Movies

Is There A Big 'Avengers 4' Clue In This Photo Or Are The Directors Trolling Us?

Avengers 4 title
By Ben Pearson/

Marvel Studios' Avengers 4 title has been the subject of intense speculation for months, but this morning, directors Anthony and Joe Russo provided MCU fans with a whole new source of speculation in the form of a new photo with the caption, "Look hard." Does this photo actually include a subliminal hint at the title of the new Avengers movie, or is it simply a case of the directors trolling everyone? Take a look below and judge for yourselves.

Here's the photo in question:

I'll admit that when I first saw this picture, I zoomed in and scoured the frame in a search for any clue about the upcoming sequel's title. The brothers have previously said the title should scare Marvel fans, and they mentioned that it would be revealed after people have had time to digest Avengers: Infinity War. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige got even more specific, saying that the title reveal would arrive after the teaser trailer for Captain Marvel. That teaser was unveiled yesterday, and it looks like the Russos wasted no time teasing fans with a potential hint.

So what might be hiding in this image? Perhaps zooming in was the wrong approach. Perhaps taking a step back and looking at the entire image as a tableau is the way to go. It's hard to ignore the giant ladder in the shape of an "A" over Joe Russo's shoulder. And if you squint hard enough, you can make out three other As in the image – including one near the top of the frame that resembles the slanted A in the Avengers logo.

That doesn't really get us anywhere as far as a potential title goes. But another fan has an idea that you won't be able to unsee once you see it:

He's suggesting the title is Avengers: Endgame, one of the options that fans seem the most excited about. The problem with this theory – aside from the creation of the "D" and the "G" in this image being a little bit of a stretch – is that the Russos have specifically said that the title of Avengers 4 is not spoken in Infinity War, and as you may recall, Doctor Strange uses the phrase "endgame" in that movie. (Tony Stark asks Strange why he gave the Time Stone to Thanos, and Strange responds, "We're in the endgame now.")

Does this mean that the Russos were lying to preserve their secret? It wouldn't be the first time the director of a major blockbuster lied about their project to surprise audiences. But here's the thing: the Russos could technically be right, because the phrase "Avengers endgame" never actually is uttered in the movie. It'd be sort of a cheat, but they could truthfully say that they never lied to fans if that title ends up being used.

In previous interviews, Feige has said that the quest to figure out the title has "gotten completely blown out of proportion" and that it "will have no chance" of living up to fan expectations. But over the past decade, he's figured out how to have fans eating out of the palm of his hand, so this is all part of his grand plan to keep these movies on peoples' minds during the lead-up to what could be the defining story of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Update: After we published this piece, a /Film reader made another intriguing connection that led to another guess:

The only problem I can see with the Avengers: Assemble theory is 2012's The Avengers was titled Avengers: Assemble for its international release, so using that title for this sequel could end up being confusing for audiences who aren't in North America.

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