Honestly, when people talk about the heavy hitters in Thanos’s army, they usually gravitate toward Ebony Maw. He’s the guy with the creepy telekinesis and the Shakespearean monologues, right? But if you really sit down and watch what Avengers Infinity War Proxima Midnight actually accomplishes on screen, you start to realize she was the tactical MVP of the Black Order. She didn't need flashy magic. She just needed a three-pronged spear and a complete lack of mercy.
Proxima Midnight is played by Carrie Coon, though you’d barely know it under the CGI and those massive obsidian horns. She’s the daughter of Thanos—not biologically, but in the way Nebula and Gamora are. She’s a survivor of a "cleansed" world. She’s the elite general. While the rest of the Outriders are basically mindless space dogs, Proxima is a scalpel. She’s precise. She’s terrifying.
The Scotland Ambush: Why Proxima Midnight Almost Ended the Movie Early
The first time we see her in action is in Edinburgh. It’s dark, it’s raining, and Wanda and Vision are trying to have a "normal" moment. Then, out of nowhere, a blue spear flies through Vision’s back. That was it. That was the moment the stakes shifted.
People forget how close she came to winning right there. Vision is a literal vibranium god with an Infinity Stone in his head, and Proxima Midnight basically nerfs him in the first thirty seconds of her screen time. Her spear isn't just a piece of metal; it’s a weapon forged from a star trapped in a space-time distortion. According to Marvel lore—specifically the stuff established by Jonathan Hickman in the New Avengers comics—that spear contains the weight of a star. Even though the movie doesn't explicitly explain the physics, you see the result: Vision’s phasing ability is totally fried.
She and Corvus Glaive (her husband, which is a weirdly domestic detail for two galactic warlords) nearly finish the job. If Captain America, Black Widow, and Falcon hadn't jumped out of the shadows of a train station, the movie ends in Scotland. Proxima’s combat style here is brutal. She isn't doing flips or posing for the camera. She’s just trying to put a hole in you.
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The Battle of Wakanda and the Power Gap
When the action shifts to Wakanda, Proxima Midnight takes on a different role. She’s the field commander. She’s the one who realizes that the Avengers have a tactical advantage with their energy shield, so she orders the Outriders to literally throw themselves into the meat grinder to find a gap. It’s cold. It’s effective.
There is a specific moment in the Battle of Wakanda that highlights her sheer physical power. She goes toe-to-toe with Scarlet Witch, Black Widow, and Okoye all at once. Think about that for a second. Wanda Maximoff can dismantle a tank with her mind. Okoye is the greatest warrior in the most technologically advanced nation on Earth. Natasha Romanoff is the world's most elite spy. And Proxima is holding them all back.
The Problem With the "Girl Power" Moment
A lot of fans point to the "She's not alone" scene as a highlight, but from a purely power-scaling perspective, it actually shows how much of a threat Proxima was. She was winning that fight. She had Black Widow pinned under a giant rotating saw blade. She was mocking them. "He'll die alone, as will you," she tells Natasha. She’s not just a physical threat; she’s a psychological one. She truly believes in Thanos’s mission. She’s a zealot.
Most villains in the MCU are either motivated by revenge or a desire for power. Proxima is motivated by duty. That makes her harder to reason with. You can’t talk her out of it. You can't offer her a better deal. She just wants the stone.
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What Most People Get Wrong About Proxima’s Spear
There’s this misconception that Proxima Midnight is just "good at fighting." That’s an understatement. Her spear is arguably one of the most powerful artifacts in the entire MCU, even if the film treats it as a standard polearm. In the comics, the spear was created by Thanos himself. It can transform into three bolts of black light that never miss. The light is lethal to almost any living being.
In Infinity War, we see it deflect energy blasts from the Mind Stone. We see it withstand blows from vibranium weapons. It is a cosmic-tier tool. When Proxima is finally killed—tossed into the path of a giant Thresher by Wanda—it feels less like she was "beaten" in a fair fight and more like she was overwhelmed by a literal deus ex machina.
- Weaponry: The star-forged spear is her primary tool.
- Speed: She reacts fast enough to parry bullets and energy blasts.
- Durability: She takes hits from super-soldiers and keeps moving.
- Command: She leads the largest army in the galaxy.
The Legacy of the Black Order
Why does she still matter years after the Snap was reversed? Because Proxima Midnight represented the "True Believer" aspect of Thanos’s cult. Everyone else in the Black Order has a gimmick. Cull Obsidian is the muscle. Ebony Maw is the priest. Corvus is the assassin. Proxima is the soldier.
She provides the friction the Avengers needed to realize they weren't just fighting a guy in a chair; they were fighting a philosophy backed by elite martial skill. When she dies, it marks the end of Thanos's tactical superiority on the field. Without her, the Outrider army loses its cohesion.
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Understanding the CGI Controversy
Some critics felt the Black Order looked a bit "rubbery" compared to Thanos. While Thanos got the high-end facial capture treatment, Proxima was a bit more stylized. However, Carrie Coon’s voice acting carries the weight. There’s a rasp in her voice that sounds like she’s seen a thousand worlds burn. Because she probably has.
Practical Insights for Marvel Fans and Collectors
If you're looking to dive deeper into the character of Proxima Midnight beyond the 2018 film, there are a few places where her story actually makes sense. The movies give us the "what," but the comics give us the "why."
- Read the 'Infinity' Event: If you want to see Proxima at her most terrifying, read the 2013 Infinity storyline by Jonathan Hickman. She takes over Atlantis by herself. It puts her Infinity War appearance in a whole new light.
- Watch the Combat Choreography: Rewatch the Scotland fight on a high-refresh-rate screen. Pay attention to how Proxima uses the length of her spear to keep three Avengers at bay simultaneously. It’s a masterclass in reach-based combat.
- Check the Concept Art: The Art of Avengers: Infinity War book shows early designs for Proxima that were even more alien. They eventually settled on the more humanoid look to make her more "relatable" as a foil to Black Widow.
- Action Figure Detailing: For collectors, the Marvel Legends and Hot Toys versions of Proxima are some of the most detailed. The Hot Toys version specifically highlights the intricate engravings on her armor, which are barely visible in the dark lighting of the movie's night scenes.
Proxima Midnight wasn't just a "henchman." She was the person Thanos sent when he couldn't afford a failure. In Edinburgh, she almost secured the Mind Stone. In Wakanda, she nearly executed the Black Widow. She is the definition of a high-ceiling threat, and her presence in Avengers: Infinity War is a huge reason why that movie felt so much more desperate and dangerous than anything that came before it.
Next Steps for Deep-Diving Fans:
- Compare the Versions: Track down the Avengers: Endgame 2014 version of Proxima and notice how her fighting style differs when she’s younger and more aggressive versus the seasoned general we see in Infinity War.
- Explore the Lore: Look into the "Children of Thanos" backstory in the Marvel Visual Dictionary to understand the specific planetary origins of the Black Order members.
- Analyze the Score: Listen to Alan Silvestri’s "The Black Order Arrives" track to hear the specific musical motifs associated with Proxima’s entrance—it’s full of jagged, mechanical brass hits that mirror her weapon's design.