Iron Man.
Hulk.
Thor.
Cap.
There are countless superheroes in "Avengers: Infinity War".
But which one is the hero?
All these characters are scattered across multiple storylines
and none of them really emerge with a complete arc.
"- We need your help."
But there is one character who got exactly what they were after.
It's none other than...
"- I am...
- Thanos!"
And we follow Thanos through every step
of the typical hero's journey.
The filmmakers didn't actually give Thanos a complete character arc.
Did they?
In this video, we're gonna put it to the test.
I imported the script into StudioBinder
and ran it through the Save The Cat structure.
And the results were surprising.
So is Thanos actually the hero?
"- I am inevitable."
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This question got me thinking
did Thanos really get the full hero treatment in the script?
We often get villains monologuing about what they want.
"- Reality can be whatever I want."
But when I think about it,
I don't remember any other movie
that spent so much time with the villain
on their journey to get it.
How did they do it?
Blake Snyder's "Save The Cat" beat sheet
details 15 critical story beats
that span a three-act structure.
Good structure has a huge effect on how a film is perceived
So let's see how "Infinity War" stacks up
against the beat sheet.
Let's begin with the first beat.
The opening image.
This beat establishes a snapshot of the world
as the story begins
and acts as a counterpoint to the final beat of the story.
In "Infinity War", Thanos attacks the Asgardian ship
in search of the space stone
that'll complete his gauntlet.
This opening image paints a picture of a universe
filled with violence and imbalance.
Death and destruction.
"- Smile.
For even in death,
you have become Children of Thanos."
Take a mental note of the scene.
We'll see how it ties together at the end.
Next comes — the theme stated beat.
This is the moral of your story.
It's the backbone that'll guide them through their journey.
In this case, Thanos himself states it,
revealing his motives.
"- Dread it.
Run from it.
Destiny arrives all the same."
This is the thematic premise in "Infinity War".
Destiny.
"- And now it's here.
Or should I say
I am."
Will Thanos be able to do whatever is necessary
to fulfill his destiny?
With the theme established,
now we set up the main story pieces.
Where we get to know our hero
and why we should root for them.
"- No other being has ever had the might
to wield not one, but two Infinity Stones."
Thanos is determined to possess all six stones.
Why?
So he can initiate a plan to restore balance to the universe.
In the setup, we understand his character once
and on some basic level
empathize with his rationale.
With the setup all done,
we need the catalyst to set the story in motion.
Thanos realizes that two of the Infinity Stones are on Earth.
"- There are two more stones on Earth.
Find them, my children, and bring them to me on Titan."
Pursuing them will act as the main narrative thrust
and eventually, test the thematic premise.
Will Thanos fulfill his destiny?
♪ ♪
After the catalyst comes the debate.
It's a moment, a scene or a sequence
when the hero falls into doubt.
Should they continue on their quest?
Or turn back.
"- You're trespassing in this city and on this planet.
- He means get lost, Squidward.
- Let me just... I need to concentrate here for a second.
Come on, come on, man."
Thanos' Black Order is met with opposition from the Avengers.
It looks like this mission will be more difficult than he thought.
Will Thanos cross the threshold himself?
This is the debate.
If the debate was the question,
this is the answer.
The break into two.
The hero must actively take the step into the fray.
Thanos does this by setting out to obtain the reality stone.
"- I know you have the reality stone, Tivon.
Giving it to me will spare you a great deal of suffering.
- I told you.
I sold it."
By having him actively enter the quest,
Thanos demonstrates that it is indeed
his destiny to wield the stones.
"- Reality can be whatever I want."
What Thanos wants is to attain the Infinity Stones
and fulfill his destiny.
But what does Thanos need?
I found it in the B-Story.
The next beat.
The B-Story is the helper story.
This person might be a love interest.
A mentor.
Or a guide.
Ultimately, they will help the hero
test the theme to see if it holds true.
Remember, the "A-Story" drives the hero to seek what they want.
The Stones.
The B-Story tests what they need.
"- What's wrong, little one?
- My mother.
Where is my mother?"
Thanos' B-Story is provided in a flashback
with his adopted daughter Gamora.
"- What's your name?
- Gamora."
By having Gamora as his B-Story,
Thanos is given the relationship
that will prove just how willing he is
to achieve his destiny.
Which leads us to the next beat.
The fun and games beat.
This is where the hero explores the new world.
Thanos heads to Nowhere
where he's attacked by the Guardians of the Galaxy.
"- Thanos!"
Here he shows us what he can achieve
with his current Infinity Stones.
