‘Avengers: Infinity War’ Directors Reveal Why Thor Didn’t Kill Thanos

While many fans are pointing their fingers at Star-Lord after Avengers: Infinity War, a huge portion of the blame for Thanos‘ actions might fall on Thor according to the film’s directors.

Spoilers for Avengers: Infinity War follow. Major spoilers!

When Thanos arrived in Wakanda, Thor had a chance to stop the Mad Titan with his incredibly strong Stormbreaker hammer. The new hammer, forged in a dying star earlier in the film, pierced through Thanos’ best efforts with the Infinity Gauntlet and landed in his chest. The move allowed Thanos to snap his fingers and erase half of the universe, which Thor will fully regret seeing as his aim was intentional.

“I would argue that the fan base could be equally upset with Thor, who chose to throw that ax into Thanos chest and not his head,” Joe Russo tells ComicBook.com. “Because he wanted to tell Thanos that he got his revenge.”

The God of Thunder hasn’t been known for his intelligence but acting on impulse and emotion throughout his tenure in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. His choice to act on his hunger for revenge rather than simply ending the feud and killing Thanos without claiming his revenge through dialogue fits.

“Had he gone for a kill shot, that snap would not have happened. These are choices that characters who are feeling immense pain make and hopefully, the audience can learn to empathize with those characters because they can grow through stories,” Joe Russo went on. “Stories can teach us things and that we should try to see every choice from the perspective of the character that made the choice.”

Thor might get his next shot at beating Thanos in Avengers 4 as the remaining heroes try to undo the Mad Titan’s victory. As for Star-Lord, Joe Russo teases that there is no chance for him to redeem himself, “because he is dead.”

Thanos, however, is feeling the heavy weight of his actions, as well. “That moment when he clicks his fingers sends him into this ethereal plane inside of the Soul Stone where as part of his quote unquote hero’s journey in the film, he has one last moment to convey a sense of guilt about what he’s done,” Joe Russo said. “It illustrates what a complicated character he is.”

Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War are now playing in theaters. Ant-Man and The Wasp is set for release on July 6, 2018. Captain Marvel will follow it on March 6, 2019, with the untitled Avengers 4 set to tie everything about the Marvel Cinematic Universe into a bow on May 3, 2019.

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