Avengers: Infinity War‘s Oscar-Nominated VFX Supervisor Talks Thanos

*In the run-up to this Sunday’s Oscars telecast, we’re sharing some of our favorite interviews with nominees. 

Avengers: Infinity War, one of the biggest movies in history, found its CGI footing through the collective efforts of 11 different VFX outfits. Visual effects supervisor Kelly Port succinctly sums up the focus for his team at the Los Angeles-based Digital Domain company. Port says, “Basically, all the super depressing scenes were us.”

Watch ILM’s Jaw-Dropping VFX Work on Black Panther & Avengers: Infinity War

One of the most astonishing feats of visual effects this year was the creation of the fictional African nation of Wakanda. Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther introduced us to the high-tech, unconquered and secretive country that T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) is sworn to protect. The look and feel of Wakanda was the work of a huge team of people, including Coogler, production designer Hannah Beachler and costume designer Ruth E.

The Russo Brothers Debunk Fan Theory That Would Save an Avengers Character

Obviously, the biggest shock of Avengers: Infinity War was the mass casualty caused by Thanos’ snap. However, those weren’t the only upsetting deaths of the film. What about heroes who were killed in a more flesh and blood way? We are still holding out hope for the obliterated to be resurrected, but is there hope we can see the others again? Apparently not in at least one case, according to the directors.

Loki (Tom Hiddleston),

Tessa Thompson Just Confirmed Valkryie’s Fate After Infinity War

Valkryie fans, you can breathe now. The fate of Tessa Thompson’s butt-kicking, hard-drinking Asgardian has been a major question in the MCU ever since Thanos snapped half the universe out of existence in Infinity War. We were pretty certain Valkyrie survived the Thanos’ snap, but those were mostly assumptions. Now, we’ve got it from Thompson herself that Valkyrie survived the snap, and probably has a few things she’d like to say (and do) about it:

No,

Avengers: Infinity War VFX Reel Reveals Hulkbuster, Doctor Strange’s Torture Scene & More

There were a lot of bleak moments in Avengers: Infinity War. There was that ending, of course, but that goes without saying. There were a lot of brutal moments leading up to the infamous Thanos snap. One moment, in particular, was watching Ebony Maw torture Doctor Strange. Maw was after the Time Stone that Strange wears around his neck. Thanos’s head goon found out the hard way that you can’t just rip the thing off (Doctor Strange had applied a reasonably robust spell that made that impossible),

See How Avengers: Infinity War‘s Second Scariest Villain was Created

We’ve shared German digital studio RISE’s VFX reel showcasing how they created Avengers: Infinity War‘s devastating (but slightly hopeful!) post-credits scene. We’ve published Weta Digital’s VFX reel that gave us a glimpse of how they constructed that epic battle on Titan. We’ve also given you a look at how Framestore built Tony Stark’s brand new nanotechnology-powered Mark L Iron Man suit.

Watch the Stunning VFX Reel for Avengers: Infinity War‘s Post-Credits Scene

It isn’t surprising that the post-credits scene in Avengers: Infinity War was the darkest of any movie in the MCU. Yet you might have expected the scene to be a little less grim considering it followed the darkest ending in MCU history, and knowing viewers were likely still in shock by the time S.H.I.E.L.D agents Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) and Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) appeared on the screen. But no. Instead, the post-credits sequence the Russo Brothers cooked up for us was another gut punch (spoiler alert);

See how They Created Iron Man’s Nanotech Suit for Avengers: Infinity War

Yesterday we shared this look at how Weta Digital created the epic third act battle sequence on Titan in Avengers: Infinity War. In that brutal scrum with Thanos, Tony Stark threw everything he had at the purple colossus thanks to his new nanotech suit. Granted, Thanos was also fighting Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, and the Guardians of the Galaxy (minus Groot and Rocket), but the sequence ended with a vicious brawl between him and Iron Man.

Watch the Most Heartbreaking Moment in Avengers: Infinity War in Mind-Blowing VFX Reel

We’ve seen a lot of VFX reels in our day, but this might be the most epic of them all. iO9 got this gorgeous look at how visual effects supervisor Matt Aitken and his team at Weta Digital created some of the most mind-blowing moments in Avengers: Infinity War. If you’ve somehow still not seen the film, there are major spoilers below. If you have seen the film,

Behold: A Comprehensive Timeline of the MCU

Ever wanted to sort through all twenty films from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and figure out exactly the order of every occurrence? Business Insider just did and they conveniently organized everything you need to know.

