Super Bowl trailer for The Avengers crash lands

A new full-length trailer for the upcoming super hero film The Avengers hit television screens this Sunday during the national football championship game.

If you missed the trailer, here it is:

It’s almost frustrating at this point that we still don’t know who the secondary villain is. Clearly, Loki’s got some extra terrestrial hi-tech friends who are attacking the planet, but director Joss Whedon has already said outright that all the hypotheses about the Skrull are incorrect. 

Yes, we’ve managed to catch a closer look at these aliens, but still have no idea who they might be. There simply aren’t that many hostile extra-terrestrials in the Marvel Universe. Take a look at this hi-res screen cap from the trailer which was posted over at Geek Tyrant:

As you can see, the creatures look like they are humanoid – perhaps encased in some kind of chitinous armor. Personally, I can’t think of anything like that in Marvel, but I think it’s unlikely they would invent a new creature.

My current theory? They are an obscure race from one of the nine-realms that Thor talks about in his film. This theory would certainly make sense with tying them into Loki’s plans – as it’s already known he spent a bunch of time floating round the realms gathering allies.

The official synopsis gives us nothing more:

When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as SHIELD, finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins.

The Avengers continues the epic big-screen adventures started in “Iron Man,” “The Incredible Hulk,” “Iron Man 2,” “Thor” and “Captain America: The First Avenger”. Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Samuel L. Jackson, and directed by Joss Whedon, “Marvel’s The Avengers” is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series “The Avengers,” first published in 1963 and a comics institution ever since. 

Prepare yourself for an exciting event movie, packed with action and spectacular special effects, when Marvel’s The Avengers assemble in summer 2012. 

The Avengers is slated to hit theaters on May 4, 2012.