The latest TV spot for Avengers: Endgame squeezes in a few seconds of new footage from the Marvel Studios sequel, and in the process, confirms another victim of Thanos' universe-altering finger snap. But in doing so, it may also rewrite a bit of Marvel Cinematic Universe history.
In the opening moments, as the Marvel Studios logo fades, we see James Rhode, Carol Danvers and Steve Rogers viewing the images of those lost in the so-called Decimation, displayed on the now-familiar monitors of the New Avengers Facility. Don't blink or you'll miss the face of Dr. Erik Selvig morph into that of Hope van Dyne. So, yes, the Thor supporting character played Stellan Skarsgård was among the half of Earth's population turned into dust.
That's all fine and good, unless you're Erik Selvig, except that the Avengers: Infinity War tie-in novel The Cosmic Quest Volume 2: Aftermath chronicles the search by Selvig and fan favorite Darcy Lewis to determine what caused the Decimation.
Of course, it can -- and undoubtedly will -- be argue that the assorted comic book and prose tie-ins to Marvel Studios films aren't actually canon, even when they're based in events depicted on screen. For instance, Barry Lyga's Thanos origin novel Titan Consumed was initially billed by the author and the publisher as part of MCU continuity, but Marvel was quick to insist otherwise.
Author Brandon T. Snider's The Cosmic Quest Volume 2: Aftermath is also where the devastating effects of Thanos' "universe-balancing" scheme was first referred to as the Decimation.
Erik Selvig, the astrophysicist and teacher who appeared in Thor, The Avengers, Thor: The Dark World and Avengers: Age of Ultron, joins Letitia Wright's Shuri in being confirmed in Endgame promos as among Thanos' off-screen victims. The status of Selvig's intern Darcy Lewis, played by Kat Dennings, is unknown.
Mind you, the fates of Erik Selvig and Darcy Lewis likely won't matter to anyone but the most devoted of Thor fans, as the characters are unlikely to appear in another MCU film, outside of an image on a monitor. However, this latest revelation will undoubtedly spark some hasty wiki edits, and a reevaluation of those tie-in books.
Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, Avengers: Endgame stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Paul Rudd, Brie Larson, Karen Gillan, Danai Gurira, Benedict Wong, Jon Favreau and Bradley Cooper, with Gwyneth Paltrow and Josh Brolin. The film arrives April 26.