arts // no. & theotherpress.ca Countdown to ‘Infinity’: Where the MCU is now > Good guys, bad guys, and the Stones that brought them all together Greg Waldock Staff Writer M arvel’s Avengers: Infinity War got its release date bumped up to March 25, catching geek journalists around the world off guard and forcing us to hurry up our re-watches and figure out exactly where all the chess pieces are. Here’s where every hero, villain, and Infinity Stone currently are (that we know of), as of the end of Black Panther. Be warned: Spoilers for literally every single Marvel movie are ahead. The Heroes Captain America After Civil War, Cap busted his allies out of prison and vanished. He became one of the most wanted vigilantes on the planet after rejecting the Sokovia Accords and aiding the Winter Soldier. He went into hiding in Wakanda with Bucky Barnes and is now apparently being protected by T’Challa. Iron Man Tony Stark is in a bad place. He’s struggling with PTSD and anxiety, he’s alienated most of his friends, he’s still on a break with Penny, and his protégé Spider-Man declined being an Avenger. Tony spends most of his time being miserable and filled with regret. Infinity War could be a turning point for him. Black Panther He’s a king, he’s a hero, and now he’s the spokesperson for the most technologically-advanced nation on the planet. Wakanda has revealed itself to the world in time to get the attention of Thanos. Good work, T’Challa. Thor Missing an eye, missing a hammer, missing a home planet, and missing his Warriors Three. The God of Thunder was last seen leading the surviving Asgardians away when his situation somehow got worse: His ship was confronted by Thanos in the Thor: Ragnarok end scene. Spider-Man Peter’s having an amazing time! He has a cool new spider-suit, Tony Stark is definitely the best father figure, and he’s surrounded by friends and family— though he’s still unemployed and Aunt May knows his secret now. Poor Peter is going to have a rough time when Thanos shows up to kill everything. Bucky Barnes He cryogenically froze himself in Wakanda after learning that he hasn't fully recovered from his brainwashing to disastrous effect in Civil War. By the end of Black Panther, however, he seems to be recovered and receiving therapy from Shuri. The Guardians of the Galaxy Still bumming around being heroic mercenaries, this crew deepened their bond over the course of the last film. It’s not clear how they ll be involved in the Infinity War, but they run into Thor at some point according to the trailers. Nebula is hunting for a Mad Titan to kill. Unfortunately for her, she'll probably find him. Scarlet Witch, Hawkeye, Ant-Man, Falcon All were arrested for breaking the Sokovia Accords and immediately freed by Cap. Locations unknown, but we all hope Hawkeye is back on his farm. The guy deserves a break. The Vision, Black Widow, War Machine Unknown, but presumably struggling with guilt after Civil War. Vision also has an Infinity Stone in his forehead, so his chances of making it through Infinity War intact don’t look too great. The Villains Thanos The big one. The only one, actually— except for the Vulture and Loki, the MCU has a bad habit of murdering all its villains. Thanos has the Infinity Gauntlet and is making his way towards Earth to fill it with the Stones. He encountered the fleeing Asgardian refugees en route, which can only be terrible for everyone on board. Promotional image for ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ Loki Yes, he’s absolutely still a villain. I’m all down for his redemption arc but Thor: Ragnarok wasn't serious enough for real character development. He's currently traveling with Thor in space, though probably not for long. Thanos is a nasty ex-boss to contend with. The MacGuffins Almost all six Stones are accounted for. The blue Space Stone was in its Tesseract form in Asgard’s vaults before Loki (probably) stole it during Thor: Ragnarok, the yellow Mind Stone is within Vision, the purple Power Stone is locked away on Xandar with the Nova Corps, the red Reality Stone was given to the Collector for safekeeping, and the green Time Stone is in Doctor Strange’s Eye of Agamotto. The orange Soul Stone is the only one yet to appear, and in the comics it always had the strangest powers. Nobody knows where itl] turn up, and of the heroes, only the Guardians (and maybe Doctor Strange) are even aware that the Stones make an even more powerful whole. Thanos is more than prepared for the coming war, and the heroes of Earth have no idea he even exists. Wishing ‘Farewell’ to Max, Chloe, and Rachel > ‘Life is Strange: Before the Storm’ video game review Lauren Kelly Graphics Manager ith the March 5 release of “Farewell,” the bonus chapter for Life is Strange: Before the Storm, our time with Arcadia Bay has finally come to an end. However, before we talk about “Farewell,” let’s take a look at Before the Storm, the prequel to the original Life is Strange, in its totality. I’ve previously reviewed Episode One of the game, so I won't repeat myself on new mechanics and background. While I'll try not to be too specific with spoilers, there will be some for Before the Storm and Life is Strange, so tread carefully or skip this if you've yet to play them. Before the Storm tells the story of the beginning of Chloe Price and Rachel Amber’s friendship from Chloe's perspective. It also makes what was hinted at in Life is Strange much more explicit: Chloe and Rachel had a romantic relationship, and Before the Storm walks us through the adorable and awkward steps of two teenage girls quickly falling for each other. Of course, it is possible to only have a friendship with Rachel, but even then the narrative makes it clear that Chloe still has a crush on her. It’s the type of story that is sadly lacking in mainstream media, and thankfully here it’s handled masterfully. Episode Two is particularly beautiful in this regard, with the Tempest scene and the following celebrations being one of the most touching video game sequences I've ever played. Unfortunately, where Episode One and Two soar, Episode Three fails to provide a satisfactory conclusion. Plot threads that players aren't particularly invested in or aware of are given focus, there is a lack of time with Rachel even though the plot of the episode revolves around her, many side characters are ignored, and the climax is rushed and confusing. There is also little use of the Back Talk mechanic, the prequel’s equivalent to Max’s time travel powers. Lastly, the nature of Chloe and Rachel’s relationship is much less explicit here than in previous episodes. There are rumours that a lot of content was cut for the episode, which would explain its deficiencies, but it’s hard to understand why this was chosen as the final product if that were the case. Overall, though, Before the Storm is an amazing story that was marred by poor narrative choices in its eleventh hour. Onto “Farewell.” This short episode was included with the deluxe edition of Before the Storm, and it focuses on the day two years earlier when Max tells Chloe she’s leaving Arcadia Bay. It’s a sweet, satisfying story where we play as Max reliving her childhood with Chloe and reminiscing about how soon this chapter of her life will be over. Of course, in typical Life is Strange fashion, the ending shifts gears and hits you like a semi-truck. It’s not as long as a regular episode—if you Promotional image for ‘Farewell’ explore everything, the episode will run you about an hour and a half to two hours—but it never feels rushed or unsatisfying. For fans of the series, it’s a lovely but bittersweet send-off to these two fan-favourite characters, and worth upgrading to the deluxe edition for. From here on out, Life is Strange creators Don't Nod are working on Life is Strange 2, which will feature a new cast of characters and a completely new storyline. While I can’t wait to see what the sequel brings, it’s very difficult to say Farewell to Max, Chloe, Rachel, and the other inhabitants of Arcadia Bay.