“Kick names, take ass.”-Mantis, Avengers: Infinity War
Avengers: Infinity War was a triumph in so many ways. The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has gone strong for over 10 years now. The studio managed to create several different characters that we actually care about, and most of those characters came together in one movie and it worked. Literally, nothing can stop the Marvel success train.
While I loved seeing my favorite characters on-screen bickering and bantering and being full-on bad-ass together, It was obvious that Thanos stole the show. Marvel managed to create what I believe is their first truly formidable villain who put all of our favorite characters on the defense for the entirety of the movie. It was clear from the very first scene that our heroes were going to have a hard time.
I was completely entranced by the full-on desperation that was this film. Mainly because the Avengers, while they’ve been put under pressure before, (as of with the events of Captain America: Civil War) have never been in a situation where they so desperately need to win. The stakes were higher than they have ever been and I’ve been thinking about how Marvel created this air of do-or-die within the movie and how I can replicate that in my future narratives.
So here we go. Here’s how you can create a high-stakes story:
1. Start out with a bang
As I stated before, Infinity War was Thanos’ film. In order to create high stakes, the writers needed to establish Thanos as a terrifying villain. To do this, the filmmakers knew they needed to show from the very first scene that Thanos meant business and boy, did they.
Infinity War begins with a distress call before the opening credits even stop rolling. The shot opens and we see an Asgardian ship in shambles, and the last members of Thor’s home dead. Thor himself, arguably the strongest Avenger, is on the ground writhing. Big bad Loki is visibly terrified and gets his neck snapped like a twig while the Hulk is brought to his knees by Thanos in hand to hand combat. And poor Heimdall, one of Thor’s closest comrades, is basically skewered.
This entire first scene had me clutching my chest to make sure my heart was still working. By the end of the scene, Thanos has two infinity stones, his goons are headed to Earth, Hulk is terrified to re-Hulk, Thor is left floating in space half dead, and Loki is presumed dead.
In order to create a scene that starts out with a bang, don’t hold back. Your main job here is to make us afraid of the villain, if the villain isn’t terrifying, the stakes won’t be high enough. We don’t need to know what he’s all about yet, or his end goal, but we need to know roughly how powerful he is, especially compared to your other characters. Marvel did a magnificent job of setting this up by having Thanos’ first opponents be arguably the most powerful characters in the MCU. Thanos’ strength compared to Thors and the Hulk’s really made an impact. Other questions you should ask yourself is how far is your villain willing to go? Is your villain somewhat compassionate? Does he spare lives? Or is he ruthless? How ruthless?
And most importantly: Where is he headed next? Are your characters prepared for the villain? (hint: the answer should be no). Which brings me to my next point.
2. Put the heroes at a disadvantage
At the start of Infinity War, The Avengers are scattered, broken up and out of sync thanks to the events of Captain America: Civil War. We as the audience know they’re stronger together, so them being apart doesn’t give us much confidence that they can defeat Thanos.
For additional turmoil, some of the Avengers are paired with people they don’t know or necessarily trust (ex. Iron man with Doctor Strange, Iron Man with The Guardians of The Galaxy, and Thor with Rocket and Groot)
The Avengers are also at a disadvantage simply because Thanos already has two infinity stones, which makes him the most powerful being in the universe. Thor specifically is at a disadvantage in the beginning because he doesn’t have his hammer, therefore he can’t really control his powers like he could before. Think about how you can give your villain a head start. Maybe he can simply be more powerful or more knowledgeable. Thanos more or less knows where all the Infinity Stones are which gives him a pretty hefty head start. Maybe your villain understands the underlying conflict of your story more clearly than the heroes do yet, which gives him an advantage.
So ask yourself these questions: How can I put my characters at a disadvantage before the story even begins? How can I make my villain more powerful than my hero(es)? How can I create conflict/distrust between the heroes?
3. Don’t give your characters time to breathe
A part of what created the high stakes in Infinity War was the fast pace. Thanos was traveling from planet to planet collecting Infinity Stones like his life depended on it. He had an urgent agenda and our heroes needed to match that with the same urgency to stop him.
The first movie that comes to mind with a similar urgency is 1994’s Speed. The characters were on edge most of the movie because if the city bus they are riding decreased its speed below 50 mph, the bomb would go off. Time urgency comes into effect here because the characters can’t drive all day into the night and they also can’t continue to break traffic laws to avoid going under 50 mph. So the heroes are desperate to get all the passengers to safety as quickly as possible without setting off the bomb.
Also, something that adds “speed” to a narrative is when every action is connected to the next. For example, in Infinity War we first see Vision and Wanda in Scotland when they’re attacked. Captain America and the gang show up to save the day and decide they need to go to Wakanda to get the stone out of his body safely and then that’s where Thanos and his children show up again to take the stone. Every decision and every action connected fluidly.
Ask yourself: How can I give my heroes a time limit? How will my scenes or character decisions connect to the next?
4. Add high internal stakes as well as high external stakes
Every great story has high stakes going on outwardly and inwardly. In Infinity War, the overall external stake that everyone is fighting against is universal genocide.
If the Avengers do not win, Thanos will wipe out half of the universe (which he does…ugh…).
The personal stakes differ for each person and some sadly come true:
Thor will lose the remaining Asgardians
Wanda will lose Vision
Tony will lose Pepper and his dream of becoming a father
Peter Quill will lose Gamora
In your own story, establish clearly what you’re characters love and then put that at risk.
Ask yourself: How can I establish early on what my character loves/cares about? What is at personal risk for the characters if they don’t win? What is at risk for the world if they don’t win?
What did you like most about Avengers: Infinity War?
