When most superhero movies hit Digital HD and Blu-ray, there's not a whole lot to talk about beyond some deleted scenes and featurettes, many of which prove to be rather forgettable. However, Avengers: Infinity War was such a huge movie that we've all been poring over it to find out as much as we possibly can about not only this instalment's secrets but what to expect from Avengers 4.
We've already taken a look at some of those and the intel from the Director's Roundtable but we now have another roundup for you which we're confident you're definitely going to want to check out.
From Iron Man's feeling on Captain America's Secret Avengers to jokes about Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., who is now one of the MCU's most powerful superheroes, why cameos were cut, and a whole lot more, all you guys have to do is click on the "View List" button below to see this breakdown of reveals.
Thanos Was Originally The Movie's Narrator
It sounds like it took Marvel a very long time to get the screenplay in shape because Joe Russo reveals that there were originally around a hundred speaking parts and that, "[There were] different approaches to style in terms of execution. One even had Thanos narrating most of the movie."
"So it gave us a lot of flexibility in terms of how much story we can jam into it," he continued. "But at a certain point, you know, you get 20 pages into it [and] it was so dense, you’re like, ‘Nobody’s going to be able to follow this.’ So we just started stripping things out." It's fair to say that the final version was not only easy enough to follow but also a well-told story which definitely didn't disappoint fans.
We Almost Got A "No Sh*t, Sherlock!" Joke
As you're no doubt already well aware, Benedict Cumberbatch is well-known for playing Sherlock Holmes in BBC's beloved Sherlock series. During the director's commentary, Joe joked that they should have had Tony say "No sh*t, Sherlock" the first time he meets the Sorcerer Supreme before confirming that it very nearly made it into the movie before he and Anthony decided it was a tad too "obvious."
How Thanos Murdered Drax's Family
Guardians of the Galaxy made it clear that Thanos was responsible for the murder of Drax's family but we never got any specifics. However, Joe Russo has revealed that the hero was forced to witness their deaths the exact same way those on Gamora's home planet did years earlier. "His planet was treated the same way as Gamora's planet," the filmmaker confirms "Drax was put on one side, his family was put on the other." Clearly, Ronan the Accuser was put in charge of that culling by the Mad Titan.
Why Thor's Ship Was Redesigned
Some eagle-eyed fans noticed that the God of Thunder's ship looked quite a bit different to the one we saw in Thor: Ragnarok when it was reintroduced in this superhero ensemble and we now have an explanation for the change. It ultimately boiled down to the tonal differences between the films.
"I think this is a good example of how things change tonally when you go from movie to story to story," co-director Anthony Russo explained. "This ship in Ragnarok was very brightly coloured, you know. It had the vibrancy and whimsy of that film, which works so very well there. We are telling a very different story here, so we redesigned it with a different texture and tone to support this story."
Steve And Tony Were Supposed To Reunite In Avengers HQ
Captain America and Iron Man never cross paths in Avengers: Infinity War and we're now going to have to wait until the next instalment to see that happen. However, Joe Russo points out that while Rhodey was happy to let bygones be bygones to tackle a larger threat, Tony being present could have changed that and a reunion would have made heading to Wakanda to save the day a lot more complicated.
"Which is why we didn't do it," Stephen McFeely added. "We tried in a few drafts and it ground things to a halt." It would have been fun to see this play out but you can understand why it didn't.
Okoye Could End Up With A Key Role In Avengers 4
Okoye watched her king turn to dust in front of her very eyes and while that's bad news for the character, it may be good news for Danai Gurira because it seems as if she'll have a bigger role in Avengers 4! "Danai did, I thought, amazing work in Infinity War," Joe said. "And I think that that character is very powerful and super compelling and I think there's a lot of places to go with [her]."
Why Star-Lord Is Like Peter Pan According To The Russos
The Russos take Peter Quill on a very unique journey in Avengers: Infinity War and Joe Russo made a pretty unexpected comparison between him and another, very different, big screen hero. "Quill is a very interesting character to us. He's sort of like a Peter Pan character. His mother as dying of cancer, he was kidnapped at the age of 10, & raised by pirates. He's unique, and what's fun about him is he's very flawed and he's emotionally damaged," the filmmaker says. "His mother's been murdered..."
