Chris Evans stars as Captain America in “Avengers: Endgame.”
Marvel Studios set the internet buzzing this week with new trailers for “Avengers 4” and “Captain Marvel,” and a trailer for “Spider-Man: Far From Home” expected to drop Saturday.
After waiting nearly seven months since the devastating events of “Avengers: Infinity War,” let’s take a deep dive into the much anticipated trailer for “Avengers 4,” whose title was also finally revealed today via the trailer. Marvel also announced that the film’s release date is being moved up a week. (WARNING: Spoilers for “Avengers: Infinity War” ahead.”
“Avengers: Endgame”
“We’re in the endgame now,” Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) says before fading away to dust after Thanos’ (Josh Brolin) infamous snap in “Avengers: Infinity War.” And it’s where Earth’s mightiest heroes find themselves in “Avengers: Endgame.” The trailer doesn’t tell us many specifics about the movie’s plot, but it establishes a grim tone as the Marvel Cinematic Universe ties together a decade of storytelling.
After losing half of the population – and each other – in what is now being called the Decimation, the remaining Avengers must carry on as they search for a way to set the universe right and defeat the Mad Titan once and for all. The whole trailer is permeated by grief.
Stranded on a desolate Titan where he saw Spider-Man (Tom Holland) and most of the Guardians of the Galaxy die before his very eyes, Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) hijacks a capsule to try and hightail it back to Earth. But he knows his prospects are bleak as he’s run out of food and only has a day of oxygen left. In the trailer’s emotional beginning, Tony uses his Iron Man helmet to call his fiancee Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) to express his love and dire odds in what he believes will be his last phone call. It’s a touching reversal of the scene in “Iron Man 3” when he calls Pepper – who receives his message while wearing his Iron Man helmet – to tell her he’s not dead following the Mandarin’s attack on the Stark mansion.
Meanwhile, Thanos’ suit of armor is raised over Wakanda in a show of triumph as the Mad Titan walks peacefully among the fields, savoring his victory. His daughter, Nebula (Karen Gillan) – on the Avengers’ side in “Infinity War” – mourns the loss of her once estranged sister, Gamora (Zoe Saldana). Thor (Chris Hemsworth), still reeling from the loss of his home world, Asgard, and most of its people, is now mourning many of his fellow Avengers, too.
But Captain America (Chris Evans) and Black Widow (Scarlet Johansson) are working feverishly on Earth on a plan to undo Thanos’ damage and bring back their fellow Avengers. This isn’t the first time Cap has experienced loss, as the photo he keeps of Agent Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) in his compass shows. But while he may have lost Peggy for good, he’s not going to lose anyone else – not if he can help it.
“We lost, all of us. We lost friends, we lost family, we lost a part of ourselves,” Steve says in voiceover, with tears streaming down his face. “This is the fight of our lives,”
“This is going to work, Steve,” Black Widow assures him.
“I know it is – ‘cuz I don’t know what I’m going to do if it doesn’t,” says Steve, with fierce determination in his eyes.
The trailer also gives us more clues as to who may – and who may not – have survived the Decimation. Bruce Banner/The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) is taking stock of the presumed dead and missing. We see images of Scott Lang/Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), who was trapped in the Quantum Realm at the end of “Ant-Man and the Wasp”; as well as Shuri (Letitia Wright) – wait what?!? – the Wakandan princess whose brother, T’Challa/Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), was a victim of the Snap; and Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland), whose wrenching death I’m still not over.
But an Avenger who was conspicuously missing from “Infinity War” makes a dramatic return. Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), who struck a plea deal with the government after the events of “Captain America: Civil War,” trades in his bow and arrow for a samurai sword as Ronin, an identity worn by many superheroes in Marvel Comics. Being that we see Ronin right when Cap’s voiceover says “we lost family,” it’s a good bet that Clint tragically lost most or all of his family in the Decimation, leading him to take over the mantle of Ronin.
As dark as the trailer is, all hope is not lost. In what feels like a post-credits scene for Marvel’s own movies, Scott Lang shows up at the end of the “Endgame” trailer on Black Widow and Cap’s doorstep, offering his help. How did Ant-Man get out of the Quantum Realm? What did he learn that may help them defeat Thanos?
How will the Avengers restore the galaxy to its proper order and fight Thanos in the ultimate showdown? We’ll have to wait until April 26, 2019, to find out, when “Avengers: Endgame” invades theaters.
Rebecca Kivak and Joe Baress write about movies for Take 2 blog. Together, they review current flicks and offer their insights into the latest movie news. Rebecca is a copy editor and page designer at The Times-Tribune. She started her career with Times-Shamrock Newspapers in 2005 and has won several professional journalism awards for page design and headline writing. She also covers NASCAR races from Pocono Raceway. Contact: rkivak@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5126; @TTRebeccaKivak
