The beginning of the end is here! The first trailer for Avengers: Endgame has dropped, and the Retrozap crew have their first reactions. Geek out with us and read on for all of the hype and speculation!
Four days. That’s how long has elapsed since the end of Infinity War, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe is fundamentally changed by what they called “The Decimation.” Fifty percent of all sentient beings are dead. Or gone. Or…something. What do heroes do in the wake of such devastation? How do you avenge an act so massive and irreversible that the big bad, Thanos, has laid down his arms and seeks a peaceful life?
There’s a reckoning coming. Not all is lost. And Captain America and Black Widow have a plan. April 2019 is gonna be epic, and I’ll be there for the first showing of Avengers: Endgame at my local cinema.
–Joe Tavano, Editor in Chief, Retrozap
Dennis Keithly
My overall reaction to seeing the trailer for Avengers: End Game is: “We’re getting the band back together.” The trailer begins with Tony Stark recording a farewell to Pepper Potts. Then it rotates through the rest of the original Avengers. Bruce Banner looks at screens portraying missing, and presumed dead, Avengers such as Spider-Man and Ant-Man (not so fast!). Thor sits in brooding contemplation. Black Widow and Captain America discuss the fallout from Thanos’s quest and resolve that their plan will work. Finally, Black Widow finds Clint – but not acting as Hawkeye and perhaps in his role of Ronin. If this is the last hurrah of the original Avengers, then this is an appropriate way to go.
Thanos makes an appearance as well. However, his appearance is limited. His armor rests upon a pole and serves as a scarecrow. Having accomplished his mission, Thanos wanders his fields. This glimpse, albeit brief, suggests that Endgame is much more about the Avengers than Infinity War was. Arguably, Infinity War was more a Thanos movie about his quest to eliminate half the life in the universe. As an aside, the shot of Thanos reminds one of Gladiator whenever Maximus envisioned himself wandering through his wheat fields back home in Spain.
This trailer is notable for its lack of action. However, it is in a unique position of not having to give away any action shots. Really, Infinity War, with its cliffhanger (that really isn’t a cliffhanger) ending is almost all the promotion Endgame needs. Audiences are already primed for the conclusion of the story. Therefore, Endgame can keep some of the best goodies for the release of the movie itself. What the trailer for Endgame does is create a little cliffhanger of its own: how is Tony Stark getting off that ship with less than a day’s supply of air left? If fans still needed a reason to check out Endgame, there is that.
The trailer for Endgame strikes a dark but hopeful tone. Everyone knows the mission to defeat Thanos will be some sort of a success. It must be. The out of universe reasoning that additional films for Black Panther and Spider-man (and Guardians of the Galaxy if the post Gunn fallout is ever resolved) are on their way provides all the explanation needed. Captain America and Black Widow have a plan. The audience just doesn’t know what it is yet. Then Ant-man, of all heroes, shows up at Avenger’s mansion and demands admittance. There is your glimmer of hope. Sign me up.
Jay Shepard
Part of the journey is the end.
This may be the most hyped film—ever. Fans have been clamoring to know the title, see the trailer, get something…for months. When the Captain Marvel trailer hit earlier this week, part of me was sure they were going to pull a bait and switch and show the A4 trailer instead. But Avengers: Endgame is finally here. And if that title doesn’t sound ominous, then you haven’t been paying attention to the stakes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
We lost friends, we lost family, we lost a part of ourselves.
Having lost 50% of all humanity with Thanos’ finger-snap at the end of Avengers: Infinity War, fans were shocked by which characters did not survive. This trailers somber tone, introduced by lone survivor Tony Stark, who is without his suit of iron, reminds everyone what has happened. Steve and Natasha review the losses with Bruce Banner, noting deaths of Shuri, Peter Parker and Scott Lang. The trailer does show all of the original Avengers; the ones that made their debut in 2012. They have all changed, but none more than Hawkeye, who appears to have a new costume, fights with a sword, and is hanging out in Japan. The assumption appears to be that he has lost his family, and has gone rogue with his ronin persona. All hope appears to be lost.
Can you buzz me in?
