Marvel’s next movie, “The Marvels,” hits theaters this Friday. But the film’s final trailer, which you can watch at the top of the page now, might as well be an “Avengers” retrospective.
No really. The first 25 seconds of this two-minute trailer consists of clips from various “Avengers” movies, including Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and Captain America (Chris Evans) saying “whatever it takes.” And it’s overlaid with Samuel L. Jackson’s “Heroes. It’s an old fashioned notion” speech from “Endgame.”
This is followed by clips from “The Marvels,” which appears to be about an interdimensional threat of… some kind, that somehow brings Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani) and Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) together to fight it. Cue thrilling fight scenes — and the unexpected reveal that Tessa Thompson will be appearing as Valkyrie. (More on that momentarily).
But then, amid more scenes of cool space stuff happening, you might notice the soundtrack gradually transitions from vaguely superheroic musical tones into literally “The Avengers” fanfare, which ends up being the very last thing you’ll hear.
Why Marvel is going to such lengths to make you think about “The Avengers,” we can’t say. We can however note that it’s been more than four years since “Avengers: Endgame” and the studio still hasn’t set up a new incarnation of the franchise that turned Marvel into a billion-dollar studio. Perhaps at long last, “The Marvels” is where this begins.
That said, there are also, unfortunately, some strong signs that “The Marvels” may turn out to be a major flop for Marvel studios when it hits theaters this Friday. Reminding people of the film’s ties to the earlier ones everyone liked might be a way of helping.
Meanwhile, it is odd that Thompson’s Valkyrie was revealed in this trailer. Given the character doesn’t appear in any other clips in the trailer, we’re inclined to think she plays a small role in the movie at best, assuming it’s not just a cameo. Perhaps revealing what would normally be held back for audiences to be surprised by is related to the decision to go so hard on “Avengers” nostalgia.
In any event, you can find out for yourself this Friday.
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