With little over a week to go until Avengers: Infinity War graces home video (digital first; Blu-ray in August), IGN has premiered a sneak peek at that awe-inspiring showdown on Titan, when Earth’s Mightiest Heroes join forces with the Guardians of the Galaxy – save for Groot, Gamora and Rocket, mind you.
This carefully coordinated fight scene was years in the making – quite literally, as it represents the culmination of the Marvel Cinematic Universe… so far – so it’s somewhat surprising to learn that it was actually Joe and Anthony Russo’s first port of call.
Both directors are featured in the video, too, before the footage cuts to Thanos and a visibly distressed Tony Stark – Josh Brolin and Robert Downey Jr., respectively – bracing for one of Infinity War‘s key moments. You’ll also notice that the Mad Titan’s dialogue is slightly different from the theatrical cut, which really goes to show that the Russo Brothers continued to tweak and polish their MCU crossover right up until the very end.
Here’s a reminder of those special features, with IGN’s paying close attention to “Beyond the Battle: Titan.”
Strange Alchemy (5:08)– Share the thrill of characters from across the MCU meeting for the first time—and discover why some were teamed up together.
The Mad Titan (6:34) – Explore the MCU’s biggest, baddest villain, his trail of influence through the stories, and the existential threat he represents.
At only one minute and 26 seconds in length, this is but an appetizer ahead of the main course, what with Avengers: Infinity War penciled in for a digital release on July 31st (August 14th for Blu-ray and DVD).
Via Marvel Studios, the special features continue below:
Beyond the Battle: Titan (9:36) – Dive into the climactic struggle on Thanos’ ruined world, including the epic stunts and VFX, to uncover the source of its power.
Beyond the Battle: Wakanda (10:58) – Go behind the scenes to find out how the filmmakers pulled off the most massive and challenging battle Marvel had ever attempted.
All told, the bonus content amounts to around two hours worth of material, so make no mistake, the Avengers: Infinity War Blu-ray is truly a bumper package – fitting, really, given that Joe and Anthony Russo’s two-billion-dollar titan is far and away the biggest MCU film hitherto.