We are in the home stretch! There is just 1 day left before Avengers: Infinity War hits the big screen! That means this is the final week on the Road to Infinity War. Basically…if you aren’t thinking about Infinity War 24/7 at this point…you’re doing life wrong!
Here’s a final look at the journey we’ve been on and if you haven’t had the chance to catch up, there’s a lightning round at the end that you can do in just a few days!
Chronological
Week 7 Recap
Spiderman: Homecoming
It would be fair to say that the general population was experiencing “Spiderman Fatigue” when it was announced that Peter Parker would be played by a third actor, Tom Holland. You had your Tobey McGuire Spidey fans and your Andrew Garfield Spidey fans. Many were unwilling to accept another Spidey into their heart. But when Holland swung his way on the big screen in Captain America: Civil War, it was clear that this wasn’t gonna be our momma’s Spiderman.
That same fresh energy followed Tom Holland into Spiderman: Homecoming. With a baby-faced Peter Parker running the show, Marvel Studios opted to ditch his origin story and dive right in. Audiences have been familiar with Peter’s radioactive spider bite for years. This is a new story, the story of a kid who is ready for more responsibility after having fought alongside the A-team. Tony Stark fills “Uncle Ben’s” proverbial shoes. But if you were hoping to hear his famous fateful words in Homecoming (‘With great power comes great…’ well,you know) you’d be in for disappointment. Being released from doing what’s already been done on screen…twice, means letting go of those quintessential Spidey lines. If you thought that would hurt this movie, you thought wrong. It only serves to strengthen this new look at an old favorite.
Michael Keaton plays the big bad, Vulture (aka Adrian Toomes.) After being left high and dry by Tony Stark’s Damage Control Unit, Toomes steals Chitauri technology and starts to make a living his own way. Slightly bitter from being put out of work, Toomes makes a few overt choices in his “business” causing Spiderman to pick up the scent. But with his “training wheels” still on, Peter has to test the boundaries set for him by Tony Stark and Happy Hogan. There are some lovely surprises in this movies that make it a really strong stop on the Road to Infinity War.
Other Things to Note
One of the biggest Easter Eggs Marvel has ever served appears in Spiderman: Homecoming. After tracking down a member of Toomes crew, Spiderman is faced with Aaron Davis. Fans of the comic books will recognize him as the uncle of fan favorite Spiderman, Miles Morales. Many people thought that when Marvel got the rights to a Spiderman movie, that they would take the chance to tell Miles’ story. While they didn’t kick it off with him, this scene shows that the story of Miles Morales is not far away! Making the future of the MCU that much brighter!!
Ned Leeds, Peter’s unassuming and hilarious best friend, may seem like normal comic relief. He actually shares a striking resemblance to comic book character Ganke Lee, best friend of another guy to wear the Spidey mask, none other than the aforementioned Miles Morales. While it is not confirmed in the movie that Ned and Ganke are one in the same, the similarity is overt and with the addition of Aaron Davis, there is a growing theory that Ned could fill the role of Ganke Lee, just with a different name. Time will tell!
Mid Credit Scene
This mid-credit scene shows that the story is not over yet for Adrian Toomes. Although Tomes is in prison for his actions as Vulture, don’t count him out yet! After having a run-in with Mac Gargan…a man with a scorpion tattoo on his neck. This is no coincidence as Mac Gargan’s altar ego in the comic books is the villain, Scorpion. Mac wants to know Spiderman’s true identity and wants it from Toomes. But Vulture has other plans for Spidey and decides to keep his mouth shut about the man behind the mask…for now.
End Credit Scene
Captain America is back with a PSA about patience in this hilarious end credit scene that pokes fun at everyone who’s waiting for an end credit scene!
Doctor Strange
Doctor Stephen Strange is a man who has everything he could ever want. But when all that is taken away, Stephen is forced to learn who he truly is. After a debilitating accident leaves him without the use of his hands, Strange heads to Kamar-Taj to learn the secrets of sorcery from The Ancient One. On his journey he will tap into powers he didn’t even know existed.
Stephen’s story serves to connect yet another piece of the Infinity Stone puzzle. The Eye of Agimoto is revealed to house the Time Stone, which we know Thanos is coming for. In many ways, Doctor Strange breaks the superhero mold by opening up a new realm. With relics, the Sanctum Sanctorum and the entire world of magic being introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the possibilities of what Marvel can do with it’s universe become absolutely endless!
Other Things to Note
Listen carefully for a reference to Colonel James “Rhodey” Rhodes, best friend of Tony Stark. When we last saw Rhodey he was working to recover from a broken back after the events of Captain America: Civil War. While Doctor Strange is in the car on his way to an event, right before he has his accident, he is offered the case of an “Air Force Colonel who crushed his spine.” Guess who!!
