Major spoilers for Thor: Ragnarok (and, potentially, the Avengers: Infinity War trailer) follow!

-

Update: It's confirmed that we're getting the Avengers: Infinity War trailer on Wednesday, November 29th - likely with an eye-patched Thor in the mix.

Marvel wanting to prevent Thor: Ragnarok spoilers may be the real reason we haven't yet seen the Avengers: Infinity War trailer yet.

It goes without saying that the trailer for Infinity War would include some number of spoilers for Thor: Ragnarok; the inevitable presence of Thor would give away that, well, he doesn't die in Ragnarok. But that's hardly everything, and as anyone who's seen Thor: Ragnarok can attest, even showing the God of Thunder alive without spoiling another major Ragnarok moment would be next to impossible. Any Infinity War trailer would have to reveal that Thor is now missing an eye - and it's covered up by a very Odin-esque eye patch.

In fact, we have a very good idea what the Avengers: Infinity War trailer will include. Marvel fans at this year's D23 and San Diego Comic-Con were treated to a teaser for the next team-up movie, and we have several good descriptions of the footage, including quite a few moments that could spoil several different parts of Ragnarok.

For one, of course, Thor is quite prevalent in that trailer, with both eyes intact. This was likely a case of Marvel not wanting to spoil anything for the D23 or SDCC audiences; any future trailer would necessarily include post-eye-gouging Thor, lest they confuse the audience even more. But that would require waiting until many people have seen Ragnarok. Marvel's reticence in releasing the trailer may be a bit of kindness for its fans who haven't had the chance to see Ragnarok.

Loki with the Tesseract in The Avengers

Another major moment in the D23 trailer was Loki holding the Tesseract. In Thor: Ragnarok, Loki walks by the Tesseract, lingering for just a moment to appreciate the Infinity Stone he once possessed. We never see him pick it up, though, and while the movie wants us to believe he didn't, just about everyone who's seen the movie (or any movie, ever) is pretty convinced that he grabbed the cube on his way to waking up Surtur. We now know - if the D23 trailer description is to believed - that Loki definitely did grab the Tesseract. In fact, it may be how Thanos finds the adrift Asgardians in the post-credits scene for Ragnarok. Is he tracking the Stones? Or did Loki make contact?

One last, minor element of the D23 trailer that relates directly to Thor: Ragnarok is the presence of the Grandmaster's pleasure cruiser, the ship that Thor, Banner, and Valkyrie use to escape Sakaar. We know that this cruiser escaped the destruction of Asgard; when last we see it, it's docked on the massive ship that the Asgardians are travelling in. In the D23 footage, we catch a glimpse of the ship crashing to the surface of what might be Earth - could this be how the Hulk joins the fray? Or maybe even Valkyrie?

So how long will Marvel wait before they release the trailer? Of course, they aren't under any realistic pressure to release it - it's only the fans that are suffering, and the movie will be a success no matter when it comes out. Right now, it seems like the trailer could come out towards the end of November, or maybe even later - it could release alongside Star Wars: The Last Jedi, another Disney blockbuster-in-waiting, in mid-December. Can we wait that long? Maybe not - but Marvel certainly can.

Key Release Dates