The first Avengers: Infinity War trailer is finally here. We’re breaking it down and speculating on what’s next for our favorite heroes.
Infinity War has been over a decade in the making. Each individual Marvel movie, and team-up, has slowly and excruciatingly set the stage for Thanos’ arrival. And boy, does he arrive in some style.
This might just prove to be the toughest battle the Avengers and their allies have ever fought — and we know not all of them will be making it out alive.
So, before we get stuck in the nitty-gritty details of the trailer, hit that play one more time and remind yourself of where we stand.
(As though you haven’t had it on repeat since it landed.)
Ending where we began
The trailer opens with a fairly emotional moment: Several of the Avengers reciting the creed of the original initiative, as said by its mastermind, Nick Fury.
Not enough of a gut punch for you? Tony Stark, the star of the film that launched an entire, sprawling franchise, takes the first line.
There’s a beautiful kind of symmetry to the end of Phase Three coming full circle, with Tony at the head of it. Though, whether he’ll make it out the other side of Infinity War remains to be seen.
A Vision of love
A relationship that has been a long time coming, Vision — in a more human form than we’ve ever seen him — and Wanda share a touching moment.
(As for how that human form came about? Our best guesses are either that Vision has used his shapeshifting abilities to appear human, or Wanda has warped reality in some way. We’ll have to wait to see whether we’re on the money with this one.)
That potential coupling is not isolated to just the Marvel Cinematic Universe: It was a catalyst for the direction the comics took for several years.
As seen a little further on in the trailer, Vision will likely fall at the hands of Thanos’ Black Order. If Wanda and Vision have entered into a relationship, this could set into motion the events that eventually led to House of M.
It wouldn’t follow the comics exactly — it’s more the “death” of her children with Vision, Billy and Tommy, that causes her breakdown — but her ability to alter reality could provide a clue for how Thanos’ plans might get thwarted. After all, you can’t conquer the universe if the entire fabric of reality has been warped and changed in a moment of grief.
(Yeah, Wanda’s abilities are that powerful.)
Calling: Steve Rogers
At first glance, the cellphone that Tony is using to make a call would be no big deal. Sure, it’s a little low tech for the mastermind behind some of Stark Industries’ recent innovations, but it does the job.
And, when you remember what that job was… well. It’s certain to get the heartbeat of even the most stoic of Marvel fans going. That phone? It’s the one that Steve Rogers gave Tony, at the close of Civil War, programmed with just one number: his.
Infinity War counts as a pretty huge emergency, right?
My Spidey sense is tingling…
Spider-Man is back in for Avengers: Infinity War, and, well… his Spider sense is tingling.
With the dire need for every hero to be on the front line to put a stop to Thanos, the Black Order, and the Outriders, it makes sense for Peter Parker to suit up once more. And, with a threat this huge, we’ll get to see what the Iron Spider Armor is capable of.
The armor made its debut at the end of Spider-Man: Homecoming, and though we didn’t get to see it in action, it was only a matter of time. And there’s no better test for it than against the Avengers’ most formidable foe to date.
(But seriously, Peter, don’t try and fight Thanos alo– nope. That’s exactly what he’s doing.)
One… two… three…
“In time, you will know what it’s like to lose, to feel so desperately that you’re right, yet to fail all the same,” Thanos’ ominous voiceover tells us, as he steps through his portal. “Dread it, run from it, destiny still arrives.”
And not only has destiny arrived, but he’s done so with multiple Infinity Stones. Which spells serious trouble for our heroes.
With the Power Stone (previously in the possession of Nova Corps, at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy) and the Space Stone (last seen when Loki swiped the Tesseract during Thor: Ragnarok) secure in the gauntlet, there are only four more for Thanos to collect.
But how did the Space Stone come into Thanos’ possession? Loki, seen stepping over the bodies of several felled Asgardians — and if Thanos killed Korg, we riot, and I’ll print the pamphlets — potentially bargained for their lives with the Tesseract, but, of course, that only served to create a bigger problem.
The stone in Vision’s forehead, the Mind Stone, is likely the next candidate for Thanos’ acquisition. The Eye of Agomotto, Doctor Strange’s time-warping pendant, houses the Time Stone, and will also be on the checklist for Thanos’ visit to Earth.
The Aether, the Reality Stone, might already be in Thanos’ hands — we couldn’t clearly see the gauntlet’s thumb — but, otherwise, it is still on Knowhere with the Collector, where it was left during an end credits scene in Thor: The Dark World.
Which just leaves the Soul Stone. This is the only stone we’ve yet to see in a Marvel movie. With Wakanda featuring so heavily throughout the trailer, it would stand to reason that the Soul Stone might be there — and, as suggested by the battles raging throughout Wakanda, it may just be the last stronghold against Thanos.
The Black Order
We’re sure that you caught that spear being wielded throughout the trailer, but just who is the owner of that deadly weapon?
That would be Proxima Midnight, one of Thanos’ children. We knew that she, and the Black Order, would be appearing, thanks to some action figure reveals during D23, but this is our first time seeing her in action.
Other members of the Black Order — Corvus Glaive, Ebony Maw, and Cull Obsidian — have yet to appear in person (though Glaive’s spear does), nor do we have any casting information for them, but this suggests that Proxima Midnight will be heavily involved in the action.
Get that man a shield
Yeah, okay, we couldn’t really break this down without getting excited about Steve being back.
And, as epic as Thanos’ entrance might have been, Steve’s, heralded by T’Challa, might just have edged him out in the chill-inducing department. We’re not even sorry about it.
A fugitive since the close of Civil War, we haven’t heard much about Steve — except for a very brief name drop in Spider-Man: Homecoming, but we figure that when the annihilation of the entire planet hangs in the balance, the Sokovia Accords can be hand-waved, y’know, at least for the space of a movie.
Hopefully we’ll discover a little more about what Steve has been up to since we last saw him, because a lot has happened in his absence.
Wakanda forever
Though we’ll get to see Wakanda and its inhabitants before Infinity War arrives, they appear ready and willing to lead the charge against Thanos, no matter what the outcome of Black Panther is.
The Outriders are matched almost entirely in number by Wakandan warriors, which should level the playing field a little, but we also get some familiar faces returning here as well. Most notably, Bucky Barnes, who was placed in cryo-sleep at the close of Civil War. We’re definitely not ready for the reunion scene between Steve and Bucky, except for how we really, really are, and are ready for this film to bring the pain.
This battle is also, undoubtedly, the setting for that previously teased scene featuring over 30 Marvel characters. But don’t get used to seeing all these heroes together. Infinity War is likely going to thin them out considerably.
Thor’s Space Adventure
We couldn’t forget Thor in all of this. While the rest of the Avengers are taking the battle to Thanos on Earth, Thor remains spacebound, teaming up with the Guardians to put a stop to his plans.
Most notable from these brief flashes of Thor? That he’s attempting to single-handedly close Thanos’ portal to Earth, in a scene that is oddly reminiscent of Steve pulling that helicopter out of the sky. Whether Thor is successful in closing it, we won’t know until Infinity War’s May release, but he’s certainly going to give it a try.
And, when it comes to team-ups, Hemsworth’s impeccable comedic timing will mesh well with the Guardians — so that’s something to look forward to, between a whole load of other somethings.
