Thanos Deserved to Win | Video Essay

directors Anthony and Joe Russo had an i insurmountable task ahead of them after ten years of anticipation Thanos couldn't just be a good villain he had to be the best villain of the MCU this meant he had to do some bad things which he does but goes beyond that the Russos knew it would take more if they wanted to make him the next Darth Vader what made Darth Vader so memorable what makes him one of the greatest villains of all time is his empathy it's the facets that make him feel like a hero rather than a villain it's the things that make him feel like an underdog the Russos understand this and they put all of the things that made Vader great into Thanos the challenge was evident from the very beginning Thanos appeared beforehand in the Marvel Cinematic Universe but these appearances were OneNote mustache twirling broad-stroke caricatures of a villain in many ways these appearances are like what we first had with Vader imposing intimidating but one-dimensional it was the Empire Strikes Back and The Return of the Jedi that elevated these excellent foundations into something much more and so with infinity war the Russos had the same challenge how do you take a character that it seems impossible to look inside and make you see things his way how can you take a character show him doing despicable things and still feel by the end of it all that his victory was the most earned above all else whether or not we can agree with anos there's no doubting that you could watch infinity war and not come away from it knowing his core beliefs the Neo Malthusian ideals he champions seemed so sincere so selfless when he utters them he doesn't hide his intentions from anyone more than that he's prepared to argue for them with such conviction he could spin his beliefs to sound so benevolent we see that oasc all his cleansing merciful yet we see a child panic in fear as they violently cling to existence we know that what he says is indoctrination yet whenever he is challenged on his morality his past experiences can tip the balance in his favor every time and it's more than just a defense of his belief system Thanos champions himself to his confidence shines through in his every action and he doesn't try to be humble to create a facade he is who he is something that could almost seem admirable yours drew me Thanos is strong he is generous there's a level of humility to him yet also so much arrogance he's unapologetic about the fact that he's the toughest there is if you need to see how wholeheartedly he believes in his ideals just look at the smile he gives when he's finally alone at the end of the movie he doesn't ask for thanks just like a true hero it's truly good at least by his own standards as a wise man once said to be truly decent it has to be he sheds his armor because he is a holy man on a peaceful journey or at least with those intentions in mind of course he breaks that peaceful mantra several times in the movie but never in a way that seems untrue to his word he attacks people he kills but only when it stands directly in the way of his quest there's several instances where he can kill characters and he chooses not to he subdues all of the Avengers at the end of the movie rather than killing them he gets two instances to kill Peter quill even after quill has assaulted him under duress and he doesn't these moments can be used to help him justify his darker actions he is a man of his word for better or for worse it's how we know that he does indeed love Gamora before the Red Skull and the soul stone confirm as much it might be an abusive controlling destructive love that so many wouldn't be love at all but to Thanos he's doing what he thinks is the best way of expressing it by his own code a code that he never wavers from and Thanos doesn't lie even Steve Rogers lies but Thanos doesn't and he can't respect anyone who does look at the way he treats Tana Leah tavar he has absolutely no time for him as we've seen the collector is duplicitous mercenary without seemingly any thought given to a being that is not himself and when Thanos confronts him his cowardice makes Thanos like him even less compare that to Peter quill moments later who shows all the things that tavar lacks courage will honesty and what does Thanos say No reality can be whatever that same scene shows us the Knossos intellect he out thinks and manipulates everyone he tricks the guardians into playing their best hand just as he does with Loki only revealing his true knowledge of their goals and intentions at the point of which they have no way out he moves them like pieces on a board until he is in total command of the situation he casts the illusion of his death not because he wants to see Gamora cry but because he knows it is the best way to divide the guardians the best way to make them vulnerable he displays not only a keen tactical mind but emotional intelligence as well could this theater of illusions be argued as a lie maybe but Thanos never allows his character to be questioned so neither do you incredibly he still displays a semblance of integrity he manipulates Peter quill not by lying to him but by testing him Thanos wants Peter to know if he was in his place he wouldn't hesitate to do what he promised he's showing to him that he's better that he's destined to win without ever having to say it but just because he's often two steps ahead of everyone else it doesn't mean that he never finds himself in a tight spot part of why we end up wanting him to win in some sense even if it's only just a little bit is because the film frames him as an underdog at key moments look at what's going on here he's being ganged up on by several characters aggressively restraining him whilst he cries out in anguish suddenly he's not the malicious figure despite all that has happened the