Warning: This post contains spoilers for Avengers: Infinity War.
Marvel just dropped perhaps the most-anticipated movie trailer in recent history. After (again, spoiler alert!) Thanos snapped his fingers and disintegrated half of all life in the universe back in April’s Avengers: Infinity War, fans have been desperate to figure out how the remaining Avengers will bring back their fellow heroes back to life.
Tw Infinity War scenes offered the biggest hints about what’s to come in Avengers: Endgame: In one scene, Doctor Strange looks ahead at all the possible futures and determines there’s only one in which they win suggests that the Avengers had to lose the battle with Thanos—and allow him to make half their heroes disappear—in order to win the war. A post-credits scene hinting that Captain Marvel, who gets her very own movie in March 2019, could play a major role.
Fans finally got a few more hints about what will happen in the trailer for the Infinity War sequel—though the footage offered more questions than answers. Here is everything you need to know about the Avengers 4 trailer, including a second-by-second breakdown of the teaser.
Avengers 4 will be called Avengers: Endgame
The title suggests a mental rather than a physical battle with Thanos. An endgame often refers to the final stage of a game like chess where players must make certain sacrifices in order to win. It also calls back to Doctor Strange’s line in Infinity War, “We’re in the end game now.” Strange uttered those words after giving up the Time Stone to Thanos. Iron Man was baffled by his actions, but Strange tried to succinctly explain that giving up the Time Stone was a strategic move in the long run. We’re finally going to find out Strange’s plan.
Avengers: Endgame will premiere on April 26, 2019
The movie is set to premiere on April 26, just two months after Captain Marvel makes a debut in her solo film in March and two months before the next Spider-Man movie, Spider-Man: Far From Home.
The heroes will probably use time travel and the Quantum Realm to defeat Thanos
Ever since Thanos destroyed half of all life in the universe, fans have been floating theories about how the Avengers could reverse those actions. Most have focused on the Quantum Realm or time travel. The trailer suggests we’ll get some of both.
Those who saw Ant-Man and the Wasp will recall that Ant-Man got stuck in the subatomic space during an experiment when the Wasp and her family, who were supposed to pull him out, disintegrated. In the trailer, we see Scott Lang emerged from the Quantum Realm. He seems to have figured out a way to get out on his own, and that might be useful moving forward.
We also get a shot of Steve Rogers (Captain America) looking at an old photo of Peggy Carter, his love interest during World War II who died of old age in Captain America: Civil War. Over his shoulder, Black Widow says, “This will work.” That probably means that Cap (and maybe some of the other Avengers) are traveling back in time.
The only way to restore the universe to the way it was is to prevent Thanos from ever snapping his fingers at all. That will require going back in time. Leaked photos from the set show the Avengers in old versions of their uniforms, suggesting we’ll either see flashbacks or time travel. The title “endgame” also suggests that the plot will revolve around a plot conceived by Doctor Strange, the master of the time stone, before he died.
Many fans have theorized the Doctor Strange, who defeated the villain Dormammu in his solo film by capturing him in a time loop, used the Time Stone to trick Thanos, too. When Doctor Strange creates a time loop in the films, a green circle forms around his left wrist. Notably, Doctor Strange’s wrist is hidden from the time he gives up the Time Stone to Thanos in Infinity War through the end of the film. It’s possible that he set up some sort of time loop for the Avengers before he gave up the Infinity Stone.
Ant-Man and Hawkeye are alive
Both show up in the trailer and surprise the Avengers who presumed them dead or disappeared.
Thanos is nowhere to be seen in the trailer
The titan has established enough of an ominous presence by now that he doesn’t even need to show up in the film to present a threat.
Breaking down every second of the Avengers: End Game trailer
0:06 Tony finds his damaged helmet, turns it on and makes a call to his fiancée Pepper. He’s been adrift in space with no hope with rescue and his oxygen is going to run out tomorrow. Presumably this is happening immediately after Thanos’ snap—though Nebula was with Iron Man after all the other heroes faded away, so they may be stuck in space together. Ominously he says that “part of the journey is the end.” Okay, lots of people are dying. Probably Tony.
0:23 This is probably the ship that Nebula used to fly to Thanos’ planet to confront her adopted father. Presumably Iron Man and Nebula are stuck on it together.
0:51 Tony says, “When I drift off, I will dream about you. It’s always you.” Remember that Tony and Pepper were planning their wedding when Infinity War began. This line sets the stakes for the Avenger who jumpstarted this massive franchise: His story is either going to end happily with a wedding or tragically with his death. And that ending will set the tone for the Avengers going forward.
Many fans have speculated that Pepper will save Tony using the “Rescue Armor” from the comic books. Pepper has already shown off her superhero skills in Iron Man 3. Leaks from the set of Avengers: Endgame teased fans with photos Pepper in her own Iron Man suit. Here’s hoping Pepper will receives this message and saves her fiancé.
