Marvel united nearly their entire roster of heroes -- including Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Hemsworth -- during their panel at Disney's annual expo.
Not to slight Comic-Con's infamous Hall H, but D23, Disney's fan expo, was the place to be for any card-carrying Marvel fan. One week ahead of Marvel Studio's SDCC takeover, head honcho Kevin Feige took the stage during Walt Disney Studios' live-action panel to unveil the first trailer for Avengers: Infinity War.
"Almost every single hero that we've ever introduced is going to be in that film. Why you ask? Because of one person." Feige told the crowd, signaling the entrance of Josh Brolin, who plays the Avengers' ultimate big bad, Thanos.
As for the heroes who will take the Mad Titan? Feige introduced them one by one: Paul Bettany (Vision), Elizabeth Olsen (Scarlet Witch), Pom Klementieff (Mantis), Karen Gillan (Nebula) and Dave Bautista (Drax). Is that enough to take down Thanos?
"Drax ain't sh*t," Brolin taunted.
Next came Don Cheadle (War Machine), Sebastian Stan (Winter Solider), Anthony Mackie (Falcon) and Benedict Cumberbatch (Doctor Strange). "The only thing that could make me geek out even more is if Spider-Man swung in here," Feige said. Enter Tom Holland, followed by "king" Chadwick Boseman (Black Panther).
"I'm feeling pretty cocky," Brolin said.
"We also have a Hulk," Feige replied.
Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner) and his "friend from work" Chris Hemsworth (Thor) arrived, at which point Feige teased, "I guess it's worth bringing out the man who started it all." At which point Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man) took the stage, along with one half of the Russo Brothers, who are directing Infinity War.
Joe Russo announced they are currently halfway wrapped on the movie, which hits theaters on May 4, 2018, marking the 10-year anniversary of Iron Man. He then sneakily debuted the Infinity War trailer exclusively for D23. It's nearly impossible to describe everything in the footage, but here are some quick notes to tide you over until the trailer is available for all:
It begins with Mantis declaring, "We are arriving." Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) replies, "All right, Guardians, don't forget this might be dangerous. So, let's put on our mean faces." At which point an unconscious Thor crashes into the windshield of their spaceship, is taken inside and woken up by Mantis. "Who the hell are you guys?" he asks.
Meanwhile, on Earth, Scarlet Witch uses her powers near an exploded-out bus. Loki (Tom Hiddleston) wields the Tesseract. Spider-Man's arm hairs tingle, signaling an introduction to Spidey senses. "Death follows him like a shadow," someone warns. Another voice says, "He's coming to us."
"Fun really isn't something one considers with balancing the universe," Brolin said in voice over as a shot appears of Gamora (Zoe Saldana) amid indistinct destruction. "But this does put a smile on my face." Then, from the blackness, a badass Thanos steps out in his armor.
Then the shots get quicker: Thanos is fighting the Guardians with an assist from Strange. Peter Parker fights in the Iron Spider suit from the end of Spider-Man: Homecoming. Black Panther unsheathes his claws. There's a look between Scarlet Witch and the Vision. Captain America (Chris Evans) steps out from the shadows with a beard. Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) is blonde. The Hulk Buster. "Tony, I'm fine," a clearly injured Peter Parker says. "I'm sorry."
The teaser ends with Thanos decking Iron Man using the Infinity Gauntlet, noticeably missing at least two gems. Still, he uses the glove to make a planet explode, if I'm not mistaken, and make fire rain from the skies. As the screen faded to black, the crowd stood to give a standing ovation and I couldn't help but scream, "HOLY SH*T!"