MCU: The case for less extensive trailers (or none at all)

Trailers, especially for Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, give too much away. Here’s why we want to see less extensive previews.

When the first Avengers: Infinity War trailer dropped, I didn’t watch it. The video quickly racked up millions upon millions of views but I, along with some other Marvel fans, chose not to watch it. Surely, this was blasphemous. How could an avid fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe not watch the trailer for Infinity War, the MCU’s most significant movie, the very thing that the cinematic universe had been building towards since Iron Man?

It’s simple, really: nowadays, trailers give away too much of the movie. The worst of them give away the majority of the plot. Others include some of the film’s best humor. Most trailers offer a clear preview of the movies’ unique cinematography. In this regard, the first Infinity War trailer was particularly guilty. It showed the viewer snippets of Thanos’ conquest of Thor’s ship and Steve Rogers’ participation in the battle of Wakanda, among other sections.

This two-and-a-half minute long trailer managed to, in some ways, spoil significant chunks of the movie. At the very least, it deprived fans of the mystery and intrigue that can be so enjoyable in the buildup to a film’s release.

I didn’t even watch the trailer but, thanks to annoyingly overshared screenshots and memes on Facebook, I was still a victim of the problem with modern day trailers. By the time I heard T’Challa actually say, “get this man a shield” in the movie, I wanted to scream. (Thanks, Facebook.) As I sat through Infinity War, I already could predict some of the scenes I was about to see because I had been exposed to them in these screenshots from the trailer.

So, as rumors continued to swirl about the Avengers 4 trailer, I found myself hoping one fan theory, that Marvel would not release the trailer whatsoever, to be true. By following this plan, Marvel would essentially be protesting several of the problems that permeate modern day marketing for movies. The lack of a trailer would have kept fans in the dark, which would have been delightful. Long live wild fan theories and extensive speculation!

Since Infinity War came out, fans have constantly wondered what its sequel will contain. This uncertainty has been delightful; none of us know what’ll happen in Avengers 4 and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Of course, it’s only a matter of time before Marvel releases an Avengers 4 trailer. In that case, we should hope that it doesn’t give a lot of way. The trailer should tease fans with vague hints at what will be in the movie rather than delivering gratuitous portions of the movie’s plot, as well as a direct look at its tone and feel, for lack of better word. Avengers 4 is going to be remarkable; it will truly be the crescendo of the first ten-plus years of the MCU.

For this reason, I hope that, to some extent, Marvel continues to keep the movie under wraps rather than giving a lot of it away for free. Maybe that idea is wishful thinking. Still, the transparency of trailers is weakening the thrill of seeing a movie for the first time and I hope the Powers That Be address this concerning trend.