Except that the audience knows Scot Lang isn’t dead. Last seen, he was trapped in the quantum realm. Now, somehow, he’s got his van, and is banging on the Avengers front door! Could he be the key to saving…everyone? The title, Avengers: Endgame, seems like an obvious choice, considering that in Infinity War, Dr. Strange’s response to Tony when giving away the Time Stone was “We’re in the endgame, now.” Perhaps all the pain and heartbreak was necessary in order to put the pieces in place to stop Thanos. The trailer definitely raises more questions than it answers (in fact, it doesn’t answer anything!) but it does promise a resolution to one of the largest and most fascinating cinematic journeys ever; one that began in 2008 with a lone man in a suit of iron.
Courtney Martin
The new Avengers trailer is finally here! Avengers: Endgame—perfect title. Very ominous and yet it allows for a bit of hope, because a game can go either for the home team or against it. The very first shot is perfection; a battered and almost destroyed Iron Man helmet. Tony Stark has been the Marvel cornerstone since the beginning of the MCU, and to see how far the character has come, what he’s been through, and to see him lost adrift in space and on the edge of death is stunning. (Please, please let Captain Marvel rescue him!). Cut to Steve Rogers with a tear running down his face, speaking to Natasha/Black Widow of those they had lost. Wow. And poor Steve/Captain America, he has lost so much (Peggy, Bucky, everyone from his past, and now his Avengers family). Then Hawkeye returns–as Ronin?! What is this about? And finally, the bit of hope that is absolutely needed in this dark trailer–Scott Lang. Yes, Ant-Man, who was thought to have been killed by Thanos’ snap heard ’round the galaxy, is at Steve and Natasha’s front door. This confirms that Lang, plus Hank Pym and his wife, have some secrets connected to the Quantum Realm that can help the Avengers reassemble. This movie is the culmination of years of MCU films, and it is going to be awesome. April 2019 can’t come soon enough.
Joey Letson
I’ve heard it said that “Infinity War” was a great prequel to a sequel. “End Game” looks like it will provide the closure that I missed with “Infinity War.” And man, does it look dire for our heroes! Tony Stark has reserved himself to dying in space, the Incredible Hulk is sulking, Thor looks like he’s in jail, and Captain America has a single tear going down his face. Oh yeah, and Hawkeye is cosplaying as Arrow or something. We all know that the Thanos will be beaten and our heroes won’t feel helpless for long but man, this trailer brought me down! Luckily, Scott Lang’s appearance lightened the mood at the last second. That’s what I like about Marvel. It can get dark but it still has a positivity to it that makes the action fun and exciting. I can’t wait to see the “End Game” next year!
James Volpe
Avengers 4. Wow, it’s been a while since I have seen a Marvel movie but I just watched the new Avengers: End game trailer and I am excited to see this movie. Even not knowing exactly what is happening in the Marvel universe, I am intrigued as to what is going to happen to Iron Man. There are so many others things going on in the trailer and I am left with a lot of questions. I think this is good because it makes me want to know what is going to happen to everyone. I can’t wait for this movie after I see all the other ones!
David Giltinan
We in the Endgame, Marvel fans! Thanos has rocked the MCU, and it’s up to what’s left of The Avengers to put the pieces back together.
You get a real sense of loss from Tony Stark’s lonely vlog right from the beginning. We also see folks who didn’t get ahem snapped from existence like Thor, Captain America, Black Widow, and Nebula. Even Hawkeye is still around. However, it was the appearance of Scott Lang AKA Ant-Man showing up at Cap’s front door that was the highlight. The mention of the airport fight during Civil War was a nice nod, but it was Lang’s overall lightness that helped the trailer from being too deep in murky depression. Could Ant-Man make a big impact in Avengers: Endgame? We’ll have to wait and see!
Mike Harris
It’s been rumored for a couple weeks now, but the teaser trailer for the next Avengers film—Avengers: Endgame—has arrived!
This teaser does a fantastic job of setting the tone of the film, based off the tragic climax of Avengers: Infinity War, while not giving away too much. The opening monologue by Tony Stark hit me on two levels. First, it’s just heartbreaking hearing him at what he at that moment considers the end of it all. Second, is that it is very fitting it opened with him, as he kicked the modern MCU off 10 years ago this year in the Iron Man.
I think this is a conscious decision: Avengers: Endgame is not only the conclusion of this two-part Avengers storyline, but the literal endgame for the past ten years of storytelling. It’s all been leading up to this. With the future stories looking like they’re going in a new, fresh direction, this movie is going to be epic and bittersweet. Plus, seeing Hawkeye back and Ant-Man joining the fight is an added bonus. Marvel and the MCU have been knocking it out of the park with each and every one of these and this one will be no exception!
Consider me assembled.