The Big Picture · Discussion
April 27, 2018/ 66 min/ Sean Fennessey · David Shoemaker
Sean Fennessey and David Shoemaker record a late-night emergency breakdown of Avengers: Infinity War: Thanos as a sympathetic villain, the performances that hold it together, and, after a spoiler warning, the snap, who dies, and the Captain Marvel tease.
4 films across 2 segments.
AI-generated This episode was transcribed and analyzed with AI models. The matches aren't perfect — expect the occasional misheard title or a link to the wrong film.
First reactionsspoiler-free
A 2-hour-40 culmination of 19 films, watched opening night. Both agree it barely works as a conventional movie but clears an impossibly high bar. Josh Brolin's Thanos is a thoughtful, near-sympathetic villain with a balance-of-the-universe code. They single out Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth and Tom Holland's Spider-Man, and flag Doctor Strange's quippiness and the crowded IP juggling as strain points.
Spoilers: the snap and what's nextwho dies, and the MCU slate ahead
Teased in the lone stinger: Nick Fury pages her insignia as he dusts. The hosts predict Brie Larson's 1990s-set space hero becomes the key to beating Thanos in Avengers 4, though they wonder whether anyone actually cares about the character yet.
The other tentpole holding up Marvel's year. Sean jokes it's a franchise whose lead didn't even have his own comic for the MCU's first six years.
Referred to here as the untitled fourth Avengers film, once billed 'Infinity War Part II.' They call the ending a Hunger Games-style cliffhanger and bet most of the dusted heroes return, with a couple kept dead as contracts expire.
Also mentioned raised along the way
The MCU to date Iron ManThe AvengersAvengers: Age of UltronThor: The Dark WorldThor: RagnarokCaptain America: Civil WarGuardians of the GalaxyGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2Spider-Man: HomecomingBlack PantherDeadpool 2
Comparisons and asides SicarioLucyAtomic BlondeRed SparrowWonder WomanSpider-ManSpider-Man 2Back to the FutureTransformersX-MenSupermanBatmanThe Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1
Not films filtered out: TV, games, ads
TV WestworldDownton AbbeyJersey ShoreBorn to KillJimmy Kimmel Live!
Podcasts The Dave Chang ShowThe Masked Man ShowThe Press BoxWestworld Recappables
Ads Google AssistantShudderMajor Domo
Books The Big Picture (Ben Fritz)
Stage Lobby Hero
Comic storylines Planet Hulk