Fun and games.
Which brings us to this moment.
The midpoint.
It's the part of the story where there is no turning back.
But it's also when the stakes are raised.
Either with a false victory
or defeat.
"- Some time ago,
your sister snuck aboard this ship to kill me.
- Please, don't do this.
- And very nearly succeeded."
And it's often when a time clock is introduced.
"- Where is the Soul Stone?"
A and B-Stories cross
when Gamora reveals the Soul Stones location,
giving Thanos a false victory.
"- Vormir!"
With stakes raised a time clock appears.
Obtain the Stones before The Avengers destroy them.
"- Show me."
Our hero's story isn't over yet.
Now the bad guys close in.
The hero must face the bad guys,
both internal and external.
In doing so, we connect with the hero's tenacity.
"- Where is the Soul Stone.
- You should know...
it extracts at terrible price.
- I am prepared."
Thanos' internal bad guys
surface when he learns he must trade what he loves most
to obtain the Soul Stone.
"- In order to take the Stone,
you must lose that which you love.
- I'm sorry, little one."
Meanwhile, the external bad guys,
these guys,
try to destroy the Mind Stone.
And on Titan, Thanos is ambushed.
Which leads us to the next beat.
All is lost.
The all is lost beat
puts the hero's chances for success at the lowest yet,
forcing the hero to question everything.
For Thanos, this happens when his enemies
attempt to steal the gauntlet.
All is lost when he realizes that if they succeed
his plan will fail.
It would mean this was never his destiny after all.
And Gamora's sacrifice will have been for nothing.
"- Don't engage. We almost got this off!
This beat pressures the hero to question whether their journey
or even their entire existence
is all for nothing.
The next beat is the dreaded, dark knight of the soul.
The hero has lost all hope
and they reflect on the theme.
Again for Thanos, it's destiny.
The hero develops total clarity
that their sacrifices will not be in vain.
When Thanos is freed from the trance,
he's filled with renewed strength.
"- Spare his life
and I will give you the Stone."
And he obtains the Time Stone.
The hero is born again.
With newfound understanding,
the hero is now ready to break into three.
This is the beat where they discover fresh idea
or hatch a new plan.
Whatever it is, they're going all the way.
Now possessing all but one Stone.
"- One to go."
Thanos heads to the battlefield in Wakanda.
"- What?"
To face his enemies
and destroy them without hesitation.
"- He's here."
Which leads us to the next beat.
Finale.
A riveting finale is broken up into five distinct sub-beats.
First, to gather the team
that will storm the castle.
Then execute the plan,
followed by a high tower surprise
where the plan fails
forcing the protagonist to dig deep down
and finally, execute a new plan.
Thanos works through these five sub-beats
facing mounting obstacles as he storms the castle.
"- Eyes up.
- Stay sharp."
The finale not only gives the hero a chance to finish the quest
but also to demonstrate their transformation.
"- It's time. - No.
- They can't stop him, Wanda, but we can.
Look at me.
You have the power to destroy the stone.
- Don't. - You must do it. Wanda, please.
We are out of time.
It's not fair.
It shouldn't be you but it is.
It's all right."
His high tower surprise happens here.
Just as it looks like all is lost again,
he digs deep down to execute a new plan.
Thanos reverses the event
and attains the final stone.
And with his final ounce of strength,
Thanos wins.
"- You should have gone for the head."
"- Where'd he go?
Thor.
- Up!
- Oh, man.
- Tony.
There was no other way.
- Mr. Stark?
I don't want to go.
I don't want to go, sir. Please.
Please, I don't want to go. I don't want to go.
- He did it."
And the thematic premise of the movie is resolved.
Thanos achieves his destiny.
The final beat is the final image.
This beat is the inverse of the opening image
and a snapshot of the world after.
Remember the opening?
Death and destruction.
Have been replaced with peace and balance.
Thanos didn't run from his destiny.
He met it head-on.
And he achieved what he wanted.
But perhaps not what he needed.
Believe it or not, "Infinity War" does something radical.
It gives Thanos, the villain, a complete character arc.
Something normally reserved for the hero.
So is Thanos the hero?
Of course not, he's a total jerk.
But rarely do we see such a complete story arc for a villain.
And that's what makes "Infinity War"
such a great example of screenwriting.
So if you're planning out your story
think about your villain.
Give them the same treatment you do for a hero.
And check out Save The Cat's story structure
to plan everything out really easily.
And when you're ready to write your script,
StudioBinder's screenwriting software is all you need.
It's a snap.
See you in the next one.
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