Spoilers are the nemesis of the MCU

I have a strict no-spoiler policy of my own regarding the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). To the point that I don’t even watch the trailers until after I watch the movies. But for the release of “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” this Friday, Feb. 17, I am willing to make an exception and confront YouTube videos and articles before I watch the movie.

The spoiler culture that circulates within the MCU has been a point of major debate. Whether you are okay with “spoiling” yourself or categorically against having someone tell you how a movie ends, avoiding having the new movie you have been waiting for “spoiled” has become a complex endeavor. 

With the rise of social media and other platforms, or simply because your friend is excited to tell you how shocked they were when the main character died, the opportunity for the plot to be spoiled is abundant. 

I began to ask myself, just how strict is the MCU on their no-spoiler policy, and why?

Merriam-Webster defines “spoiling” as “damaging seriously” or “to impair the quality” of something. True Marvel fans often concur with the MCU no-spoiler policy, as the adrenaline one feels at the movie theaters discovering for the first time what path their favorite characters are taking next would not be as exciting if you already knew the ending. Elizabeth Olsen, the actress playing the Scarlet Witch in the MCU, revealed at the ACE Comic Con of Seattle in 2018 that her brother would not let her tell him anything about what she had filmed. “He doesn’t want a single spoiler, and that’s because he is a true fan.” she said.

Even Marvel actors themselves don’t know where their character is going to end up after reading the latest script. At the convention, Elizabeth Olsen told the host of the panel, “I never know where they want to go, I just show up.” Later that day Sebastian Stan said he didn’t know where Marvel would “take a situation.” The actors revealed that scripts were full of “fake” events, and while shooting the blockbuster “Avengers: Infinity War,” they were told the ending minutes before shooting it. 

On multiple occasions, the world has seen this strict no-spoiler policy embedded in the corporation rules. The MCU has rightfully been labeled by Cooper Hood, writer for Screenrant, as “one of the world’s most secretive franchises.” 

Since 2016, Tom Holland, portraying Spider-Man in the MCU, has been gently reprimanded on National television and in interviews by his co-stars when he happened to “spoil” or “leak” events that  were to happen in the movies. At the ACE Comic Con of Seattle in 2018, he answered the question, “what did [Marvel crew members] do to prevent you from spoiling the movie?” Holland jokingly answered: “They did not do enough for me.” 

Amid deflective responses to questions in interviews and panel discussions, Marvel actors have sometimes revealed the complicated relationship between Marvel creators and spoilers. For instance, they have to sign a strict non-disclosure agreement. On a Reddit forum, former Marvel attorney Paul Sarker confessed that if a Marvel actor spoiled a “key plot point on purpose,” it would be a “breach of contract, and [they] could get sued.”

No matter if you like a bit of preparation going into the movies or are going to avoid all human interaction before you get to the theater, make sure to watch  “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” this Friday at the Regal Theater. Tickets are available online at: https://www.regmovies.com/