Russos Say Infinity War is Funnier Than Captain America Sequels

Directors Joe and Anthony Russo confirm that Avengers: Infinity War is funnier than the Captain America sequels - which they also both helmed. Their third time collaborating with writers Stephen Markus and Christopher McFeely, the directing duo were tasked to cap off 10 years' worth of MCU narrative in Avengers 3 and Avengers 4.

A week before Infinity War's theatrical debut, the cast and crew are hard at work promoting the film all over the world, while a stream of TV spots continue to roll out giving fans different looks at the much-anticipated movie. Intriguingly, while the first trailer for Avengers 3 had a very serious tone, the second full preview, as well as the subsequent promos (Star-Lord mocks Thor & Teenage Groot's having an attitude), have had more humor in them which is quite jarring at first given what the predicament is. Now, the movie's directors confirm that the Infinity War is indeed funnier than their previous Marvel films, but they have a good reason why.

During their chat with BBC Radio Scotland's The Afternoon Show (via We Got This Covered) while doing the press rounds for Infinity War, the Russos addressed the tone of the film considering that they're bringing together several Marvel sub-franchises, each with their own vibe. Joe reveals that the upcoming epic blockbuster has more humor than Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War - an interesting detail considering how high the stakes are in Avengers 3. The elder Russo brother explains:

"I think that tone is an under-appreciated aspect of filmmaking. In fact, one of the most critical aspects is managing tone, and this film in particular, when egos like this clash between these superheroes there’s bound to be humor. A lot of the characters in this universe diffuse tension with humor, so we knew the movie was going to be very funny. It’s very different than Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War in that regard because the tone of Cap movies is a little bit more serious. Cap is a little more straight-laced and intense, and the world he was in both of those movies required he behave that way.

And in this film, you’ve got a lot of ya know really unique personalities clashing so we knew we were going to lean into the humor. The way that we balance it in the script phase and on set with the actors is we do a lot of improvisation.

We have a lot of very funny people on the set, so typically we wait for the first take or two we’ll have them stick to script and then we let them go off script and probably shoot five or six more takes off script, and then you get in the edit room with all that footage and you spend hours and hours combing through it until you find the right combination that balances the tone and gets the humor across but keeps the stakes moving forward.”

Thor and the Guardians of the Galaxy in Avengers Infinity War

For all of MCU's successes, one common gripe some viewers have with their movies is that everything is always punctuated with funny quips and one-liners. And while humor isn't necessarily bad, sometimes incorporating too many jokes in a scene could undermine the seriousness of the situation and give the impression that stakes aren't really high for the superheroes. However, as the Joe pointed out, considering the roster of funny characters in the film, it would be odd to see Star-Lord or Spider-Man not have some funny banter or Stark and Strange not engaged in a snarky back-and-forth. And if anything, Marvel has proved over time that they always nail the characterization of their key players, so fans can expect that this will continue in the twin Avengers sequels.

Overall, balance is the key. Because while the stakes are definitely high in Avengers: Infinity War, people are also going to see the film to have a great time and it would be a bummer if the blockbuster is dark and serious all the way through. People are already emotionally invested in these characters that the Russos don't have to set a somber mood for fans to feel for them when Thanos arrives and starts wreaking havoc.