We’re now exactly one month from the release of “Avengers: Endgame,” and fans are scouring the web for any clue to the fate of our heroes and the strategy they might use to defeat Thanos. (They have to defeat Thanos, don’t they?)
We already know the “Endgame” trailer contains fake shots. We now know the final run-time will be around three hours. But mostly, we’re in the dark. Today, Marvel released a series of posters that (perhaps inadvertently) shed some light on how the film will play out.
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32 Avengers posters give hints of the ‘Endgame’ to come
The Survivors
Thor is obviously beating himself up for not going for the head. We hope he gets another whack at Thanos’ head in the movie.
Tony Stark survived “Infinity War” only because of Dr. Strange’s intervention. We know that Strange saw the future with the time stone and knew that “the only way” to set things right involves Iron Man’s involvement.
Everyone’s worried about the possibility Captain America could die during “Endgame,” and yeah, we’re worried, too. Cap’s the kind of guy who would jump on a grenade to save his friends. (Gulp.) But hey, at least he shaved.
Bruce Banner is still waiting for Hulk to roar back into action. Since his early-“Infinity War” beatdown, the green guy has been MIA. It’s a safe bet that Hulk is going to return, angrier than ever, at just the right moment.
Fresh off her film debut, Captain Marvel is likely to be a key player in defeating Thanos. After all, she’s the first (and only) person Nick Fury thought to alert when people started crumbling to dust. Some have suggested she may take the Adam Warlock role from the Infinity War comic arc.
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Black Widow has given up the blonde life. Maybe this will confuse Thanos. (Just grasping at straws here.)
Without Dr. Strange in play, Wong could offer his mystic skills to help our heroes. We haven’t seen him since the New York scenes early in “Infinity War,” so it’s nice to see he survived the snap.
Although Ant-Man got stranded in the quantum realm at the end of “Ant-Man and the Wasp,” we know he gets out somehow. He does appear full-sized in the trailers. His super-shrinking ability could prove crucial in the battle to come. After all, he didn’t get a crack at Thanos in “Infinity War.”
After an ominous “Infinity War” cameo where she looked forward to marriage with Tony Stark, Pepper Potts didn’t really figure into the film. Her inclusion in these posters suggests a larger role. Some have guessed she’ll get to don some armor of her own. In other Marvel properties, a suited-up Potts is known as Rescue.
Why would Marvel grab Jon Favreau for this photo shoot? It’s not like anyone wants a poster of Happy Hogan on their bedroom wall. He probably plays a support role to Pepper as she gears up to save Tony somehow.
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Lots of Marvel fans were griping about Valkyrie’s absence in the last film. This poster confirms that Thor’s pal survived the snap. Her inclusion here provides some much-needed firepower in the fight against the Mad Titan. Welcome back to the MCU, Valkyrie!
Okoye basically had the worst day of her life in “Infinity War.” She had to watch her king dissolve into dust. We look forward to seeing her back in action in “Endgame.”
The trailer seems to show War Machine is part of the core group headed on some kind of matching uniform mission to retrieve the heroes. Tony may be out of action for now, but Rhodey can provide some armored firepower in his absence.
Rocket doesn’t know it yet, but he lost more than Groot. All of the Guardians of the Galaxy got dusted (unless you count Nebula). Expect our furry little friend to settle the score.
Nebula could be another key to defeating Thanos. After all, she is his stepdaughter. And she has added motivation since her sister was on the receiving end of a very personal murder. Expect fireworks when she sees her old stepdad.
Hawkeye may not be the most powerful Avenger. But after hanging up his bow at the end of “Age of Ultron,” something terrible must have happened to pull him back into the fight. A man with deadly aim could come in handy when trying to dislodge tiny stones from a big metal glove…
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The Fallen
Wakanda weeps. When the mighty Black Panther disappeared, it left a nation without its king. Since we know T’Challa will be back for a Black Panther sequel, it’s a sure bet he comes back to life. But how?
This poster is our first confirmation that Shuri died in the big snap. Hopefully, she and her big brother aren’t out of action for long.
Poor Nick Fury only had time to beep Captain Marvel before crumbling to dust. Without him, we wouldn’t have the Avengers in the first place.
As we mentioned above, Dr. Strange saw something in all those timelines to make him think Tony was necessary to defeat Thanos in the end. His surrender of the Time Stone was a major turning point in “Infinity War,” and he wouldn’t have given it up without a good reason.
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Captain America faced a pair of tough losses at the end of “Infinity War.” Falcon disappeared…
…and so did Bucky. The Winter Soldier’s metal arm might have held up better against Thanos’ gauntlet than Cap’s bare hands did. Will he get a chance to arm wrestle the big purple guy?
Loki “dies” all the time, but this one certainly seemed real. For being a universally known trickster, his attempt to stab Thanos seemed pretty half-baked. His powers of deception could come in handy in a Thanos rematch. (Or he could stab the Avengers in the back. Loki is tricky that way.)
Vision took the noble way out when he sacrificed himself at the end of “Infinity War.” Too bad Thanos and the Time Stone hit rewind and made the sacrifice irrelevant. Question is: even if everyone comes back, can Vision even exist without the Mind Stone in his noggin?
Scarlet Witch suffered the 1-2 whammy of having to kill her lover, then watch him get killed a second time, then crumble to dust herself. If her magic is powerful enough to destroy an Infinity Stone, she would certainly be useful in the fight to come.
Star-Lord’s lack of self-control cost the Avengers dearly the first time. And nearly his whole team of Guardians turned to dust. After what happened to his beloved Gamora, there’s no one who’d love a second shot at Thanos more than Peter Quill.
Gamora’s death unlocked the Soul Stone for Thanos. And if she were to come back, his affection for her could be a helpful Achilles heel.
Drax had a rough go in “Infinity War” as he was diced into cubes and then snapped to dust. He has a personal vendetta against Thanos, but that temper could be a problem.
Mantis nearly held Thanos in check long enough for the team to remove the Infinity Gauntlet. If she could do that once, she could do it again… if she comes back.
He is Groot.
The Wasp never got a fair shot at Thanos. She was dusted inside the Quantum Realm. Her ability to shrink could slide her in behind Thanos’ defenses while he’s dealing with (ahem) bigger threats. That’s if she comes back, of course.
Ah, Spider-Man. With his mask off, Peter Parker was just a scared kid who didn’t want to die. And as many have pointed out, his spider-sense alerted him to the danger far earlier than anyone else. He knew he was going to turn into dust. Since we know that Spidey has a fun European vacation coming up , there’s no need to get too upset. But it’s no fun watching our heroes die, even temporarily.
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