We are now *checks calendar* 21 films deep into the Marvel Cinematic Universe – including Captain Marvel, that is – and it’s fair to say that the MCU has evolved into the most lucrative film franchise of them all.
That’s a given, really, considering no other modern movie series boasts 21 installments, but it’s a credit to Marvel’s creative team that, even now, after almost three phases of superhero spectacle, viewers are still waiting with bated breath for the next big-screen adventure. That honor currently belongs to Captain Marvel, before things shift towards Avengers: Endgame in April.
It’s the real heavy-hitter – the kind of cinematic event big enough to warrant a midnight screening and a day off work. Hell, comic book scribe and all-around industry expert Kevin Smith believes Avengers: Endgame is so big, that it doesn’t even need a trailer; Marvel could simply drop their 2019 sequel with little fanfare and watch audiences flock to their nearest theater.
Let’s be honest, they don’t have to do any trailers. The trailer could literally be the Russo Brothers just walking out to a f**king empty chalk board and writing ‘Endgame’ and just standing there and being like [explosion noises] and we’d all be like ‘What does it mean?!’
And, frankly, it’s hard to argue with Smith’s logic. In fact, the Avengers: Endgame marketing campaign has (so far) committed to the raw, heart-wrenching emotion still present after Infinity War (“we lost… all of us”), turning a blind eye to the glitz and glam that’s often synonymous with a blockbuster trailer. That means no real action, no explosions, and definitely no snippets of Alan Silvestri’s Avengers theme song. At least, not yet.
Avengers: Endgame touches down on April 26th. For better or worse, the Marvel Cinematic Universe will never be the same again, and we’ll almost certainly get another teaser trailer before all is said and done.