The Heartbreaking Lines In Infinity War That Were Improvised
This post contains spoilers for Avengers: Infinity War.
Avengers: Infinity War caps off ten years and 19 movies' worth of thrills and chills from the Marvel Cinematic Universe — and would you believe the people behind it were making it up as they went along?
According to Joe Russo, who co-directed the Marvel mega team-up with his brother Anthony, one of the most pivotal and heartbreaking moments in the movie's climax — namely, the fate of Spider-Man — didn't come as a result of careful script tinkering by the film's writers.
While the film's two credited co-writers, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, did an incredible job of balancing the movie's 40-strong cast of superheroes, the movie's most poignant moment sprung from the mind of one of its actors.
In the closing moments of Infinity War, after Josh Brolin's Thanos effectively fills his Gauntlet with the six Infinity Stones and snaps half of life out of the universe, 50% of the cast slowly fades away into ash.
Tom Holland's Peter Parker, stranded on Titan with Tony Stark and the Guardians of the Galaxy, is the only member of the Avengers who gets a moment to realize what's going on as his life gets leeched away.
Collapsing into the arms of his father figure Tony, Peter essentially begs for his life. First he realizes the trouble he's in, saying "I don't feel so good," and then begins to break down, all-but-whimpering "I don't want to go" into Tony's shoulder.
It's a horrific moment to behold — and according to Joe Russo, it's all a credit to Holland.
Citing a post on the Marvel Studios subreddit, Epicstream reported that Joe Russo visited a high school for a Q&A in the wake of Infinity War's smashing success.
According to the post, Russo confirmed during the Q&A that Holland improvised his final scene — which is likely the key reason why his childlike reaction to his sudden demise sounded so real, natural, and ultimately chilling.
Praise for Holland's improvisation choices was echoed by screenwriter McFeely, speaking in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter after Infinity War's release.
Asked what was the key to making the scene resonate, McFeely also gave all the credit in the scene to the young English actor, saying, "It was Tom Holland. He crushes that."
The movies of the MCU have had a relationship with improv going back to its very first movie, with the cast of 2008's Iron Man largely making up their lines as they went.
Some might see Marvel's improvisation habit as a sign of being unprepared, but the results speak for themselves. Not only can the talented artists behind the MCU make up a way to make you laugh on the spot, they can also come up with the most effective way to totally break your heart.
The next movie in the MCU, Ant-Man and the Wasp, shrinks into theaters on July 6. You can check out the trailer for the refreshingly fun-sized team-up now.