What We Learned: An In-Depth Analysis Of The ‘Avengers: Endgame’ Super Bowl Spot

The TV spots that dropped for this year’s Marvel movies might have been the most exciting thing about the Super Bowl this year. We got a better look at Captain Marvel as well as some fresh footage for the much-anticipated Avengers: Endgame. Though the ad was only 30-seconds long, we did get some insight into how things will unfold in the fourth Avengers flick. Let’s dissect some of the more interesting aspects of the spot and see if we cannot come up with at least a few more dots connected than before. Let’s begin with…

Tony and Nebula

One of the more telling shots from the trailer featured Tony and Nebula working together on… Something. While the spot doesn’t offer any additional clues, we know from the ending of Avengers: Infinity War that Tony and Nebula were the only two survivors left on Titan following Thanos’s snap. We also know from the first official Avengers: Endgame trailer that both wind up on the Benatar, the Guardians’ new ship after the Milano, at least at some point. This new image seems to confirm that Tony and Nebula are aboard the ship at the same time; moreover, that they are using their combined smarts to get something done. What could that something be? Well, we know from the first Endgame trailer that Tony reports being adrift in space with no food and no hope of rescue. The ship he is seen floating in is indeed the Benatar, which the Guardians flew to Titan prior to their showdown with Thanos and ultimate dusting. Thus it can safely be speculated that in this particular image, Tony and Nebula are trying to repair whatever may be causing the Benatar to drift. Or perhaps they are building some sort of escape pod that they can at least try to get somewhere in. Whatever they may be up to, it will be interesting to see how they cooperate. We have not seen these two interact much in the movies so far.

If anything, seeing sparks fly as Tony toils away in the dark is a cool wink back to the first Iron Man movie, which kicked off the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, where the titular hero was forced to rely upon his signature wit and bare hands to survive. Is history repeating itself in Avengers: Endgame? Only time will tell for sure.

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Back On Earth

Going back to the beginning, the spot opens with a few distinctively somber shots of New York City, home of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Each heavily tinted blue to immediately highlight the much more melancholic tone of Endgame versus Infinity War as well as the mass desolation of life.

Each shot features a rather iconic landmark: the Statue of Liberty, typically representing freedom and hope as well as Citi Field, which is typically bounding with exciting escapist entertainment.

Now a harsh reality has befallen both and the masses of crashed vehicles surround both give us a little bit more of a taste of the mass pandemonium that was beginning to break out around the city during the post-credits sequence of Avengers: Infinity War, which saw both Maria Hill and Nick Fury among the many reduced to literal dust.

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Captain America

We then get a more intimate perspective of the universal tragedy when the trailer cuts to a simple shot of a sign which reads “Where do we go, now that they’re gone?” with a picture at the bottom of people sholding hands. To the left of the sign a small, indistinguishable group sits together in a mostly empty room, chairs stacked on top of tables. In just a few, short seconds you get the impression that this is a support group.

The very next thing we see Steve Rogers sitting in what appears to be that support group, again lots of chairs flipped upside down on empty tables. Steve is clearly disturbed and given the contextual clues, probably because half of the Earth’s population has just vanished and he, like most people, is grieving the loss of loved ones. Now it’s important to note that this group may have existed long before the snap and simply serves as therapy for those who’ve lost loved ones in more usual ways and that Cap is just now attending because of what has occurred during the Decimation; however, if it is a more recently composed group that is dealing specifically with trauma from Thanos, then this might signify that significant time has passed since the end of the previous film.

The whole thing reminds me of the scene in Captain America: Winter Soldier when Cap came to visit Sam, who was heading up meetings for fellow war vets who were struggling to cope with PTSD (seen above). Maybe at the start of Endgame, Cap is honoring his fallen friend by putting together and leading an emotional support group himself. It would at least fall in line with Cap’s character and being someone who is always looking for a way to help people.

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Look, Up There!

