Welcome to the sanctuary for everyone who has not witnessed what might be the biggest movie event of all time: Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War.

Yet.

The rest of the world must seem like a scary place; dodging spoilers and ducking from Avengers references at every turn. Whether you are a fan who has not had the chance to catch a screening yet or someone who just wants to find out what all the fuss is about, there is no more need to worry, for we have prepared a guide to navigate the chaos.

Background

The Avengers series depicts a world where an extravagant and colourful troupe of superheroes walk the earth. As the earth is threatened by a procession of increasingly threatening villains, the superheroes put aside their differences to form a team and called themselves “The Avengers”.

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, space is also home to vibrant communities of life forms. The Guardians of the Galaxy is a team of gifted individuals, similar to the Avengers, that roam around space, protecting its inhabitants from the occasional antagonist who is eager to put an end to the galaxy.

Synopsis

Thanos, the mad titan, seeks to bring balance to the universe by attaining the 6 infinity stones which would grant its owner unlimited power. The Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy must join forces to stop him and save the universe.

Characters

First-time Marvel viewers do not need to worry about identifying individual characters, as some of the recurring themes in the Avengers series are teamwork and unity. The heroes are meant to be viewed as parts of a larger entity, no matter how flamboyant they may seem as individuals.

In brief, the characters that you can look out for are:

1. The Original Avengers

• Iron Man: A billionaire with a robotic suit
• Captain America: A noble super soldier with an iconic shield
• Thor: The demi-god of lightning
• Hulk: A scientist who turned into a huge green monster

2. The Guardians

• Star-Lord – Part-human, part-planet-god
• Gamora: A green mercenary who is the (adopted) daughter of Thanos
• Drax the Destroyer: A strong yet brutish hand-to-hand combatant
• Rocket Raccoon: A racoon, as its name suggests, who has an affinity for automatic weapons
• Groot: A tree that is able to conjure vines and roots at will. It is also noteworthy that this character speaks only one sentence.
• Mantis: An alien lady who has feelers and the ability to read and control people’s emotions through touch.

3. The Supporting Avengers

• Black Widow: Expert spy and hand-to-hand combatant. Is played by Scarlett Johansson.
• The Falcon: A modern version of Icarus, except he has access to a ton of explosives and his wings don’t melt.
• Bucky Barnes: A super-soldier like Steve Rogers, but has one metallic arm and is not as patriotic.
• War Machine: He has been gifted a robot-suit from Iron Man, but it is not as advanced or as colourful.
• Black Panther: King of the richest fictional city in the world, Wakanda. He owns a panther suit that is coloured – and yes, if you have guessed it: it is purple.
• Okoye: Black Panther’s spear-wielding general.
• Vision: The red-faced (literally, but not figuratively) combination of a robot and celestial being.
• Scarlet Witch: A redhead with telekinetic powers and has an ongoing relationship with Vision. Now that’s progressive.
• Doctor Strange: A wizard whose powers include, but are not limited to, seeing into the future and teleportation.
• Spider-Man: The one who shoots webs and has a spider logo on his chest.

4. Anti-Heroes

• Nebula: Part-robot, part-blue-alien woman. She also happens to be Gamora’s sister and Thanos’ daughter.
• Loki: Thor’s (adopted) brother and demi-god of mischief.

Didn’t I say it was simple?

Bonus Tips

1. Avoiding Spoilers & Hype

Marvel has been campaigning against spoilers since the release of their film. However, the enemy is one too strong even for Earth’s mightiest heroes.

The most common breeding grounds of spoilers are social media and Youtube comments, so try to abstain from scrolling through them, especially under Marvel-related content.

2. Enjoying the Cinematic IMAX Experience

Avengers: Infinity War has the highest box office opening in history, and ticket sales show no signs of slowing down. Consider experiencing Avengers: Infinity War in IMAX, since it is the first film ever to be shot entirely with IMAX cameras.

It is no secret that streaming technology today is a glittering lure, as it gives audiences the ability to watch whatever they want, whenever they want, and wherever they want, though it usually is at the comfort of one’s home.

As a result, the experience of going to the movies is slowly falling off in terms of popularity. According to Nash Information Services, the number of movie tickets sold in the States has dropped by close to 200 million between 2009 and 2017. Despite lavish attempts by movie studios, the cinema is slowly fading away.

Watching Avengers: Infinity War at your local cinema would be the perfect opportunity to celebrate wonder, imagination, and the magic of film entertainment.

Visuals courtesy of Film Frame and Marvel Studios.