Despite all of the many good guys and gals on display in Marvel's Avengers: Infinity War, very few of them have any idea just what Earth and its mightiest heroes are in for with the arrival of Thanos. Luckily, the coalition of the planet's defenders have Gamora (Zoe Saldana)--and to a lesser extent, Nebula (Karen Gillan)--available to give them the lowdown on the Mad Titan. And luckily for audiences and fans of the MCU who might not be as well versed in the comics' lore as some, this new trailer gives Gamora the spotlight when it comes to explaining the ultimate antagonist's incredible power and plans for world domination.

But there's a lot of other stuff going on in this new look, as you might expect considering that the Joe and Anthony Russo-directed film is the culmination of 10 years' worth of MCU stories and characters. It's all been building to this ... and it's all about to pay off in a big--and probably bittersweet--way once Avengers: Infinity War hits screens on April 27th. If you want to go into that viewing experience as fresh as possible (I don't blame you), you might want to go ahead and skip the following trailer breakdown since it takes a detailed look at the new reveals. But for the brave and the curious among you, let's soldier forth.

Here’s the official synopsis for Avengers: Infinity War if you need a refresher:

An unprecedented cinematic journey ten years in the making and spanning the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel Studios’ “Avengers: Infinity War” brings to the screen the ultimate, deadliest showdown of all time. The Avengers and their Super Hero allies must be willing to sacrifice all in an attempt to defeat the powerful Thanos before his blitz of devastation and ruin puts an end to the universe.

Thanos

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Image via Marvel Studios

Our boy Thanos has come a long way since being introduced as "that purple gentleman seated on a flying space throne." Accompanying an intro featuring a topsy-turvy New York City, reminiscent of Doctor Strange, we get the following lines of dialogue from Gamora, Thanos' adopted daughter, last surviving member of her race (thanks, again, to Thanos) and current Guardian of the Galaxy:

"The entire time I knew him, he only ever had one goal: To wipe out half the universe. If he gets all the Infinity Stones, he can do it with a snap of his fingers. Just like that."

Tony Stark says, "Tell me his name again," but we already know: It's Thanos. And boy is he imposing in this new trailer.

That's not to say our heroes don't give it their best shot. Each of them is giving that "slow walk into the wind" scene, or a "raise your powerful fist into the air to summon lightning" moment (Did they digitally erase his new weapon for this trailer, or what?), all while gathering together in an incredible display of force. But as this trailer suggests, it's not nearly enough to stand up to the might of Thanos and his Black Order.

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Image via Marvel Studios

We get brief glimpses of Thanos' annihilation of the green-skinned Zehoberei people, along with the moment he takes Gamora into his service. The scene is accompanied by Thanos saying:

"When I'm done, half of humanity will still exist."

That actually sounds like a pretty decent deal on Thanos' part, considering he could just exterminate everyone. But the Avengers aren't taking that deal ... or at least they're going to try not to by concentrating their efforts in Wakanda for a last stand.

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Image via Marvel Studios

Battle in Wakanda

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Image via Marvel Studios

Black Panther may have introduced Wakanda and set the stage for the warfare that's about to break loose on the plains, but this trailer hints at just how massive that battle is going to be. It's not the first time the isolated nation has been tested, but it might be the first time it falls. And from all accounts, the Avengers look to be getting the worst of it:

