Joe Russo Teases Deaths In ‘Avengers: Infinity War’

'Avengers: Infinity War' co-director Joe Russo tells fans to brace themselves for bigger stakes for their heroes as they take on Thanos.

Avengers Infinity War Marvel Studios

For all the success the Marvel Cinematic Universe has had over the years, the main criticisms seem to follow — lackluster villains and relatively low stakes for the heroes. Avengers: Infinity War doesn’t seem like it will have that issue. Co-director Joe Russo spoke to MTV on Sunday during San Diego Comic-Con and addressed those criticisms rather directly.

Joe and Anthony Russo both entered the MCU with Captain America: The Winter Soldier where a prominent character had the signature “fake-out death.” Though fans have seen some characters bite the bullet in the past such as Quicksilver in Avengers: Age of Ultron (more than just one bullet there), the core group of heroes have remained intact and mostly unharmed.

“My brother [Anthony Russo] and I believe in stakes. I believe that everything has to have an end at some point in order for it to have value. The audience should be prepared.”

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige is on the same page with comments on how death follows Avengers villain Thanos like a shadow — some fans may hope for that in the literal sense via a personified Death. But Marvel isn’t one for being all work and no play. The classic levity will still be featured amid the intensity.

“It’ll be emotional for a lot of different reasons. As all our films try to do, we want to have the laughs, we want to have the heart, we want to have the humor, and Infinity War has all of that.”

As seen, or described, in the sizzle reel for Avengers: Infinity War, older heroes such as Iron Man and Thor take on a gauntlet-wielding Thanos and at the very least it didn’t sound like a pleasant experience for Thor. Whether or not those characters can survive an entire moon crashing down is one thing, but perhaps one of those key heroes will experience their end sooner than others and before the sequel.

Avengers: Infinity War will be released on May 4, 2018, and has a cast that includes Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark (Iron Man), Chris Evans as Steve Rogers (Captain America), Chris Hemsworth as Thor Odinson, Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner (Hulk), Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow), Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton (Hawkeye), Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch), Paul Bettany as the Vision, Chris Pratt as Peter Quill (Star-Lord), Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Dave Bautisa as Drax the Destroyer, Bradley Cooper as Rocket, Vin Diesel as Groot, Pom Klementieff as Mantis, Karen Gillan as Nebula, Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Stephen Strange, Tom Holland as Peter Parker (Spider-Man), Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes (Winter Soldier), Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa (Black Panther), Paul Rudd as Scott Lang (Ant-Man/Giant Man), Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill, Benedict Wong as Wong, Letitia Wright as Shuri, Danai Gurira as Okoye, Winston Duke as M’Baku, Tom Hiddleston as Loki Laufeyson, Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie, Benicio Del Toro as Taneleer Tivan (Collector), Tom Vaughan-Lawlor as Ebony Maw, and Josh Brolin as Thanos.

Source: MTV