Now that Avengers: Infinity War has been out for more than a week, it seems like a comfortable amount of time to examine some of the deeper aspects of the film. While the movie is certainly an action-packed adventure, it delves into some serious life dilemmas. One of the prominent themes of the film deals with the relationship between love and sacrifice. Specifically, the movie brings up the question: Is the object of one person’s love more important, or should one be willing to sacrifice for the greater good of the larger population? Many of the characters in Infinity War must deal with their own choice between love and sacrifice.

Tony Stark

First of all, let’s take a look at Tony Stark’s arc in the film. At the beginning of the film, we find out that Stark is going to be a daddy (Awww!). This sets us up for the emotional impact and significance of the decision Stark will soon make. His choice probably wouldn’t be as impactful if we didn’t have this extra bit of emotional connection added in. When Ebony Maw abducts Dr. Strange and the Time Stone, Stark (in typically Tony Stark fashion) instinctively shoots off after the spaceship carrying Strange away.

While this is a typical response from Tony, a short phone conversation with Pepper reminds us of the deeper implications into Tony’s actions. Tony isn’t only leaving Pepper behind, he’s leaving his unborn child behind. Pepper begs Tony to come back, but we know he’s not going to listen. Tony has to make a choice: fight and leave his family behind or leave and risk universal destruction. This would have been a no-brainer for the Tony Stark in the first Iron Man film, but the more mature Stark is faced with the reality that he may very well never see his love again nor meet his unborn child. The pain of the decision is apparent on his face, especially when he loses the connection and doesn’t even get to say goodbye, but he powers through anyway. For Tony, risking his life to save the planet outweighs the safety and security of a quite life with his loved ones. For him, the sacrifice is a necessary one.

Peter Parker

Speaking of Tony Stark, his young protege, Spiderman, is able to make this decision more easily as he is not tied down by a relationship. In the same sequence, Spiderman ends up on Ebony Maw’s ship with Stark as well. Spiderman is actually the first on the ship, but Iron Man delivers the Iron Spider suit to him, which is supposed to parachute him back safely to Earth. Unfortunately, Spidey’s new suit is so intuitive that it acts on Spiderman’s instincts and attaches to the outside of the ship. It’s interesting that Parker’s arc happens instinctively. Peter Parker is an intuitive character, which is highlighted by his Spider Sense, so his actions are not even thought based many times. He simply acts on his instincts and ends up in a spaceship flying to Titan.

After entering the ship, he joins up with Stark and naturally gets a tongue lashing from his mentor. Parker’s response, however, is simple: “What good is being a friendly neighborhood Spiderman when there’s no neighborhood?” Peter’s love for his neighborhood, his city, his world is so powerful and so ingrained in his DNA that he can’t be pushed away from the fight. Even when he is pushed away, his love instinctively draws him back to the fight, no matter how dangerous it may be.

Dr. Strange

To round out the spaceship trio, Dr. Strange brings in his own brand of love and sacrifice. Strange makes it clear to Stark right away that his only goal is to protect the Time Stone, even if it means sacrificing Iron Man or Spiderman in the process. He makes this very clear in his conversation with Stark when he explains, “If it comes to you, or the boy, and the Time Stone, I will not hesitate to choose the Stone.” Strange’s allegiance lies solely with the Time Stone and the cosmic protection of the Earth. In his eyes, there is no sacrifice too large in order to maintain the cosmic defenses of earth. Interesting when you compared it to Thanos’s rationale for his own actions.

Then comes the ironic twist. Thanos is on the verge of killing Iron Man and demands the Time Stone, and Strange gives it to him. No questions asked. No fighting back. No negotiating. This is, of course, after Strange sees an endless number of outcomes with only one victory, so his change of heart is more than likely linked to that one victory. Let’s be real, Strange didn’t give up the Time Stone because he cares about Tony Stark. The more likely reason is because the ultimate victory for the Avengers requires things to happen exactly as they are. Again, it’s his love for humanity that forces him to sacrifice the object he’s sworn to protect above all else. It’s the end game that’s his concern.

Scarlet Witch and Vision

It’s not only the individual characters that have to sacrifice in the film but also the couples. Scarlet Witch and Vision are the first obvious choice. The relationship aspect adds a little depth to the subject of love and sacrifice because it juxtaposes two differing opinions. It’s clear that Thanos is after the Mind Stone in Vision’s head, so Vision decides that the stone must be destroyed, even though it will cost him his life. Wanda refuses to let the stone be destroyed (as does Captain America) because she simply doesn’t want to sacrifice him. In fact, much of the plot of the movie centers around trying to find a way to remove the stone from Vision without destroying it or him. Wanda can’t let go of Vision while Vision has accepted the necessary sacrifice. Wanda’s refusal to make that sacrifice eventually allows Thanos to get the Mind Stone and complete the Infinity Gauntlet.

