After a decade of filmmaking, the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe is coming to a head with the final few installments in Phase Three. Almost every major character in the MCU joined forces to battle Josh Brolin's Thanos, who was hell bent on destroying half the galaxy in order to "save" its overpopulated occupants. The Russo Brothers threw moviegoing audiences for a loop by allowing the Mad Titan to win, accumulating the Infinity Stones to facilitate his mass murder. Fans were left to watch in horror as their favorite characters turned to dust, and left with nothing but disdain for Thanos in the wake. But comic book aficionado and director Kevin Smith seems to think that the villain wasn't that bad. After all, he could have killed everyone.
From a certain perspective he's a hero. He could have literally wiped out everybody with one snap. I call that mercy.
If there's one word that hasn't been associated with Thanos, it's mercy. That is, unless you're one of his twisted followers from The Black Order. Let's break down exactly what Kevin Smith is proposing here.
Kevin Smith's comments come from his most recent Fatman on Batman podcast. A pod dedicated to all things nerdy and comic book related, Smith has weighed in on every silver screen superhero flick you could imagine. This obviously includes Avengers: Infinity War, a blockbuster whose affects are still being felt by the fandom.
Having all of the Infinity Stones certainly gave Thanos the ability to kill every single denizen of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But Josh Brolin's character always maintained he was doing it for the greater good, as it was the only way to save the Galaxy from its insurmountable overpopulation. And he succeeds, with the film's final moments revealing a newly revitalized Titan for the Mad Titan to call home. Thanos completed his task, but at what cost?
It should be interesting to see how Thanos' finger snap is addressed in Avengers 4, which is still nearly a year away. Infinity War ended with Captain America wondering what happened, and that's exactly what fans have been feeling. And while there are two blockbusters in between Infinity War and Avengers 4, all eyes are on how the MCU changed in the wake of the snap. How much time has passed? Can the fallen heroes be brought back? We're just going to have to wait and see, while allowing Captain Marvel to satiate our appetites.
All will be revealed when Avengers 4 arrives in theaters on May 3rd, 2019. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
