The finale of Avengers: Endgame will leave fans in a state of grief, star Mark Ruffalo has said.
The highly anticipated blockbuster is the culmination of 22 Marvel films over 11 years and is expected to bring closure to fans who have been following the series for more than a decade.
Endgame is a direct sequel to 2018’s Infinity War, which finished with half of life in the universe being wiped out due to the actions of super villain Thanos.
Although the finer details of the Endgame plot have been kept tightly under wraps, Ruffalo, who plays Bruce Banner, also known as the Hulk, hinted more beloved characters could be in danger.
Speaking at the Endgame world premiere in Los Angeles on Monday, he told the Press Association: “I think people are going to have a lot of really strong feelings (at the end of the movie).
“I haven’t seen the movie yet so I’m speaking out of turn but I think people are going to be grieving. And they’re going to be hopeful.
“And they’ll be satisfied and there will be longing.”
Marvel fans had been camped out at the Los Angeles Convention Centre for days in anticipation of seeing the Endgame stars.
The premiere boasted a purple carpet, to match the complexion of Thanos, while a 40-foot Avengers symbol revolved in the middle of the convention space.
Infinity War became the first film to gross more than 2 billion US dollars (£1.5 billion) worldwide and Endgame is expected to be a similar box office success.
Ruffalo, who stars in the film alongside the likes of Robert Downey Jr (Tony Stark/Iron Man), Chris Evans (Steve Rogers/Captain America) and Chris Hemsworth (Thor), said the experience had been “amazing”.
He said: “It’s the best thing in the world, one of the greatest blessings of my life. The fans have been amazing, the journey with these guys has been amazing and Marvel has been amazing.
“It’s a once in a lifetime, maybe once in a century event.”
British actor Benedict Cumberbatch plays Doctor Stephen Strange in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films, but the character was one of those killed by Thanos.
Fans have speculated the remaining Avengers will find a way to bring back their fellow superheroes in Endgame, but Cumberbatch insists he is not in the film.
He said: “I, like a fan, don’t know what’s going to happen and I’m just super excited. I did want to know what my role was in both films and wanted to have an idea of where this film went, in the parts that I’m… because I’m not in this film.
“I wanted to still understand the whole story and the minute they told me I just thought ‘now I want to forget everything’. I want to sit there with a blank canvas and just let it all happen.”
Cumberbatch starred in the films Doctor Strange, Thor: Ragnarok and Infinity War, but says he does not have a particular highlight from the series.
He said: “I don’t have favourites, to be honest. The collegiate atmosphere you get with the most extraordinary talent, both in front and behind the camera, you couldn’t ask for a higher set of human beings and standards and work ethics and humour and hard, hard, hard work.
“The hours that people put into this. It’s quite something. So all of the above, there’s no highlight – it’s just about doing the job and then seeing the results.”
Avengers: Endgame is directed by Anthony and Joe Russo and will be released in the UK on April 25.