Avengers: Infinity War - 9 Reasons It's The Most Important Marvel Movie Yet

6. It's Cosmic Marvel Fully Realised

The cosmic corners of the Marvel Universe have been well broached by the MCU since Guardians of the Galaxy premiered in 2014, but the high-concept and high-stakes nature didn't seem to follow through with it. Guardians certainly managed to fill a sci-fi niche, particularly in its initial exploration of the Kree and Thanos' daughters Gamora and Nebula, but it just wasn't the full thing.

With Infinity War, all of the high-concept action, drama and theory of Marvel's cosmic self are fully explored. Doctor Strange once again leads the way with a series of grandiose spells, culminating in his one-on-one encounter with the Mad Titan, and Thanos himself steals the show with his use of the Infinity Gauntlet, first to bend reality, and then - in the film's most devastating twist - to alter time.

It's Marvel at its boldest, and the results are suitably destructive. How the MCU recovers from it all remains to be seen, but what's important is that the film lays bare just how horrifying these stories can be, especially with a villain as convincing as the Mad Titan.