Yesterday Marvel Studios dropped the first trailer for Avengers: Infinity War (140+ screen caps here). Clocking in at a little over two minutes there’s a lot to take in for MCU fans. We’ve pulled out some of the key moments for some analysis.
Broken Man
One recurring theme throughout the trailer is the reactions of Tony Stark to events unfolding around him. Very early in the trailer we get this shot which teases Stark suffering a great loss during the battle with Thanos.
Watching the trailer it’s hugely noticeable that there is a lot more footage of Stark than there is of Iron Man. He appears with Doctor Strange and Bruce Banner on the streets of New York and also on the alien battlefield. In both locales he is predominantly dressed in civilian gear though there are a number of quick shots of him in the Iron Man suit.
Tony’s journey, particularly following Avengers Assemble has been about his reaction to discovering that threats don’t just come from Earth. Could the threat of Thanos be enough to drive Tony over the edge?
Losing an infinity stone
Ever since Avengers: Age of Ultron gave us the birth of Vision we’ve known there were dark times in his future. A twist on the character saw his formation around an infinity stone which features prominently on his forehead.
In he trailer we first see Vision in human form. Later in the trailer we get to see the stone being forcibly removed by Thanos’ henchmen. Could he be using a disguise to mix with humans more easily? Or will we see him lose his powers and become a human?
Back in Captain America: Civil War we saw a relationship between Vision and Scarlett Witch heavily teased. The two have had a similar relationship in the comics. Fans of the couple look to be getting the pay off in Avengers: Infinity War as the two appear very coupley in various shots.
How will losing the stone impact on his part in the fight against Thanos?
New York skyline under threat
The New York skyline has been a staple of the Marvel Cinematic Universe for some time. From scenes of the attack in Avengers Assemble down to the setting of each of the Marvel Netflix series which exist in the same world. Who can also forget Spider-Man: Homecoming which saw Sony and Marvel finally team up to bring Peter Parker in to the fold.
Here again we see the New York skyline in danger. This shot was part of the original SDCC/D23 trailer although here it has been slimmed down. In the convention trailer the ship is seen crashing down on New York causing mayhem in its path. Could the ship be crashing to Earth? Or is it causing destruction on purpose?
Enter Thanos
After teasing his appearance all the way back through Phase 1 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe it’s finally time to meet Thanos. Though he has been likened to a purple Bruce Willis he is in fact played by Josh Brolin who will also be playing Cable in Deadpool 2 next year.
We meet Thanos as he seems to be exiting the giant circular ship. In those first few shots he doesn’t speak. He only stares ferociously off in to the distance clearly looking for what destroy next. It is only later in the trailer where we finally see him in action.
We get to see Thanos attacking Spider-Man and also adding some extra jewellery to his famous gauntlet. It’s clear that he will be a very large presence in this film. Now that Marvel need waste no time on setup do you think he will appear in the film right from the outset?
Iron Spider
Just as we get our first look at Thanos we are treated to Peter Parker in his Iron Spider costume. Fans of Spider-Man: Homecoming will remember that during that films closing moments Tony Stark offered the suit to Peter. At that time he chose to stick with his classic costume and return to being a friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man.
Clearly the call to arms to fight an alien threat causes Peter to think twice about the armoured suit. Question is will we see its famous spider legs? Or will this be more of an armoured version of the suit seen in Homecoming complete with A.I. Karen.
The suit re-appears later in the trailer as Spidey fights Thanos directly. Directors The Russo’s have in the past mentioned that Spider-Man’s appearance will be similar to that seen in Captain America: Civil War. Have we seen most of his scenes in this trailer?
A New Weapon
In Thor: Ragnarok fans witnessed the end of Mjolnir, Thor’s mighty hammer. This scene towards the end of the trailer possibly alludes to him forging a new weapon for a new age. Fans on Twitter have surmised that Thor is seen here in Nidavellir, the realm of the dwarves.
Could he be forging himself a new weapon? Will this tie in to the rumoured appearance by Game of Thrones actor Peter Dinklage as King Eitri.
Something Strange in the neighbourhood
A lot of hype has been placed on how Avengers: Infinity War will feature a huge main cast of up to 36 leads. Of course many fans are excited to see Robert Downey Jnr, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson and the rest of the original Avengers Assemble crew back together. Possibly for one last time.
