So, some things must end. And the idea of clearing away some to make way for others is the plan of the villain — Thanos, a godlike galactic warlord played via performance capture by Josh Brolin. Ever since the first Avengers film featured his smirking purple face as a post-credit surprise, he has been built up throughout this series as the ultimate tyrant.

“He’s from a planet called Titan that’s no longer inhabited because of things that he thought he could help prevent, and he was not allowed to do that,” Feige says. “What he feared most happened, and the planet and everybody on it basically went extinct. He vowed not to let that happen again. He thinks he sees the universe going down the tubes. He thinks he sees life expanding outward unchecked. That will bring ruin, he believes, to the universe and to that life.”

Since Thanos is a glass-half-full guy, he sees his mission as saving half the universe. But to do that, he wants to kill off the other half.

“That’s either genius or horrific, depending on your point of view, and most of our point of views say it’s pretty horrific,” Feige says.

The man also loves his work. “All the kind of grabbing-of-the-moon because of the gems, and all …?” the actor says with a deep laugh. “That’s the fun stuff.