MCU MADNESS FINAL FOUR: #2 Avengers: Infinity War vs. #3 The Avengers

We are in the Final Four of our MCU Madness Tournament . For this round, we have our writers step up to the keyboard and defend their favorite MCU films. These are the elite of the elite in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and each movie holds a special place in the hearts of Marvel fans everywhere. Three Avengers movies and the one that started it all. Who will make the best case for their film? And which MCU movie will move on to the championship round? IT IS UP TO YOU! Vote Down Below!

And we have another poetic matchup in the Final Four. Our first Avengers vs. Avengers matchup is one that puts the MCU into a grand perspective. Just by looking at the posters of each of these films, you can see how much this universe has grown in the time between each of their releases. The Avengers poster features the original six that started it all. And the poster in Avengers: Infinity War has a hard time fitting in all the of the different heroes we have learned to love over the years. At the times they were made, there had never been two more ambitious comic-book films. #2 The Avengers battles #3 Avengers: Infinity War.

The Avengers set the standard for what an entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe could be through giving us a crossover that none of us could have imagined at the time, but the film’s greatest success is how Joss Whedon was able to present it. The wit, the visual style, the action, the characterization, the charm - they all contribute in making the film work as well as it does, so much so that these elements have been incorporated into every subsequent film. The direction is why Steve and Tony’s hostility feels genuine, why the quips land, and why the film still continues to surprise and thrill with each additional viewing. The Avengers didn’t just define what the MCU was capable of; it showed us how the MCU should be portrayed with seemingly effortless flair and grace. And the fact that Whedon’s idea of flair is having our heroes kicking alien tail while still having time to grab a bite to eat gets the highest of praises from me.

TOM'S FAVORITE SCENE

The sweeping one-shot from one hero to the next has to be a standout moment for me, showing the grandiose scale of the invasion and each Avenger’s position in the fight. The chills that I get whenever I see Iron Man reflecting a laser of Cap’s shield — unparalleled.

In previous rounds, Matt already covered how monumental an event Infinity War was not just for the MCU, but for all of the media, so I’m going to focus on the experience that this movie delivered. From the bomb-drop of an opening scene in which not one, but two characters are brutally killed off, we knew we were in for the ride of our lives. From there, Infinity War was a pure adrenaline rush from its beginning to end. There was the excitement of seeing so many of our favorite characters interact and battle alongside each other for the first time. There was the building tension as they raced to stop Thanos from collecting all six Infinity Stones and eradicating half of all life in the universe. But most impressive of all was that those feelings of excitement, nerves, and adrenaline lasted long after the credits rolled. Infinity War ended on the biggest cliffhanger of all time and somehow managed to have its hype ride out all the way until Avengers: Endgame . This movie managed to have people talking for an entire year without the buzz dying down, and that’s impressive, even for the MCU.

JULIA'S FAVORITE SCENE

In most cases, your favorite scenes in Infinity War come down to who you enjoyed seeing interact the most (for me, it was the Titan crew of Iron Man, Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, and a bunch of the Guardians of the Galaxy). But the most important scene of the movie was undoubtedly The Snap and subsequent dusting of so many of our heroes. As difficult as it was to watch (in my case, I found it terrifyingly chilling and hide my eyes whenever it comes on) it was undoubtedly the scene that kept the buzz and speculation at a fever pitch around the world for the year we had to wait for the next installment.