Mid Credit Scene
Doctor Strange is concerned about Loki’s presence on Earth again and is eager to help Thor find Odin in order to remove this threat. In this funny scene pulled from Thor: Ragnarok, we see the funny banter back and forth between Thor and Doctor Strange. A glimpse of things to come!!
End Credit Scene
After being disillusioned with the teachings of the Ancient One, Mordo leaves Wong and Doctor Strange behind. He finds Jonathan Pangborn and relieves him of his power. We learn that Mordo’s new journey is to rid the world of all the sorcerers. We can only assume that this will mean Doctor Strange as well. How this fits into the Avengers: Infinity War storyline remains to be seen (but only remains for 1 day!!)
Thor: Ragnarok
After Thor: The Dark World, many had low expectations for the future of Thor Odinson. With the use of comedic timing and scenes cut straight from the comic books themselves, Thor finds his footing and becomes a major player in the Marvel box office game again! On the heels of the massive success of Guardians of the Galaxy, Thor takes a few pages from the Guardians play book. Not only with the imagery, color scheme and funny one liners, but also with the use of music for some of the big epic scenes.
Thor: Ragnarok is the story of a man who has everything taken away from him…literally! Thor’s trappings are all stripped away, from his hammer to his hair to his eye to his home. This is a whole new Thor and the franchise is better for Taika Waititi’s choices in this movie, as well as his hilarious portrayal of Korg.
Thor and Loki are on a mission to find a missing Odin, but when they do, they discover something they never bargained on. Hela, their long lost sister, appears on the heels of Odin’s death. Also known as the goddess of Death, she is less than thrilled with daddy dearest. In their heyday, Odin and Hela were often found conquering worlds and breeding destruction. But when Hela got too blood thirsty for Odin to handle, he banished her from the Nine Realms. Now she’s back and she has an ax to grind and a hammer to destroy!
A whole slew of hilarious and memorable characters are added to this plot. Scrapper 142 is hiding out on Sakaar, working for the Grandmaster and drinking herself into a stupor. When Thor comes to town, he discovers her to be one of the famed Valkyrie of Asgard and challenges her to join the fray again. Loki is back and occasionally on Thor’s side when the mood strikes him. Bruce Banner/ Hulk joins the team and has been missing for 2 years after the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron. Added to this are Korg, Scourge, Heimdall, and of course, Jeff Goldblum’s Grandmaster.
Other Things to Note
You’ll notice a few famous faces in the play “Odin” is watching when Thor returns to Asgard at the start of the movie. The play stars Loki, Thor and Odin himself and is the tragic tale of heroic Loki’s death that hilariously mirrors the ending of Thor: The Dark World. Playing Loki in this play is none other than Matt Damon in, arguably, the best unexpected cameo in all of the MCU. Thor is played by Luke Hemsworth, brother of Thor actor Chris Hemsworth and rounding out the cameos is Sam Neill from Jurassic Park as Odin.
Mid Credit Scene
While Thor: Ragnarok doesn’t directly involve any of the Infinity Stone story lines (besides Loki being tempted by the Tesseract in the lower echelons of Asgard), this mid-credit scene serves up a giant building block to the Infinity War story that has been building all along. After leaving the space that once held Asgard, Thor and his Asgardians travel onward through the galaxy and land on the decision to head to Earth. But first they encounter a large, ominous ship. This is the Sanctuary II. It’s owner…the Mad Titan himself, Thanos.
End Credit Scene
If you loved Goldblum’s portrayal of the Grandmaster throughout this movie (and who didn’t?!), then this end credit scene certifiably doesn’t disappoint! The Grandmaster rolls out of his ship after the Revolution and is faced with the natives of Sakaar who are less than happy with their colorful leader. Leave it to the Grandmaster to still try talking his way out of getting killed by Revolutionaries and just calling it a draw!
Release Date Order
Week 7 Recap
Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2
Star-Lord, Drax, Gamora, Rocket and Baby Groot are all still together…still saving the galaxy one day at a time. What started out as a rag tag band of unlikely best friends has become a chosen family. There’s the family you’re born with and the family you choose and the Guardians are the chosen variety. They bicker like siblings (Rocket/ Peter and Drax/ Gamora.) They all look out for one another and especially their young, Baby Groot. And Peter and Gamora sit at the head of the table, the titular mother and father of this merry band.
