Hidden Meanings Behind the Movie,
"Avengers: Infinity War" (Spoilers)
Written by Joy Ramos Davis

Synopsis: Selected by "Conscious Movie Reviews," "Avengers: Infinity War" is an action and adventure, sci-fi drama.  In a quest to stop over-population, Thanos needed all six of the Infinity Stones to manipulate reality for wiping out half of all beings throughout the Universe to re-balance it.  The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy and their allies in Wakanda must work together to stop him.  As Thanos acquires all the stones needed to complete the set, he gains absolute power and control over all.   

Warning: Spoilers Contained within Presentation

To End All Suffering

Welcome to "Conscious Movie Reviews."  I'm your host Joy Davis and here to review the action and adventure, sci-fi drama, "Avengers: Infinity War,"  focusing on Thanos as a villain with a complex character.  Special thanks to world-renowned dream interpreter Michael Sheridan for offering his insights on the movie.

In order to end over-population, Thanos needed to collect all six of the Infinity Stones.  He could then manipulate reality - wiping out half of all beings throughout the Universe to re-balance it.

After acquiring the Power Stone on the planet Xandar, Thanos was able to access and manipulate any form of energy.  He moved on with his henchmen to defeat the Asgardians for the Space Stone that was held within Loki's Tesseract, allowing him to exist in any location.  They headed for Earth to take the Time Stone from Dr. Strange for total control of the past, present and future.  

The name, Thanos, is derived from the name of the Greek God of Death, Thanatos.  By wearing the Infinity Gauntlet, it was a show of Thanos' strong will of steel. It also suggested that he liked to handle his problems in a physically aggressive way.  

As an immature Soul, Thanos was bothered by life that's out of perfect order, a function of his strong will.  He felt too much sympathy about the suffering of others.  Sympathy kept him emotionally enmeshed in an unhealthy way from not trusting in the will of God.  Thanos interfered by asserting his strong will to change things.  This only denies others the lessons they really need for their spiritual growth.  Like a caterpillar in a tight cocoon during the chrysalis stage, it places stress on its body while it transforms to build enough strength and break free.  When you interfere out of sympathy, the butterfly comes out weak, unable to fly away.  Having compassion instead of sympathy, involves non-interference because compassion shows that you trust in the will of God for the good of all concerned.  Thanos only created disorder from acting on his sense of order.  What he really feared the most was suffering to death.   

Stealing the Stones

The highly prized Infinity Stones are similar to gemstones found on Earth.  They're alive with a Life Force made from light, called color rays, and sound, that's held in a crystalline matrix.  Historically, the original concept of birthstones was to give infants a gemstone that bore an association with their main color ray and destiny.  The jewelry industry of today changed all that for birthstones to only show the month you were born into.

Stealing from others revealed that Thanos held a misaligned belief that the abundance of life is for the taking.  The six Infinity Stones are symbolic of God's nature that's ominipotent, omniscient and omnipresent.  Thanos would rather steal on the outer for these divine powers than realize that they're already held within his Soul self because we're made from a spark of God - a reflection of the divine.  Through self-mastery over our lower natures, we can learn to use these powers of creation and manifestation in a responsible way.

Removing the Mind Stone

Vision managed to escape when the Black Order tried to extract the Mind Stone from him in Scotland.  His life was in danger, so he left with the other Avengers for Wakanda to have the artifact safely removed from his forehead, as suggested by Steve Rogers.  

Symbolically, the Mind Stone's located over the Third Eye - known as a chakra point that can be activated for you to receive an inner vision for guidance.   

By combining the Power Stone with the Mind Stone, Thanos could control everyone's thoughts and dreams.  Like a child with an unruly mind, he lacked a higher vision for all, preferring to tap into the fears of the collective unconscious with the Mind Stone to use against them in a tyrannical way.

Based on the universal Law of Attraction of like attracts like, the greatest fears of many are held within the collective unconscious to manifest an authoritarian ruler with absolute power, destruction of the planet, and death through mass genocide, in the form of Thanos.  As many Avengers are from America that is one of the youngest countries in the world, they attracted a cultural archetype of hero and bully.  

