The end is near for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Thanos finally collects every MCU McGuffin into one sparkly glove and sets about wiping out half the universe. The Guardians of the Galaxy understand the potential of his threat, but Tony and the gang have some catching up to do. Slap on those made-up monikers, it’s time for Avengers: Infinity War.
Ten years in the making, 18 films stacking atop each other, and we’re now ready to see what all that Thanos fuss is about. The Mad Titan stands up from his chair, and promises to deliver real stakes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Fanboys have been crying out for a genuine threat, and death will be courted. Be careful what you wish for.
The final Infinity War trailer puts nearly every character on screen. Still no Hawkeye though. Gulp. The great farm house in the sky calls for you Jeremy Renner. Tony and Bruce are holding down the Sanctum Santorum with Doctor Strange, while Peter Parker swings in for backup. Cap and Widow look to have secreted Vision and his Mind Stone behind the walls of Wakanda, and the final showdown will be fought inside their borders.
The first shot of the trailer sees New York City turned upside down. A point of view familiar to Doctor Strange, and one stressing the havoc about to be unleashed upon our puny mortals. A voiceover from Gamora educates Tony Stark on the singular focus of Thanos. “The entire time I knew him, he only had one goal…to wipe out half the universe.” Thanos is a beast of balance, reducing universal population to a controllable empire.
“If he gets all the infinity stones, he can do it with the snap of his fingers.” We get a shot of Josh Brolin’s CGI behemoth taking off his helmet. He’s gotta let that scalp breathe before unleashing devastating bodily punishment upon his victims. This shot could be from inside Thor’s Asgardian life raft, after Thanos’s Sanctuary II has halted their course during the mid-credits tag of Thor: Ragnarok. More on this scene later in the trailer.
Peter Parker jumps out the window of his school bus and swings to the aid of Iron Man in hot pursuit of the alien ring ship hovering above NYC. Tony sounds pretty confident in his confrontation against the impending armada. “We’ve got one advantage, he’s coming to us.” His latest armor shows off some nanotechnology; his traditional repulsers melding into one massive rocket to give him that extra atmospheric boost.
“We have what Thanos wants, so that’s what we’ll use.” While Tony makes his way to space, Steve Rogers takes his last stand in Wakanda. We see Doctor Strange wielding the Time Stone hidden within the Eye of Agamotto, and a shot of worried Vision slumped in the jungle. Will his Mind Stone be the final gem added to the gauntlet? Can he operate without it? Is this his end of the line?
Hopefully, Shuri can whip up some replacement cpu processor if needed. We see her hard at work on an unconscious android. If she can repair Everett Ross’s shattered spinal column, the riddle of the The Mind Stone shouldn’t be too difficult.
Squeee. This is what we’ve all been waiting for. The Guardians of the Galaxy yucking it up with Tony Stark. These are the two most sarcastic creatures in the MCU. It will be interesting to see if their combined brand of takedown humor will elevate the comedy or aggravate the nerves. Quill will certainly not let anyone but himself have the last word, and the cosmos is his show, so Tony may have to take a backseat with his plan.
Peter and Drax aren’t butting in here. Quill and Tony will have to work it out.
At some point, Parker changed from his traditional Spidey-roos to the Iron Spider armor glimpsed during the climax of Homecoming. New trailer doesn’t reveal his extra arms, but I’ve got my fingers crossed for that.
T’Challa and Steve lead an army to the front line. The Falcon and War Machine fly overhead and we see Veronica activate. Again, no spoilers in the trailer, but if you’ve taken a peek at the toys, you know the Hulkbuster holds at least one surprise.
“The end is near.” Off planet, Doctor Strange, Rocket, Groot, and Thor prepare for their own galactic confrontation. Thor is still missing his hammer, but he’s got full control over the lightening.
We get a flashback shot of Thanos in full ceremonial armor. Helmet firmly in place, he must be feeling confident that this planet holds no real threat. Another voiceover explains his reasonable, despotic point of view, “When I’m done, half of humanity will still exist.” That’s not too much to ask, right?
A young Gamora takes the hand of Thanos. Her green-skinned people held at bay by his army. The Mad Titan has made his reputation on conquering planets and adopting their children as his own. Here is the birth of the galaxy’s most twisted family dynamic.
Back to the beginning of the film. Those purple fingers around Thor’s skull certainly belong to Thanos. Here is the first Avenger to suffer a tremendous beatdown from the Titan. Tossing Thor to the side, Thanos can make his way to the real jewel of his eye.
The Black Order, the henchmen of Thanos, surround Loki. Proxima Midnight, Ebony Maw, Corvus Glaive, and Black Dwarf bring the god of mischief to their master. What could he possibly trade for his life?
The Cosmic Cube and the Space Stone within it. As he attempted to do to Thor’s skull, Thanos cracks open the cube like a walnut. First gem of the film acquired (unless he’s already stopped by The Collector’s house for the Aether).
An awesome hero shot of Bucky, the White Wolf, locked and loaded. T’Challa suits up and leads the charge against the alien horde of Outriders. The Hulkbuster is overwhelmed by the endless sea of creatures. I hope whoever’s inside gets out ok?
Back in space, Doctor Strange is tortured by mind daggers.
The Ebony Maw gives Strange the shush. Rude. In Jonathan Hickman’s “Infinity” mini-series, Maw took possession of the Doctor’s body. Not sure if we’ll see that fully realized here, but it certainly looks like these two are going to war against each other. 
That’s the big theme here. Every one of your favorite heroes getting their ass handed to them. Two minutes and eighteen seconds of pure, embarrassing punishment. “I hope they remember you.” Thanos leaps to smash his gauntlet upon Tony and we cut to –
Thanos on Wakanda, smashing the Infinity Gauntlet into the Captain’s face. Not the typical bully Rogers has faced before, and I don’t think he can withstand the Titan’s strength for much longer. No cocky, “I can do this all day” here. Notice that the Gauntlet appears to only have the Space Stone and the Power Stone. Vision is still safe, but the vault on Xandar has certainly been raided.
Avengers: Infinity War will open in theaters April 27, 2017.
Related Topics: Avengers: Infinity War, Marvel