After co-writer Christopher Markus added that he also "Murdered his own father," Joe concluded: "His girlfriend's about to die in the movie. So this is a guy who has incredible catharsis in his life."
How Thanos Changes Once He Ditches The Armour
After acquiring the Mind Stone at the start of Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos removes his armour and doesn't put it back on for the entirety of the movie. However, Joe Russo has now shed some light on how that signalled a change for the Mad Titan as he embarks on his mission to "save" the universe.
"It's interesting because as Thanos moves forward in the film from this moment, once he disposes of his armor, he almost becomes a holy warrior where he doesn't spend a lot of energy intentionally trying to murder people, unless they're in some way a threat to his agenda. But almost no one ends up being a threat to the agenda except for Tony, who I think feels he has this sort of existential connection to Thanos. It's the one moment where he is actively...since brutally murdering Loki for disobedience, where he actively is going to murder someone for standing in his way. Of course, he sacrifices Gamora, but that is to obtain the Soul Stone."
The Iron Spider Suit Wasn't Introduced To Sell Toys
While some sceptical fans argued that the Iron Spider was only introduced to give Dinsey the chance to sell more toys, co-writer Stephen McFeely was quick to deny that. "Everything [happens] for a reason," he explains. "Peter just doesn't get a suit because we want him to look cool and sell more toys in this one. He needs a different suit." The question is, should we buy what he's selling?
Based on remarks from Joe Russo, yes! "He needs to go to space in something different, something that he can breathe in. Something that will let him function in the environment he's about to encounter." It's a fair point and from a logical standpoint, the wall-crawler did need a new suit.
Ebony Maw Was Inspired By Mephisto
As many comic book fans pointed out when Avengers: Infinity War was released, Ebony Maw had a lot in common with Mephisto (a character who played a key role in the Infinity Gauntlet comic book). During the Director's Commentary, Joe Russo confirmed that it was a deliberate decision to play up the similarities between the two and they even went as far as giving the Maw some similar dialogue.
A Joke At Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Expense
We know there's something of a division between Marvel Studios and Marvel Television and during Avengers: Infinity War's director's commentary, Joe Russo joked that Cull Obsidian's hand (which was cut off by Doctor Strange) is still in Washington Square Park. Co-Writer Christopher Markus then piped up for a tongue in cheek dig at a certain TV series by telling fans where they should look to for answers about what happened to that hand: "Tune into Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.," he joked. That's gotta sting, eh?
"Pray For Korg"
We've told you that Joe Russo has confirmed that Valkyrie escaped alongside a number of Asgardians but what about Korg, Thor: Ragnarok's breakout character? "All I can say is pray for Korg," Markus says, no doubt leaving fans fretting about when and if we'll see the beloved alien show up again.
Defending Star-Lord
Since Avengers: Infinity War was released, Star-Lord has frequently come under fire for his role in helping Thanos escape Titan and wipe out half the universe because he couldn't keep his temper in check. However, Joe Russo was quick to defend Peter Quill's actions and offered an explanation.
"So if you can’t understand someone making a human choice like that, I don’t know if you understand humanity very well. But he is a flawed character, and that’s what’s so compelling."
Doctor Strange Is Now One Of The MCU's Most Powerful Heroes
By the time we catch up with Stephen Strange in Avengers: Infinity War, he's been Earth's Sorcerer Supreme for a while and Joe Russo explains that he now considered one of Earth's mightiest heroes!
"Doctor Strange's power level, we could talk about. And from the books, as a kid, what I loved about Doctor Strange is that he always had a mystical spiritual side to him that seemed to know more than all the other characters. And I found that very entertaining, and we wanted to advance his power levels since the end of Doctor Strange because it has been a few years. And that he's been doing his work and he's a diligent study and he is now one of the more powerful characters in the Marvel Universe."
