Excitement over the state of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is so strong you can taste it. The studio is still riding high on the massive box office and critical success of Ryan Coogler's Black Panther. While the MCU is still making money from T'Challa's adventure in Wakanda, we're only a few weeks away from perhaps the most ambitious blockbuster in film history. Avengers: Infinity War will unite all of the main characters from the shared universe, as they put aside their differences in an attempt to save the galaxy from Thanos. Information and footage has been methodically released by the studio, and a new trailer features a ton of exciting moments- the best of which take place in Wakanda.
Is it premiere day yet? While the overall narrative and structure of Avengers: Infinity War is still a total mystery, this new clip shared a few gems of new footage. Wakanda is going to be home to the biggest battle in the MCU's history, and so it makes sense that reunions and awesome bits of action are slowly being released.
The above trailer starts off with footage that fans have seen quite a few times; Peter's spider-senses activate, Thanos puts a stone into the gauntlet, and Loki looks at the big purple guy in horror. But then the new clips arrive, with the most emotional and exciting perhaps being Bucky and Captain America's long awaited reunion. Bucky's mind control and rehabilitation have been motivating Steve Rogers for his last two movies, and Black Panther's post-credits scene revealed that Shuri had freed him of his mental triggers. The two best friends finally come face to face in Wakanda, although it looks like their reunion is going to be overshadowed by the Battle of Wakanda.
From what we can tell from the trailers, it looks like T'Challa is taking his vow to open Wakanda up to the rest of the world very seriously. It seems to appear that he invited the members of The Avengers to the futuristic country, in hopes of preparing the best possible defense against Thanos and his Black Order. Danai Gurira's Okoye jokes that this wasn't what she expected, hoping that perhaps an Olympic team and a Starbucks would have sufficed in the country's coming out party.
There are some quick moments of action that are sure to pique interest for comic book fans and cinephiles alike. One of them includes Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch. We hadn't previously seen Wanda in Wakanda (now THAT'S a spinoff title), a shot of her using her abilities to create a barrier were included in the most recent trailer. Now the question is: who else is in the big fight that we hadn't seen yet?
Letitia Wright also has a brief moment as Shuri, and it looks like she's going to have to engage in battle when Thanos comes knocking. We see her with a new version of her Black Panther concussion blasters, which appear to be her signature weapon in the MCU. Shuri has the potential to be the shared universe's next Tony Stark, so let's hope she stays safe in the war to come.
Avengers: Infinity War will arrive in theaters April 27, 2018. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
