How Marvel Studios Keeps MCU Spoilers A Secret

Marvel Studios has made the Marvel Cinematic Universe one of the most secretive franchises around, so how do they prevent spoilers from leaking? One of the recurring jokes of any Marvel press tour is the “Marvel sniper” that actors say is watching everything they do and say. While Marvel doesn’t actually have people ready to tranquilize their stars, they have, mostly, done a great job of preventing major MCU spoilers from getting out ahead of time.

The security on Marvel movies has always been tight, but recently information has become more difficult to come by. This was mostly thanks to the protective measures Anthony and Joe Russo went to in order to keep the many secrets of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame under wraps. The secrecy only increased speculation over what the films could include as fans tried to piece together every small detail that did manage to get out.

But, the results of the last two Avengers films and the overall end of Phase 3 of the MCU show just how many surprises Marvel was able to preserve for audiences. This is all the more impressive as plenty of other big franchises frequently see major leaks about their films surface ahead of release. So how has Marvel been able to keep all of these secrets to themselves? That is part of what is discussed in the latest video from Screen Rant, but we’ll dive into two of the main reasons below.

One of the keys to Marvel’s ability to preserve secrets is the small team they have and the limited amount of information other people are given. For instance, the last two Avengers movies saw most of the actors get just their portions of the script. Only a select few, like Robert Downey Jr., were able to read the entire Avengers scripts. This makes the information just as secretive within Marvel Studios and the cast as it is with fans, which limits the number of people who are privy to these secrets in the first place. This isn’t to say that Marvel won’t give the actors everything they need to understand their roles or arcs. It may sometimes require that information to come at the last minute and in private. Elizabeth Olsen has said that is how the cast learned of Avengers: Infinity War‘s ending.

Furthermore, Marvel tends to hold private test screenings instead of public ones, which has helped keep the risk factor of specific details leaking lower than usual. All of this has led to Marvel Studios largely being able to keep their biggest secrets until they feel like revealing them. Their incredible secrecy doesn’t just pertain to scenes in movies though, as they’ve even proven to be incredibly good at keeping casting a secret. Mahershala Ali playing Blade and Natalie Portman returning for Thor: Love and Thunder were done several months ago, and neither of them were even rumored to be part of the MCU’s plans. Aside from making an incredible amount of money, Marvel Studios’ superpower may just be secrecy.

About The Author

Cooper Hood
(5627 Articles Published)

Cooper Hood is a news and feature writer for Screen Rant. He joined Screen Rant in late 2016 following a year-long stint with MCU Exchange, which came after first developing an MCU blog of his own. He graduated college in 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in Media & Public Communication, with a minor in Media Production. Cooper’s love for movies began by watching Toy Story and Lion King on repeat as a child, but it wasn’t until The Avengers that he took an invested interest in movies and the filmmaking process, leading him to discover the world of film journalism. Every year Cooper looks forward to seeing the latest blockbusters from the likes of Marvel, DC, and Star Wars, but also loves the rush to catch up on Oscar films near the end of the year. When he isn’t writing about or watching new releases, Cooper is a fantasy football obsessive and looking to expand his Blu-Ray collection – because physical media is still king! Follow Cooper on Twitter @MovieCooper.

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