Last night’s Disney Investors event pretty much made up for the entire year we didn’t get any MCU content. Kevin Feige dropped so much goodies last night that it hard for everyone to keep up and process just what was happening. Case in point, the slew of trailers for the upcoming Disney+ shows that no one expected. Here are some of my favorite moments in the trailers they put out.
Zemo Visits Sokovia
We didn’t get much Zemo in the trailer but the handful of moments we saw him were pretty great. This particular shot in the trailer caught my eye. Zemo standing in front of what seems to be a monument in a giant crater. Now, I’d be remiss to not assume that this is what remains of Sokovia, Zemo’s homeland. A lot of people are understandably more excited to see what’s in store for Sam and Bucky but I am myself am just excited to see how they expand Zemo’s arc. Zemo has always been a top 3 MCU villain for me because of how Marvel handled the depth of his story. I am very excited to see how he reflects on Sokovia and the Avengers now that he’s escaped from prison.
The Flag-Smashers
A good shot of the brand new Captain America is missing from the trailer but we did get to see a bunch of shots featuring the MCU’s brand new evil faction, the Flag-Smashers. Erin Kellyman in particular is front and center in a lot of shots. We see her go toe-to-toe against Falcon in some of them which leads me to think that the Flag-Smashers aren’t just average joes but enhanced individuals.
Council of Kangs
There’s a shot in the Loki trailer where the God of Mischief stands before Gugu Mbatha Raw’s courtroom. Behind Gugu are three sculptures resembling Kang the Conqueror. As pointed out by my buddy Charles Murphy, given that the Loki production company is named Limbo Productions 1 and Kang the Conqueror is oftentimes referred to as the Lord of Limbo in the comics, it’s more than likely Kang has a larger presence in this show beyond easter eggs. Plus with all the time-traveling involved, it’d be crazy to not at least see a glimpse of him in the show.
Alternate Earth
Throughout the Loki trailer, we see the God of Mischief in several intriguing locations but none is more eye-catching than the image of a ruined New York along with a destroyed Avengers tower in the backdrop. There are other shots teasing more otherworldly settings like Vormir-looking planet that people thought had Natasha Romanoff in the foreground. Is this an alternate Earth where things didn’t turn out well for his Chitauri invasion in 2012?
Loki Meddling With History
I owe this one to the eagle-eyed fans online who managed to put two and two together. There’s a shot where a suited up Loki jumps from an airplane along with a briefcase filled with cash only for him to be snagged by the Bifrost. A lot of fans believe this to be an MCU reimagining of the real-life fateful story of D.B. Cooper. Cooper was the pseudonym of an unidentified man who hijacked a commercial plane, held its passengers hostage, demanded a briefcase full of money, and later parachuted off of it, never to be found or heard of again. Fans have pointed out that everything, from the plane to Loki’s sunglasses, relates to D.B. Cooper. It’s so goddamn cool to see obscure easter eggs like this make it into the story and actually somewhat matter within the context. Loki messing with history and becoming the D.B. Cooper of another Earth is such a fun idea.
The Mind Stone
Like with most things they showed, I have no idea what the hell is happening with the Mind Stone here or how the Mind Stone manages to reform itself after being reduced to atom by Thanos. The fact they’ve found a way to incorporate in a seemingly huge way (I assume that moment is the turning point of the entire series), is pretty exciting.
Chadwick’s Last Performance
Apart from being blown away by the What If? footage, the most striking thing was hearing Chadwick’s voice as T’Challa one last time. Hearing that made me choke up a bit. Kevin Feige made it a point to address his death during the presentation, revealing that there are no plans to recast the character. Whenever that episode of Star-Lord T’Challa comes out, it’ll hit hard for a lot of people.