If the first Guardians of the Galaxy was about coming together in the first place, Volume 2 is largely about everyone finding out who they are and that they really do belong together. For Peter, this comes in the form of his father, Ego. He comes to show Peter the truth about himself and sheds some light on why Peter was able to handle an Infinity Stone (in the first Guardians movie.) Turns out Peter is part god. Ego has been searching out his progeny in an effort to enlist help in his grand plan to destroy the world. NBD.
When you’re blood relations turn out to be crazy people, your chosen family is there to save the day and keep you grounded. That’s just what the Guardians of the Galaxy do for each other. And in one of the most beloved turn of events in a Marvel movie, it’s revealed that Yondu was not out to kidnap Peter or make him an indentured slave, but rather he was protecting him from his father. Which led to this touching scene:
Try NOT shedding a tear at this scene…I dare you!
Mid Credit Scenes
In an unprecedented move, Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2 has a staggering 5 mid and end credit scenes.
Scene 1: After Yondu’s death, Peter Quill gives Kraglin his Yaka Arrow (the whistling arrow thingy.) Here, we see Kraglin trying to get the hang of it and instead, spearing Drax in the shoulder and running away.
Scene 2: Stakar Ogord (played by Sylvester Stallone) decides to get his old crew back together. In this scene, we have some major comic book cameos in the form of some original Guardians of the Galaxy. Aleta Ogord, Martinex, Charlie-27, Krugarr and Mainframe all make an appearance and show the potential for things to come.
Scene 3: In one of the most delectable comic book cameos…we see Ayesha, Golden High Priestess of the Sovereign, telling her maid that she’s got a wild card up her sleeve in the form of her creation “Adam.” If you don’t know who Adam is, don’t worry…Vanity Fair has you covered!
Scene 4: We see an adolescent Groot in the middle of his molting stage. Peter walks in on him and tells him to clean his room. Setting the tone for their dynamic in future movies as we see Baby Groot growing into a teenager.
End Credit Scene
And finally…we have the incomparable Stan Lee making his obligatory and much loved cameo in this movie. He’s a stranded astronaut who’s telling his story to a group of strange and uninterested listeners, known as the Watchers.
Spiderman: Homecoming
Flip up to the top and read the full breakdown of Spiderman: Homecoming.
Thor: Ragnarok
Oh…forgot to mention one thing in the breakdown further up. The Revengers is a great nod to how Hulk and Thor were basically left out of the epic showdown between the Avengers in Captain America: Civil War.
Black Panther
It’s no surprise that Black Panther is still in theaters today…1 day before the release of Avengers: Infinity War. The story of King T’Challa’s is one that resonated with audiences for months and shows no sign of stopping now. It boasts of a strongly represented cast and a beautifully told story. T’Challa is still reeling from the death of his father when he’s forced to assume the throne. On the heels of this, he’s confronted with the ugly truth his father hid from him and the nation of Wakanda. T’Chaka killed his brother, N’Jobu, and left his nephew in the states to fend for himself and mourn the death of his father alone.
That son, Erik Killmonger is back wants to blow the door wide open on the sanctuary nation of Wakanda.
Sometimes a movie comes along that transcends the cinematic experience. Black Panther is one of those movies. In a time of movements like #BlackLivesMatter #TimesUp and #MeToo, as well as the move to demand a greater social consciousness from people, Black Panther sweeps in like a breath of fresh air. It deserves to be talked about at length for the way it is and has been changing the game for not only the Marvel Universe, but for how movies should continue to be made in the future.
Other Things to Note
There is a growing theory that Wakanda is home to the final Infinity Stone, the Soul Stone. (This has not been confirmed or denied.) There is a strong case to be made due to the fact that the Wakandan kings commune with the dead after coronation. That is a direct power of the Soul Stone. Something to keep an eye out for in Avengers: Infinity War.
Mid Credit Scene
T’Challa, Okoye, Nakia and Ayo travel to the United Nations to speak about how Wakanda can impact the world around it and for the first time in Wakandan history…open it’s borders to outsiders.
“In times of crisis, the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.”
This quote feels especially poignant! It serves as another example of the way this movie goes from a cinematic triumph to a cultural touchstone.
End Credit Scene
This end credit scene opens with some Wakandan children looking at something. They run out laughing and Shuri, princess of Wakanda, tells them to leave the man alone. We then see Bucky Barnes emerge, without his Winter Soldier arm. He thanks Shuri for helping him. and she tells him they aren’t done yet and that there is “still much to learn.”
Lightning Round
Don’t have time to dive head first into the entire 18 movie canon? Here’s a short road trip you can take to catch up on the Infinity Stone. This list only deals with the known Infinity Stones, their location and their powers. Enjoy!
