Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus on How Other Marvel Movies Affected ‘Avengers: Infinity War’

Avengers: Infinity War is the biggest spectacle the Marvel Cinematic Universe has ever seen, the [...]

Avengers: Infinity War is the biggest spectacle the Marvel Cinematic Universe has ever seen, the story of which was crafted by MCU veterans Stephen Markus and Christopher McFeely. The film is the 19h chapter in the interconnected franchise, which required a delicate balance of paying tribute to the past while taking the saga in new directions. According to Markus and McFeely, they opted not to overthink decisions that they had wished past filmmakers had made.

When asked on Kevin Smith's Fatman on Batman podcast about wishing for tweaks in the saga's overall narrative, McFeely replied, "No, because then I'm gonna have to, Monday morning, quarterback other filmmakers and other films to say, 'It would have been nice if you had done X, Y, and Z for my convenience.' So it's probably best not to say."

Markus then went on to explain that, while he might not have wished for changes to the films leading up to Infinity War, there can be complications when writing a script before films leading into the team-up without knowing what will unfold in those adventures.

"There were times, though, because we're writing this while...they hadn't shot [Thor:] Ragnarok yet, [Black] Panther, Ant-Man, Doctor Strange...none of these movies exist," the writer noted. "So we're trying to plot out a movie and then you find out, you'll see Ragnarok, and, 'Hey, they did everything we were gonna do with Hulk.'"

Smith's podcast co-host, Marc Bernardin, commended the screenwriters for their accomplishment, though noted that he took issue with the development of Star-Lord and Gamora's romantic relationship. The love between the two seemingly felt rushed, since the confirmation of their feelings wasn't solidified as strongly in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.

"That's probably not on [Gaurdians director James] Gunn, that's on us wanting that to be their relationship," McFeely clarified. "It was clearly what that relationship was heading towards. And it's four years in between movies, seemingly."

The duo also wrote the upcoming Avengers 4, which could help fill in some of the perceived gaps in storytelling.

Avengers: Infinity War is in theaters now. Avengers 4 hits theaters on May 3, 2019.

Other upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movies include Ant-Man and the Wasp on July 6th, Captain Marvel on March 9, 2019, the Spider-Man: Homecoming sequel on July 5, 2019 and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in 2020.

Do you think Markus and McFeely found the right balance of honoring the past while creating an unexpected adventure? Let us know in the comments below!

[H/T YouTube, Kevin Smith]

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