Russo Brothers Trolled Marvel Fans With Artistic ‘Avengers 4’ Title Reveal

If you ever need a reminder that the Russo brothers — Joe and Anthony Russo — first cut their directorial teeth on comedy series like Arrested Development and Community, look no further than their penchant for trolling the Marvel Cinematic Universe fanbase, by dropping fake reveals and teases that get fans buzzing over the most ridiculous red herrings.

Case in point: The Russo brothers are claiming to have revealed the title for Avengers 4, with an Instagram post that has since been deleted:

To be 100 percent clear: “Aftermath of Obliteration of Eternity” is NOT the title of the Avengers: Infinity War sequel. It is, in fact, the name of a piece of installation artwork called “Aftermath of Obliteration of Eternity,” by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, which is on display at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston. You can check out Kusama’s impressive art creation HERE and read the inspiration behind it, below:

“Expanding upon her lifelong obsession with the dissolution of the self into the infinite, Yayoi Kusama created Aftermath of Obliteration of Eternity the year of her eightieth birthday. Viewers are invited to step into the room and stand on the central platform. Over time a delicate, shimmering mirage unfolds, as an array of lights ignites and is mirrored on every surface of the all-encompassing environment. In less than a minute, however, all light disappears, and then the cycle starts anew.”

Looking at the full display of the exhibit, it’s not hard to see how it inspired the Russos to make an Avengers connection. Between the title, and display, this artwork is actually a very fitting metaphor for what may have happened to all the souls Thanos extinguished with his Infinity Gauntlet “Snap,” and even Kusama’s theme of “dissolution of the self into the infinite,” is oddly fitting with Avengers: Infinity War‘s ending.

So again: This is not the official title of Avengers 4 (Avengers: End Game is still a leading guess), but it is an interesting case of high art and pop-art meeting on a thematic plane. And while Yayoi Kusama’s exhibit may not reveal the actual title fans want to hear, her continued explanation of “Aftermath of Obliteration of Eternity” may reveal some actual thematic inspiration that the Russos actually worked into Avengers 4:

“Life is what I always try to understand—its depths and its mystique of rise and fall. I struggle for it throughout my life. From day to day, I understand the greatness brought by this mystique as well as that love is eternal and keeps appearing and disappearing. And what is more, I am very pleased to be alive after realizing that I have overcome this everyday life and been able to reach today. Yet we keep flashing, disappearing, and again blossoming out in this Eternity.”

Avengers: Infinity War is now available as a digital download and on Blu-ray and DVD. Ant-Man and the Wasp is now playing in theaters. Upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movies include Captain Marvel on March 8, 2019; Avengers 4 on May 3, 2019; Spider-Man: Far From Home on July 5th, 2019; and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in 2020.