Sometimes posters actually hold the key to what a film is going to be about. The designers may drop in little hints or perhaps put huge secrets right in the face of anyone looking at their artwork. Occasionally, these are just mistakes that slip through.
The posters of the Marvel Cinematic Universe have been pretty impressive, but some of them have given away huge secrets. Here are 10 of those posters and details that were hidden in plain sight for all to see! This is organized in the order the films were released.
BLACK WIDOW
The original poster for Iron Man 2 gave a lot away about the plot of this film. While War Machine was a main feature of the ads and the poster, Black Widow appearing was lesser-known. Comic fans would have been able to predict the twist.
However, mainstream audiences would not have known that the stereotypical secretary would turn out to be a lethal assassin. So the poster featuring Black Widow on the front showcases this twist for all to see and completely gives that surprise away.
THOR IS WORTHY
The first film featuring the God of Thunder was about how worthy Thor actually is. He has his powers taken from him early in the film and has to live on Midgard, trying to find a way to prove that he is deserving of the powers of Thor.
However, the poster gives a very strong hint on how that story will finish. The art features Thor with his hammer, almost like it’s moments after he has received it once again. It’s a strong message that he is worthy of the mighty hammer and actually a major spoiler.
LOKI’S AVENGERS PLAN
Loki returned to the MCU once again to try to thwart Earth’s mightiest heroes. He almost succeeded although throughout the film we aren’t too sure what his plan will be. Well, the main poster for the film actually shows exactly what he’s going to do.
In the poster, we can see the blue portal shooting from the top of the Avengers tower. Looking back on it now, it makes it obvious that this is a big plot point in the film, but at the time we were all puzzled as to what could have been happening.
IRON LEGION
Tony Stark felt like he had to protect himself after the events in New York. Therefore, he created hundreds of suits of armor to be used at any time. They were called Iron Legion and could be controlled remotely at any given moment.
During the final battle, the Iron Legion is called into action to fight off the ‘Mandarin’s’ extremis soldiers. The poster clearly shows that this is what will take place in the finale, with the Iron Legion heavily featured despite the fact it was supposed to be a surprise.
BRINGING DOWN THE HELICARRIERS
In his sequel film, Cap struggles with the notion that the institutions he put his faith in might be more corrupt than he realizes. Part of this is actually a Hydra twist in the narrative which is not teased at all in these posters but produces the best part of the film.
However, their plan and eventual fall are clearly shown. The poster showcases the Helicarriers that the group wants to use to target known threats. It also shows various ships exploding and crashing, much like the Helicarriers and their plans at the end of the movie.
VISION
The Vision finally arrived into the MCU and this was also supposed to be a major twist in the story. Like any marketing though, the trailers eventually ruined it and it was revealed that the Vision would be joining the Avengers in the film.
However, the poster actually has the Vision heavily featured, even if people don’t fully realize it. Although the glare of the sun blocks him slightly, the silhouette of the android can be seen flying through the sky, fighting off Ultron’s robots.
DORMAMMU
Dormammu turned out to be one of the most significant characters that faced off against Doctor Strange. Not only was he the antagonist but he has influenced the Ancient One, as she uses his magic. The battle against him is the highlight of the final part of the film.
One of the posters actually depicts the master of the mystic arts spreading some kind of magic from his hands. The design of this magic is identical to the design of Dormammu, foreshadowing his appearance and showing that Strange can control him.
AVENGERS TOWER
Avengers Tower played a large part in Spider-Man’s first solo outing in the MCU. It set up the final showdown between the Vulture and the web-head and was part of the reason Happy Hogan was so heavily featured in the film.
Clearly, the poster makers wanted to draw attention to the importance of the tower in the story. It therefore actually features on the poster, which is also a nod to Spider-Man being offered status as an Avenger at the end of the film.
SURTUR VS. HELA
The color scheme for Taika Waititi’s 80’s style take on the God of Thunder was bright and vibrant but also green and red We know that the green represented Hela as the villain of the piece but we didn’t know why red was chosen.
The two colors are fighting it out because the fiery red symbolizes that Surtur will be brought into the mix. It is their fight that ultimately destroys Asgard, killing Hela as Surtur completely wrecks everything.
THE BENATAR
The Benatar has an important role to play for the Avengers in ultimately finishing Thanos. Firstly it’s part of the reason that Tony and Nebula are saved and brought back to Earth. It’s also how the team find Thanos and kill him in the first part of the film.
It’s presence in the poster also symbolizes that other heroes will be returning. It’s clearly a huge tease that people like the Guardians of the Galaxy will have an unknown role to play in this film. If we had looked at the poster closer we would have seen the foreshadowing.