Why Jon Favreau's Cameo Was Cut
Unfortunately, Jon Favreau's return as Happy Hogan was cut from the movie. In the scene (which is included as a deleted scene on the disc), he was going to chase off some paparazzi trying to get shots of Tony Stark and Pepper Potts in the park. The whole thing is pretty hilarious, so why was it scrapped?
"The movie was really long and we were looking for places to pace it up in the opening and unfortunately that was one of the things we had to cut," Joe says. "But I was willing to cut my own cameo in the movie so it shows how much we really needed to get that park scene moving." Anthony adds: "It was really hard to cut Jon as he is such a funny performer and we loved working with him."
Iron Man Is Well Aware Of The Secret Avengers
While this isn't made clear in the movie, we learn in Avengers: Infinity War's director's commentary that Tony Stark actually knows that The Vision has been sneaking off to see the Scarlet Witch and actually has no desire to turn him or the rest of Cap's Secret Avengers into the government.
"Tony's too intelligent and has too big of an ego to be a stooge to the government," co-director Joe Russo noted. "He will take whatever by-product came out of Civil War and use it to his own advantage and to keep the Avengers alive in a way that he feels like is less the compromise, the better for him. So, I think he has not been actively pursuing bringing Steve Rogers and Natasha and Sam and Wanda to justice. He has in fact been turning the other way." Bring on that reunion, eh?
Thanos Didn't Need The Infinity Stones To Beat The Hulk
Why is The Hulk so scared of Thanos? Well, it's because the Mad Titan was able to beat him with his bare hands and that fight they have at the start of the movie didn't feature the villain enhanced by the power of the Infinity Stones. "He's not using it," Joe Russo said, referencing the Power Stone. "This is to show that Thanos, the Genghis Khan of the Marvel Universe, he's unbeatable in 1-on-1 battle. He's conquered thousands of worlds. He's a much more polished fighter than the Hulk and Thor."
A Tragic New Link Between Thor And Captain America
During the scene featuring Loki's death, Anthony Russo explains that Thor and Captain America are now linked because their stories are rooted in tragedy as they've both lost everything dear to them.
"One thing I think we all really responded to about Thor is where he's left at the end of Ragnarok with the destruction of Asgard. We all have a history with the Captain America character, and I think there's an interesting connection there in that Cap was also a character who lost everything. There's something fascinating about exploring these people as you strip away who they are and their built-out identities and find out what's left.
"I think we are going through a very similar process with Thor in this movie. Especially with this scene, we're completing the experience that Ragnarok brought to Thor in the sense that we're taking the rest of everything away from him. Everything that remains. He's starting with nothing after that point and trying to climb his way back is a very underdog arc, a very rousing arc. I think that the road that he follows is very empathetic."
Why Thanos Couldn't Just Use The Reality Stone To Enact His Plan
Something many fans have wondered since the movie was released is why Thanos couldn't just use the Reality Stone to wipe out half the universe, especially as he demonstrates its powers a number of times throughout the course of the movie. Well, it turns out that it essentially creates "illusions" and the Mad Titan had to have all six in order to unleash their power and succeed with his master plan.
"We were asked by a 12-year-old in DC at a Q&A why Thanos needed all six Stones and why he didn't just use the Reality Stone to alter reality," Joe Russo said. "The idea being that only something so dramatic of disposing life in half the universe could be accomplished with the power of all six."
How Certain Characters Were Chosen To Be Dusted
Fans were left gobsmacked by the movie's many deaths but when it came to choosing who should go and when, Anthony Russo explains that it came down to paying off certain character story arcs.
"The movie sort of keeps twisting at the end there in ways that you can't believe it's going one step beyond and that the fate of our characters and the fate of our universe are still at play. In terms of our choices of who Thanos would end up eradicating with his snap, it was very story focused. How do we pay off each individual character story most profoundly? The first person to go is Bucky Barnes and it's shot from Captain America's perspective. We're watching Cap go through the experience of watching him go away. We're watching Okoye, whose number one mission it is in life is to protect the king. She watches the king go, in front of her. To see those characters react in those situations is very powerful and resonant."