Later in the spot we get a shot of a few of the remaining Avengers just outside their headquarters. Something in the sky has caught their attention, but notice how none of them are in their armor, baring their weapons or even look worried. If anything, this image tells us that they are more in shock than anything. So whatever it is that they are looking at, it is probably safe to assume that it is not a threat. Could it be Tony and Nebula coming back to Earth? Or perhaps even the group is about to meet Captain Marvel. I guess we have to wait to see for sure.

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Rocket and Thor and… Thanos?

 

What we see next is a shot of Rocket slowly opening the door to what appears to be an old cabin on a lake/ocean. As many comic book fans will point out, Rocket’s attire here has changed and more closely resembles his original suit from the source material. What’s also notable is that his guns are holstered, which seems to signify a low risk of danger. Rocket obviously thinks he knows what to expect here. Keep this in mind as we jump forward to talking about Thor in a couple of slides.

First let’s take a real quick look at a shot from Thor: Ragnarok. This is from the scene in Norway where Odin tells Thor that Asgard is a people, not a place and even suggests that “this place” could be Asgard. Visually, it is similar to the background behind Rocket in the previous image. Perhaps the two locations are one in the same? Let’s talk about it more in the next slide.

After Rocket, we’re shown a contemplative Thor as he stares into what appears to be a fire (from how the light flickers across his face). We know that Thor has no home after the events of Ragnarok and we also know that before he, Loki, the Hulk and the rest of the Asgardians were intercepted by Thanos at the end of Ragnarok/beginning of Infinity War, Thor planned to establish a new Asgard on Eath and likely near that cliff in Norway where his father Odin suggested (as see in the previous image). Also, in the upper left-hand corner of this shot, just behind Thor’s head, you can see what looks like a basic window with the dim evening/morning light seeping through; the kind that might be at home in a basic wooden cabin. Could Thor have made a new, secluded home for himself on the banks of that very Scandinavian shoreline? And could Rocket from the previous image be coming to pay his old friend a visit? The pair did strike up an interesting dynamic in the last movie and did have a heartfelt exchange. Again, I am merely extrapolating.

Immediately afterwards comes another shot of Thor, this time stepping out from a cave or spaceship and into a open, lush landscape. Notice that Stormbreaker, the “Thanos-killing” ax he crafted from a star in Infinity War, is in his right hand. Is Thor anticipating a fight? It might be worth pointing out that the structure of this shot is reminiscent of the shot towards the end of Infinity War in which Thanos also stepped out into a similarly green and mountainous scene (see below).

Looking at these two images, a scenario formed in my head. What if Thor is planet hopping in an attempt to locate Thanos? The two clearly have unfinished business to attend to and we know Thor is not the type to just let things go. Thor knows from first-hand experience how weak Thanos is after first being impaled by Stormbreaker and then using up unfathomable amounts of energy in the snap. Maybe Thor is looking to take advantage of this window before Thanos can heal back to full strength. And perhaps when Rocket comes to visit Thor at his cabin, he finds the place empty because Thor has decided to go it alone.

Then again, Thor was in Wakanda last we saw him and the area in which he is stepping out into in the image before this one strikes a resemblance to the homeland of the Black Panther. Perhaps the simplest explanation is the correct one and Thor is just still chilling in Wakanda.

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Cap’s Star-spangled Shield

The next and final shot of the teaser appears to be of Captain America bucking his iconic shield around his arm. This is significant because in the last few films, Cap has been using a magnetic version of the Star-spangled shield and then a set of shields in Infinity War, which were gifted him by the King of Wakanda. This particular shield looks like his old one. After all, he did leave the magnetic shield with Tony following their fight in Captain America: Civil War. Maybe he pulled it out of storage or maybe it’s something he picks up in the past. There is a lot of talk going around of time travel playing a part in Endgame, after all. You cannot make it out in a still image, but it is also worth mentioning that in this same shot, Cap’s hands are shaking. He is not his usual confidence self with assured resolve. I think that is important because it speaks to how the rest of the Avengers and humanity in general are feeling. For better or worse, our heroes will have changed by the end of this movie.

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What did you think of the Avengers: Endgame Super Bowl? Were you impressed? Or were you expecting a full-length trailer? And did I miss any other clues in the trailer? Hit me up in the comments below with your thoughts and theories!