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!).
SEE ALSO: Everything you missed from the 'Avengers: Endgame' trailer
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.
I own https://t.co/sQcc4R3sCq and https://t.co/spo7Bift9L. But I don't want them. I want to trade them for tickets to the #AvengersEndgame premiere in LA. A guy can dream, can't he?
— Guy Inchair (@AGuyInChair) December 7, 2018
I'll probably just redirect them both over to @Geeky_Sex_Toys in March, 2019. Why not?
— Guy Inchair (@AGuyInChair) December 7, 2018
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.
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