Avengers Infinity War Trailer Breakdown: The Avengers Are Disassembled As Earth Comes Under Attack

The first trailer for Avengers: Infinity War has been released, and it's a doozy. A comic book movie 10 years in the making, the culmination of the Marvel Cinematic Universe promises to be the epic showdown we were teased ever since Thanos appeared for 0.5 seconds at the end of 2012's Avengers.

It's been a long time coming, but it's mixed blessing — Infinity War is the beginning of the end, with this film and its sequel, Avengers 4, threatening to upend the MCU as we know it. But if the first Infinity War trailer is anything to go by, at least it'll go out with a bang.

Join us on our frame-by-frame breakdown of the Avengers: Infinity War trailer.

Iron Man was the movie that launched an entire cinematic universe nine years ago, beginning us on the journey leading up to Avengers: Infinity War, so it's only natural that the trailer would open with the person who started it all: Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.).

Over the shot of an injured Tony Stark whose hand looks horribly burnt, we hear the echoes of Nick Fury's inciting speech that would unite the Avengers, "There was an idea..." Tony is the one who says the next line, "to bring together a group of remarkable people," with Vision (Paul Bettany), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) completing the soliloquy. Why is Vision included when he's not one of the founding members of the Avengers like the other three? Is this a hint at who will survive the game-changing Avengers 4? Or a hint at who won't?

Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) has crashed back down to Earth after his adventures in space with Thor, thankfully back in human form after Thor: Ragnarok left it vague on whether Bruce could return after shifting into Hulk for the final battle. He seems shocked and frightened, which could very well be a result of falling for miles from the depths of space to Earth, or possibly from some dire event in space that has caused him to be separated from Thor's Asgardian spaceship.

It's likely the latter, considering the ominous end-credits scene in Thor: Ragnarok which found the Asgardian spaceship suddenly facing a giant, looming spaceship. Who does that spaceship belong to? None other than (probably) our Big Bad for Infinity War, Thanos. The battle must be destructive for it to send the Hulk plummeting down to Earth.

Thankfully it's two friendly faces who find Bruce: Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Wong (Benedict Wong). The two of them look as shocked as Bruce is to find him crashed into their Sanctum Sanctorum, the hidden base of the Masters of the Mystic.

In a darkened room, we find Vision and Wanda Maximoff, with Vision revealing to Wanda his human (!!) form. And he looks a lot like Paul Bettany with the glowing Mind Stone still visible in the middle of his forehead. We've never seen the synthetic humanoid in human form before, but considering his shape-shifting capabilities, it's not above Vision's abilities. And why would he want to turn himself into a human? For love, of course. (It's possible that he also takes on the form to hide his Mind Stone from Thanos, but it's still clearly in plain sight.)

Wanda and Vision have had a crackling tension ever since he saved her at the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron, and lost his focus at the sight of her being downed, causing him to injure War Machine during Captain America: Civil War. And the feeling is mutual for Wanda, who seems to be digging Vision's human form.

Thor stands aboard what looks like the Guardians of the Galaxy's ship, probably after the Asgardian ship was attacked by Thanos. During the Avengers: Infinity War footage that was shown as D23 earlier this year, we see a still-unreleased scene of Thor crashing into the Guardians' ship, which explains the final shot in this trailer. So this shot likely takes place after that crash, with Thor solemnly overlooking chaos and destruction below — either of his ship or of Earth.

Bruce, now cleaned up and wearing one of his preferred blazers, is in Wakanda standing next the Hulkbuster glove and speaking to someone in a black lycra suit. It could be Black Panther or Black Widow, though either make sense with the Wakandan setting — it's where the former Avengers led by Steve Rogers are in hiding after the events of Captain America: Civil War.

The reaction shot of a bleach-blonde Black Widow smiling at an unseen person implies that Bruce is speaking to her. Could this be the star-crossed almost-lovers' reunion?

Tony knows Doctor Strange and Wong! Or at least, has become acquainted with them in his search for Bruce Banner. This takes place soon after Strange and Wong discover Bruce, as the hole in the staircase is still there, but enough time has passed for Bruce to put on some clothes. Meanwhile, Tony is wearing a somewhat sporty outfit so it's clear that he's been on a solo mission with his Iron Man suit, or he's been out on a light jog.

