Ten years in the making, Avengers: Infinity War is the culmination of all of Marvel's
awesome efforts on the big screen, marking the end of many things… and very likely
the beginning of even more things.
And even though Infinity War is pretty focused on the here and now rather than the deeper
secrets hidden within the pages of Marvel Comics, this movie didn't disappoint True
Believers.
In fact, its many true-to-comics scenes and unexpected callbacks stole the show.
Here's a spoiler-filled look at a few of the Easter eggs you may have missed in Avengers:
Infinity War.
And one more time, in case you missed it: massive spoilers ahead.
"Mantis! Look out!"
The Mark L
Tony Stark is probably a few hundred armors deep when it comes to his comics counterpart,
but in the MCU, he's just reached armor number 50: the Mark L. This time around, he's dropped
the complicated suit-up gantry, the fancy suitcase, and even the legion of armors that
can just fly around and protect him from his enemies.
Tony's newest armor, which he wears in a small box on his chest, is all about portability
and convenience, and it's pulled directly from a couple of comics sources.
Iron Man's S.K.I.N. armor debuted in 2001, and was mostly housed in a small, self-contained
unit that could release a simple, liquefied form of his suit around his whole body instantly.
Later, Iron Man's Bleeding Edge armor would do something similar, except it formed a complete
suit of armor… and it was housed in the hollows of Tony's bones, rather than in an
oversized locket.
Kind of gross, but anything to not have to wear gaudy, glowing jewelry, right?
A few extra legs
We've been seeing previews of Spider-Man in his fancy new "Iron Spider" armor for months
now, after he'd first rejected it at the end of Spider-Man Homecoming.
It's not too far into the movie before he gets his first feel for the slick new suit,
and immediately stows away on the trip to Titan, much to Tony's annoyance.
But unless you caught one very specific statue design that was leaked way too early, nobody
really expected the suit to sprout a bunch of extra legs and save the day.
That is, unless you're familiar with the Iron Spider armor in the comics, which has that
exact feature.
While it initially seemed too outlandish for the big screen, those extra appendages definitely
came in handy.
And when Iron Man can combine his feet to make one giant rocket-foot, a couple of extra
spider-legs isn't really that weird anymore.
Stormbreaker
Rest in pieces, Mjolnir.
It was pretty much inevitable that the guy known for swinging a mystical weapon would
end up getting his hands on another one pretty quickly after his iconic hammer was destroyed
in Ragnarok.
"Hammer?"
It was quite unique. It was made from this special metal from the heart of a dying star and
when I spun it around really really fast it gave me the ability to fly.
You flew a hammer?"
Thor's new accessory goes by the name of Stormbreaker.
Loyal comics readers, of course, know that name's already been taken by Beta Ray Bill's
weapon, marking the second time that the powerful, Thor-like space-horse has been referenced
in the MCU.
Bill is probably out there in the galaxy somewhere, assuming he wasn't reduced to dust in Thanos'
great culling of the universe, anyway, and Stormbreaker is ready for his arrival.
Can his first full Marvel Cinematic Universe appearance be too far behind?
Fear Itself
Speaking of Asgardian allies, Thor seems to have pals everywhere.
"Daryl is an average sorta everyday guy, so it works out well."
Marvel is once again borrowing parts of their own previously published comics for their
blockbuster movies, having previously made significant tweaks to Civil War and Planet
Hulk to get them to the big screen.
This time, Fear Itself plays a minor role.
Sure, in Fear Itself, it was Tony Stark visiting the cosmic dwarves to make weapons for the
Avengers to fight the Serpent… but the general idea is the same: Thor visits the dwarf Eitri
to get a new, Thanos-smashing weapon, for better or worse.
Mostly worse.
A tour of the galaxy
Nidavellir and Vormir aren't just really confusing crossword puzzle
answers, they're actual places in the Marvel Comics universe.
The Asgardian arm of Marvel is pretty much just a wild riff on actual Norse mythology
with slightly more preposterous muscles, so Nidavellir has real sources in actual historical
documents dating back to the year 1270, which place it as the home of the dwarves.
No big questions there; Marvel just uses it pretty much like they found it.
Vormir, on the other hand, has never been that important in Marvel continuity.
In the comics, it's the home of a bunch of 16-foot tall, dragon-like aliens who feed
on planets.
When Thanos and Gamora arrive there in Infinity War looking for the Soul Stone, there aren't
any dragons to be found.
There really isn't much of anything.
The significance ends there; it's just a pearl buried deep, deep in Avengers lore.
But what they did find on Vormir is even more surprising than what they didn't…
Return of the Skull
In a move almost nobody saw coming, First Avenger villain Red Skull re-appeared in the
MCU as the cosmic guardian of the Soul Stone, having paid the ultimate price for his search
for cosmic power.
He's never actually referred to as Red Skull, but he speaks of his quest for the Stones
and how it led him to his imprisonment on Vormir.
