Thor Love and Thunder Trailer Risks Repeating Morbius' Fatal Flaw
Thor: Love and Thunder's first trailer recently dropped, and it seems to be making the same big mistake that Morbius did. The trailer prominently features the Guardians of the Galaxy, making it appear that they will have a major presence in the movie. However, by making this choice, Thor: Love and Thunder is getting close to repeating one of Morbius' biggest flaws.
At the end of Avengers: Endgame, Thor leaves Earth with the Guardians of the Galaxy. Because of this, many speculated that the team would be joining Thor on his next big adventure, much like the Hulk did in Thor: Ragnarok. However, every appearance by the Guardians in Love and Thunder's trailer seems to take place in one location, meaning that it is likely that they will barely be in the film.
The MCU has had plenty of cameos over its long run, so having the Guardians pop up at the beginning of Love and Thunder would normally be a fun way to start the film. However, featuring the team in the trailer disproportionately to how much they will appear in Love and Thunder could lead audiences to disappointment. This can be seen with Morbius, whose marketing became a problem when it was released. Its trailers featured the MCU's Vulture, leading many to believe that he would play a role in Morbius' story. However, Vulture only appears in the post-credits scenes, meaning that the Vulture only had slightly less screen time in the trailers than he did in the final product. Morbius' marketing mismanaged expectations, leading fans to believe the film had more than is offered. By featuring the Guardians so prominently in its trailers, Love and Thunder could be doing the same thing.
Although it does seem like the Guardians' appearance in Love and Thunder sees the team fights alongside Thor, the lack of other scenes containing them currently suggests they probably won't do much beyond that. It is likely that they simply drop Thor off on a planet and then leave. Because of this, their screen time will probably be comparable to Vulture's in Morbius. The other problem with showing off these big appearances in the trailers is that it takes away some of the surprise from the film. For example, if Spider-Man: No Way Home's trailers had shown off the other Spider-Men, them finally showing up in the movie would have been less satisfactory. It is possible that Vulture's appearance in Morbius would have been exciting if the trailers hadn't spoiled it, which is why it is such a big mistake - one that Love and Thunder seems to be repeating.
There is one way that Thor: Love and Thunder can avoid this issue. While the Guardians may not be in the movie long, they can still satisfy viewers if they play an important role, do something new, or set up something exciting. For example, they could mention where they are going once they leave Thor, setting up Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. They could also appear much later in Love and Thunder, in a scene that wasn't featured in the trailers because it would have spoiled the film. Featuring them in a third-act battle scene or a post-credits scene could avoid the Vulture problem that Morbius has. If the point of having these characters in Love and Thunder is a cameo, then showing them in the trailer is a problem. However, if the Guardians fill one of the aforementioned roles, they can still satisfy the audience. Although it is possible to avoid, unless Thor: Love and Thunder is hiding something, it risks repeating the same problem that Morbius did.