Some Marvel Fans Think Mark Ruffalo Might Really Have Given Away The Title of 'Avengers 4'

Name: Avengers: Endgame
Released: 2019-04-25T15:00:00+00:00
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson

Michael Hein

10/07/2018 10:08 pm EDT

Mark Ruffalo's appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Friday had fans rolling with laughter, but some think there was a bit of truth behind his jokes.

Ruffalo appeared on the late night show for an interview with Fallon, who asked him about the upcoming Avengers 4. The movie has wrapped up filming, and still very little is known about it. Given Ruffalo's history of spoilers, he and Fallon performed what seemed like a pre-arranged bit, where Fallon coaxed the actor into giving away major details -- including the movie's mysterious title.

Obviously, by the time Ruffalo had jumped over the couch and lifted a miniature skyscraper over his head, it was all a big joke. Still, many fans thought that he might have really exposed the true title of Avengers 4. After all, the movie is just months away now, and it is about time for some promotional material to get out.

At the same time, the Internet had already been rumbling for a couple of days with potential titles. Some strong theories argued that the title was either Avengers: Annihilation, or The Last Avenger. Fans watching Ruffalo's performance on Friday figured that the true title must have gotten out, leading the studio to send Ruffalo on TV to announce it in earnest.

Either way, Ruffalo's appearance was a genius promotional move. The interview has gone viral, and stirred up more conversation through its mystery than it ever could have if he had just announced the title outright. Ruffalo himself also got some redemption in the process, copping to his spoiler from the Infinity War press tour and showing that he was in on the joke.

Here are some of the clearest arguments for why fans believe Ruffalo reveald the true Avengers 4 title on Friday.

'It's out there'

Many fans took note of Ruffalo's words when he said "it's out there." They believed this to be the seed of truth behind his bit with Fallon -- making it a simple process of elimination to find the real title among the top theories online.

"Mark Ruffalo kept saying "it's out there" so Annihilation makes the most sense," one person tweeted, 'but Conrad also said the other option was The Last Avenger and that's what I think it looks like he's mouthing."

Lip-reading

Some fans with a skill for lip-reading took turns assessing Ruffalo's facial movements, even though his mouth was mostly blurred. Judging by his chin and cheeks alone, one fan felt confident in saying the title is Annihilation.

"I can aassure you 100% that by the face and lips expression its sounds as 'Annhilation.'"

IDK

There were plenty of fans online who wanted to guess at the title but were afraid to speak too soon.

"I'm getting more confident that Mark Ruffalo said 'the next avengers movie is Annihilation,'" one person wrote, "idk mah dudes."

[Beep]

There were plenty of fans this weekend who thought that the title was very clear in the interview -- Avengers BEEP. This theory got a lot of love and some surprisingly eye-catching promo art, but no official word from Marvel yet.

Censorship

Ruffalo teased his interview with a tweet begging Fallon and his team to "censor" the "spoiler." This had many fans taking the actor at his word, assuming he had revealed something for real and jumped into the physical comedy as a cover.

"Mark Ruffalo did say the title was 'already' out there," someone noted. "I'm assuming he's talking about the leak. Maybe they censored it as punishment?"

Disclosure: ComicBook is owned by CBS Interactive, a division of Paramount. Sign up for Paramount+ by clicking here.