What is also exciting, particularly in this trailer, is that is showcases both the old cast and the newer members of the gang making their first Avengers appearances. Doctor Strange is heavily featured in several scenes of the trailer and seems to play a vital role in the battleground on Earth.
We don’t get to see him during the battle on what appears to be another planet but could he be venturing off-world with the Avengers?
It’s also worth nothing that this scene may be from earlier in the film as Doctor Strange is still wearing his amulet. Fans will remember this amulet has its own infinity stone hiding within it. Will he lose this to Thanos during the fight?
How many stones?
On the topic of infinity stones the trailer goes to great length to show Thanos adding a new jewel to the gauntlet. But also to show him raising his fist betraying the fact that, at this stage in the film, he only has two of the stones.
Could this be before he gets to Doctor Strange and The Collector to steal more of the gems.
It also appears that the infinity gauntlet itself has had a bit of a design upgrade from tis earlier appearances in the franchise. Of course eagle-eyed fans will remember that during her raid on Asgardian during Thor: Ragnarok Hela found the infinity gauntlet in Odin’s vault and tossed it aside as fake.
Has this joke allowed Marvel to upgrade the look of the gauntlet for its starring role?
Wakandan Avengers
Fans have been wondering for some time how Captain America/Steve Rogers would return to the fold in Avengers: Infinity War. It appears he will most likely rejoin the action whilst hiding in Wakanda. We see Steve wearing his costume from Captain America: The Winter Solider but with the star clearly torn from the chest.
It also appears that Cap might be wearing some claws courtesy of new ally Black Panther in the above scene. Fans of the Captain America franchise will be happy to see that he is still rolling with Bucky (now out of cryostats) as well as Black Widow and Okoye (Danai Gurira). It also appears that Hulk has not only returned to Earth but separated from Thor and found his on/off girlfriend again.
Could romance be on the cards in Wakanda?
Missing Moments from the SDCC/D23 trailer
We know that the first footage from the film was screened to fans at San Diego Comic Con and the D23 conventions earlier this year. This public trailer however features a different mix of scenes.
Though many remain in tact or are slimmed down there are a few moments which are entirely missing. For instance in this scene we pick up with Thor already inside the ship piloted by the Guardians of the Galaxy. The original trailer opened with Thor floating through space only to crash on to the windshield of the ship and then meet the Guardians.
Their appearance here is instead slimmed down to a moment after the films logo has appeared. We still don’t know how much of a role they will play in the final edit or whether they will even make the journey to Earth.
What do you think of our picks? Let us know your favourite moments from the trailer in the comments.
An unprecedented cinematic journey ten years in the making and spanning the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel Studios’ “Avengers: Infinity War” brings to the screen the ultimate, deadliest showdown of all time. The Avengers and their Super Hero allies must be willing to sacrifice all in an attempt to defeat the powerful Thanos before his blitz of devastation and ruin puts an end to the universe.
Anthony and Joe Russo direct the film, which is produced by Kevin Feige. Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Michael Grillo and Stan Lee are the executive producers. Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely wrote the screenplay. “Avengers: Infinity War” releases in U.S. theaters on May 4, 2018.
Starring in Avengers: Infinity War is BAFTA Award nominee Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Academy Award nominee Josh Brolin as Thanos, Saturn Award Winner Chris Pratt as Star Lord / Peter Quill, Teen Choice Awards nominee Sebastian Stan as Bucky, four-time Golden Globe Award nominee Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow, Academy Award nominee Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Stephen Strange, Academy Award winner Brie Larson as Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel, ALMA Award winner Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Empire Award winner Karen Gillan as Nebula, two-time Academy Award nominee Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton / Hawkeye, two-time Saturn Award nominee Chris Evans as Steve Rogers / Captain America, BAFTA Awards nominee Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet, four-time Academy Award nominee Bradley Cooper as Rocket Raccoon, Screen Actors Guild Awards nominee Vin Diesel as Groot, Academy Award nominee Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Screen Actors Guild Awards nominee Paul Rudd as Scott Lang / Ant-Man, British Independent Film Awards nominee Benedict Wong as Wong, Action on Film Award winner Dave Bautista as Drax, BAFTA Film Award nominee Paul Bettany as Vision, Santa Barbara International Film Festival Virtuoso Award winner Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa / Black Panther, three-time Academy Award nominee Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner / The Hulk, and two-time Academy Award nominee Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark / Iron Man.
Avengers: Infinity War hits cinemas in May 2019 and is direct by Joe and Anthony Russo from a script by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely.
