The most obvious 'Avengers: Endgame' web address turns into a Deadpool troll
If you're looking for more info on Avengers: Endgame, the Infinity War follow-up that go its first trailer on Friday, you might think that pointing your browser at AvengersEndgame.com is the answer.
Wrong. Typing "AvengersEndgame.com" into your address bar will take you to the official Fox Movies web portal for Once Upon a Deadpool, the family-friendly Deadpool 2 re-cut that uses the same "reading stories to a sick kid in bed" framing device as The Princess Bride (right down to Fred Savage!).
There's still some question as to whether or not this is an intentional marketing ploy, however. It's definitely something you could see coming out of the Deadpool playbook. But the only figure to step forward and take credit so far is an anonymous Twitter user.
On Friday morning, @AGuyInChair claimed that they'd purchased the domains for two Endgame-related web addresses: AvengersEndgame.com and AvengersEndgameMovie.com. The unnamed user is willing to relinquish control of the URLs in exchange for tickets to the Endgame premiere.
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The user's "AGuyInChair" Twitter handle is itself a reference to another Marvel favorite, Spider-Man: Homecoming.
In that movie, Peter Parker's best friend Ned, played by Peter Batalon, discovered his friend's superhero alter ego and quickly proclaimed his desire to be "the guy in the chair," referring to the trope of a sidekick who assists by sitting at a computer and feeding information to the hero they work with via radio communications.
The domain's owner isn't listed in a WhoIs search of either URL, but the search does reveal one important detail: the two domains were registered on April 27, 2018 -- the same day Avengers: Infinity War hit theaters.
In a direct message exchange with The Hollywood Reporter, the Twitter user said they knew the title of the Infinity War follow-up back in April. They also insisted this isn't a Deadpool marketing prank sprung from the mind of Ryan Reynolds. The person didn't offer any information about their identity, however, so treat all of this with an appropriate measure of doubt.
The other wrinkle here: while the deal isn't finished yet, Disney is in the process of acquiring 21st Century Fox. It's a business move that would bring Deadpool (and a large contingent of other Marvel characters) back into the Disney/Marvel Studios fold. So while Once Upon a Deadpool and Avengers: Endgame are technically from competing studios, there's enough gray area here to support the theory that this is an entertaining marketing ploy.
Mashable has reached out to Disney for additional comment.
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