The task is certainly not as easy as some might think. It’s not just a matter of copying and pasting the events of the films in the order they appear. Some of the stories occur before or even during those in other movies that were already released,

Watch this Self-Taught Artist Recreate Tom Holland’s Iron Spider

Ever given up on a project—whether it was a painting, a story, or school work—after a few minutes because of the sheer size of the undertaking? Me too. And we could both learn a little bit from this guy.

Wajid Ali spends seemingly most of his time making photorealistic portraits of pop culture’s biggest and baddest characters. In July, he worked on a recreation of the Iron Spider suit—the one teased in Spider-Man: Homecoming and unleashed in Avengers: Infinity War.

Avengers: Infinity War Bonus Material Reveals What Makes Thanos the MCU’s Greatest Villain

What makes Thanos the greatest villain in the MCU? You could argue it’s his power. Thanos was already formidable before he tracked down the six Infinity Stones—once he had them all, however, he appears to be virtually unstoppable. You could argue it’s not just his power, but his connection to nearly everything that has befallen the Avengers since they assembled in 2012’s game-changing first film. From Loki’s attack on New York in the first Avengers to Gamora’s attempted capture of Peter Quill in the first Guardians of the Galaxy,

The One Infinity Stone That Did all the Damage at the end of Avengers: Infinity War

As well all know by now, the ending to Avengers: Infinity War was one for the ages. Screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely have discussed at length how they came to craft Thanos’s snap heard round the universe. We’ve done deep dives on how Thanos was created, including the work that VFX animator Phil Cramer did on making sure his facial expressions were pixel perfect.

We all know the result of Thanos’s snap,

Watch 10 Years of Marvel Films in Under Three Minutes

Avengers: Infinity War was not only the biggest superhero film ever, it was also the culmination of a decade’s worth of interconnected films. The Marvel Cinematic Universe was hatched in 2008 with the release of Jon Favreau’s Iron Man, and since then the MCU has revolutionized cinema with an unprecedented run, introducing dozens of characters in 20 films (and counting).

The MCU has unveiled its massive cinematic in three distinct phases.

Watch a Gag Reel & How Wakanda Forever Became Avengers: Infinity War‘s Mantra

Who better to help the Russo Brothers shape one of the most crucial scenes in Avengers: Infinity War than the actors themselves? When Thanos sends his Outrider army to Wakanda, T’Challa and the various tribes of Wakanda step up to help the Avengers beat back the invading alien horde. While we now know the outcome of the Battle of Wakanda, at the moment the entire universe hung in the balance and what was required was unity across all fronts.

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,

Brand New Avengers: Infinity War Bonus Trailer Boasts New Footage, Bloopers

With Avengers: Infinity War coming home via digital download, that means a lot of fresh material is now available. That includes behind-the-scenes secrets of filming, news on which characters survived Thanos’s snap, gag reels, deleted scenes and more. Marvel has now just released a new bonus trailer, with a bunch of new footage, some great line flubs (watching master thespian Benedict Cumberbatch mess up his character’s name is especially delicious) and details about all the extras you’ll be getting when you bring Infinity War home.

The Avengers: Infinity War Cast Member Who Cracked Up Most on Set

Now that the home release of Avengers: Infinity War is available, there are tons of exciting tidbits piling in to discuss. For something light, who doesn’t love some behind the scenes gag reels of their favorite movies? Well, it’s your lucky day, superhero fans. Avengers: Infinity War just dropped a hilarious clip of bloopers, giving us a deeper look at all the fun they had on set.

Valkryie Lives! And Other Avengers: Infinity War Home Release Revelations

Yesterday we shared this deleted scene from the home release of Avengers: Infinity War. It gave us a bit background for the tragic “family” story of Thanos (Josh Brolin) and Gamora (Zoe Saldana). Their storyline was one of the most crucial in the film, and the coda to their relationship one of the most heartbreaking. The impact of Avengers: Infinity War on the MCU was, by design, catastrophic. Yet the Russo Brothers and their entire filmmaking team—including writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely,

New Infinity War Deleted Scene Dives Deeper into Thanos & Gamora’s History

The Mad Titan and his adopted daughter have one of the rockier relationships we’ve seen on the screen lately.

The lengthy Avengers: Infinity War already provided tons of emotional insight into the quarrel between Gamora (Zoe Saldana) and her self-proclaimed protector, Thanos (Josh Brolin). Gamora’s home planet was one of the early victims of Thanos’ conquest, and he took the adorably innocent, green child into his giant arms—after killing her parents,