 Today we have the heavy burden of deciding the fates of the Avengers. Fun isn't something one considers when talking about DC movies. But these, they do put a smile on my face. Let's fuse. The scene in 2012. They've killed, they've grieved, they've changed actors completely. One may have made love to a Hulk. In the beginning there were just some sorry bunch of hotheads with special abilities brought together by Samuel L. Jackson in an eye patch. I know his name's Nick Fury, but Sam Jackson just seems cooler. I'm sorry, I just always call him that. Iron Man was the leader because his movie was the most popular. A brilliant inventor who was finally willing to make the ultimate sacrifice by the end of the film. Captain America was also the leader because comics. A super soldier who was thawed out to help save the world. The Hulk was an unstoppable force who chewed up every piece of scenery he was in. Thor was a damn god with a score to settle with his garbage half brother Loki. Hawkeye was really good at aiming at things. And Black Widow? She was hot. Loki quickly became a villain favorite in Thor so it made sense to double down. Hiddleston proved to be a fun, tricky antagonist and the perfect starter to this universe. Age of Ultron brings back the full crew and a couple newcomers. Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch being one of the standouts. Mainly for her awful accent, which she would holly bury in later installments. But also for her interesting character and abilities I'm still not clear on. Her brother Quicksilver was unfortunately overshadowed by the exact same character in a different franchise. Most of the returning cast retain their same charm and smart-ass personas. Captain America gets a bit of a potty mouth this time around. And the Hulk has a raging case of green balls for Widow. Thor randomly leaves at one point to take a hot bubble bath. And we start to see early signs of Iron Man getting snippy with stars and stripes. Vision is introduced a bit later in the picture with a little help from the lead villain Ultron. This is easily the silliest and most cartoony of the Avengers flicks, but I'm still a big fan. Now the trailers certainly didn't help those that didn't like this one. They showcased a much edgier, much darker, sinister version than what we saw on the screen. I still found James Spader to be completely menacing and a scene stealer whenever he was present. It was relatively easy to reminisce on the characters in the first two Avengers films, but Infinity War is just insane. The sheer amount of big-name players involved in this galaxy-spanning adventure is amazing to say the least. Homecoming Spider-Man, the entire Guardians of the Galaxy crew, T'Challa and the Wakanda tribes, and of course the Avengers themselves. Ant-Man and Hawkeye were missed. Hawkeye presumably back on the ranch watching his children die in front of him. Thanks for pussying out on that one, Disney. Damn it. The big surprise for me was how much I loved Doctor Strange this time. His origin film was perfectly adequate, but damn he was cool here. Thor also managed to go from one of the least interesting Avengers to being one of my favorites in the MCU. And he became a great replacement Superman for the DC version that's just butt-hurt and angry all the time. It's nice to see someone that smiles, has some fun, and still is able to kick ass. If Loki and Ultron are great Saturday morning cartoon villains, then Thanos is an HBO Game of Thrones level boss. I was legitimately fearful for every single character when he would apparate into a scene. No one seemed safe, no one was off the chopping block. Except for maybe Black Panther since his movie made like a cabillion dollars. Josh Brolin voiced and mo-capped one of the best bad guys in the last decade. An impressive accomplishment for both the actor and the writers involved. Especially when we're this deep into the franchise. We'll talk a little bit more about it in round two. The first Avengers was all about forming the band. Nick Fury and Agent Colson popped up here and there during the origin films. But here we get to see their intentions put into play. The Avengers initiative is activated when Thor's baby bro comes down to Earth, steals a powerful weapon known as the Tesseract, and destroys a shield office. The movie is a very straightforward affair with the heroes meeting, arguing, and eventually saving the day. Loki's a cunning villain. He knows he's no match for these power players. So he brings with him a disposable alien race and attempts to break them down from the inside. The movie's still a blast to watch today, but certainly seems a bit timid compared to what's to come. And the life of Ultron certainly has its fair share of haters, and I completely understand why. I'm not one of them. I actually like this movie a lot. It's really just a continuation of what we've already seen, and the more adult movie teased was nowhere to be found. The whole team's back together doing their thing relatively easily until a new threat is created. Turns out Banner and Stark's project, a sophisticated AI named Ultron, is kind of a dick. And since Ultron is artificial intelligence, he can take down the Avengers technology, which he does. And it really has no bearing on anything. It should have been a bigger deal than it was, but it's not addressed much, outside of the team having to hang out at Hawks House for the day. And I think that's the biggest hang-up people have with Age of Ultron. This so-called age is really just a three-day weekend. It's like vacation with Ultron. Weekend at Ultrons. The scale is larger, yet the stakes are relatively small still for the protagonists. This is where Infinity War absolutely decimates the first two films. The film's scale is enormous, with multiple threads going on at once. Most of them intersect, and all of them are important to the main plot. Thanos, after being cocked, he's for a decade finally decides to get off his ass and do some actual work for a change. He and his space buddies start stone hunting, attacking various planets and portions of the Marvel factions. The movie's constantly jumping to different points and characters, but it never feels disjointed or sloppy. The forging of an axe shouldn't be that interesting, but directors Anthony and Joe Russo managed to get it done. Once more, Thanos is a powerhouse of a villain, one that can hold his own against four or five Avengers at once. This is the first time I was genuinely on edge during a Marvel movie, and when it was all said and done, I was finally able to take a breath. Do I think these characters that died are gone for good? Absolutely not. I'm sure most of them will be back, but the fact that they even went here, ended on such a sour note? I think that deserves some respect. These are massive movies with gigantic budgets. The money that doesn't go directly into Robert Downey's bank account is all on display. Director Joss Whedon handles the first two movies much in the same vein as a kid playing with his childhood toys. The camera will follow the entire team as they jump off the backs of giant space worms or storm a hydra base. He pits them against each other at different points because he knows fans want to thaw versus Hulk battle. The Russo brothers of the kids that grew up, they're Andy from Toy Story 3, still want to hang on to that magic, but they're going to treat them a little bit more adult-like. The spectacle is on display still, but the tracking shots and other gimmicks feel less fan-servicing. I've always been critical of the Avengers theme and the lack of real standout scores, but the darker tweaks on the material really stand out now. Not going to lie though, big part of me wanted to hear the immigrant song playing one more time when Thor slammed down to Wakanda with his battle acts and friends. I think he was playing in a lot of people's heads already, so they should have just put it out there. I don't really have any criticisms of these films. I think they set out and do exactly what they wanted to. They tell a fun story, they have laughs, they have excitement, they have amazing spectacle, and there's not a whole lot more that I could ask for. Captain America's suit is kind of stupid looking and the first Avengers is about as small of a hang-up as I could find. The artists, musicians, animators, set designers, and the thousands of other people that helped craft these movies should absolutely be commended, especially those who worked on the wardrobes for Scarlet Witch and Black Widow. As much as I enjoy Avengers and Age of Ultron, Infinity War is playing in a different league. Oftentimes the term epic is tossed out willy-nilly, but Infinity War is just that. And you should absolutely take my word for it. After all, I'm a grown man wearing a Marvel T-shirt I bought at Target for $8.99, so if that doesn't scream credibility, I don't really know what does. I'd love to hear from you though. Leave a comment on your favorite film, vote for the winner, and remember, this is more than just reviews, this is Movie Feuds. And Infinity War 2, holy hell that has a lot to live up to. Hope you don't last Jedi this thing. You really pissed me off.