Is this really the end of the Avengers?

On the infinite finale that is Avengers: Infinity War

A scene from Avengers: Infinity War.
(Image credit: Chuck Zlotnick/Marvel Studios)

Is this really the end? Avengers: Infinity War, released Friday, is the third Avengers movie, the eighth movie to star or co-star Iron Man, and the 19th movie set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It is also being promoted, if somewhat indirectly, as a finale of sorts for the popular franchise. But what kind of finale it is remains uncertain.

In the most immediate sense, Infinity War is no finale at all. An untitled fourth Avengers movie is already dated for next May (and two other MCU movies, set before the events of Infinity War, will follow in the meantime). But by bringing together most of the original cinematic Avengers (Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, the Hulk, Black Widow), later additions to the team (Scarlet Witch, Vision, Falcon, War Machine), and other solo artists (Black Panther, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man), alongside the entirely separate Guardians of the Galaxy to stand against intergalactic genocide proponent Thanos (Josh Brolin), Marvel clearly intends to bring matters to a head.

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Jesse Hassenger

Jesse Hassenger's film and culture criticism has appeared in The Onion's A.V. Club, Brooklyn Magazine, and Men's Journal online, among others. He lives in Brooklyn, where he also writes fiction, edits textbooks, and helps run SportsAlcohol.com, a pop culture blog and podcast.