Please don’t spoil the upcoming “Avengers: Endgame.” This is the summary of the plea of the Russo brothers, directors of the Marvel Universe, to fans in an open letter.
The much-anticipated movie will premiere on April 24 in many international theaters, which include Philippine cinemas. It will premiere on April 26 in the United States.
Anthony and Joseph Russo addressed the letter to Marvel Cinematic Universe supporters who have followed the franchise since more than a decade ago.
“When you see Endgame in the coming weeks, please don’t spoil it for others, the same way you wouldn’t want it spoiled for you,” part of the letter said.
They also thanked their fans as the massive story arc of the MCU which began with “Ironman” in 2008 reaches some conclusion with the latest “Avengers” installment that is expected to have a three-hour run time.
“This is it. This is the end. The end of an unprecedented narrative mosaic spanning eleven years and eleven franchises,” the directors said.
They said that all the actors and staff of Marvel Studios have worked hard for the past three years to create “a surprising and emotionally powerful conclusion.”
“Please know that the two of us, along with everyone involved in Endgame, have worked tirelessly for the last three years with the sole intention of delivering a surprising and emotionally powerful conclusion to the Infinity Saga,” they said.
The directing duo also said super villain Thanos is himself making the order not to spoil “Endgame” with the hashtag #ThanosDemandsYourSilence.
This was used in the previous release of “Avengers: Infinity War,” dubbed as the era’s most expansive crossover event, in April 2018.
With the latest sequel, people are anticipating how newly introduced Captain Marvel and the remaining members of the Avengers, a group of superheroes of the MCU, will defeat Thanos. Captain Marvel is played by award-winning actress Brie Larson.
Spoiler prevention
While there are no official rules against plot leakage, some Western entertainment media have provided guidelines or codes that fans can follow.
The earliest was the “statutes of limitations” against spoilers suggested on a Vulture thought piece in 2008.
Columnist Darren Franich of Entertainment Weekly made a comprehensive article on how to avoid spoilers of TV shows and movies on different platforms.
Meanwhile, an international MCU fan page also posted a similar letter on social media on April 16. This time, it was a collective request to Marvel’s international fan base:
“We’re asking that when you see Endgame in the coming weeks which you maintain that same level of secrecy so that all our friends can have equal experience when they watch it for the first time. Don’t spoil it for others, the same way you wouldn’t want it spoiled for you,” the Marvel Universe Facebook page letter read.
It similarly used the hashtag #HashtagDemandsYourSilence.