Ranking the Heroes and Antiheroes in ‘Avengers: Infinity War’

Commander Hill, the former director of S.H.I.E.L.D., is a hugely underrated character in the grand scheme of things and deserves way more love than she gets from fans. That being said, the only thing she did of any note in Avengers: Infinity War was to drive Nick Fury around before slowly turning to dust.

Speaking of old one-eyed Nick, he too is virtually non-existent in the movie, appearing solely in a post-credits capacity, paging some unnamed hero (cough cough, Captain Marvel) before suffering the same fate as his buddy Maria Hill.

There can be no denying Fury’s final actions will have the most significant effect on the outcome of the entire war though, so his blink and you’ll miss it appearance cannot be underplayed.

One character who has come out of Avengers: Infinity War looking extremely bad is Star-Lord/Peter Quill. Chris Pratt’s singing and dancing space hero has always been an incredibly popular hero in the past, but this time he simply comes off as jealous and inept, and his final actions in the movie- though completely understandable – ultimately cost the team their victory.

You could argue that Quill should be lower down the list than Fury, but despite his top-notch ass-hattery, Star-Lord did provide some thoroughly entertaining moments before ultimately f***ing everything up.

It’s ALWAYS a pleasure to see Scarlett Johansson on screen. Unfortunately, though, there’s been absolutely zero character advancement for Widow since the second Iron Man movie, and apart from simmering sex appeal, she offers very little to the good guys.

Who knows, maybe she will redeem herself in part 2?

We’ve seen Vision kick ass in the past, but during Infinity War he was a loved-up hindrance to his teammates, serving only as a vessel to transport one of the Infinity Stones, and thus luring Thanos and his cronies straight to the Avengers at every turn.

His death is likely one that isn’t going to be undone.

How cool is Wong? If he’d stayed the course and continued on throughout Infinity War, he’d likely have placed higher on the list, but sadly he didn’t stick around much after the first battle with Ebony Maw and Cull Obsidian.

The former Winter Soldier picking up Rocket Raccoon and spinning him around in the air as the later opens fire on a horde of fast approaching Outriders is one of the highlights of the film’s final battle in Wakanda. It’s a nice redeeming moment for Captain America’s former best buddy, but one that is short-lived as he’s the first to go when Thanos implements his own personal genocide.

Falcon, much like Black Widow, simply seems to be there to make up the numbers and kick a little ass. But largely he contributes very little in Infinity War and wouldn’t have been missed if he hadn’t been involved.

Perhaps he should have stayed home and hung out with Ant-Man while this whole thing blew over?.

Ever since Iron Man 3, Don Cheadle has been something of a non-entity in the MCU. Although he is only used sparingly in Infinity War, he has a good showing in the battle with the Outriders and reminds us all why War Machine was such a fun character in the comic books. It would be nice to see War Machine feature more prominently in part 2, especially as so many key members of the Avengers squad are dead.

Shuri is really underused in Avengers: Infinity War. She has a moment of glory when she makes Bruce Banner and Tony Stark look like Laurel and Hardy, but beyond that, she is only there to try and remove the Infinity Stone out of Vision’s bonce. It’s a shame considering how much she shone through in Black Panther.

There’s no denying Heimdall is one bad mother f***er, and despite only appearing briefly at the start, was one of the highlights of the first third of the movie. Even in defeat, and the face of certain death, Idris Elba’s character is a total bad ass, summoning the Rainbow Bridge with his bare hands, and allowing Hulk to escape back to Earth to warn the remaining Avengers of the shit storm that’s brewing.

Nebula pulls off a nice face turn here, as we find out she’s already hunted, and almost killed her Titan father shortly after the events of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. She’s a great character, if you ask us, and horribly underutilized here. She does crash land a space pod on Thanos’ head at one point, but beyond that, she serves little or no purpose other than to be the vessel that seals Gamora’s fate.

Whether it’s brandishing his mighty knobkierie (hu hu hu), or leading his fellow Jabari Tribesmen into battle, the man known as Man-Ape in the Black Panther comics, is a force to be reckoned with throughout his time on screen.

