Tony Stark’s Nightmares Come True & More Revelations From Avengers: Infinity War‘s Extras

Ever since 2012’s The Avengers revolutionized the superhero genre on screen, we haven’t been able to get enough of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After 10 years, it all culminated in Avengers: Infinity War, a cinematic spectacle like no other, providing incredible emotional payoff (even if that payoff turned out to be absolutely brutal) for everyone who has been on the journey with these characters. With the release of Infinity War‘s digital download, we have all kinds of cool stuff to share with you. We’ve already discussed that deleted scene between Thanos and Gamora, the new bonus trailer complete with bloopers, and some of the initial revelations we found when we first sat down to watch all the bonus material. Here’s another round of revelations from Infinity War‘s home release:

• Executive Producer Victoria Alonso said there were 2,900 visual effects shots in the film. These included the huge amount of work done on super villain Thanos, specifically his face, to make sure his emotion, and his lunacy, were not only seen by viewers but also felt.
• The fictional African nation of Wakanda, the home of Black Panther and a major setting in Infinity War, was built on a big ranch in Georgia. To build the river seen on screen, the art department, run by production designer Charles Wood, “carved an artificial river” and pumped water through it at 30,000 gallons per minute. What’s more, the Russo Brothers worked with Black Panther writer/director Ryan Coogler and his production team to use their maps of Wakanda to craft the epic battle.
• The Thanos “snap” scene wasn’t known by the cast until the morning of the shoot so as to keep the plot close to the vest and prevent any leaks or spoilers.
• The film had 6,000 people in its crew and more than 30 lead actors and actresses.
• In the battle between Thanos and Doctor Strange, everything in the scene is computer generated imagery, except for Doctor Strange himself. It was originally twice as long as what we saw in the film. 
• Kenneth Branagh, director of Thor and most recently Murder on the Orient Express, gives the distress call at the beginning of the film.
• The Thanos vs Iron Man fight was arguably the longest gestating battle in MCU history. It was the very conflict that Tony Stark has had nightmares about for the last six years, the one he’s always somehow known was coming.
• Wong’s now deathless line, “I wouldn’t say no to a tuna melt,” was in the screenplay from the first draft to final copy.
• The directors and writers joke about the scene in which Spider-Man’s arm hairs stand up by saying they got the effect from “gently blowing on Tom [Holland]’s ears.”
• The film’s plot spans no more than two days.
• In an early test screening, an audience member yelled out “Space Dogs” at the Outriders, the army Thanos sends to Wakanda for the battle, so the filmmakers made Rocket Racoon call them “Space Dogs” in the film.
• When they shot Vision and the Black Order’s Wakanda battle scene, it was 90 degrees outside with 90% humidity.

There’s a lot more to learn, but we figured we should leave at least some of the good stuff for you to find.

Avengers: Infinity War is out on digital download now, and comes out on Blu-Ray on August 14. Avengers 4 opens on May 3, 2019.

Featured image: Marvel Studios’ AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR..Thanos (Josh Brolin). Photo: Film Frame. ©Marvel Studios 2018