‘Avengers’ keep mum on plot
‘Infinity War’, a culmination of 10 years and three phases of Marvel Studios’ cinematic universe, has been shrouded in mystery
Earth’s mightiest heroes (with the exception of a notably absent Chris Evans) assembled on Sunday afternoon for a press conference in advance of the Avengers: Infinity War world premiere.
Infinity War, a culmination of 10 years and three phases of Marvel Studios’ cinematic universe, is already anticipated to do big numbers at the box office and is expected to be among the highestgrossing films of all time.
Held on Sunday afternoon in a ballroom at Beverly Hills’ Montage hotel, the conference was outfitted with red lights and ornate, dimmed chandeliers.
A black curtain bearing a projection of the white Avengers “A” sigil (ironically reminiscent of DC Comics hero Batman’s projected bat signal) partitioned off a fraction of the room, only to be dropped in dramatic fashion to reveal a nearly complete panel of Marvel heroes: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Chadwick Boseman, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Holland, Elizabeth Olsen, Sebastian Stan, Paul Bettany, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle, Tom Hiddleston, Chris Pratt, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Pom Klementieff and the big bad, Josh Brolin. Directors Joe and Anthony Russo were also on hand, along with producer Kevin Feige.
Hosted by the Grandmaster himself, Jeff Goldblum (whom Downey called “a ... national treasure”), the hour-long conference failed to reveal any major plot points or even minor spoilers for the highly anticipated film.
Rather, the press conference evolved into a masterclass in indirect answers (politicians, take note). When asked what Star-Lord’s reaction is to seeing Earthlings for the first time in 30 years (and after being handed three microphones by fellow panellists eager to hear his answer), Pratt avoided answering altogether.
“It might be best for you to see it, so I’m going to talk about bass fishing. OK?” Which he comically proceed to do for a full minute.
Johansson, long the sole female member of the team, rankled at being asked about the “fashion elements” of the films.
“I got the fashion question?” she said to audience laughter. Olsen covered her face as she giggled along with the crowd.
“The fashion elements you see here...” she began, standing to showcase her outfit ... la a QVC host. “I honestly don’t know how to answer that question. I wear a leather unitard for most of this film, and I have been for the last 10 years.”
When Downey was called on to accept a press question, he countered with “Wait, me first. Who’s better, Black Panther or Iron Man?”
The asker admitted that he preferred the former, to which Downey replied “... damn, me too.”
He was then asked whether he will appear in 2019’s Untitled Avengers film and after briefly consulting with Feige, determined he was allowed to reveal that they’d already filmed it.
“Which means I guess I’m ...,” he began before course-correcting. “You never know. I’ve got to see the screening tomorrow night. If I die tomorrow, I’m going to be confused. We’ll see.”