Flickering Myth

Geek Culture | Movies, TV, Comic Books & Video Games

Why are people crying at the end of Avengers: Infinity War?

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Anghus Houvouras on the end of Avengers: Infinity War (spoilers in the house)…

Avengers: Infinity War is a massive, worldwide, expectation-exceeding box office busting phenomenon that has managed to capitalize on 10 years of world building. All the success is a victory lap for what Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios have accomplished. This is well-earned success with barely a negative side to mention.

That is until the fans chimed in.

There were all sorts of reactions to the movie, especially the ending. I sat in a theater opening night having a good chuckle watching all the gaping jaws and blank expressions when the grim reality of what had happened set in. I was chuckling because I pretty much guessed where the first film would end when they originally announced the film as ‘Infinity War Part I & II‘. It was an educated guess, mind you, having read the comics.

Apparently I overestimated ‘everyone’. In spite of knowing how it was going to end, I still marveled at the emotional impact of watching beloved characters slowly turning to ash and scattering to the wind. I have no problem believing people were shocked at the ending or that there was a strong emotional reaction to the ending, but then things got… weird. Emotional, hyperbolic episodes that ranges from simple tears…

To complete breakdowns.

My initial reaction ranged somewhere between incredulity and utter contempt. The fact that people were brought to tears by the ending of Infinity War felt… kind of pitiful. Not everyone mind you. Children 13 and under could certainly be forgiven for getting teary eyed after watching the heroes they had grown up with get donkey punched by Thanos. Much like my generation while watching The Empire Strikes Back, watching our heroes suffering a defeat and facing an uncertain future with a gripping cliffhanger can stir the emotions. I don’t recall crying at the end of Empire Strikes Back, but I remember the horrible feeling of realizing that the good guys don’t always win. I do remember crying my eyes out when my Mom took me to see Terms of Endearment, which might be one of the five most traumatic moments of my childhood.

You would expect a kid to be absolutely gobsmacked by watching Peter Parker pleading with Tony Stark “I don’t want to go”. But adults? Grown ass people who understand that this is a fictional story with extremely temporary stakes? I’m not sure I can muster anything but pity.

I say ‘temporary’ because we all know Spider-Man is coming back. No matter how good Tom Holland’s performance is, the vast majority of intelligent adults know that this isn’t the end for the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Even if you’re not aware that a sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming is already in pre-production, surely most sensible adults would realize they’re not going to permanently delete one of their most popular characters? Of course not.

Some would refer to this kind of emotional outburst as being ‘caught up in the moment’. For me, it sounds more like what Dave Chapelle describes as ‘fragile spirits’. Some people get very caught up in the predicaments of fictional characters. I remember frequent conversations with people who were driven to strong emotional reactions when reading the Harry Potter books. Moments like the death of Dumbledore, Sirius Black or Severus Snape caused tears for readers of all ages. The connecting argument here being that, like the Harry Potter books, there is an investment made by the audience.

One person I’m familiar with said “I’ve spent more time with these characters than some members of my family.”

I realize this is exaggerated for comic effect. Though this opens up a whole new can of worms. The idea that people become more emotionally invested in fictional characters than the actual people in their lives. This is the trigger for my pity. People will shed tears for the fictional Black Panther being temporarily ‘killed’ but don’t feel a thing when their hear about genocide.

I would also like to poke holes in the Harry Potter comparison, because at least you could argue the characters in Harry Potter were finite. J.K. Rowling was smart enough to realize that death has almost no impact in fiction when it can be reversed with the snap of a finger.

And this is where the vast majority of people will cry foul and call me a judgmental prick for feeling pity for grown adults who emotionally are more invested in Wakanda than Myanmar. Movies are entertainment and escapism. To equate them to real life events doesn’t feel fair. And that’s exactly my point. Grown ass adult people are more invested in the war for the Infinity Stones than they are the war in Syria.

So, yes. When I hear you were driven to tears by Infinity War, I’m judging you. I read your comments and feel pity. I wonder how fragile your spirit is that you can be driven to tears over the loss of someone who doesn’t exist and will be fictionally existing again sometime in 2019. If you’re more invested in the characters of the Marvel Cinematic Universe than members of your own family, perhaps a re-evaluation of your priorities are in order. Certainly the idea that anyone is more invested in a movie, franchise, video game, musical artist or book series than the actual people in your lives is something that leads me to believe that people are taking their entertainment a little too seriously. These are works of fiction designed to enhance your life, not become a replacement for real life emotional connections and empathy.

Let me emphasize the word ‘too’. Like everything else, there’s a spectrum here. I’m not throwing shade on anyone who feels stirred by works of fiction. Merely cringing at those who have elevated it to a ridiculous range of outbursts and hyperbole. As I’m writing this, Twitter is currently exploding with people freaking out over a twist in the show Steven Universe. A kids show with remarkable depth. However, I woke up this morning seeing comments from grown-ass adults like this:

If you’re still hurting from the ending of Infinity War, it’s possible that your fandom has become a liability to your fragile existence.

Anghus Houvouras

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