In Marvel and DC comics, each character is part of larger universe. Batman fights alongside Superman and Wonder Woman in DC's Justice League; some of the X-Men fight alongside Spider-Man and The Avengers in Marvel's main universe. When it comes to the films however, only Marvel Studios had made the effort to realize that shared universe on the silver screen and after years of laying the foundation, the next feature from the Disney-owned studio represents the culmination of their efforts, and the ultimate comic geek fantasy: The Avengers.

If you're reading this, looking for that first glimpse at The Avengers and are excited to see these heroes come together on screen, then you've no doubt been following the series to date. Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk introduced two heroes to the modern world, grounded in reality, teasing the beginnings of the The Avengers thanks to cameo appearances by Samuel L. Jackson as Nick fury and Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, respectively.

The success of Iron Man opened the floodgates to the then-independent studio and solo character films to introduce Captain America and Thor were quickly greenlit alongside an Iron Man sequel. These films were set to lay the seeds of the other core characters of The Avengers, a film that would see the four established heroes - and some special  S.H.I.E.L.D. agents - join together for a common cause. That and brilliant merchandising and marketing initiatives are helping to ensure that The Avengers is more than just a few hours of on-screen entertainment, but an event.

movie poster of the complete avengers team

By now you should have learned to stick around and wait out the credits during each Marvel Studios film as each includes a "button" at the end, a tease of things to come. Iron Man introduced Nick Fury and The Avengers Initiative, Thor revealed the villain of The Avengers and the end of Captain America brought Steve Rogers into the modern era with an additional post-credits button giving fans their first look at The Avengers.

Part of those two segments from Marvel Studios' latest film have been released online, but keep in mind, this is not a teaser trailer for The Avengers, but a button as Disney and Paramount call it. For a glimpse of what's at the end of Captain America: The First Avenger, watch this clip, titled "Times Square," below from Yahoo! which shows a part of the final scene of the movie and a brief tease of the post-credits button. For the full excitement, go see the film in theaters. Trust us.

While far more engaging than The Avengers teaser from last year's Comic-Con, this footage doesn't reveal any of the action bits and other fun stuff the full button does, so again, check it out in theaters as we are told it will not be released online. We've also pulled out some stills from the trailer for a closer look at The Avengers roster, including the first look at Thor's new costume and Hawkeye's get-up, our first look at Mark Ruffalo joining the franchise as Bruce Banner, and even Black Widow's new hairstyle.

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These character shots all appear to take place aboard the S.H.I.E.L.D. Hellicarrier.

The Avengers stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Samuel L. Jackson, Cobie Smulders, Clark Gregg, Tom Hiddleston and Stellan Skarsgard. It is of course written and directed by Joss Whedon, opening in theaters on May 4, 2012.

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Source: Yahoo! Movies