For die-hard Marvel Studios fans, revisiting Thanos' chilling snap in Avengers: Infinity War sounds like the perfect way to ring in the New Year. As the epic conclusions to the MCU's Infinity Saga, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame saw Earth's Mightiest Heroes embark on their greatest battle yet, against the almost unbeatable Mad Titan Thanos, equipped with the power of all six Infinity Stones. As two of the highest-grossing films of all time, Infinity War and Endgame set a high standard for comic book movie adaptations, jam-packed with exciting action and intelligent humor as the MCU's heroes are put to the test.
The Infinity Stones were used together a total of three times in the MCU's Infinity Saga. After Thanos completed his mission in Avengers: Infinity War, collecting all six stones, he snapped his fingers and wiped out half the population of the universe, including several of the MCU's heroes, in one tragic blow. In the 2019 sequel, the remaining Avengers embarked on the Time Heist, collecting the Infinity Stones from MCU history, which concluded with Smart Hulk snapping his fingers to reverse Thanos' devastation. Avengers: Endgame also saw Tony Stark, a.k.a. Iron Man, use the Infinity Stones, eliminating Thanos and his army from existence at the cost of his own life.
How To Time Each MCU Snap With The New Year
Avengers: Infinity War set a new standard for superhero films, clocking it at almost two-and-a-half hours long, and featured some of the MCU's most dramatic scenes as all the franchise's heroes banded together against Thanos. Infinity War ended with Earth's Mightiest Heroes losing their battle in the most catastrophic way, as Thanos snapped his fingers and accomplished his goal. To see in the New Year with Thanos' devastating snap, viewers should start playing Avengers: Infinity War at exactly 9:48:54pm. The first moments of the New Year will be spent seeing Thanos' conversation with the young Gamora in the Soul Realm and seeing some beloved heroes turn to dust.
Set five years after Thanos' attack on the universe, Avengers: Endgame saw the remaining heroes still reeling from their failure, though Ant-Man's return from the Quantum Realm provided them with a means to finally save the day. After embarking on the Time Heist and collecting the six Infinity Stones for themselves, the Avengers design a new Infinity Gauntlet, and prepare to snap their own fingers to bring everybody back. The onus falls on Smart Hulk due to his resistance to gamma radiation, so if Avengers: Endgame is started at exactly 9:58:37pm, Bruce Banner will bring back Thanos' victims to see in the New Year on a more hopeful note.
After Thanos' victims were brought back, the Avengers found themselves under immediate attack from the 2014 variant of Thanos and his army, destroying Avengers HQ and leaving the heroes scattered. However, with all the MCU's heroes joining the fight in that emotional "Avengers assemble" moment, Thanos didn't stand a chance. When Tony Stark, a.k.a. Iron Man, finally got his hands on the Infinity Stones, he snapped Thanos and his army out of existence, and this moment can be enjoyed to see in the New Year if Avengers: Endgame is started at exactly 9:29:31pm. This does mean, however, that the New Year will be brought in with Iron Man's emotional death.
Since the release of 2008's Iron Man, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has provided some of the most intense, crowd-pleasing, and exciting moments in recent cinema history. Marvel Studios has created a magical universe (now multiverse) full-to-bursting with interesting and realistic characters that many audiences can see themselves in. While the MCU can be enjoyed as one monumental storyline, rewatching Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame at these particular times will allow audiences to see in the New Year with some of the most dramatic and memorable moments in the franchise.