroes? [Teaser]Welcome one and all to High-Def Digest's Ultimate Avengers: Infinity War Character Guide, a fun new article series where we take look back at all the great characters we're going to see in part one of Marvel's most epic cinematic universe crossover adventure to date. [/Teaser] Hopefully, this character guide will help you going into Avengers: Infinity War. You'll be able to learn about each character's comic book origin, their MCU origin, the best scene thus far with each character, and what to expect from each superhero in Infinity War -- as well as future MCU movies, and more. BLACK PANTHER Name: T'Challa (Black Panther) Created by: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby 1st Appearance: Fantastic Four #52 (July 1966) Comic Book Origins: The comic book origin of Black Panther is quite different from what we've seen in the MCU. This is most likely due to the rights being held by another studio other than Disney/Marvel for Fantastic Four. T'Challa's first appearance starts out with him sending the Fantastic Four an incredible gift, which is a highly technological aircraft from Wakanda. T'Challa sends this gift in hopes that the Fantastic Four will use it to come to Wakanda. The Fantastic Four accept and set out for Wakanda on the aircraft. Once they arrive, the Fantastic Four are attacked by Wakandan guards, traps, and Black Panther himself. This immobilizes the Fantastic Four a bit, but when they band together, they indeed stop Black Panther, who then takes off his mask to reveal himself as T'Challa. He tells them he was testing their legendary abilities and powers, because he has a dire mission for them, in hopes they accept to defend Wakanda from a former enemy. That's quite different than what we've seen in the MCU so far. Maybe one day we will get a big flashback sequence with this storyline in it, but for now, we have: Marvel Cinematic Universe 1st Appearance: Captain America: Civil War (May 6th, 2016 - Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo) - We got our first glimpse of T'Challa/Black Panther in Civil War where T'Challa's father T'Chaka is giving an important speech at the U.N. and is killed when someone sets off a bomb at the U.N. T'Challa believes that Bucky Barnes is to blame for the bombing and vows to kill him, not knowing that Barnes had been brainwashed. Black Panther later joins Iron Man's side in Civil War in order to kill Barnes and Captain America, but he soon finds out that they were not responsible for T'Chaka's death. After everything, T'Challa agrees to take Barnes to Wakanda to heal him and protect Cap and Bucky from the authorities. From there, we get the amazing Black Panther film. Best Scene Thus Far: There are really only two movies to draw upon for Black Panther, but there are so many great scenes in them. Perhaps the best one yet is from the Black Panther film where T'Challa, Nakia, and Okoye are undercover at a high-limit poker tournament in the vein of 007 Casino Royale. The scene, shot by Ryan Coogler has zero cuts in it, but rather one long continuous shot that spans two levels. When they are made by one of Klaue's henchmen, Okoye takes off her wig and throws it at her enemy and then stabs him with a spear. Nakia then takes off her high-heels and slices through some other enemies, while T'Challa fights with his fists and feet. It's a well-organized fight scene that shows each character's strengths in the matter of a couple of minutes. What To Expect from Infinity War: From what we've seen in previous films and in the trailers, it's no doubt that Black Panther and Wakanda will, most likely, be the focus of Avengers: Infinity War. We know Black Panther and Shuri are making sure Captain America and Bucky Barnes are safe and healed up in Wakanda. We know one of the big battles in the film will take place in Wakanda as well, which I imagine T'Challa and Shuri will make sure everyone will have the best weapons and protection. Speaking of which, I'd imagine Captain America's new shield will be made in Wakanda and Iron Man will gain new technology there, too. I expect T'Challah to call upon all of the animals and tribes in Wakanda to fight Thanos and his minions, while hiding the last of the Infinity Stones. Black Panther will truly stand out in this film and he's going nowhere anytime soon. Future MCU Appearances: The Black Panther film is still making money at over $1.3 billion dollars. Needless to say, Black Panther and Wakanda will have more stand-alone films, along with their involvement in future Avenger movies. Let's just hope Fantastic Four will be allowed to be a part of the MCU. With T'Challa holding the press conference, announcing Wakanda and their abilities to the world, I expect storylines in where they help other countries that need them, along with a possible Shuri transformation into the new Iron Man character at some point, which would follow some of the recent Iron Man storylines in comic book form. In Conclusion: T'Challa/Black Panther and Wakanda has the deepest and perhaps the most layered story and origins out of anyone In the Avengers. There is so much to be explored that the past films have only touched upon the surface of content that is available. T'Challa is a natural leader and will be the focus of many more MCU movies to come. He and his sister will be integral parts of Avengers: Infinity War and will be key in the defeat of Thanos as well as protecting the rest of the world. ``` If you'd like to read about more Avengers: Infinity Wars characters, check out our other guides in this series (organized by MCU order of appearance): Iron Man Hulk Black Widow Thor Hawkeye Captain America Guardians of the Galaxy Vision Scarlet Witch Ant-Man Spider-Man Black Panther Doctor Strange ThanosPosted Fri Apr 20, 2018 at 01:05 PM PDT by: -