Ironically, Wanda’s power is the only power that can destroy the stone, so the decision is left solely to her. Because of Wanda’s initial refusal to sacrifice her love, the rest of the universe is put into jeopardy. Of course, when she does finally come around and decide to destroy the Mind Stone, it’s too late. Vision dies anyway when Thanos rips it from his forehead, and Wanda has to live with the fact that her hesitation has allowed the Mind Stone to fall into his hands and produces a negative consequence.

Star-lord and Gamora

Just like Scarlet Witch and Vision, Star-lord and Gamora are put into a no-win situation. Gamora is connected with the Soul Stone, which is hinted at from the beginning. Similar to what Vision does with Wanda, Gamora demands that Star-lord kill her should Thanos get hold of her. Star-lord obviously doesn’t want to do this because of his love for her and initially refuses. What he doesn’t understand is that Gamora knows the location of the Soul Stone, so by dying, she ensures that Thanos never learns where the Soul Stone is. Gamora understands that her death will keep the universe safe, and she’s willing to sacrifice herself in order to make that happen. Unfortunately, Star-lord doesn’t see it that way. Again, when he finally comes around to her way of thinking, it’s too late as Thanos makes humorous use of the Reality Stone on Star-lord’s gun, turning his ammunition into bubbles and preventing him from killing Gamora.

An interesting pattern emerges from all of these examples. Everyone who stands to suffer or die in order to protect the earth has made peace with it. Iron Man, Spiderman, Vision, and Gamora are all okay with sacrificing their own lives to protect the ones they love. It’s those getting left behind, Scarlet Witch and Star-lord, who cannot accept the sacrifice. Martyrs often seem to be more okay with their deaths than the survivors do. But they’ve made their peace with their fate and are ready to accept it. And that brings us to the big man himself.

Thanos

Thanos is a culmination of all of these character arcs. In a way, Thanos is the future version of the survivors of this war. He has already experienced the dilemma that the Avengers are presented with in the story. When his home planet was threatened with desolation because of a lack of resources, Thanos is the one who comes up with a plan to ensure the survival of his race: randomly killing half of the population. Obviously, that’s not a solution that anyone is willing to accept, and he is labeled as mad. Thanos folds, and his race is destroyed, leaving Thanos as its sole survivor as far as we know. He vows to never let it happen again to any other planet, so he sets out to gather the Infinity Stones in order fulfill his destiny. So, Thanos has already had to make this decision, and, like Scarlet Witch and Star-lord, he refused. Because of that, he has suffered regret ever since.

Thanos’s dilemma isn’t over, though. The most difficult part that Thanos has to deal with is the sacrifice he has to make to get the Soul Stone. To obtain the Soul Stone, Thanos must sacrifice the thing that he loves the most, Gamora. You wouldn’t think Marvel’s biggest baddy would have a difficult time sacrificing a single life, yet he falters when he realizes what he must do. And even though it’s one of the toughest decisions he’s had to make, he does it. He tosses her off the mountaintop and receives the Soul Stone in return. While this may seem callous initially, his reasoning behind the decision adds more depth to his dilemma. During his vacillation, Thanos comments, “I ignored my destiny once. I cannot do that again.” In that statement, we can hear the pain of someone who chose to forego the sacrifice and has regretted it since. The weight seems almost more than he can bear. The pain of the loss is amplified further when Thanos encounters a young Gamora in the Soul Stone dimension who asks him if he did it and what it cost. Thanos’s response: “Everything.”

The Hardest Choices, The Strongest Will

Summed up in Thanos’s conversation with Dr. Strange: “The hardest choices require the strongest will.” Without the setup of the Avengers characters, Thanos’s arc loses its effectiveness.

All in all, this idea of the juxtaposition of love and sacrifice plays out through the characters’ actions and decisions, revealing that sometimes sacrifice is necessary for the greater good. All of this could be summed up with Thanos’s statement to Dr. Strange: “The hardest choices require the strongest will.” Without the parallels of the Avengers and their own personal dilemmas, Thanos’s own struggle may seemed far fetched, but in reality, his struggle and his history are echoed by the smaller parallels in each of the other characters. The characters who cling to love and refuse to sacrifice mirror the Thanos from Titan who lost everything, and they are forced to make the sacrifice anyway with the end result being disaster. Those who choose the option of sacrifice still meet with disaster, but they carry a peace with them rather than regret, just like Thanos sitting in peace watching the sun set.