Infinity War just proves that committing to the characters behind the stories (regardless of how ridiculous they may seem on paper) and long-term investment into shared stories can pay off. But they have to focus on the stories, not just the novelty.
Like this one, as noted, Thanos is a fully formed character. They didn't need to develop any of the heroes so they spent the entire film developing the villain, one who, on paper, sounds ludicrous and overpowered. So they have him exercise restraint. Have empathetic reasons and motives. And ultimately win.
I expected people to die, but I did not expect Thanos to come out victorious. It was a nice change that left me pretty stunned at the end.
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