How the script for Infinity War changed thanks to James Gunn, Taika Waititi and other MCU directors

It’s a big challenge to pull10 years worth of movies together and tie them into one remarkable screenplay. So for Avengers: Infinity War, that meant getting a lot of input from past directors.

There is no doubt that Avengers: Infinity War was a huge feat to pull off. It’s a movie 10 years in the making, with 18 other movies behind it and supporting the story thus far.

But unlike the DC’s cinematic universe, which heavily relied on Zack Snyder to direct the films, Marvel Studios had a unique arrangement of directors on each of the solo films. It’s a good idea, of course, to allow different characters and their stories room to breathe and develop. Still, with the way the franchise has grown, we can see how this could cause issues once different characters start to interact with each other.

This was masterfully pulled off in the first Avengers movie, which had a relatively low hero-count compared to today. The heroes each interacted with one another in their own styles, but it felt natural. Now with Infinity War, there are a ton of characters entering the arena who come with their own style and flair. It could be overwhelming for one group of writers to tackle and do each character justice in their personification.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Infinity War writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFreely explained their process of making sure each character remained true to who they were in previous movies.

For Thor, Chris Hemsworth made sure that new character changes from Thor: Ragnarok would carry into Infinity War.

“Hemsworth came to set, and went, ‘You guys really need to understand that we are doing something different with Ragnarok,'” McFreely explained. So they flew Ragnarok writer Eric Pearson and director Taika Waititi out to hammer out the changes (no pun intended).

“There are at least a couple of jokes in there Taika himself said in passing that we thought were gold,” McFreely continued. “They showed us a few scenes, so we knew that Thor was being re-toned. And we needed to embrace that.”

As for the Guardians of the Galaxy crew, director James Gunn definitely had input as to how his characters were portrayed. The Guardians really are a ragtag team. There’s a nuance that has to be met in their characters that really only Gunn could provide insight into.

“[Gunn] adjusted one choice in the movie that didn’t really affect how the movie played, but it affected character a little bit,” Markus revealed. “It was a very interesting choice, and first we wavered on it, and then [Guardians star Chris] Pratt backed him up. And we acknowledged, if anyone knows these characters, it’s them.”

McFreely followed up by saying that the whole movie really was a team effort. It wasn’t just Waititi and Gunn who had input on the script. Infinity War received help from Ant-Man director Peyton Reed, Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson and Black Panther director Ryan Coogler.

Logistically, it was a wise choice to receive input in from fellow MCU directors during the whole process. We’d notice of course if the Guardians lacked that certain “charm” they possess. What if T’Challa lost his fearless leader quality? That’s a big no for us.

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Ultimately, it seems like the writers and directors gave it there all to make sure that each character was portrayed accurately. Do you think the characters of Infinity War translated well from their solo films? Or did some appear out of character?