Yesterday saw the arrival of the most important two minutes of your year, as the full-length trailer for next month’s Avengers: Infinity War smashed its way onto the internet. Wow… I mean, to quote Owen Wilson, just wow…
Packed with new material that had only been hinted at in the previous two teasers, the new trailer didn’t disappoint, with social media already well and truly saturated with a torrent of memes and Easter eggs that avid Marvel fans just keep on uncovering.
We’ve watched, re-watched, and then re-re-watched the trailer, and tied our findings in with a few other details from the associated toy releases and other media that’s been circulated by Marvel in relation to the upcoming movie event of the year. Adding all of this together, we’ve now managed to firm up a couple of revelations that you might have missed from your first round of repeat viewings.
Here’s what you need to be knowing:
5. Doctor Strange is now a major player in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
Having so far been limited to a mere two Marvel outings in his mildly underwhelming solo movie, and a brief yet humorous turn in Thor: Ragnarok, Benedict Cumberbatch hasn’t really had much time to make a real impact on the MCU. Well, it’s clear from the new trailer that Steven Strange is going to be one of the most important characters in Infinity War, and maybe even the future line-up of the Avengers themselves.
We already knew from the first teaser that the whole reason that Thanos has attacked New York is in pursuit of the Time Stone, which Strange is in possession of. The trailer briefly shows our hero having been captured by the Black Order’s Ebony Maw, and being tortured into handing over the stone.
We also though see him teaming up with Chris Pratt’s Starlord in a subsequent battle (more on that later), and with the green time stone being absent from Thanos’s Infinity Gauntlet in the fight with Steve Rogers, it’s clear Strange manages to survive the torture and retain the stone.
There’s also a shot of the eye of Agamatto apparently opening to reveal the hidden stone, which is hugely significant for the ongoing overall Avengers narrative. It’s been heavily hinted that time travel is going to be a key part of the Avengers 4 storyline, with the team travelling back in time to find older versions of their members who will have died at the hands of Thanos. With the Eye Of Agamatto now being used, it’s likely that it will be Doctor Strange who steps up from supporting character, to the key player that facilitates this event for The Avengers.
4. It’s not a good time to be an Asgardian
Talk about ‘out of the frying pan and into the fire’. With a small but significant band of Asgardians having survived Surtur’s destruction of the their kingdom, the end credits of Thor: Ragnarok revealed that they were pretty much immediately then captured by Thanos. Several shots from across all three of the trailers released to far have hinted at what then takes place, and it’s not good news for any of them.
Between Thor’s head getting crushed, and Loki handing over the stolen Cosmic Cube in order to save his brother, it’s also looking like grim times for the rest of the survivors. An image of Loki being surrounded by the Black Order shows that the Asgardians have made their captors work for victory, but still ultimately lose. The floor around Loki is littered with the gauntlet-wearing bodies of Outriders, but lying on the ground nearby is a sword that looks suspiciously like Gjallerhorn, spelling bad news for Heimdall.
On the subject of Asgardian weapons, it’s clear that Thor survives this encounter, and subsequently assisted by the Guardians in creating his new hammer, Stormbreaker. The footage shows Groot and Rocket helping him to forge his new weapon, and the curving wooden stave depicted on a Funko pop toy that has already been released suggests that Groot may donate some of his body in order to make the hammer’s handle.
3. The movie is going to be Stark-tech HEAVY
If there’s one thing that the trailer showcases, it’s the sheer volume of Stark-tech that Tony is desperately deploying in order to try and save Earth from the invading alien army. With the armour he used in Spider-Man: Homecoming being his Mark 47 version, it’s clear that he’s managed to cram even more upgrades into it since then.
Also tricked out in Stark armour is Peter Parker, who can be seen wearing his Iron-Spider suit whilst floating off up into space on the ascending Q-Ship. It’s quite the upgrade from the fabric mask he was seen slipping on as he exited his school bus in order to join the fight. As Tony heads up to save him, his suit’s leg boosters merge into a single bigger version, easily propelling him up after Peter and the retreating vessel.
Promo posters and a Lego set have already revealed that the reason Bruce Banner can briefly be seen tinkering with the Mark 44 armour (Veronica) is because he’s chosen to wear it, rather than risk becoming the Hulk again. After showcasing the armour amidst a backdrop of Falcon and Starlord streaking past him in the background the trailer goes onto show show the hapless Banner being smothered in attacking Outriders. With Bruce having already been seen in the first teaser trailer in Hulk form, you know that as the Outriders crush the armour, inevitably something big and green will explode forth from it.
2.Vision’s in for a rough ride
One of the most striking images from the first teaser trailer was of a stricken Vision, with an unidentified member of the Black Order trying to prise the Mind Stone from his forehead. The fact that Thanos could then be seen to be adding stone fragments to his gauntlet seemed to spell closing time for the Android, but the new footage demonstrates that that happily isn’t the case.
Vision can later be seen arriving in Wakanda with Steve to be greeted by T’Challa. There is then another shot with Vision lying on a table in Shuri’s lab, with Shuri standing over him projecting a schematic of his head. In both cases, he is still in possession of the yellow stone, indicating that like Steven Strange, the Avengers have managed to rescue him and get him away before Thanos can add the stone to his collection.
The mystery of how Vision could be seen in a more human form in the first teaser still remains to be solved, as does the exact circumstances of the romance he has now struck up with Wanda. Regardless, as a holder of a soul stone, and despite surviving the initial attempt to have it taken from him, Vision will be lucky to make it to the end credits in one piece.
1. It’s all about Thanos
The MCU movies have been criticized in the past for not working hard enough to develop the backstory and motivations of their villains. If this new footage proves anything, it’s that this movie is all about Thanos and his checkered past, with the events taking place on Earth mere window-dressing.
For starters, a large portion of the action seems to be occurring on the surface of the iconic villain’s home planet. All the shots involving a red sky, shattered cityscapes, and moons being dragged around are taking place on Titan, not earth. Thanos’s main motivation is to atone for the previous destruction of his world, possibly from the actions of a rampaging Celestial as seen in the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie.
The guilt of not having been able to save his people, will be balanced against Thanos’s anger towards his adopted daughter, Gamora. Whilst Nebula is absent in the new footage (a bit like Hawkeye and Ant-Man), flashbacks show Thanos taking Gamora from her conquered home-world. This hints at a major Infinity War showdown between the two, with Gamora looking appropriately nervous about the prospect when describing her tyrannical father to Tony during the trailer’s opening seconds.
What did you think of the Avengers: Infinity War trailer? Was there anything we missed? Be sure to tell us in the comments!