Sacrificing Gamora for Power

With the Reality Stone in his possession, Thanos confronted the Guardians of the Galaxy.  He used his newfound ability to alter reality when Peter tried to kill Gamora by her request with his gun, but only bubbles came out.  

The scene demonstrated how bubbles and humans are the same to Thanos - very fragile in nature.  He also had a child-like way of teasing about death. And by having her "bubble burst," Gamora was disappointed for being kept alive.

At Vormir, Thanos was able to acquire the Soul Stone from its keeper, Red Skull by sacrificing someone he loved, which was Gamora.  He reluctantly pushed her over the cliff to die. 

Thanos was connected to his adopted daughter because she represented his vulnerable, inner child that was traumatized - a form of death.  They both suffered from agonizing grief, including a great need for excessive control to keep from having to experience even more loss, like the destruction of his moon home, Titan, from over-population. 

Those who desire power are really wanting to control themselves.  The stones gave Thanos the autonomy he was seeking - a freedom to do whatever he wished that's more appealing than controlling the masses because subjugating would involve a responsibility to all of them that only threatens his freedom.  When you finally have autonomy, the need for power stops. 

The Possibility of Winning

On Titan, Dr. Strange reviewed over 14 million possible futures of how the Avengers can win the war.  There was only one way, so he sacrificed himself and surrendered the Time Stone as an exchange with Thanos to mercifully allow Iron Man to live. 

Dr. Strange understood that time is an illusion.  The past, present and future are all playing out at the same time within each moment.  By being able to see the realm of future possibilities, it is a good example of how our lives are shaped by a mix of free will and destiny.  Sacrificing his life was a way of leaning towards the only possibility that favored the Avengers to win.  Usually, the best outcome is what God chooses as the most efficient one for many to get the lessons needed from a situation, no matter how harsh, for their spiritual unfoldment.

Thanos' intentions is based on the understanding that the opposite of love is love, not hate.  His way of dealing with overpopulation is by killing.  It was for him, a form of love that's self-soothing to avoid having to feel any more pain from seeing others suffer.    

The Infinity War Begins

At Wakanda, Thanos' army showed up, ready for battle against the Avengers and their allies.  Bruce Banner could not transform into the Hulk, so he fought in a suit of armor.

By having the Infinity War in Africa, it symbolized that the fight was held in the continent where the origins of human life began - the cradle of mankind.

When the Hulk refused to come out, he no longer wanted to be  a warrior on command for Banner.  Just like Thanos, they were both stubborn and willful in a childish way.   

Despite Shuri's best efforts, she wasn't able to extract the Mind Stone from Vision in time.  The only thing left was for Scarlet Witch to destroy it at the cost of losing her lover.  Thanos appeared to rip the stone out, rendering Vision dead.  This made his collection of Infinity Stones complete. 

Thanos Goes Snap

In a snap, half of all life throughout the universe disintegrated into dust, then disappeared.

When Thanos saw Gamorah as a little girl in an orange-colored world, she asked him, "Did you do it?  What did it cost you?" 

"Everything," he replied.    

Snapping his finger suggested that wiping out Souls was an effortless effort.  In the end, Thanos looked somewhat satisfied.  This is because any meaningful pursuit requires hard effort.  It was more of a burden for him, so he took shortcuts to get it done right away.   

Based on the teachings of Alexander Loyd, a self-help expert on willpower, he explains that "if the number one goal in your life is an external circumstance, you will most likely not achieve it because the stress it inherently causes sabotages your best efforts.  And, if you do achieve it, it will not satisfy and fulfill you long term...Success in life does not come from seeking pleasure and avoiding pain at all costs."

The exchange between Thanos and Gamora was within the Soul Stone.  Bathed in orange, it symbolized his ambitious nature.  In the backdrop was a Japanese-styled gateway to mark a sacred site where spirits dwell.  Her presence by the structure suggested that his relationship with Gamora was sacred to him.  She showed up as a little girl to represent his inner child that he tried to vanquish, but couldn't from feeling conflicted.

Showing up on another planet, Thanos peacefully watched the sun rise.  His work was done. 

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