The Avengers: Endgame Trailer is an Underwhelming Rehash
Marvel’s much anticipated trailer doesn’t have anything new to explore.
The internet has been buzzing about Marvel’s latest trailer for Avengers: Endgame. The trailer, which dropped Friday morning, had been eagerly awaited by fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Endgame is the culmination of twenty-one films, so expectations were sky high for this trailer. So, does it live up to the hype?
Meh.
The trailer is serviceable. It sets the tone of the film, which is pretty much the same tone as Infinity War. If you enjoyed that movie (which I found merely okay), you will most likely think this trailer looks great. It hits the same beats as that first Infinity War trailer: doom, gloom, doom, gloom, doom, fanfare, title reveal, joke stinger (just to remind you these are fun).
Rehashing Previous Themes
The thing I found most disappointing was the blatant rehash of scenes and themes from previous MCU films. This film has been teased as daring and different, and none of that was showcased, or even teased, in the trailer.
We open on Tony Stark recording a message with his helmet to Pepper Potts. He describes his situation, which is that he is floating through space with no food or water, and his oxygen will run out shortly. This is reminiscent of Iron Man 3, in which he does the exact same thing after crash landing in Tennessee. The cadence, the sentiment, all of it is directly informed, if not ripped, from the script of that film. There is something to be said for character consistency, but is it too much to ask for something different for Stark to do?
Later on, we also hear a conversation between Natasha Romanov and Steve Rogers that takes one back to their conversation about Bucky in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. It is so familiar, I knew exactly what the dialogue was going to be before it was said.
That Title
Since they announced that the fourth Avengers film would have a different title than Infinity War Part 2, Marvel has teased the new title relentlessly. It was said to be a spoiler for Infinity War, and therefore was shrouded in secrecy. Hyping up a title for a film means you should probably have something up your sleeve.
Avengers: Endgame spoils nothing. It is one word, said by Doctor Strange at the end of the previous installment, but in no way does it give away any plot points. Of course this is the endgame, Marvel. You’ve already told us that. You could have simply titled it Avengers: The End, or Avengers: The Last One, or, my personal favorite:
Avengers: Gotcha!
To be fair, Endgame is not a bad title. It just wasn’t worth an ounce of the hype.
That Clint Barton Reveal
This was actually the only thing that didn’t disappoint me. As a fan of Clint Barton in the comics, I have often thought he was underutilized in the MCU, especially with an actor like Jeremy Renner in the role. When Joss Whedon chose to make Barton a family man in Age of Ultron, it struck me as odd, a blatant juxtaposition from his character in the comics.
It’s clear from the trailer (it hints at this with the subtlety of a hammer and nail), that Barton has lost his family, and therefore taken on the darker persona of Ronin. It’s a different motive for the transformation than the comics, but a solid one nonetheless. I hope it isn’t bungled in the film. I am eager to see Renner finally get something to do in a role that has been pretty thankless so far.
Overall Thoughts
While the trailer was ultimately disappointing, I will reserve final judgement until I see the complete film. The trailer did enough for me to pique my interest. I just hope Marvel is simply choosing not to reveal the more out there elements that will hopefully elevate this film. The Russo Brothers have proven to be talented filmmakers, and I am curious to see if that can drive this 22 film story home.