Avengers are they look like bullies and the same thing happens when Thor impales him he revels in it he tortures him look at the expression on their faces if you saw this moment without context who would the film be communicating as the hero and who is the villain through this imagery even seeing him fight and beat the Hulk is something that can feel oddly satisfying the Hulk is rarely beaten and never this easily Thanos beats him through skill to something we can again find commendable seeing a character display vulnerability no matter who it is makes us care and when they manage to call out from an intense situation and against all the odds keep fighting we can respect that it makes all of theses triumphs feel that little bit more earned his vulnerability perfectly complements his determination if we saw him vulnerable too much we might not be impressed by his efforts and if he displayed determination without overcoming struggle we'd want to see him fail his vulnerability and his determination are perfectly balanced you get the sense throughout the movie that he is unstoppable through sheer will alone forgetting any other factor he will complete his quest no matter what it takes his speed his ferocity it's almost unmatched he sees determination in others as admirable even if he disagrees with them the look he gives cap when he puts all of his might into stopping the gauntlet the soothing words he gives to wander after witnessing her kill the person she loves of course something he can empathize with after his bout with Tony Stark someone who he saw himself in and of course he sees it in the younger Morra he doesn't think lesser of anyone unless they stand in opposition of his beliefs he always notices the bravery in others but always make sure that he can match whatever they throw at him he will not be outdone by anyone and he has the gumption to prove it [Music] we've looked at how other characters lost a lot in this movie Thor lost his brother his best friend half his people Tony loses his soul after fighting to save it for the last six years Steve loses his Bucky and his Sam rocket loses his son a coin and the wakandans lose their king but Thanos loses something too it might not be on the same scale but Gamora is the only thing he has the only thing he has that's still good in this world the only part of him that the universe can accept his Creed his integrity his cunning his vulnerability his determination it all binds together to concoct a portrait of a living breathing character but without Gamora Thanos would not work if Darth Vader has a Luke Skywalker a character to ground him emotionally even if his soul is irredeemable to us an umbilical cord let us see behind the mask then Gamora is surely Thanos is Luke just like Darth Vader Thanos thinks that what he's doing is born out of love he looks at Gamora and sees everything that he did for her everything no matter how black it was in service of trying to make her fend for herself in doing so no I made you a champion no one you'd hate me for it that's the sacrifice that mother makes the Russos wanted Thanos to do bad things and he does continuously throughout the movie but gamora's death is the pinnacle of this it's more than just murder it's more than just villainy and maliciousness what makes this his worst atrocity is his connection to Gamora the way in which he very nearly doesn't go through with this terrible deed but soldiers on anyway and we can see parallels with this moment but instead of doing the right thing when the time finally comes Thanos takes the darkest path it is the paradoxical nature of this deed that makes it feel so despicable wiping out the universe is a statistic unbiased random but this is calculated destructive and the purest evil what makes infinity war so good is the fact that no one really wins not without paying the price and because of all this Thanos deserved to win not in a moral sense not because he was the kindest or the most assertive or the one that did the right thing he didn't do any of that he's an evil man the movie ultimately makes that clear he deserved to win because he wanted it more than anyone else he deserved it because he tried the hardest and was willing to break himself and take the hits and kept moving forward Thanos was the only one that was aware of who he was he was aware of his flaws he didn't wear a mask and hide behind a facade he didn't rest on hope or put his trust in anyone other than himself because of these six traits and his rigid adherence to them no matter what the cost he's the only person in the universe who had the will to carry out the thing he felt he had to do [ __ ] videos is going to strange new places full-fat videos just got upgraded and along with that we're upgrading our patreon with new tiers and rewards just for you we don't unfortunately monetize most of the videos on the channel because it has copyrighted content so something like patreon could really really help us make full fight video self-sustaining and it allow us to make better videos and better content for you for just $1 a month you'll be helping us out a 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Channel: Full Fat Videos

Views: 2,004,584

Rating: 4.883213 out of 5

Keywords: Video, Essay, Discussion, Review, Problem, Debate, Analysis, Full Fat Videos, Infinity War, Thanos, The Avengers, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Captain America, Vision, Scarlet Witch, Black Widow, Black Panther, Wakanda, Gamora, Nebula, The Guardians of the Galaxy, Star Lord, Drax the Destoryer, Rocket Raccoon, Thor, Marvel, Marvel Studios, Marvel Comics, Writing, Villain, Thanos was right, development, screenwriting, character, action, infinity stones, avengers 4, MCU, Marvel Cinematic Universe

Id: DwcjUBQ2i7s

Length: 15min 46sec (946 seconds)

Published: Wed Nov 21 2018