With the recent MCU releases of Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder, now is a perfect time to examine one of the best aspects of the Marvel Cinematic Universe — its trailers! Marvel Studios has a knack for delivering phenomenal trailers that give glimpses into the film, introduce new characters, and sometimes even provide spoilers for the movie as a way of ramping up the hype.
Not all the MCU’s films have been met with critical praise, but there is no doubt that the franchise as a whole it is one of the most incredible cinematic achievements to date, as outlined by Screen Rant. The MCU has been delivering blockbuster after blockbuster for fans of all ages starting in 2008 with Iron Man through to now with Thor: Love and Thunder having just hit theaters. Not to mention what they’ve done on Disney+,creating a slew of superhero TV series that all have connective tissue to the cinematic side of Marvel Studios.
Another talent the MCU has is its ability to create hype for a film through its trailer releases. Sometimes these trailers will include a little sneak peek at a major cameo, a new hero, or a villain’s introduction. We decided to take a look at the MCU’s greatest trailer reveals to date and rank them, so here are our top 10 MCU movie trailer reveals.
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10 Avengers: Infinity War — Children of Thanos
Walt Disney Studios
Avengers: Infinity War is widely considered to be one of the greatest superhero films of all time, serving as the first half of the culmination of the 11-year Infinity Saga. There were so many great reveals in the trailers leading up to this film (a few others we will discuss later down the list), one of the biggest being the audience’s first look at The Children of Thanos. The four are also commonly referred to as the Black Order: Ebony Maw, Corvus Glaive, Proxima Midnight, and Cull Obsidian (the foursome are also “siblings” to Nebula and Gamora). In hindsight, we would have liked to have gotten more of The Black Order (particularly Ebony Maw, who met his end fairly early in the film). Nonetheless, this trailer reveal was still incredible, and it ranks tenth on our list.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
9 Thor: Ragnarok — A Friend From Work
Marvel Studios
The first trailer for Thor: Ragnarok had a huge reveal. It showed us two Avengers conspicuously absent from Captain America: Civil War. While referenced, both Thor and the Hulk are off-world during the events of Civil War, and the first trailer for Ragnarok reveals that Thor will be joined by his brother, the God of Mischief himself, Loki and another familiar face. The famous “friend from work” line sent the internet into a frenzy as the Hulk bursts into the gladiator arena looking to SMASH. Though incredible (no pun intended), this reveal comes in at number nine on our list.
8 Avengers: Infinity War — We’re The Guardians of the Galaxy
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
The hype surrounding the release of Infinity War was, at the time, unprecedented. It was and remains one of the most highly anticipated films of all time in the run-up to its theatrical release. Some of the most exciting and crucial aspects of this film involved the team-ups. Fans could not wait to see which characters from the numerous franchises would interact. When Thor meets the Guardians of the Galaxy in the trailer for Infinity War, fans went nuts because we knew we would see, at a minimum, Thor interacting with our favorite band of misfit superheroes. The possibilities were endless, and this little tease was a perfect way to continue building the hype train for Infinity War and the team-ups therein. So, Thor’s “Who the hell are you guys?” clocks in at number eight on our all-time list.
7 Avengers: Infinity War — Gauntlet Thanos
And we have one of if not the most anticipated, built-up big bad in the history of the MCU, Thanos. Thanos had only been seen in the MCU in brief post-credit scenes and a few scenes in The Guardians of the Galaxy. Still, audiences were amazed to see Josh Brolin portraying the Mad Titan in the trailer leading up to Infinity War. With regard to CGI, Marvel Studios successfully displayed human emotions on the face of a giant purple CGI alien. Fans cannot overlook that.
As we’ve discussed, the Infinity War trailers provided a lot of reveals, but none more captivating, terrifying, and engaging than the gauntlet-wielding Thanos. The trailer intentionally edits how many Stones are in the gauntlet throughout the trailer to prevent YouTubers and bloggers from being able to tell how many stones Thanos has at any point in the film. This reduced the probability of leaks and certainly did not take away from the film. The voiceover from Thanos in the trailers is terrifying, and it accurately represents that this is more Thanos’ movie than the scattered, weakened Avengers team.
