As the fake Hulk scene in the promotion for last year’s Avengers: Infinity War made all too clear, co-directors Anthony and Joe Russo aren’t above using fake or significantly altered footage in their trailers to throw off the theorists. And so, with every new teaser and TV spot for Avengers: Endgame, the fans analyzed the content not only for what they could see, but also what they couldn’t.
Of course, now that the film is in theaters, we can get a much better idea of when Endgame’s promotion diverged from the actual movie. With that in mind, be warned that spoilers lie ahead.
Still with us? Good, as two relatively minor examples are the trailer scenes of Black Widow at the shooting range and letting loose on a punching bag. But one instance of viewers being genuinely misled is the promotional shot of Captain America readying his shield. As those who’ve seen the movie will know, the footage was edited to conceal that Steve’s shield had already been practically broken in half by Thanos.
Another trailer shot that didn’t make it into the movie was the image of Thor wielding Stormbreaker while flowing with energy. Not only did that specific moment not show up in the film, but the God of Thunder spent most of the feature looking very different, from his longer hair to his enlarged gut.
One promo scene that the Russo Brothers even denied beforehand was in the flick was the moment where Iron Man and Captain America shake hands. While the handshake itself isn’t included, the more significant alteration is Cap’s outfit, which, in the actual movie, is shown to be his costume from 2012’s The Avengers.
Another, perhaps more trivial example is Black Widow’s hair in the scene where Ant-Man pulls up to the Avengers Compound. While Nat is rocking her Infinity War blonde look in the trailer, the film sees her wearing her natural red color. And speaking of Scott Lang, it turns out that Giant-Man, along with Professor Hulk, was supposed to be in that popular promo shot of Rocket perched on War Machine’s shoulder.
Captain Marvel, meanwhile, wears her helmet in the trailers, presumably to conceal her new haircut. But perhaps the most drastically altered moment in all the promotion is the scene of the team walking against the sunset in their new time travel suits. For one thing, the trailers show Thor and Black Widow looking much the same way they did in Infinity War, despite both characters altering their appearance during the five-year time-jump. And on top of that, Professor Hulk is erased from the footage entirely.
Other shots that were in the marketing yet missing in the film’s final cut, meanwhile, include Black Widow sitting outside in what’s presumed to be Japan, Bruce Banner looking at the missing characters in dismay and a whole bunch more, all of which can be seen in the gallery up above.
Of course, those are just a few ways in which the Avengers: Endgame trailers preserved some of the movie’s biggest reveals. But as the film continues its triumphant run in theaters, don’t be surprised if the internet manages to pick up on even more examples.