It Looks Like The Collector Will Appear In 'Avengers: Infinity War' — But What Role Will He Play?

Avengers: Infinity War promises to be the climax of Phases 1-3 of the MCU, bringing together a vast cast to battle against the Mad Titan, Thanos. Marvel's traditionally been focused in on their heroes, with villains often criticized as under-developed, but Infinity War will be different; it centers on Thanos's quest for the Infinity Gauntlet, and — just as in the comics — it's more Thanos's story than anyone else's.

In the latest casting news, Benicio Del Toro has been spotted in Atlanta — coincidentally where Avengers: Infinity War is filming. His character, the Collector, made a cameo in the end-credits scene of Thor: The Dark World, and played a major role in Guardians of the Galaxy. But how important will he be in Infinity War?

Meet the Collector

We were introduced to the Collector in the end-credits of Thor: The Dark World, with Sif placing an Infinity Stone in his safekeeping. It's immediately clear that the #MCU version of the Collector is subtly different to the one comic book fans know and love; in the comics, he's one of the Elders of the Universe, whereas in the MCU he's an exotic — albeit potentially powerful — alien. Still, whoever he may be, he's someone the Asgardians will trust to secure an Infinity Stone.

The character was further developed in Guardians of the Galaxy, when he showed real interest in taking ownership of a second Infinity Stone. That film gave us a much more complete picture of the Collector, showing a man who desired to own anything — and even held beings prisoner. His collection included everything from a Dark Elf to Howard the Duck!

Fans had always expected the Collector to make an appearance in Infinity War, if only because he's the current owner of one Infinity Stone. Thanos's insane quest will naturally take him to the Collector, and we can assume that all doesn't end well for the Collector. That said, it's interesting to speculate whether or not Thanos will force the Collector to help him; after all, the Collector will be an expert at finding things, which means he could be a very useful tool.

Whether this is the case or not, though, Del Toro's character may be a lot more important to the film than you'd think at first glance. You see, in the above interview, Del Toro explained the Collector's motivation:

"He’s kind of like Noah, from Noah’s Ark. He believes there’s going to be a big catastrophe in the galaxy. He’s collecting all these creatures to preserve them, so there’s an element of altruism."

So the Collector fears a galactic cataclysm, and his goal is to save creatures and objects of power, to preserve entire races as a legacy that will outlive the current galactic order. But what kind of event could threaten the galactic order? It would have to be something on the scale of, say, a Mad Titan getting hold of the Infinity Gauntlet.

How ironic. It seems that the Collector's desire to save something from the coming storm will place him directly in Thanos's way.

The Collector had better watch out. If he does appear in Infinity War, the character is officially in Thanos's line of sight — and that doesn't bode well for his life expectancy. Thanos want that Infinity Stone, and he'll get it, even if he has to go through the Collector first!

Source: MCUExchange