As you’re likely aware, Avengers: Endgame co-directors Anthony and Joe Russo love screwing with their theory-happy fans, and their promotion for next week’s release has often felt like a series of riddles and mind games.
For instance, it’s an established fact that the Russo Brothers have used fake footage in the trailers of their movies, meaning that viewers can’t always trust their own eyes when combing the previews for clues. With that in mind, trailer analysis can sometimes be a messy matter of trying to second guess the marketing team, and work out when and how we’re being deliberately misled.
It’s enough to drive a forum theorist mad. And when Anthony Russo was asked in a recent interview with Rotten Tomatoes if the Endgame trailers contain fake footage, he was all too happy to encourage this climate of uncertainty, saying:
“Maybe. Maybe it’s all fake. Maybe there’s not a real frame in that whole trailer.”
Dammit, Anthony. You’re not helping.
Of course, anyone who’s really looking for Endgame spoilers only needs to look at the 5 minutes of footage that leaked online earlier this week. Then again, you may feel that fan speculation is all part of the ritual for each new Marvel release, and that trying to guess what will happen is more fun than actually knowing what will happen.
In any case, we only have eight more days to wait until the film surrenders all of its secrets, at which point, we’ll find out just how effective Marvel’s smoke-and-mirrors marketing has been in getting audiences in theaters. Already, the feature has done phenomenally well in pre-sales, both at home and abroad, and recent box office projections suggest a record-breaking opening. Regardless, you can judge for yourself if the movie is worth all the hype when Avengers: Endgame comes out on April 26th.
