On April 27, 2018, “Avengers: Infinity War” will be released in the United States. This is the nineteenth installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and a film that fans have been looking forward to for years. Originally set to be released on May 4, fans were excited to learn the film would be released a week earlier. “Infinity War” will bring together characters from all corners of the MCU because of their involvement with the Infinity Stones that the primary antagonist, Thanos, is searching for. Thanos is a brutal alien dictator that wants the Infinity Stones so he can shape the universe in his image. It is up to the heroes of the MCU to unite and stop him from reaching his goals.
With “Black Panther” recently becoming the third highest-grossing movie of all time, the MCU has never been in a better place. “Infinity War” is possible because of the many years of carefully constructed character arcs that build the universe. All of these movies connect to the others in some way (not just with Stan Lee cameos). While some fans want to rewatch all of the Marvel movies in preparation for “Infinity War,” others want to simply enjoy the spectacle that will be “Avengers: Infinity War.”
Before seeing all of the characters come together on the big screen, it may be helpful to know where they are in the universe. Black Panther is the current ruler of Wakanda and has Winter Solider Bucky Barnes with him. Captain America, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, Falcon, and Ant Man are on the run from the government after the events of “Captain America: Civil War.” Thor and the Hulk are traveling through space after the events of “Thor: Ragnarok” with the Guardians of the Galaxy traveling through space as well.
Meanwhile, Iron Man, War Machine, Black Widow, Vision, Doctor Strange, and Spider-man are all freely living their daily lives. Only an event like Thanos trying to claim the Infinity Stones could bring them all together.
It would also be useful to know where these Infinity Stones are. First, the Tesseract, or the Space Stone, was last seen in Odin’s vault on Asgard, though we can assume that Loki took it once again after the events of “Ragnarok.” The Mind Stone is now a part of Vision’s head on Earth. The Reality Stone is now in the possession of the Collector after the events of “Thor: The Dark World.” The Power Stone is owned by the Nova Corps on Xandar after the events of “Guardians of the Galaxy.” The Time Stone is currently contained in the Eye of Agamotto with Doctor Strange. In the meantime, the Soul Stone is nowhere to be found. So, we know the location of five of the six Infinity Stones.
All in all, there are many reasons to be excited for “Infinity War.” It may be the most important movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to date and will likely change the characters and the narrative forever.