Like, I genuinely didn't understand that until I saw it again last night.

Oh! Ok, yeah. Thanks for spelling that out, I was not getting there myself.

And yet, I feel like the Russos pushed it too damn hard in Infinity War.

Hmm, I disagree, and here is why! I don't think they were trying to get us to sympathize with him; I think they were trying to get us to see him and his motivations and to understand why he had them, while explicitly calling out that his myopic Malthusian views were, well, myopic. (And by explicitly, I mean, Gamora actually calls him on it and his certainty that he's right.) Thanos is the central character, but the movie never mistakes him for anything but horrible and abusive. Yeah, they show that he does love her, but they also show that love not always a positive thing and that you can love something or someone and be horrific. He's all the more horrifying to me for effectively being a cult leader with a savior complex, even adopting children in the case of Gamora and Nebula--who were ripped from their families, families he destroyed in his "righteous" quest--and claiming that he'd saved them and was the reason for any of their good qualities. (Aside: I've seen too many people No True Scotsmaning love in the wake of this movie, which frustrates the hell out of me because it does a disservice to understanding that abuse and love are not mutuall exclusive.)

I also think it works better than the comics version of killing half the universe for a crush.

Also, can I start calling the Black Order the Malthusian Manson Family? Because that would be hella funny to me.

Also, can I start calling

That is AWESOME, Plei.

It really is better on rewatch.

After seeing it four times, it ended up in my top five ever.

I read an article I really disagreed with, where the author was so angry that the movie CLEARLY expected us to sympathize with Thanos and I just didn't see it. To me, it's in "Cool motive, still murder" territory.

It definitely expected us to see his point of view and understand his motivations, but I didn't read it as expecting us to condone it. I mean, he's a zealot with a fucked up worldview that, yeah, is informed by what happened to his planet, but STILL AN ARROGANT, ABUSIVE, GENOCIDAL ZEALOT.

Evil with an element of rationality is even more frightening than evil that's just acting of twisted emotions. Thanos turning Gamora's face from the massacre of her people is caring, considerate, and horrible. He knows what he's doing is terrible and upsetting, but he thinks it's acceptable.

Looks like Agents of Shield is catching up with the movie next week with the season finale. They are already up to the first NYC event from the movie.

Agents of SHIELD has been renewed.