Infinity War - The First Comic Event Movie

The first MCU movie I saw in theaters was The Incredible Hulk. 

It was a good movie, probably 7/10, but I remember being somewhat down on it because they had recast Eric Bana and Jennifer Connelly, whom I loved in the first movie. I ended up liking Ed Norton's performance, but that wasn't the real reason I went to see The Hulk that day. I went because rumor had it Tony Stark was making an unprecedented move and appearing at the end of another movie. I remember this being a big deal. This was the first time a character crossed over from another movie in such a way. 

Iron Man was the first MCU film, but this was where the idea of a shared universe became reality. 

Start of a Shared Universe

Fast forward 8 years to Captain America: Civil War, which I consider the first true comic book movie. Of course, there had been other movies based on comic book characters, but those movies were missing a big part of what makes comic books so special. That is, a shared universe that allow the writer to use the "shortcut" of using characters introduced elsewhere.

When Universes Collide

That's the significance of Civil War.

Plot aside, Civil War is a very sophisticated film. It requires viewing other films, and an understanding of who these other, non-central, characters and their motivations are. It adds a richness to a movie that the movie can't earn on its own.

The Russo brothers have become the masters of character juggling. Ever since Winter Soldier, all of the Russo's characters feel well-rounded, properly motivated, and have a complete arc.

Their trajectory from Winter Soldier, to Civil War, and now Infinity War have me anticipating a character-rich movie.

The Bros That Make It Happen

This brings me to why I have such high expectations for The Avengers: Infinity War: it's taking what Civil War did and adding several more layers of complexity.

This is the movie equivalent of a comic book event. Comics have done events for decades, and now cinema will too. If Civil War was the first true comic book movie, than this is the first true comic book event movie.