Everything You Need to Know About 'Avengers: Infinity War' If You've Only Seen 'Black Panther'

I don't care what anyone says: Black Panther didn't break all of those records because of diehards alone. If your screening(s) went down like any of mine did, you had van loads of aunties, church groups, and more strolling into the theater to witness "the strength of the Black Panther." They didn't know a thing about Marvel Comics, the Cinematic Universe, or what an Infinity Stone is, and it was okay. That just goes to show the power of Marvel storytelling (and that dynamic cast) forming like Voltron to bring forth one of 2018's illest films. But that was only a setup for Avengers: Infinity War, which is not only the next huge tent pole film in the MCU, but will feature the long-awaited battle between Thanos and the entire Avengers conglomerate.

While OG comic fans like me have been patiently waiting 10 years for this film to drop, there's going to be a number of Marvel novices flocking to the theaters because they saw Wakanda in the trailers and can't miss seeing #blackexcellence on screen once again. With that being the case, we need a crash course for those audience members ASAP. You already know what time it is, right? Here's a quick explainer on what any MCU novice will need to take note of while watching Avengers: Infinity War. This should cut down on any and all questions during the movie. Thank me later.

Trust me, even though a piece of this film takes place in Wakanda, this is NOT Black Panther 2. I know, I wish it was, too, but Infinity War is something Marvel has been building towards for the better part of 10 years. It’s not just about a gang of space goons descending on Wakanda to wreck shop; this is an actual WAR with HUGE stakes for the entire cinematic universe.

The genius of Marvel means that you could walk into a film like Black Panther without knowing anything about the MCU at large, and still enjoy it. But that doesn't mean you won't have questions. If you saw Black Panther and was confused by the Wakandan children laughing at a white dude they called “the White Wolf.” Don't worry, I've got you covered. That was Bucky Barnes, aka The Winter Soldier (who was the subject of one of Marvel’s greatest films ever). He grew up with Steve Rogers (aka Captain America) as a kid, and while Rogers was off being transformed into super soldier Captain America, Bucky was being brainwashed and turned into the secret assassin known as The Winter Soldier. He did a lot of fucked up shit, but is ultimately a good guy. Cap shipped him off to Wakanda to get de-brainwashed at the end of Captain America: Civil War, which was also the first time we saw T’Challa on-screen. You’ll no doubt see a lot of Bucky in Infinity War, in Wakanda of all places. Oh, and he has a metal arm.

We’re talking low-key 100 years old AF. Those white guys age well, right? Well, it’s due in part to being frozen for a few decades as well as something called the Super Soldier Serum. This serum was originally developed by Germany in the 1940's to create super soldiers, but only (originally) worked on Captain America, turning him into an ultra-strong, super-fast badass who kicked a lot of Nazi ass.

The problem is, at one point after one particularly thrilling battle, Captain America got frozen in a block of ice and lost to time. He wasn’t discovered and thawed out until around the first Avengers film, so that’s why it doesn’t look like he’s out of his 30s even though he’s closer to his 100s. A similar thing happened to Bucky, who was kept in a cryogenic state in between murderous Winter Soldier excursions during his brainwashed period.

Thanos is a an alien titan who is hell-bent on destruction. Throughout the 18 Marvel films, this purple immortal has been devising a plan to become the strongest being in the universe for currently-unknown reasons. Doing so has meant that he needed these elements called the Infinity Stones, which we’ve seen teased throughout a number of Marvel films over the last 10 years.

What exactly are the Infinity Stones? They're these six super-ancient, super-powerful artifacts that each control a different part of the universe (i.e. Space, Time, Reality, etc.). They were scattered across the cosmos eons ago because—although powerful on their own—if combined they could really fuck shit up. In the hands of someone like Thanos, who has a special glove called an Infinity Gauntlet to house them all, shit can truly turn deadly. Which means that, yes, the Avengers have to combine to take this man the fuck out.

So far we've seen all but one of the Infinity Stones appear on-screen. Word is that the reason we’re even going to Wakanda in Infinity War is that the final Infinity Stone (which many believe is called the Soul Stone) is hidden somewhere there.

If you haven’t seen the Guardians of the Galaxy films, you’ve missed out on one of the illest characters to hit the screen in a bit. His name is Groot, and he’s a tree-like alien creature who only says one thing: “I am Groot.” In the first Guardians film, he was a grown Groot, but he sacrificed himself for his squad, and in Guardians, Vol. 2 we were introduced to Baby Groot. Infinity War will bring us a more teenage-version of Groot, who will more than likely say some of the most foul shit, but to the untrained ear it’ll just sound like he's saying “I am Groot.” Technically, he is but it's all in his inflection. You’ll get it when you see it, but don’t be surprised.

At some point in the film, you’ll see this old man wearing glasses pop into a scene. He might just be in the background, he may say a few lines, he might just give a quizzical look... Whatever the case may be, everyone in the theater WILL react. It’s a given.

This man is Stan Lee, who is instrumental in creating many of the characters that make up the Marvel Universe—from Spider-Man, the Hulk, and Doctor Strange to Black Panther, Iron Man, Thor, and countless others. Essentially, these movies wouldn’t even exist if it wasn’t for the work Stan Lee put in back in the day, and to pay homage, he’s had cameos in damn near every Marvel film of the modern era. So pay your proper respects and clap for the living legend when you see him.

While Marvel didn't create “post-credits” scenes, they definitely turned the idea of adding extra scenes in-between (and after) the credits into an artform that would either add extra insight to the film or, more importantly, drop teasers for future Marvel movies. With so much riding on Infinity War (including another star-powered sequel dropping in 2019), there’s no doubt going to be an extra scene or two baked into (or after) the final credits that will give you something to chew on for the next year. And when I say stay until after the final credits I mean until the very end, like after the Dolby Digital logos and the fine print copyright law credits. Do us all a favor and just chill until the lights in the theater come up.