Audiences are a month away from Avengers: Endgame, and anticipation has reached a fever pitch. With Captain Marvel in the rear view, all eyes are on what The Russo Brothers will bring to the table when Endgame finally arrives in theaters, and catches us up on the world after Thanos' finger snap of death. Luckily, some brief trailers and epic posters have been provided to help satiate the hunger of the rabid fanbase.
After a series of character posters were released (and revealed the fate of certain characters), the next bit of marketing material to drop was the poster for Endgame's Chinese release. Aside from how epic the poster was and its inclusion of the dusted characters, there's one thing that fans noticed: an earlier release date. You can check out the poster below, which indicates the blockbuster will arrive in theaters on April 24th, two days before its set to arrive in the US.
Does anyone else have chills? This poster is an epic way to represent the full cast of Infinity War and Endgame, while also highlighting the focus on the surviving heroes. After all, they'll have to unite in order to fight Thanos and hopefully reverse the affects of The Decimation. But that release date is new, which may indicate that international audiences will get access to the Marvel blockbuster before domestic moviegoers.
The Chinese poster for Avengers: Endgame arrived on the internet today, and quickly became viral on social media. While fans' first reaction was to enjoy the epic visuals of the art and the inclusion of new characters, the truth bomb about the film's release date had fans in the US going through some serious FOMO. After all, two days is just too long to wait for the epic conclusion of Marvel's Phase Three.
Alas, cinephiles in the states will just have to grin and bear it, as Endgame is set to arrive in just a month's time. Until then, fans will have to continue debating and theorizing what might come when The Russos final Marvel blockbuster is finally here. And this poster might tease some new developments, as supporting characters from various franchises pop up that are new.
Marvel fans will immediately spot Tessa Thompson's Valkyrie, who made her debut in Thor: Ragnarok. Valkyrie made a serious splash in her first appearance, but was noticeably absent from Avengers: Infinity War. And considering that the blockbuster opened on the Asgardian ship, her absence was suspect But Val finally popped up in the new character posters, confirming she survived The Snap. And now it looks like she'll have a role in the upcoming battle against Thanos.
Doctor Strange's Wong is also in this new poster, after also being left out of the first round of marketing material. Wong managed to make out Infinity War without turning to dust, and it likely guarding the Sanctum Sanctorum. And with Doctor Strange no longer with us, Wong's role in the mystical world of the MCU may be all the more important.
Despite being mostly blacked out, the fallen heroes are arguably the star of the new Avengers: Endgame poster. The upcoming blockbuster is focused on the heroes who made it out of Infinity War alive, but the dusted characters are still very much apart of the film's blood. The latest trailer for Endgame paid tribute to the dusted characters, and the countless fatalities that Thanos took throughout the course of his mission for galaxy-wide genocide.
The dusted characters' silhouettes are shown at the bottom of the poster, including characters who weren't featured much throughout the course of Infinity War. For instance, Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury is center stage, even though he didn't pop up until his iconic mid-credits scene. Joining him in the front row are Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, Star-Lord, and Vision.
The second row features more dusting characters, and the far left of the poster features Letitia Wright's Shuri. Shuri made her debut in Black Panther, and quickly became a fan favorite character. She had a tertiary role in Avengers: Infinity War, attempting to free Vision's consciousness from the Mind Stone. She eventually took arms against Corvus Glaive, but Thanos' child remained completely focused on the android. Seeing her use her signature gauntlets was the last time Shuri was seen onscreen, and her fate was left unclear in the wake of Thanos' snap. But it was sadly revealed last week that Shuri also faded to dust, putting Wakanda's future in more jeopardy.
From looking at the dusted characters in a row, it's highlighted just how hard the Guardians of the Galaxy were hit by Thanos' assault. In the end of Avengers: Infinity War, only Rocket and Nebula were left alive. Gamora was killed by her adopted father in the movie's second act, so he could acquire the Soul Stone from Red Skull. And when the Mad Titan eventually collected all the Infinity Stones, audiences were left to watch in horror as Mantis, Drax, Star-Lord, and Groot all faded to dust before our eyes. As such, something big is going to need to happen in order for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 to go forward.
Of course, most moviegoers assume that the surviving Avengers will find a way to reverse the affects of Thanos' snap. With the OG Avengers coming to the end of their contracts, the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe presumably lies in the new class, including the likes of Spider-Man, Black Panther, and Doctor Strange. But that trio of characters are dust, as are other fan favorites like Falcon, Scarlet Witch, and Bucky. So unless Phase Four will be set in alternate dimension (not out of the question), the dusted characters will need to be revived somehow. But the question is: how?
All will be revealed when Avengers: Endgame finally arrives in theaters on April 26th. Or if you're in China, you get lucky and can see the blockbuster on the 24th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