And what's that glowing light in his hand? It's not part of Tony's Iron Man suit, but a flip phone, as pointed out by one eagle-eyed /Film reader — the very same phone that Tony received in a package from Steve Rogers at the end of Captain America: Civil War, programmed with one number in case Tony ever needed to give Steve a call. It looks like Tony is in the midst of doing just that.

The four of them had heard commotion outside, and through the window we can see bystanders screaming and running away from...something. Tony tentatively approaches the door before gritting his teeth and going outside.

Mark this down as the first time in the MCU that we see Peter Parker's Spidey sense. We haven't gotten a nod to this pivotal Spider-Man superpower in either Captain America: Civil War or Spider-Man: Homecoming, so things must be dire for it to appear now. I like seeing the hairs on Tom Holland's arm literally stand up, it's quite effective.

Another sky portal! This is a familiar element that we first saw in 2012's Avengers, but then again, that was also loosely connected to Thanos as well. This ominous sky portal hangs over Manhattan and is made out of some kind of machinery.

Peter's on a school bus in New York, so this apocalyptic event isn't taking place in an isolated location. So far, Wakanda and New York are the settings we've seen so far that are under attack.

The portal doesn't seem to be doing much other than whirring ominously, but already it looks like the city is being affected, with fires and explosions springing up below.

The machinery is red and grey — somewhat evocative of the colors of Ultron. Does this mean anything? Maybe it does, or maybe red and grey are just the universal colors for evil in the MCU.

Tony had stepped out onto the streets of New York, which is already littered with rubble and destruction from Thanos' portal. Doctor Strange and Wong are standing defensively, while Bruce just looks a bit dopey.

Loki steps over the bodies strewn across the floor, possibly the Asgardians after Thanos' attack on their ship. It's unclear whether any Asgardians survived, or where they crash-landed — likely not Earth, but another alien planet based on the background.

Never one to pass up an opportunity, it's revealed that Loki (Tom Hiddleston) had nabbed the Tesseract from Odin's Vault after all, saving it from the destruction of Asgard, but possibly dooming Earth in the process. Here it's uncertain whether he's offering it to Thanos in supplication — he was a sorta servant to him after all, before being foiled by the Avengers — or whether he is diving into the good fight to try to use the Tesseract against Thanos.

Thanos' big entrance! Thanos emerges from a black portal onto Earth, looking a tad less intimidating without his helmet. But it's our first look at the Big Bad for Infinity War! And he delivers a rousing monologue as he smirks and calmly assesses his new target for destruction.

"In time, you will know what it's like to lose, to feel so desperately that you're right, yet to fail all the same,"Thanos intones monotonously. "Dread it, run from it, destiny still arrives."

Soon after spotting the portal, Spider-Man suits up in the new suit that Tony had gifted him at the end of Spider-Man: Homecoming. This is the debut of the Iron Spider Armor — a nod to the Stark-colored costume that Iron Man gave to Peter during the Civil War comics.

In this shot, we see the other side of the portal in space, which Thanos has used to take a shortcut to Earth. It's a complicated contraption, which could take more to sabotage than just one super-strong individual trying to break it with his bare hands.

But darn it if Thor isn't going to try!

In all fairness, the levers that Thor is grasping seem to be connected to a power source of some kind, so he may be on to something. Regardless, it looks like this movie is setting Thor and the Guardians to fight against Thanos' portal in space while the rest of the Avengers do battle on Earth.

I've mentioned the Black Order before, but here is our first glimpse at one of Thanos' henchmen. Judging by the spear that she throws, and the fact that she's the lone woman of the team, this Black Order henchman is Proxima Midnight.

We got a first look at her alongside her fellow Black Order members as action figures at D23, but this is the first footage we've seen of Proxima Midnight in action. It hasn't been confirmed yet who her actress is, but there is chatter that she's played by Malaysian actress Raja Ilya.

"Evacuate the city, engage all defenses, and get this man a shield," Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa orders, in response to an attack on Wakanda from Thanos' forces. The Wakanda storyline is likely influenced directly by the Infinity crossover comic book arc, in which Thanos attacks Wakanda while most of the Avengers are in space to deal with a threatening alien race known as the Builders.

But why is Thanos specifically targeting Wakanda in Avengers: Infinity War? This trailer seems to confirm: Wakanda is the last stronghold for the final Infinity Stone. In our Slack, /Film's Peter Sciretta offered up the theory that the reason that Wakanda has advanced technology is not because of vibranium, but because they have an Infinity Stone. The last missing Stone is the Soul Stone, which is the only one so far to have not appeared in an MCU movie.

