Avengers: Infinity War screenwriter confirms major Marvel character deaths

'It's safe to say we will say farewell to people'

Avengers: Infinity War won't be an easy ride.

The one thing we all feared has officially been confirmed: superheroes will die. Superheroes you like, even. Marvel Studios and its head visionary Kevin Feige have been serious about treating the third and fourth Avengers films as a kind of finale (only one in which the MCU will still continue until at least 2022).

“The notion of an ending, the notion of a finale, became very intriguing to us, in large part because you don’t see it that often in this particular genre,” Feige told Entertainment Weekly.

Though Infinity War may not herald the end of the MCU at large, it certainly heralds the end of an age; the passing of the torch from the original Avengers to a new generation - such as Black Panther, Spider-Man, and Captain Marvel.

That said, some of our favourite Avengers will get lucky and presumably saunter off to a quiet retirement, others not so much. "It's safe to say we will say farewell to people," screenwriter Stephen McFeely confirmed.

“We’re going to pull out the stops, and stop exploring conventions, and look to do stuff where we go, ‘Oh, but if we do that, that’s very, very definitive.’ Well, great, let’s get definitive for a change!” star Robert Downey Jr. added.

“We’re like a family now. Ten years later, we’re hanging out and having lunch, and kind of wondering when the draft is going to come in. Which one of us bites it and when?”

Could Iron Man meet an untimely fate? It's worth pointing out that the film's first trailer seems to find the original Marvel hero looking particularly distraught.

One character who could very well be on the chopping block is Paul Bettany's Vision, who has the minor problem of having an Infinity Stone embedded in his forehead, the same precious gem that Thanos (Josh Brolin) has been rampaging across the universe to collect all six in order to help gain him ultimate power.

“Vision is a living MacGuffin,” co-director Anthony Russo said. “Obviously, that raises the stakes because Vision’s life is in danger, and his life is in conflict with Thanos’ goals, so something’s got to give.”

The film's climactic Wakanda battle previewed in the trailer was also hinted at, as Captain America takes Vision to the T'Challa's homeland in an attempt to protect him from Thanos' army. The unconquered land has finally opened its doors to the world, and already it's about to face its greatest challenge yet.

“Cap makes the decision to bring [Vision] here to Wakanda,” Russo added. “Earth is making its last stand to keep the stone from Thanos. It’s the best place to make your last stand.”

Black Panther himself, Chadwick Boseman, added: "It’s never been conquered, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been challenged."

It was previously teased that one Infinity War scene would feature 40 superheroes, and it makes sense to guess the Wakanda battle would be it.

Anthony Mackie told Ace Comic-Con attendees about his experiences shooting the sequence: "There was one day we were on set and were doing this scene that’s in the trailer where we’re all running to battle, you know, all of us are on set and it’s like forty superheroes. I look to my right and I see Tom Holland and Dave Bautista."

"I see them in the corner and Tom is literally the size of Dave’s leg, I don’t know what they’re talking about but Bautista jumps up and does a kick-punch move and I was like ‘Yo, you’re about to kill him!'”

The film will see Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and company on-screen alongside the Guardians of the Galaxy - led by Chris Pratt and Zoe Saldana - for the first time.

The remainder of the confirmed ensemble includes Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hiddleston, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Jeremy Renner, Chadwick Boseman, Sebastian Stan, Don Cheadle, Pom Klementieff, Benedict Cumberbatch, Benedict Wong, Sean Gunn and Paul Rudd.

Avengers: Infinity War hits UK cinemas 26 April.

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