6 Captain America: The Winter Soldier — Bucky Barnes as the Winter Soldier
While the reveal was in Captain America: The Winter Soldier’s title, it did not make seeing the live-action version of Captain America’s best friend turned Hydra Assassin any less exicting. Sebastian Stan’s performance as the Winter Soldier is nothing short of spectacular as we see this brainwashed badass rip through the streets chasing Cap and even catching Cap’s shield at one point when he hurls it at him. Similarly to how they showed Hela breaking Mjolnir in the trailer for Thor: Ragnarok, seeing The Winter Soldier catch Cap’s shield immediately solidifies the Winter Soldier as a threat to our beloved Steve Rogers and sets the stakes for the film in epic fashion.
5 Spider-Man: No Way Home — Old Villains, New Franchise
Sony Pictures Releasing
The way Sony and Marvel handled the marketing for Spider-Man: No Way Home was brilliant. They kept — well, sort of kept — the secret about the return of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield as “Peter 2” and “Peter 3.” Despite not revealing these two in the trailers, there was plenty for fans of the MCU and the previous two franchises of Spider-Man to get excited about. The teaser trailer gave fans a look at Doc Ock and included the unmistakable laugh of Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin. This meant that in some way or form, No Way Home was going to include villains from the previous Sony Spider-Man films in the MCU (at least for one film). The trailer teases for the villains, and keeping the other Peter Parkers out of the trailer was ingenious by Sony and Marvel Studios. No Way Home was one of the first successful theatrical MCU endeavors since the COVID-19 pandemic, and it was the first MCU film to delve into the Multiverse. This had fans more hyped for any MCU film since Avengers: Endgame, and the trailer reveals were the catalysts for that hype.
4 The Avengers — The Original Six
What was most spectacular about The Avengers was the team-up concept. There was a lot of speculation whether the Avengers film would prove to be a success — combining characters from four separate franchises was risky — but Joss Whedon delivered in spades. Marvel Studios understood that and provided fans with the film’s money shot in the trailer, showing the original six Avengers standing tall against an alien invasion. This did not spoil much, as this was what fans were expecting to see, but it provided a glimpse into the incredible world-building that Whedon seamlessly wove together. This trailer reveal clocks in at number four on our list, but it catalyzed MCU trailer reveals in the decade to come.
3 Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness — Introducing The Illumiwhati?
The marketing campaign for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was drastically different from that of Spider-Man: No Way Home. While Sony decided it was best to keep their cards close to their vest with Spidey, Marvel Studios went the other way with Multiverse of Madness. The trailer provided one of the most surprising reveals in MCU history: the introduction of The Illuminati. Not only did the trailer provide the introduction of The Illuminati, but it also revealed its leader, Professor Charles Xavier, played by none other than Patrick Stewart. This reveal sent the internet into an absolute frenzy. Fans couldn’t wait to see The Illuminati in action, and we also got a glimpse of Captain Carter from the animated series What If…? in a TV spot for Multiverse of Madness.
2 Thor: Love and Thunder — Gorr the God Butcher
The MCU’s latest theatrical release Thor: Love and Thunder, the Taika Watiti-directed fourth installment in the Thor franchise, hit theaters this month, and the villain Gorr — revealed in the film’s official trailer — was just as creepy as the trailers portrayed him to be. Gorr has been a long-time rival of Thor in the comics, and it was a delight to see Christian Bale in full make-up as the God Butcher. Fans are already declaring Gorr as one of the MCU’s top villains. The way the trailer intercuts his voiceover about the selfishness of gods and how they must all die is chilling. The way the film saturates the screen in a monochromatic color pattern when Gorr is on screen is a visual work of art, and something fans will truly appreciate on the big screen. While the trailer provides a glimpse of Gorr and his power, it still leaves an incredible amount of mystique around the MCU’s newest villain.
1 Captain America: Civil War — Spidey Swings Into the MCU
And clocking in at number one, Captain America: Civil War’s trailer reveal of Spider-Man in the MCU. At the time, rumors had been circulating about whom the new Spider-Man would be and when he would make his appearance. The trailer for Civil War put all those questions to rest when Spider-Man swings on-screen, whipping Captain America’s shield away and making a classic superhero landing. It was another “break the internet” moment, as fans were absolutely ecstatic to know that we would be getting Spider-Man in Civil War and, by extension, the MCU. The hype train for Civil War reached a fever pitch after that bombshell trailer reveal, and to this day, fans rewatch that classic airport scene, as it is one of the best in Marvel history.
