Select groups of lucky Marvel fans who attended D23 and San Diego Comic-Con were lucky enough to see a trailer for The Avengers: Infinity War over the summer. However, for most other fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, footage of the highly-anticipated blockbuster has pretty much been impossible to come by. So what's the deal? Why hasn't a full trailer premiered online yet? As it turns out, it's reportedly because the preview isn't ready for mass consumption. Marvel Studios co-president Louis D'Esposito recently addressed fan anxiety on social media, writing,
All I can say is that I love it and I hope all you feel the same. It's currently being finished so it's not ready yet.
Although Marvel did release the Infinity War trailer to an insanely positive response over the summer at two different fan conventions, it now sounds like that footage simply wasn't ready to debut to the scrutiny of the Internet. Marvel is still polishing the footage that made up the (fairly lengthy) preview, which means it WILL hit the web, but not until it's ready. When viewed in that way, Louis D'Esposito's Twitter post makes plenty of sense -- although that doesn't make the wait any easier.
That naturally raises questions about which of the upcoming Disney films the trailer could accompany. While a Marvel film like Thor: Ragnarok or Black Panther seems like a smart guess, there's always the possibility that it could accompany the release of Rian Johnson's The Last Jedi on December 15 -- another blockbuster from the Disney banner that has kept its footage held reasonably close to the chest so far.
Of course, that doesn't change the fact that arguments have been made that a movie like The Avengers: Infinity War would not even need to show a trailer before it hits theaters to keep up the element of surprise. As the culmination of a decade's worth of Marvel Cinematic Universe storylines and characters, the film already has an insanely dense, built-in fanbase. Marvel has managed to maintain consistent hype for the movie with no footage released to the public, and even Marvel insiders like James Gunn have stated that released footage often doesn't hold up under repeat viewings. Holding off on releasing the trailer for Infinity War has worked for Marvel thus far, but we will have to wait and see how much longer the studio can pull that off.
If you are currently looking for more in-depth analysis of the Infinity War trailer, make sure to check out what CinemaBlend's own Eric Eisenberg had to say about it when CinemaBlend attended D23 in July. Be warned: it might be more than you can handle; there's everything from Thanos destroying a moon with the Infinity Gauntlet, to the debut of Spider-Man's Spider Sense, and even a bearded, grizzled Captain America.
The Avengers: Infinity War will debut next summer on May 4, 2018, and we will keep you posted with any and all relevant updates related to a possible trailer release as new information becomes available. Until then, make sure to check out the Marvel Cinematic Universe's next two outings when Thor: Ragnarok premieres on November 3, 2017, and Black Panther hits theaters on February 16, 2018.