It’s hard to get past seeing Danai Gurira and not think, “what happened to Michone’s hair?”, but with no superpowers to speak of, Okoye proves just how valuable an asset she is to Earth’s defense with her display of untapped fury that she rains down on Thanos and the Outriders.

Drax the Destroyer has become somewhat a comic relief character since first appearing in the original Guardians of the Galaxy. But at his core, he is a reminder of the devastation Thanos has left in his wake, preventing us from fully sympathizing with the Dark Lord. Drax’s humanity makes him one of the most endearing characters in the entire MCU, and at any given moment he proves himself to be an efficient enforcer for the good guys.

Groot spends much of Avengers: Infinity War acting like a little brat, but without him, there would have been no Stormbreaker, which is the only weapon in the entire movie that actually has any kind of impact upon Thanos.

Groot has a tendency to sacrifice himself whenever his fellow Guardians are in peril, and chopping his own arm off to create the handle for Thor’s killer new weapon highlights just how important he is to the group.

Holy balls- it’s Peter Dinklage as a giant … um, dwarf. Not any dwarf though. He’s the Asgardian weapons forger, the man responsible for Mjolnir, and in Infinity War he assists Thor, Groot, and Rocket in creating Stormbreaker- the only weapons seemingly capable of bringing Thanos to his knees for good. Eitri isn’t a major player in the grand scheme of things, but his role is vital to the ending of the movie and gives the remaining Avengers a glimmer of hope for part 2. For that, we cannot discount how important his role is.

Mantis was predominantly light relief in Guardians of the Galaxy Part 2, and it seems like she’s not going to have an awful lot to do here either. But when the Avengers et al hatch their plot to down the mad Titan, it is Mantis who drops from the skies (courtesy of a Doctor Strange portal) and attaches herself to Thanos, draining him of his power and subduing him long enough for the Infinity Gauntlet to be removed from his massive paw.

Well, that was the plan until Star-Lord f***ed it all up.

The decision to list Loki so highly will probably upset some reading this. After all, the God of Mischief is barely in the film and is likely one of the deaths in the movie that won’t be undone. However, it is in his death that he earned his spot near the top of the list as one of the film’s greatest heroes. It would have been so easy for Loki to have sold out Thor and his fellow Asgardians but instead, he sacrificed himself, and the Tesseract he so selfishly desired, to save his brother’s life. That’s pretty bloody heroic if you ask us.

The world fell in love with Chadwick Boseman in the incredibly successful Black Panther movie, so it was a real surprise to see him featured so sporadically in Avengers: Infinity War. Considering the buzz around the character, we’d have expected him to have a much bigger hand in bringing old ball-bag chin Thanos to his knees, but instead has probably only one blink and you’ll miss it moment of glory when he and Captain America go toe-to-toe with the invading Outriders, before succumbing to Thanos’ will and turning to dust as the film entered its final moments.

When Spider-Man makes his first appearance in Infinity War, it seemed like he was going to be a bit player. As Doctor Strange and Iron Man head off into space, Peter Parker finds himself relegated to the sidelines. Or at least that’s how it looked. Fortunately, Tom Holland’s energetic teen hero finds a way back into the fray and ends up stealing most of the scenes he’s in – which is exactly what fans of the web-slinger would expect.

Spidey – complete with his Iron Spider suit – is extremely hands-on here, which isn’t bad considering he’s still in high school. He is obviously no match for Thanos, but he doesn’t let that slow him down. This is the Spider-Man we’ve been waiting for, and there’s no amount of Emo hair or jiving on the sidewalk, that could tell us otherwise, Tobey Maguire!

Just enjoy the laughter while you can, because simply put there’s never been a more heart-wrenching death in a superhero movie than the one that awaits Peter. Get your tissues out folks, this one’s painful.

Avengers: Infinity War Part 2 will be Captain America’s moment to shine. It may also be his final moment in the MCU, but that’s a theory for another day. In the first part of the story, though, he shines as a great leader, and an All-American bad ass. Gone is the saccharine poster boy for Uncle Sam that we’ve seen previously, replaced by a hero that is finally relatable as a character.

