With the arrival of the final trailer for Avengers: Infinity War, fans now have further insight into Thanos' attack on the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
In just over two minutes, we're treated to massive battle sequences, ranging from Wakanda to New York to the Mad Titan's homeworld itself, as the Russo Brothers highlight more of the villain's quest to assemble the Infinity Stones than we've seen to date.
RELATED: Avengers Assemble in Infinity War’s Epic Final Trailer
Of course, this full-scale assault all revolves around Thanos' desire to save the galaxy and reshape it as he sees fit. One of the Stones he'll require in order to achieve his goal is the Time Stone. As we know, Doctor Strange has the Time Stone in his possession, safely ensconced in the Eye of Agamotto -- which may as well appear as a big target on the hero's chest. We know Thanos wants the Stone, and the trailer reveals a very comics-accurate depiction of just how the Black Order (Thanos' special military unit) will attempt to claim it.
In the trailer, we see Strange, clearly in pain and constrained, being tortured by none other than Ebony Maw. Now, while this pain may well be physical, most of it would certainly be mental due to the alien's powers. Ebony Maw specializes in mental manipulation whereby he coaxes people and their thought process with a few influential words. This allows people to carry out his bidding, even unknowingly, but more so, it allows him to probe their minds and attain deep-hidden secrets.
We see what appears to be Maw's mental shards piercing Strange's mind, with the villain clearly enjoying what's transpiring, even placing his fingers on his lips so as to tease the hero to be quiet as the interrogation proceeds.
Marvel Comics fans may recognize that this particular scene is clearly lifted from the publisher's 2013 event Infinity which serves as a big inspiration for this film. In one of the event's key tie-ins, New Avengers #9 (written by Jonathan Hickman and drawn by Mike Deodato), Thanos sent his forces to acquire the Infinity Gems, with Ebony Maw tasked to take on Strange. His role was to extract the gems' whereabouts, as Strange was a member of the a secret group of heroes (The Illuminati) who was keeping them hidden.
RELATED: Marvel Assembles A Fantastic Avengers: Infinity War Motion Poster
In their encounter, Maw made his mission pretty clear -- "I want what Thanos wants.". His mental trickery eventually resulted in him using Strange as a double agent and convincing the sorcerer to release the monster known as Shuma Gorath. The extent of how much of this interrogation will make it on-screen remains to be seen, but given that Strange has access to various dimensions in the MCU, as well as the Time Stone, it doesn't bode well for the stand against Thanos.
Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, Avengers: Infinity War stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johansson, Anthony Mackie, Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Olsen, Tom Holland, Benedict Cumberbatch, Chadwick Boseman, Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Tom Hiddleston, and Josh Brolin. The film arrives April 27.