The first trailer for Marvel's next blockbuster, Avengers: Infinity War, is finally here. This latest star-studded, science-fiction superhero bonanza—directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, the brothers behind two Captain America films—is expected to be the most expensive film ever made, with an unprecedented budget of $1 billion.
The first look, released Wednesday, teases a war between the Avengers and Thanos and reveals at least two battlefields—New York City and Wakanda. It also includes shots of familiar superheroes suiting up and attacking Thanos and his army, but there are some mysterious moments meriting a closer look. Here, the five most curious shots:
Who is Loki stepping over, and why is he helping Thanos?
When last we saw Loki in Thor: Ragnarok, he had temporarily redeemed himself in brother Thor's eyes (eye) by getting hundreds of Asgardians to safety in the fight against Hela. However, the Infinity War trailer confirms that Loki stole the Tesseract (actually the Space Stone) from Asgard. We watch him step over dead bodies to offer the Tesseract to someone who appears to be taller than he is, a character many have assumed is Thanos.
What's unclear is whether Thanos or Loki are responsible for the dead bodies (which, based on the clothing, could be Asgardian or Kamar-Tajian), and that's an important distinction. Loki has maimed, taunted, attacked and double-crossed characters in the Marvel universe, but he has yet to commit genocide (though he got close in the first Avengers film). We also don't know Loki's location in these shots; Hulk ends up in New York and Thor ends up with the Guardians of the Galaxy in space, but Loki's whereabouts are up in the air.
What's going on with Thor?
In the trailer, we don't see Thor with any other characters until the very last shot, when he asks the Guardians of the Galaxy, "Who the hell are you guys?" We do, however, see him inside some crazy space contraption, holding onto two metal poles and screaming. He also broods alone in the Guardians' ship, staring out the windows into space.
Thor's eye, removed in Thor Ragnarok, is still missing, but his eyepatch was added after Marvel and Disney filmed the footage they screened at the D23 Expo; fans there saw Thor meeting the Guardians with both eyes.
When will Vision die?
Marvel fans have known that Thanos would kill Vision in Infinity War since the Mind Stone brought him to life. But knowing that grim fate doesn't make it easier to watch Corvus Glaive, one of Thanos's right-hand men, tear the stone out of Vision's face.
All signs in the trailer point to fans having some quality time with Vision before he's murdered. When we see Thanos's in-process gauntlet in the trailer, he's only got the Power stone and the Space stone locked in, and we also see Vision in his humanoid form embracing Scarlet Witch. In one of Marvel's best comics of 2016, Tom King's The Vision, the android character created a suburban family for himself and realized just how dark the human experience can be. If Vision were to come up with a way to keep his consciousness alive post-Mind Stone removal—even if it were through a child with Scarlet Witch—that could open up something both creepy and cool for future movies.
Who is Captain America without the shield or title?
When we see bearded Cap in the trailer, he catches a flying spear from Proxima Midnight, Corvus Glaive's wife and another one of Thanos's lackeys. Black Panther says, "get this man a shield," indicating that Cap will dip into the Wakandan vibranium collection once again. However, in the shot depicting the Wakandan army charging on Thanos's forces, Cap is shieldless; in fact, he's wearing Black Panther-style gauntlets with claws and he hasn't shaved. All of this indicates that Marvel may be using a 1974 comic book storyline, in which Cap rejects his identity and goes by "Nomad," aka The Man Without a Country.
Are Ant-Man and Wasp already headed to the Quantum Realm?
Though Evangeline Lilly (Wasp) and Paul Rudd (Ant-Man) are slated to appear in Infinity War, the first trailer doesn't include either. Earlier this week, Lilly spoke to Vanity Fair about her role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe after Infinity War, saying the major shifts in story focus remind her of her work on the TV series Lost. "We are hitting that [Lost] Season 4 space where everything's about to shift," Lilly said, "and you're about to lose the solid ground underneath you. And [Ant-Man and the Wasp], of course, will play a part in that."
Marvel fans anticipate the Ant-Man sequel, Ant-Man and the Wasp, exploring the Quantum Realm mentioned in the first film, but it's possible that realm could play into the war against Thanos, especially if those Avengers whose powers border on magic end up being more effective in the intergalactic war.
Punch-up style heroes like Iron Man, Black Widow and Spider-Man are going to have a hard time fighting a giant warlord who worships death. Their best bet? To join forces with heroes who have learned our world isn't as black and white as it appears—Avengers like Ant-Man, Wasp, Doctor Strange, Thor, Star-Lord, Vision, Scarlet Witch and Wong. Ant-Man and the Wasp can fight Thanos's darkness in the space between atoms, Doctor Strange and Wong have the ability to manipulate time, Scarlet Witch and Vision can manipulate matter, and Thor has an Asgardian communication device in Heimdall. And then there's Star-Lord, introduced as half-Celestial in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, the only one in the line-up who can contend with big dogs like Thanos, The Collector and Grandmaster.
These five questions and more will be answered on May 4, 2018, when Avengers: Infinity War finally hits theaters.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Emily is a culture and entertainment writer living in Manhattan. Previously, she ran the culture section at Inverse and has been published in The Daily ... Read more
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