The second part of the Proxima Midnight scene is revealed, with a reaction shot of a shadowy figure dodging her spear and catching it with his hand. The figure emerges from the shadows to be revealed as...

A grizzled Steve Rogers, rocking the most glorious beard known to man. His beard looks like it guzzled a barrel of ale and challenged the entire bar to an arm-wrestling match. Combine that with the turtle neck, and it's a lethal combination. Cap is back, baby!

Judging by Wanda's mix of emotions on her face and happy sigh, this is her first time seeing Cap in the flesh too, after he fled to Wakanda in exile. Her arm is still up in defense against Proxima, a spell awaiting release, but more important is her reunion with Steve. Also why is Wanda's hair three shades lighter? Marvel wig department, get your act together.

Hulkbuster is back in Wakanda, landing just outside the advanced city's parameter. But the machine doesn't look defensive, so it's likely that it's there to join the battle for Wakanda against Thanos' forces.

Black Widow is fighting someone with a long spear — probably Proxima Midnight (using her own spear against her) in the same scene where Wanda reunites with the exiled Avengers.

Several long obelisks crash into the forests surrounding Wakanda. The spaceships carrying Thanos' soldiers perhaps?

Steve and the Wakandans fight off Thanos' army of monsters, which are a race of alien beings called Outriders, described as "genetically engineered parasite-assassin solely devoted to the whims of its maker" introduced in the 2013 Infinity comic.

Here is our first look at the Outriders, which boast four arms, a humanoid bottom part of the body, and a beak-like jaw. They are massive, at least double the size of a regular human being.

Likely back in New York, Spider-Man confronts Thanos only to be easily crushed by him, throwing the high schooler down onto the floor in a chokehold.

This trailer reveals a whole bunch of plot: Namely Vision's dire fate after two members of Thanos' Black Order defeat him and steal the Mind Stone from his head. The spear pointed at Vision's head belongs to Corvus Glaive, Thanos' right-hand man. Vision screams in agony under the spear, to the loss of his precarious life and his doomed love story with Wanda (cue my own agonized sobs).

However in this shot, it's not the Mind Stone that Thanos places in his glove, but the Space Stone from the Tesseract — which can be seen by its blue color. There goes Loki's precious Tesseract.

Already Thanos has in his possession the Power Stone (purple) and the Space Stone (blue). Here he doesn't yet seem to have the yellow Mind Stone — perhaps the Black Order are foiled by Wanda! — but we also can't see his thumb. It's possible there could be a stone nestled there.

Where are Thanos and Iron Man? They're surrounded by some formation of rocky protrusions, with dust and dirt flying throughout the sky. Or are those protrusions the obelisks we saw from earlier? Whatever the case, Thanos easily punches Iron Man, sending him flying into the ground.

Thus begins the Battle of Helm's De— erm, Wakanda. Bucky is awake from cryogenic sleep (hurray!) and wielding his favorite automatic machine gun, standing in wait alongside legions of Wakandan soldiers.

There is Bucky again, in the back with Steve and the more Wakandan soldiers as Black Panther leads the charge against Thanos' forces, the city of Wakanda behind their backs. While we've only seen three of the Avengers so far, this is definitely the lead-up to the buzzy scene that directors Anthony and Joe Russo have teased as including over 30 Marvel characters in one scene.

Sam Wilson comes barreling down in his Falcon outfit, shooting the hordes of Outriders attacking the Wakandans on the plains surrounding Wakanda.

An intimidating wide shot of the army of Outriders surging to attack Wakanda.

Thankfully it seems like the Wakandans, allied with the Avengers, are almost matched in numbers.

Hero shot! For the first time since Civil War, we see Steve, Bucky, Natasha, T'Challa, Hulk, Falcon, and War Machine (it's Don Cheadle because the suit is entirely grey, right?) in one shot, plus Danai Gurira's fierce warrior, Okoye.

After the Avengers title card rolls, we see Thor, eyepatch intact (we didn't have to worry after all) and disheveled after his crash into the Guardians of the Galaxy's spaceship. "Who the hell are you guys?" he asks, breathing heavily.

Cut to a very appropriate shot of the Guardians looking cheery and unbothered. Except for Teen Groot, who is definitely suffering the pangs of adolescence.

Avengers: Infinity War hits theaters on May 4, 2018.