  • Thor, eyepatch and all, is having his head crushed by the Mad Titan.
  • Doctor Strange is, apparently (never trust the trailer edit), outmatched against Ebony Maw, a Black Order member infamous for his incredible persuasion and strategy, but not technically a super-powered being ... if we can believe his history, that is. In the comics, he was dispatched to deal with Doctor Strange with some decidedly interesting after effects; we'll see how that plays out here.
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    Image via Marvel Studios
    Scarlet Witch appears to be quite pissed off, likely due to the "death" of Vision--which isn't seen--at the hands of Thanos or one of his Black Order generals.
  • Tony Stark, first swarmed by Thanos' Outriders in his Hulkbuster armor, and then seen with his armor suit shredded and exposing the soft, human center inside it, is apparently mocked by Thanos, saying, "I hope they remember you."
  • Captain America uses his impressive beard power to hold back the golden gauntlet of Thanos, then powered by just two Infinity Stones, but this is no mere helicopter ... how long can he hold out?
  • Spider-Man, or Iron Spider, alone seems to be able to escape the hands of fate that are crushing the other Avengers. Perhaps he and a few others will be left standing to ... avenge their fallen friends and save the world? Some ... New Avengers, maybe? Time will tell!
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Image via Marvel Studios

And Loki stands defiant--against our heroes or their foe?--alongside the members of the Black Order...

Loki and The Black Order

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Image via Marvel Studios

At first glance, it looks like Loki is on their side, and as we'll discuss in the next section on the Infinity Stones, he likely plays a big part in Thanos' ultimate plan. However, it also looks like Loki is at the business end of Proxima Midnight's spear. (No ordinary spear, this weapon was forged by Thanos and created using a sun trapped in space-time, meaning it behaved as a star, supernova, and black hole all at once. It's a weapon that never misses, can impose incredible gravity/density upon its target, and has even managed to immobilize the Hulk... Comics are crazy.)

What's easy to overlook here is the awesome introduction of Thanos' insane crew, the Black Order. Evan Valentine has an epic explainer here for more on their bonkers backstory, but I can't wait to see Proxima Midnight, Ebony Maw, Corvus Glaive, and Black Dwarf on-screen; time will tell if Supergiant makes an appearance as well.

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Image via Marvel Studios

The Fate of the Infinity Stones

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Image via Marvel Studios

The Infinity Stones star front and center in this trailer as well, and they're presented in such a way as to act as callbacks to other MCU films.

In one scene, Thanos clearly gets his hands on the Tesseract, crushes it, and reveals the Space Stone; he can be seen plunking it into his gauntlet a little earlier on. This is the blue gem that can be seen in Thanos' gauntlet throughout much of the marketing material. You'll remember that Loki had the chance to loot the Tesseract in Thor: Ragnarok, and presumably he did so, either with the intention of delivering it to Thanos, or with the very Loki-like use of it as a bargaining chip to protect his own hide.

The purple Power Stone, previously under protection of the Nova Corps after the events of the first Guardians of the Galaxy, is also in Thanos' possession, though it's unclear if we'll see just how much destruction he caused in order to get it. There's one scene that features Thanos in his golden armor surrounded by destruction and he has but that one gem in his gauntlet at the time.

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Image via Marvel Studios

As for the other Stones, well, we get a hero shot of Doctor Strange using his glowing green Time Stone in his Eye of Agamotto, followed by Scarlet Witch throwing a concerned look at Vision, possessor of (and powered by) the yellow Mind Stone. The very next shot is an establishing shot of Wakanda, over which Stark is basically saying, "We have what Thanos wants, so that's what we'll use." Wakanda has been theorized to be the location of the MCU's "missing" orange Soul Stone, which could be the key to unlocking the gauntlet's full potential and will likely be the last Stone recovered. (As for the red Reality Stone, that was last seen in the possession of the Collector, and he's been real shady about it...)

It's worth mentioning that we don't get to see Thanos with a fully blinged-out and powered-up gauntlet--that would be giving away too much--but it's not out of the realm of possibility that this highly anticipated movie ends with many of the MCU's flagship heroes defeated (or dead) and Thanos standing victorious over a conquered Earth. Cue up the yet-to-be-officially titled Avengers: Infinity War - Part II.

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Image via Marvel Studios

More to Come ...

For much, much more on all things Avengers: Infinity War, be sure to take a look at our recent write-ups, including Allison Keene's ongoing set visit coverage!

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Image via Marvel Studios