The Ultimate Avengers: Infinity War Character Guide: Spider-ManThis is a big time, perhaps the biggest time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe -- as Thanos sets out to destroy not only the Avengers, but also life throughout the universe including Earth. That being said, there are many different superheroes that will be featured in Avengers: Infinity War, along with their complex storylines all coming to a head in this film. It all seems overwhelming, doesn't it? How can one movie contain all of our beloved superheroes? [Teaser]Welcome one and all to High-Def Digest's Ultimate Avengers: Infinity War Character Guide, a fun new article series where we take look back at all the great characters we're going to see in part one of Marvel's most epic cinematic universe crossover adventure to date. [/Teaser] Hopefully, this character guide will help you going into Avengers: Infinity War. You'll be able to learn about each character's comic book origin, their MCU origin, the best scene thus far with each character, and what to expect from each superhero in Infinity War -- as well as future MCU movies, and more. SPIDER-MAN Name: Peter Parker (Spider-Man) Created by: Stan Lee and Steve Ditko 1st Appearance: Amazing Fantasy #15 (August 1962) Comic Book Origins: Almost identical to the many films we've seen involving Spider-Man, his comic book origins are basically what you've seen on screen, despite some slight differences. Peter Parker is a young high-school student who loves science and prefers his teachers rather than his classmates. On a field trip to General Techtronics Laboratories, Peter is watching a demonstration of radioactivity. A spider drops down through a radioactive beam and bites Peter. The spider immediately dies. Peter quickly feels sick and leaves the demonstration. Dizzy, he wanders into oncoming traffic, but jumps out of the way of an incoming car at the last second. Peter's alive, but he realizes he has jumped much further than anticipated. He then learns his new acquired abilities, such as super strength, climbing walls, speed, and Spidey-Sense. Parker then sees an ad for a wrestling event, promoting anyone to get in the ring to face off the big bad wrestler. Parker runs home and puts on his hoodie and mask and easily defeats the wrestler, which is when a TV producer notices him and signs him up to be a big star. Backstage one night, Peter allows a thief to get away with stolen goods, only to find out later that same thief has robbed and killed his Uncle Ben -- which is where Parker/Spider-Man first learns that with great powers comes great responsibility. Marvel Cinematic Universe 1st Appearance: Captain America: Civil War (May 6th, 2016 - Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo) - There have been five Spider-Man films total, before the iconic character was introduced into the actual Marvel Cinematic Universe, with a total of three different actors portraying the web-slinger. Luckily, Sony decided to join the big team and allowed Spidey to unite with the Avengers. Since we've seen the Spider-Man origin so many times, we first see Peter Parker already fighting crime in his suit that he made. In Civil War, Tony Stark finds this high-school kid named Peter Parker and gives him a Stark-approved Spidey Suit and asks him to help out in Civil War against the other Avengers. The actor Tom Holland is by far the best performance thus far for the character, as he perfectly handles the action and teen angst and humor that Parker should emote. So, in the MCU, we first see Spider-Man in big action alongside everyone else, which is quite the entertaining spectacle. Best Scene Thus Far: There are so many delightful and funny scenes with this MCU version of Spider-Man, but perhaps the best one comes at the beginning of Spider-Man: Homecoming, which just tells you everything about the character you need to know. Right after the opening title of the film, we see another title card that reads "A Film by Peter Parker", which then shows cellphone footage taken by Parker as he traveled to fight in Civil War with his commentary over all of it. It's super funny, childlike, and shows his capabilities. It's a great scene that showcases all the aspects and intricacies of his character. What To Expect from Infinity War: As of right now, Marvel has planned a sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming, which is set to release in July of 2019. I think it's safe to say that Spider-Man will be around to web-sling again. That being said, in the Avengers: Infinity War trailer, we see a very sad Iron Man holding Spider-Man's bloodied. Is he dead? Unconscious? Just badly beaten? Who knows what will happen, but I do imagine that Spider-Man will give it his all to save the day. Perhaps Wakanda or Stark will heal Parker after because there will be more films to come with him. Future MCU Appearances: Again, there are more films on their way featuring Spider-Man. I think the next standalone film will feature Parker fighting against either Shocker or Scorpion/Venom, because they are referenced to in the post-credit sequence of Spider-Man: Homecoming. If this is the case, Spider-Man has his work cut out for him. As far as other Avenger movies go, I would say Parker wouldn't be a leader of any sorts, but will have some of the most entertaining scenes out of anyone for sure. That, and I believe his relationship with Stark will grow even more into a father/son type. In Conclusion: We've seen quite a few Spider-Man films since the early 2000s with multiple actors. Some of them were good and some of them were downright awful. (Looking at you, part III). Fortunately, now we have Spidey where he belongs -- in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, fighting alongside the Avengers. He is the youngest of the Avengers, but he can hold his own when he needs to. I have a feeling that Parker/Spidey will be down and out when he faces Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, but that doesn't mean he will be gone for good. I expect to see a lot more of Holland in the Spidey suit in the coming years.``` If you'd like to read about more Avengers: Infinity Wars characters, check out our other guides in this series (organized by MCU order of appearance): Iron Man Hulk Black Widow Thor Hawkeye Captain America Guardians of the Galaxy Vision Scarlet Witch Ant-Man Spider-Man Black Panther Doctor Strange ThanosPosted Fri Apr 20, 2018 at 12:04 PM PDT by:
