(Spoilers for Avengers: Infinity War and Ant-Man and The Wasp ahead.)
Despite weeks of rumors, Marvel still hasn’t released the Avengers 4 trailer (or the Phase Three capper’s title), but there’s still some good news for fans of comic book movies. Officially, the second Captain Marvel trailer (starring Brie Larson) will debut during Monday Night Football, four months after the first trailer. While this prioritization seems a little odd at first glance, there’s probably some solid reasoning at hand. Not only has Funko Pop just potentially spoiled Jude Law’s hush-hush role, but we’re currently observing a universe where many of the Avengers have been dusted. Normally, it might not be worth speculating upon the contents of a standalone film’s trailer, but we’re obviously in some crazily uncharted MCU territory right now, so it’s worth wondering what Monday’s Marvel Studios/Disney trailer shall bring.
More hints about Danvers’ whereabouts from the 1990s until now: We already know that Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers was the so-called “secret weapon” who Nick Fury paged in the Infinity War post-credit scene, right before he dropped half an MF-bomb and disintegrated in front of Maria Hill. Fury clearly had a hunch that Danvers would survive Thanos’ snap, but will we learn more about where she’s been this whole time? The first trailer showed Danvers trying to piece her past together after crash-landing on Earth, and Brie Larson suggested that she spent the subsequent decades somewhere in outer space, likely fighting in the Kree-Skrull War. Let’s hope that we see some actual confirmation of her crusade in this new trailer, beyond Danvers punching an old lady, who’s likely a shape-shifting Skrull soldier.
Revelations about Captain Marvel’s standalone traits: A recent Captain Marvel comic prelude revealed how Danvers is truly the last resort and “biggest gun” called in by Fury. Further, he told Maria Hill that Danvers is a different sort of superhero and not one who is prone to “infighting” like Iron Man/Tony Stark and Captain America/Steve Rogers. It’s safe to bet that the movie will more fully explain why Danvers is capable of compartmentalizing any individualized concerns from the task at hand, and it’s delicious that we’re seeing this sort of fortitude and separation from ego from, you know, a lady superhero. Let’s hope that there’s at least some subtle winks about this in the trailer.
Will we see any Ant-Man easter eggs? This film obviously takes place long before the dusting, but Captain Marvel’s obviously arriving at a time when the MCU sits in dusty tatters. Ant-Man and The Wasp was supposed to be a lighthearted antidote after fans watched their favorite superheroes (including Spider-Man) “die,” but fans are also well aware that dusting occurred in a post-credits scene that likely leave Ant-Man unable to help repair the damage wrought by Thanos. We definitely won’t see the dusting’s effects first hand during the actual Captain Marvel film, but there may be an end-credits scene that will directly allude to the snap taking place, if not a time jump. Will we see any of this scene bleed into Monday’s trailer? That would be a rare tactic, but anything is possible in the current MCU climate.
We want more mysterious cat butt: An official poster made subtle but significant issue of a feline tush that belonged to Danvers’ cat (named Chewie in the comics after Star Wars‘ Chewbacca), which (according to Funko Pop) has been renamed as Goose the Cat. In the comics, this kitty was an alien species known as a flerken, which could figure prominently in the movie. Hopefully, we’ll see more cat action in the trailer as well.
Let’s see some Jude Law action: I remain unconvinced that the Funko Pop leak was fully accidental. It’s possible that Marvel planned to reveal more about Law’s forecasted role as a Kree leader. Is he truly playing Mar-Vell, or is he actually playing the traitorous Yon-Rogg? Law’s Funko Pop figure points toward the latter, and the coincidental timing of the “leak” and the trailer suggests that we’ll soon learn more.
We’ll almost certainly learn why Marvel is releasing this trailer now: We’ve already seen a Captain Marvel trailer, and the film doesn’t arrive until March 2019, yet Marvel wants us to learn more about her. Whereas Avengers 4 shall come in May 2019, and we barely know anything about the film. Not even the actors are aware of whether their filmed scenes mean that they’re actually in the movie, or if Marvel’s reputation for secrecy is eclipsing even its onscreen players. Clearly, we’re going to see something in the Captain Marvel trailer that the studio wants us to view before learning who may have survived Thanos’ genocidal actions. However, it’s also possible that the Avengers 4 trailer will only show the superheroes who didn’t get dusted at all. Marvel is really enjoying this anticipation, right? Let’s hope they don’t tease people too much … because a box-office backfire is unlikely for them, but it could still happen.
Whatever the case, be on the lookout for people who are upset that Captain Marvel doesn’t smile enough. That will definitely be the case.