There is SO MUCH to unpack in the first official trailer for Joe and Anthony Russo's Avengers: Infinity War, an epic confrontation that will land in theaters next summer. This footage is different from the clips shown at D23 and San Diego Comic-Con earlier this year, and as a result of having now seen Spider-Man: Homecoming and Thor: Ragnarok, there are details that Marvel is able to share so that amateur MCU sleuths like us can start to deduce how Infinity War (and maybe even Avengers 4) can and will play out.
We have gone over every frame of the Avengers: Infinity War trailer. If you need to see it one more time, give it a go:
Now, based on everything that we watched, here are the plot points that have been speculated on which are finally being confirmed by this initial footage.
Hulk will land in New York City after Thor: Ragnarok
When last we saw Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), he was riding safely along with Thor (Chris Hemsworth) in the end credits of Thor: Ragnarok, having saved the existing Asgardians from Hela (Cate Blanchett). But before the movie could wrap, the heroes were confronted by Thanos' massive ship. This new trailer -- in scenes we'll discuss -- confirms that a fight will take place, and Hulk will get knocked from space all the way back down to Earth. In fact, we see him in human form having blasted a hole in the roof of the Sanctum Sanctorum, home of Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch).
Vision can look human now
The courtship of Vision (Paul Bettany) and Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) continues, and yet even though we see the synthetic android in his full colors later on in the trailer, this was a shocking reveal. Vision apparently can change his appearance now. Or, maybe Witch is doing something to mess with the appearance, to make him look more like Paul Bettany. I'm guessing Bettany wrote in that Jennifer Lawrence contract that says "Less time in the makeup chair, dudes." Either way this needs to be explained.
The Avengers will head to Wakanda
Seeing as how the Marvel movie that will arrive right before Avengers: Infinity War is Black Panther, audiences will be very familiar with the African nation of Wakanda. But still, seeing the number of Avengers who make their way their sends a chill. Banner may start in New York City, but he'll get to Africa, alongside Stark (or a Hulkbuster armor at the very least, pictured above), and a slew of other Avengers such as Cap, Black Widow and the Falcon.
Thanos will open a portal to New York City
We knew that the Mad Titan (Josh Brolin) would come to our planet. This much was inevitable. We didn't know WHERE he'd show up, and the trailer gives away a huge reveal that the Battle of New York in The Avengers was but a precursor for what's sure to be a massive confrontation in the Big Apple. Someone break Adrian Toomes (Michael Keaton) out of prison, because there's going to be a major cleanup needed after Thanos is through.
Where he'll take on Spider-Man!
Who should Thanos run into during his first stop on our planet? None other than The Amazing Spider-Man (Tom Holland), who is shown riding a school bus on a class trip until his Spider Sense (YAY!) tips him off to that aforementioned portal over Manhattan. In the subsequent shots, we see Spidey sliding across the portal... wearing the Iron Spider suit from the end of Homecoming. The one that he rejected. I wonder how that happened.....
Thanos is going to kill a lot of Asgardians
This scene appears to be connected to the end of Thor: Ragnarok, where we are assuming that Thanos heads off Thor's ship on his quest for an Infinity Stone. More on that in a second, but this shot of massive feet stepping over dead bodies leads me to believe that Thanos -- or possibly a member of his Black Order -- boards the ship we saw Thor, Hulk and Loki on, and wipes out a ton of innocent people.
And get the Tesseract from Loki
Because in the next shot, we see Loki (Tom Hiddleston) handing over the Tesseract to someone. Again, probably Thanos, but maybe a Black Order member. We saw Loki snatch this cube from Odin's vault in Thor: Ragnarok, and it was such a deliberate pause by Thor director Taika Waititi that you KNEW it would pay off in Infinity War. Will the Tesseract be Thanos' first Stone? Or does he already have one?
A member of Thanos' Black Order is going to take on Captain America
That beard!! Before we get to Captain America (Chris Evans), who is in hiding after the events of Captain America: Civil War, we see who I believe to be Proxima Midnight hurling her trademark lance into the darkness. It's target is unknown... until Steve Rogers emerges from the shadows to join the battle. Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) looks back and appears somewhat surprised and grateful that Cap has arrived. Maybe he has been in hiding this whole time, but needs to surface now that Thanos is getting closer?
Thanos also has Predator-looking warriors
This blurry screen grab (best I could do) is from an escalating battle on the fields of Wakanda. And it shows Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) battling what can only be described as a Predator-styled beast. This proves that the threat against our planet isn't just the Mad Titan (Josh Brolin) -- who, alone, is formidable. Thanos is bringing an army, and it will be creatures the likes of which many heroes in the MCU have never seen before.
Vision's going to lose that Stone
RIP, Vision's forehead. This had been speculated on numerous times by pundits wondering how Thanos would acquire all of his needed Stones... seeing as how one of them -- the Mind Stone -- was used to bring Vision (Paul Bettany) to life. Well, we see it being forcibly removed from his skull. Will this kill Vision? Wound him? Will Thanos' minions actually succeed, or is this the start of a larger fight?
Thanos will get at least two Stones in this movie
At least. Probably more. This shot shows two Stones in the Infinity Gauntlet. The Space Stone (blue, taken from Loki) and the Power Stone (purple, which was last seen with the Nova Corps... so that's bad news). He doesn't have the Mind Stone yet, so I think Vision might prevail in holding on to it, for the time being. Many on social media are commenting that the shot hides the Gauntlet's thumb, which we knows holds the Time Stone, so Thanos MIGHT have it at this point, as well.
Bucky defrosts
This one's not much of a surprise. When Cap (Chris Evans) turns the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) over to Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) at the end of Civil War, we knew it would be temporary. This could be explained in a mid-credits scene from Black Panther, as it leads into Avengers: Infinity War. Or Bucky may come out of his freeze chamber in Infinity War. But he'll definitely be a part of the Wakanda Defense Team when the Avengers assemble and take on Thanos' minions in this movie.
War Machine is back in action!
This one IS a surprise. Bucky was always going to come back. Rhodey, however, seemed like an easy candidate for the Kill List... though I thought he'd buy it in Civil War. He survived, and was semi-paralyzed at the end of that movie. But that injury won't sideline War Machine, as he is spotted in this incredible action group shot. Unless it's the War Machine suit, remotely controlled, the way that we know Tony Stark can do.
The Guardians finally join the show
The D23 and Comic-Con Avengers: Infinity War footage showed different sides to the Guardians of the Galaxy, and explained how they will be brought into the fray. I won't discuss that in depth here, because Marvel Studios hid it from this trailer. But every good trailer needs a kicker, and this one was a slam dunk. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and his eye patch stare down the Guardians. And that little wave by Mantis (Pom Klementieff)? Adorable.
So, that's what we think we learned. What have we missed? Hit us up in the comments. Avengers: Infinity War will be in theaters in May 4, 2018. I know. This morning, that feels like an eternity.
