New Avengers: Infinity War Trailer has Exciting Parallels
There’s a new Infinity War trailer out and it looks to be pulling material from several of Marvel’s big crossovers from recent years. Obviously, it’s pulling from stories further back in Marvel’s catalog but I wanted to talk about the more modern references — because I’m a fancy modern man about town. We’re looking at references from Infinity, Time Runs Out and a few other wonderful nods that (as interpreted by me) really rev my engine. And I only pull out dad-like mid-life crisis phrases like “rev my engine” when I’m very excited.
!!POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD!!
Please note that some of the references I’m going to talk about may have elements that could plausibly translate into the actual plot of the movie. Also, if you haven’t read the following comic arcs and don’t want them spoiled by any information I may give here, turn back now!: Infinity, Time Runs Out, Secret Invasion and Castaway in Dimension Z.
Ebony Maw
I’m going to start with the biggest nod in the trailer. The clip depicts Dr Strange in a painful predicament and a very mean alien looking bloke telling him to shush. This frail looking nasty-man is called Ebony Maw and he’s a member of Thanos’ Black Order. While he doesn’t have any physically scary powers, Ebony Maw’s powers lie in persuasion and cunning. He’s able to twist minds to his own nefarious causes with his words alone.
In the Infinity story-line he takes control of Dr Strange to disrupt the Avenger plans to protect Earth and keep Thanos’ son Thane hidden from the Black Order. So this part in the trailer could be lifted directly from Infinity but the circumstances will be altered a little as it appears that Maw’s powers show a physical and painful manifestation and I doubt Thane is included in the movie’s plot. The scariest part is that no one notices Maw’s influence over strange til late in the story so if this also translates into the movie — we’re going to have to deal with Stephen being a bit of a nuisance to all of his friends. Bad times, bad times for all.
Cap’s New Appearance
Cap’s no stranger to an image change. Sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. Remember Capwolf? Yeah, boy! CAPWOLF. I was actually fine with Capwolf. He even played an adorable part in one of the recent LEGO Marvel Heroes 2 game side missions. Everyone seems to like his new beard and his longer hair in the trailers shown and I have to express that I am also a big fan. Not just because he’s a dreamboat but because it reminds me of the excellent Castaway in Dimension Z story-line.
It’s a sci-fi masterclass that starts with Cap getting kidnapped by a train. That’s right! Kidnapped by a train! He’s then plunged into an alternate dimension ruled by long term historic nemesis: Arnim Zola. He has to fight for his life, time passes faster so he technically spends years there and he even adopts a son. It also gets pretty grisly when he has to cut out a talking infection from his chest. Delicious! So i doubt any of the outlandish stuff that happens in this story will ever be put in film format but his appearance — a more rugged and seasoned cap — gives me fond shades of what was one of the best Captain America arcs in recent years.
How Many Avengers?!
While the Avengers are obviously adept at being a team and being in team-orientated stories — the MCU has never gone to this scale before. There have been plenty of story-lines where lots of Avengers have pulled together but the timing, the enemies and the reasoning for putting so many heroes together really looks like The Avengers Machine that was put together before the events of Infinity.
The Avengers Machine was the brainchild of Tony Stark and Steve Rogers. Following the interstellar threats they’ve faced and the ramp up in frequency the two of these guys thought “The Avengers need to be bigger.” Citing that they not only need to protect earth but protect people further afield and protect them from threats from far flung worlds. Thus, the Avengers Machine was created; a team that has an answer for every possible threat. Avengers past, present and even X-men were called upon to join the machine. My personal favorite additions being Sunspot and Cannonball of X-men/New Mutants fame. It’s a shame Marvel didn’t have the X-men movie rights in time for this movie because those are my boys and I want to see them be lovable idiots in live action.
See Wakanda and DIE!
So Black Panther was a monumental success. T’Challa deserves to be an on-screen success because he’s always been solid and he’s always the most likable out of all the super-genius types. The fact that a lot of the battle appears to be taking place in Wakanda is very exciting to me, personally.
This being because something similar happens in Infinity where the Black Dwarf of Thanos’ Black Order attempts to invade Wakanda and fails miserably. However, in the comic you don’t see much of a fight it’s just a panel of T’Challa engaging Black Dwarf then a cut to Black Dwarf radioing his evil pals like: “Here, lads. This fella’s an absolute unit — I can’t beat him” Which, while hilarious, didn’t give me the right amount of T’Challa I was looking for. Additionally, in the Secret Invasion story-line, when the Skrulls tried to invade Wakanda, Black Panther and Storm managed to outsmart them and murder all of them. Then they sent their ship on a course back to where it came from with the words “THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU INVADE WAKANDA” painted in blood on the ship’s bridge. Metal. Vibranium, even.
So, these are the references I picked up on or interpreted myself in the newest trailer. It looks to be a great time. So remember: It’s good to have lots of friends and don’t go to Wakanda unless you pursue the correct diplomatic channels to do so.