0:59 A disintegrating Marvel Studios logo, just to hammer home the point.
1:03 Thanos’ armor in what looks to be either Wakanda or his home planet of Titan. But how did it get there?
One possibility: Thanos made himself disappear—along with half the universe—when he snapped his fingers in Wakanda, somehow leaving his armor behind. In Infinity War, Thanos does wake up in a strange looking spirit realm where he encounters a young Gamora asking him if it was worth the sacrifice he made? Fans have theorized that this is a realm inside the Soul Stone, but perhaps it is the place where the disappeared spirits go. The Wakandans would put up the armor to memorialize the war that happened there and remind them to fight to bring back their king, T’Challa.
However, Titan seems more likely. When the other characters disappeared, however, their clothes went with them. Maybe this is Thanos’ home planet and he’s put his armor up on display for the same reason: a memorial to the carnage.
1:07 It’s hard to make out behind the lens flare, but this looks to be Thanos walking presumably on Titan, enjoying that oh so bright future he gifted to the world by culling its population.
1:13 The remaining Avengers have made it back to Avengers headquarters. This shows how serious things are: remember that Captain America was persona non grata on the compound just a few weeks before when he and Iron Man were still feuding. Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow) confirms in a voiceover that Thanos accomplished his goal: Half of all life in the universe has disappeared.
1:16 Tragic news: Looks like Shuri didn’t survive the snap either.
1:17 We see Bruce Banner (a.k.a. the Hulk) reacting to the news. Presumably, the Avengers are trying to figure out who is alive and dead. We see pictures of Scott Lang (Ant-Man) and Peter Parker (Spider-Man) here, probably both presumed dead. We know that Peter is gone, and since Scott is in the quantum realm, the Avengers probably presume him dead at this point in the film too.
1:23 We don’t learn much from this shot of Thor except that he’s definitely in this movie and definitely still missing an eye. Yay Thor! I hope Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) comes and finds you.
1:28 Nebula on a ship, again probably hers and probably with Iron Man. (Remember the ship that Iron Man, Doctor Strange and Spider-Man took to Titan in Infinity War crash landed?) She touches something, probably a uniform. She’s either mourning her sister, Gamora, or maybe even the other Guardians of the Galaxy, all of whom disappeared except for Rocket, who was with Thor in Wakanda when Thanos snapped his fingers.
1:30 Captain America says in a voiceover, “We lost family,” and we get our first shot of a mysterious figure who will turn out to be Clint Barton (a.k.a Hawkeye, played by Jeremy Renner). So Clint’s family, or at least one of his family members, must have died in the culling.
1:35 Hawkeye, wiping a weapon off after presumably killing someone with it, turns around and looks at Black Widow. She seems surprised to see him—or at least to see him giving off a very Batman “they killed my parents” (or in this case, kids?) vibe.
Black Widow has either run across him by accident or tracked him down to try to recruit him to join the team. Hawkeye may think, fairly, that if the Avengers couldn’t stop Thanos before, why would they think they have a chance of reversing his actions? Maybe the only recourse left is vengeance. Hawkeye is likely taking on the Ronin identity, and his suit reflects the transition. In the comics, Hawkeye becomes Ronin, a lone warrior, after a traumatic event. His storyline will likely turn dark.
1:40 This looks like a sentimental moment, but it may actually be a huge clue. Captain America looks at a picture of his former love, Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell). Is he thinking about Peggy before he goes into battle? Maybe. But more likely he’s reckoning with the idea that he’s about to see her again because he’s about to travel back in time.
1:41 Black Widow assures Captain America, “This is going to work Steve.” Again, that suggests they’re not entering a battle but taking on a mission, puzzling out some way to outmaneuver Thanos and undo the past: time travel. But how?
2:01 Cap replies to Black Widow, “I know it will because I don’t know what I’m going to do if it doesn’t.” Cut to the reveal of the title card: Avengers: Endgame. The stakes are high: This is their one and only chance to stop him. If it doesn’t work, it will be the end of the Avengers universe.
(So, yeah, it’s going to work. Black Panther and Spider-Man are both coming back for solo films so they can’t be gone forever. But it will still be surprising to find out what other superheroes may have to sacrifice themselves along the way. Based on this trailer, Cap and Iron Man seem to be the least likely to survive Endgame.)
2:10 Ant-Man lives! Better yet, he has found a way out of the Quantum Realm. Scott Lang visits the Avengers headquarters and rings the doorbell. “Is this an old message?” Captain America asks, confirming that the Avengers thought Scott was dead.
“It’s the front door,” Black Widow replies. Looks like Ant-Man will be sharing his knowledge of the Quantum Realm with his fellow superheroes.
