The Final Avengers: Endgame Trailer Embraces The End By Recalling The Beginning

Typically, I’m not one to blow my own wad and spoil the premise of an upcoming article I’m working on. And, by working on, I mean that I’ve A) came up with a title B) took down like four or five bullet points about what I’m going to address in the piece and C) preyed to the writing gods to do all the work for me, because critique is exhausting and so emotionally draining. But I’m going to tease a future thing from myself anyways, since it turns out to be very much relevant to the contents of this second and final Avengers: Endgame trailer — in like a few weeks times, a bunch of the decades’ most important pieces of pop culture are coming to an end, at least in some way. And chief amongst them might be the conclusion of the current MCU storyline — after 11 years of and over 20 films, we are finally getting to a place of climax with this story.  And if that fact isn’t the most prevalent one throughout this entire trailer for Avengers: Endgame, I don’t know what is.

And, hey: it is not at all a bad direction to lead into with the marketing for the film. Heck, it might be the absolute best (and, admittedly, most obvious) direction they could have taken things in: after all, they already blew the whole “LOOK AT ALL THE AVENGERS WE GOT” gambit for Avengers: Infinity War. Leaning into this being a “final goodbye” for the heroes we started out with just enforces how smart it was for Marvel to do what they did at the end of Infinity War: it’s a killer and enticing cliffhanger on its own, yes, but it also allows the quickly expanding Avengers line-up to re-shift focus to the old guard, most of whom we know are probably bowing out of the franchise in the immediate future.

Each of which, by the way, get there own little “remember where this started?” little flashback in this trailer, as if the series finale vibes for all of them weren’t already apparent. Kicking the trailer off was Tony Stark reminiscing over his first time ever suiting up as Iron Man, an event that happened in real time over a decade ago and jump started this entire crazy enterprise. Yes, really — over TEN years ago. Like it or not, folks, we are in full on nostalgia mode for Iron Man by this point, and Marvel took full advantage of those nostalgic feelings here by centering so much of this trailer not on what will necessarily go down in Avengers: Endgame, but just how far this series has come in the time sense.

And it works, if you ask me. This trailer is pretty damn great, and does an excellent job at ramping up excitement for the film while simultaneously showing very little of what will actually happen in it. Just mostly shots of folks looking sad, remembering stuff, and making dramatic monologues. And well that should make for a boring trailer watching experience, after years and years getting to know and love these characters, basking in their ennui isn’t such a bad experience.

Of course if you came to this trailer looking for huge money shots and big hints about what is going to go down in the story, you have once again come to the wrong place. Like with the initial teaser trailer from last December, this thing barely tells us anything about what the Avengers are trying to do, or how they are going to do it. And I’ll echo what I said then: good. Honestly, this was a movie where they could have just thrown up a logo for a teaser and do no other marketing whatsoever, and people would be into it. Keeping things incredibly close to the chest was very much a smart move for Marvel here…and doing it in the way they did in this trailer, doubly so.

But it’s not like this thing is completely devoid of new information. There is little tidbits of things that happen here, including:

• THE SUITS, PEOPLE. THE SUITS. They are snazzy as hell yes but, frankly, it’s the only real misstep of the trailer for me when it comes to Marvel’s current approach. Like yeah of course we know Tony’s going to be okay or whatever, but if both of your trailers rely so heavily on the tension of Tony dying alone, stranded in the middle of space, must you show him alive and well back with the rest of the Avengers on Earth? I don’t see why they couldn’t have cut off the shot before we zoomed over to Stark, is all I’m saying. YOU WERE SO CLOSE TO REVEALING NOTHING, MARVEL. SO CLOSE!
• And on the subject of the suits…what do you think they are for? Are The Avengers traveling to space, to take on Thanos on his home turf? Considering how bad that went last time, I doubt it. My theory is that they’re going into the Quantum Realm, as they have a bit of an Ant-Man sheen to them. Or, more accurately…a Micronauts one. Once technically Marvel, you guys! It was the inspiration!
• Also didn’t completely love the end tag with Captain Marvel, especially in comparison to the far cooler pop in from the character during her own movie’s mid-credit tag. Thor’s little comment is fun enough, but what actually happens (him summoning Stormbreaker, and her not even flinching as it wooshes past) is so brief and throw away that it took me a couple watches to really taken in what actually happened. Doesn’t have quite the same wow of, say, Vision non-nonchalantly wielding Mjonir in Age of Ulton. IDK, maybe I’m just dumb (spoiler: I am.)
• SO MUCH ANT-MAN, YOU GUYS. As King of the Paul Rudd Fan Club (yes, we are a monarchy, what of it?), it thrills me to see him feature so much in this trailer. With so few post Phase 1 Marvel heroes around after Infinity War, it’s great that Scott Lang is allowed to play in the less crowded game here
• Thanos is still nowhere to be seen in this marketing, aside from in the poster. Interesting how little they want to show of him. What, did he grow a stupid mustache or something in the interim between the two films?
• Banner is the only main superhero character from the first Avengers not to get a big trailer moment and/or speech. He pops up briefly, but isn’t participating in the brooding games, it seems. Then again, if they were to flashback for him like with Cap and Iron Man, it would be pretty strange to be seeing scenes with Edward Norton again…
• Though I still don’t LOVE the title to this film, I must admit: it was a smart one. “Endgame” has just enough finality to it to suggest this will bring closure, but enough wiggle room that the series can (and 120% will) keep going even after. Not an Avengers: The Final Chapter or anything like that, but close enough.

As has been the case from the immediate second following Avengers: Infinity War…I am so freaking excited to see how this all pans out, you guys. April 26 can’t come soon enough.