Thankfully, Avengers: Infinity War is not another Iron Man movie. Nor is it another Iron Man at odds with Captain America movie. Sure, there’s the undercurrent of animosity between them, as Stark tells Banner that he hasn’t spoken to Rogers in years, but the soap opera is put on the back burner here, and in its place is the team-up we were dreaming of ever since Marvel Phase One.

As usual, Iron Man is front and center in almost all the action, but his character seems weary this time out, and his willingness to put the future of the world before his own future with Pepper Potts almost costs him his life on several occasions.  This is a new side to Tony Stark’s alter-ego, and it will be very interesting how much of a part he will play in the second movie – or if he will actually survive.

Scarlet Witch is one of the most powerful beings in the entire Marvel Universe, and she is finally allowed to evidence this in Infinity War. Her character’s actions – including murdering Proxima Midnight – are entirely driven by her love for Vision, and the pain that she feels when she is forced to destroy the Mind Stone is palpable.

Hulk has very little to do in Avengers: Infinity War. After having his ass handed to him in the first few minutes, the big green bruiser retreats back inside his host, never really appearing again, save for a couple of quick glimpses. For once the hero of this tandem is Bruce Banner, who winds up being a key figure in the war with Thanos, as he dons a Hulk Buster Iron Man suit, and puts his life on the line to save the people of Earth.

Of course, you could argue that there’s no way Hulk would let Banner die, and if he’d been in any real peril then the jolly green giant would have had no choice but to show up to the party. But credit where credit is due, the filmmakers didn’t go this route and instead let us all enjoy some serious screentime from Mark Ruffalo for a change.

If any of the Marvel heroes could be considered the MVP of Infinity War then it would be Doctor Strange. Outside of what would be considered the A Team (not that one), Strange is a mystical ass kicker, who perhaps scored more hits on Thanos than any other character. Whenever the Avengers almost got the upper hand, Strange was there at the forefront, perhaps the only Avenger involved who could truly see the devastating outcome ahead of them. Maybe this is why he fought so hard, knowing that out of the millions of possible scenarios that could come from the Infinity War, there was only one that the Avengers actually stood a chance of victory.

Gamora’s arc since her first appearance in the original Guardians of the Galaxy has been incredible. From her roots as the warrior daughter of Thanos to her troubled alliance with Quill and Drax, and her romantic awakening, she has evolved with each new appearance. In Avengers: Infinity War, her interactions with the Mad Titan actually serve to humanize him, and at points, we see him for what he really is – or at least could be if he was intent on genocide. But there’s no denying he loves her, and deep down she probably loves him too, though she remains defiant in his presence until the last agonizing moment.

Refreshingly, Infinity War isn’t about the usual faces. It’s time for characters like Gamora, or like Rocket, to take a step out of the shadows of people like Tony Stark and show the MCU what they’re made of. Gamora may have ultimately perished, but her presence will be felt throughout the next movie. We guarantee it.

It’s no surprise that Rocket Raccoon would end up ranking so high on our list. After all, he’s always been the most compelling character on the screen whenever he’s appeared previously, and in Infinity War he develops even further into the loveable rogue we’ve come to know. Where Star-Lord failed, Rocket steps up and becomes a true leader. He’s also adept at kicking ass and proves to be one of the impact players in the final moments of the movie.

Back in 2011, no one would have thought that Chris Hemsworth’s portrayal of the Asgardian God would become one of the most engaging characters in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. In fact, prior to Thor: Ragnarok – or perhaps even Team Thor – he was considered a second-tier hero, and some fans even called him dull. Less than a decade later and he’s easily the most exciting character in the MCU, stealing every scene he appears in, mixing perfectly the humor of the Taika Waititi era with the brooding darkness that encompasses the God – the man – who has lost everything. Iron Man might be the official leader of the pack, but without Thor, the Avengers simply feels incomplete.