A: Good morning, Nicole.

B: Good morning, Clark.

A: Nicole, have you ever heard about the MCU, I mean, the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

B: Yeah, absolutely. I also know that Marvel Studio is coming to its heyday with the fourth Avengers movie coming out recently.

A: So, why not reviewing its long history of development in the last ten yours?

B: That’s exactly what I want to do right now. Come on, let’s start chatting! 

A: I remembered that it all started in 2008, when Nick Fury told Tony Stark about the Avengers Initiative. Now ten years has passed and Iron Man hits theaters again in the Avengers: Infinite War, where Earth’s mightiest heroes are set to face their toughest challenge: Thanos the Mad Titan.

B: That’s right. I am looking forward to the Avengers as well. Directed by Joe an Anthony Russo, Avengers: Infinite War will feature at least 76 characters, be Marvel’s longest movie to date, and revolve around six mysterious stones. Well, seven if you count Deadpool’s continuity gem, which they won’t.

A: Actually, I think there is a lot of things you need to know before seeing Avengers: Infinite War.

B: Certainly. Or it will be much boring cause there are too many avengers involved. 

A: And at least we should find out who Thanos is and why he will launch a war against the whole group of superheroes, you know, the avengers . Well, has he gone mad or something, to fight with the strongest people in the universe?

B: It sounds reasonable. Well, the Mad Titan first appeared in the mid-credits scene for The Avengers. Since then, he’s popped up a few other times, but we haven’t really gotten to know the guy. What does he want with Earth’s mightiest heroes? 

A: It seems that we can only get the answer from the comics, where Thanos is a member of the Eternals, a race of genetically-engineered superhumans who colonized Titan, Saturn’s largest moon. Incredibly intelligent, uber-powerful, and born deformed thanks to a mutant gene, Thanos is absolutely obsessed with Death, the actual personification of death. Hoping to win her love Thanos destroys half the universe with the help of the Infinity Gems.

B: To be honest, I don’t know how much of that backstory will play into the film, but it’s clear Thanos means business, and when he comes to complete his rock collection, the Mad Titan might teach the avengers what it’s like to lose. Besides, when Thanos arrives, he seems to always have plenty of backup. You know, the big baddie has a massive extraterrestrial army but he’s also bringing his very own evil supergroup: the Black Order.

 A: Yeah, I know those guys. In the comics, these are Thanos’s top generals and while there are usually five, it looks like we’re only getting four in the movie. By the way, do you know about the Infinity Stones?

B: Of course. As for that, there was only a bit about their history in the MCU, thanks to The Collector. We knew that the six stones had been created since the universe exploded into existence. As a result, these six stones come equipped with devastating powers.

A: Well, let’s break them down. It won’t be hard if we review and list every footage about the Infinite Stones in the Marvel movies that have already been released.

B: Sounds great. The Space Stone, as I know, is a blue gem inside a glowing cube, and it can open portals across the universe. It officially debuted in the Captain America: The First Avenger. 

A: Yeah. And if the Space Stone lives up to its comic book potential, then Thanos might gain the ability of the omnipresence, or being everywhere at once.

B: Then there’s the Mind Stone, which powered Loki’s staff in The Avengers. Although it looks blue there, the Mind Stone is actually yellow and can hypnotize and manipulated its victims. 

A: Then it comes to the Power Stone.Well, it is the purple orb that appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy. It enhances its user’s strength and can waste entire planets. In the comics, it also supercharges the rest of the stones, making them all more powerful.

B: Don’t forget the Time Stone. Green and stored inside a magical locket, it showed up in Doctor Strange and grants its user the ability to reverse time and create time loops.

A: Finally, here comes the most perplexing gem, the Reality Stone. It debuted in Thor: The Dark World as a sentient reg goo, and while we haven’t seen its full powers yet, in the comics it can be used to alter the nature of reality itself.

B: How mysterious! However, there’s actually one rock that we haven’t seen yet, an orange gem known as the Soul Stone. In the comics, this allowed Thanos to control all living souls and resurrect deceased ones.

A: Well done! You know, it occurs to me that we can also try to find out where those stones will be in the Infinite War.

B: I agree. Let’s start with the Time Stone. I remember that Doctor Strange placed it inside the magical compound of Kamar-Taj, and following the events of Thor: The Dark World, the Reality Stone was given to the Collector.

A: And then there’s the Mind Stone, which has been everywhere. In Age of Ultron, the Mind Stone ended up in Vision’s forehead, granting him the ability to fly, shoot lasers, and walk through walls.

B: As for the Soul Stone, nobody knows where it’s hiding. There are plenty of theories being kicked around. Maybe Heimdall has it, maybe it won’t show up until Avengers 4, or maybe Thanos has had it all along.

A: Last but not least, I think we should talk about the Guardians of Galaxy cause finally, I mean finally, the Star-lord and his bond of misfits will meet the Avengers in Infinity War, and really, this battle against Thanos is far more personal for the Guardians than it is for rest of the heroes.

B: Definitely. Nebula and Gamora must hate Thanos like poison. They were adopted by him as kids and forced to turn into super assassins. Nebula has grown up hating Thanos and getting revenge against her stepdad is Nebula’s number one priority. As for Gamora, when Thanos took her homeworld, he killed her parents in front of her. He tortured her, turned her into a weapon.

A: By the way, I think there maybe be also some romantic stories in the Avengers: Infinite War. According to the scenes in its trailer and the Captain America: Civil War, Vision probably has fell in love with Wanda, the Scarlet.

B: Yeah. But frankly, chances are pretty good he won’t make it out of Infinite War alive, considering Thanos wants the Mind Stone, and it’s lodged squarely in Vision’s forehead.

A: Oh, their love story must be dramatically twisted. You know, in an interview with Nerdist, Elizabeth Olsen said her Infinitely War performance is her ‘most emotional arc’ in an Avengers movie.

B: Sounds like she gave the final word already. Actually, it is a love affair that lines up with the comics, and it will be interesting to see how the two pull off this star-crossed affair.

A: They reminds me of the song: Jet Pack Blues by Fall Out Boy. How about listening to that?

B: Great! Let’s play it right now. Please enjoy Jet Pack Blues.

A: Well, there is still a lot about the MCU we haven’t mentioned but I’ m afraid that time is up.

B: What a pity! So everyone, thanks for listening. Please enjoy sake of her by Patrick Bishop.

主播 林齐&许盛峰