Also, he has a red skull.
It's pretty obvious.
Fans familiar with Thanos' comic book quest to make the physical embodiment of Death fall
in love with him probably also noticed the similarities between Red Skull's new all-black,
ghoulish form and Marvel's personification of Death.
It's a great twist on Thanos' comic relationships, and seeing it play out like this here pretty
much guarantees we'll never have to see a Thanos/Death makeout scene.
Everyone wins.
Cut to ribbons
Thanos' deal is generally much more about destruction than creation, but that doesn't
mean he's not one heck of a creative guy, defusing situations by turning laser blasts
into bubbles and building giant altars to girls who don't like him.
In an effort to show off for Death during Infinity Gauntlet, Thanos turns Nebula into
an unraveling ribbon, and his own brother Starfox into a disjointed stack of blocks.
The details are a little different in the movie, but he does the same thing to Mantis
and Drax on Knowwhere.
The sentiment is there, however: Thanos is powerful, weird, and ready to turn anyone
into crafting materials at a moment's notice.
Morgan Stark
When you're a superhero, there's a 95 percent chance that your relatives will either be
other superheroes or villains that you'll one day have to face.
Even when you're apparently adopted, like Tony Stark, your secret brothers and cousins
will come along and derail your life.
Such is the case with Morgan Stark, Tony's rarely-mentioned cousin.
Morgan is an occasional hassle to Tony, a guy involved in mob business who sometimes
attempts to take over Stark Industries with his super-team, the Stockpile.
And like Iron Man, he throws on a high-tech costume, but calls himself Brass.
When you name yourself after the metal that tubas are made from, you're already off to
a pretty crappy start.
So, while it seems like Tony doesn't even really have any extended family to worry about
in the MCU, it's just a little alarming that Tony wants to name his unborn kid Morgan.
It's just a little like Batman naming his kid "Joker."
Don't do it.
Cauldron of the Cosmos
Doctor Strange introduced audiences to an array of what the mystical side of the MCU
might have to offer: living capes, the Eye of Agamotto, and the Wand of Watoomb are among
the treasures housed in the New York Sanctum.
Infinity War also confirms the presence of the Cauldron of the Cosmos:
"He can destroy life on a scale hitherto undreamt of?"
"Did you seriously just say 'hitherto undreamt of?'"
"Are you seriously leaning on the Cauldron of the Cosmos?"
"Is that what that is?"
The cauldron is basically Dr. Strange's time TV, allowing him to see into whatever era
he wants to muck around in.
In Marvel Team-Up #112, he uses it to check out a scene 20,000 years in the past, so it
doesn't really seem to have any limits.
Why he keeps it as a decoration in his stairwell is anyone's guess, but he's obviously not
happy when Tony Stark uses it to lean on.
And while it's not 100 percent confirmed, those bright red magical ropes that Dr. Strange
was using to restrain Thanos on Titan sure looked like the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak,
one of Strange's most iconic incantations.
Nevernude
Infinity War was directed by the Russo brothers, whose previous credits include directing multiple
episodes of the cult hit comedy show Arrested Development.
The bros hid one of Arrested Development's iconic vehicles, the stair car, in the airport
battle scene in Civil War.
They're back again with the Easter eggs, this time dropping one of the show's actual characters
into the Collector's assemblage of treasures.
It's a weirdly complicated reference, but if you check out the Collector's cases just
as the scene begins, you'll spot a bald, blue man in cutoff shorts lounging in the background.
Look familiar?
"You haven't auditioned yet?"
"Oh no, no, no I'm not in the group yet.
I'm afraid I just blue myself."
It's absolutely ridiculous, but we can see why the Collector would want him for his collection.
He's one of a kind.
Stan the Man
We're still not completely sure if Marvel Comics mastermind Stan Lee is the MCU's mailman,
security guard, cosmic watcher, or what… but we do know that in the case of Infinity
War, he's a bus driver for a bunch of punk kids.
The film gets Stan's cameo out of the way super early, just as Peter Parker's senses
get all tingly about the approaching donut of doom.
A Marvel-ous ending
Infinity War skips the mid-credits scene, pretty much because there's nothing left to
say after Thanos does his Thanos thing and turns half of the universe's living creatures
into frosted flakes.
But in the film's post-credits scene, Nick Fury puts out a last-second SOS to a mysterious
person who'll definitely have a huge role in the Avengers sequel.
It may not be obvious to anyone who isn't up on their superhero iconography, but it's
a teaser for the upcoming Captain Marvel movie, scheduled for a 2019 release date.
Captain Marvel stars Brie Larson as Carol Danvers, a pilot who gets incredible abilities.
We're talking Thor levels of power, or maybe more.
No wonder MODOK develops a massive crush on her.
Also, can we finally get MODOK in the MCU, please?
"Tis some kind of that is a very big head!"
Thanks for watching!
Click the Looper icon to subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Plus check out all this cool stuff we know you'll love, too!