‘The Avengers’ Trailer: 5 Things to Know [VIDEO]

Since the full trailer for The Avengers was released by Marvel on Tuesday, fans and critics alike have been exploding with excitement, praise and tons of questions.

Twitter has also been trending with the hash tags #avengers and #assemble, referring to the familiar battle phrase Avengers Assemble! in the popular comic books.

The Avengers, directed by Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), has been teasing fans ever since a short trailer was released three months ago at the end of Captain America: The First Avenger, starring Chris Evans as the patriotic superhero.

Distributed by Walt Disney Pictures, The Avengers arrives in U.S. theaters on May 4, 2012. The star-studded cast includes Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Samuel L. Jackson and Tom Hiddleston.

Here are five things to know from the new trailer for The Avengers.

1) New York City is the real star. It's already being called destruction porn, but New York City really does shine in the new trailer, thanks to the explosion scenes. Sure, some parts of The Avengers were filmed in New Mexico and Ohio, but nothing quite beats the site of yellow cabs and tall skyscrapers and a little street known as 42nd Street.

2) First New York, then Robert Downey Jr. New York City has a lot of screen time in the trailer, but so does Robert Downey Jr., who reprises his role as Iron Man. Whether or not this is an indication of how much Iron Man audiences will see in the film is up for discussion. But most would agree that Downey's witty banter as Tony Stark is quite enjoyable to watch.

Case in point, Stark introduces himself a genius billionaire playboy philanthropist. He also praises the Hulk at the end of the trailer, telling the green one, Dr. Banner, your work is unparalleled. And I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster.

3) Scarlett Johansson is not the lone female of the film. While she is the only visible female character in the trailer, Scarlett Johansson's role as S.H.E.I.L.D spy Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow) is joined by at least one more major female character. Canadian actress Cobie Smulders (How I Met Your Mother) plays Maria Hill, a fellow agent under the direction of Nick Fury (Jackson). And her role was no walk in the park.

We were shooting in this crazy dome. It was the biggest air-sealed vacuum in the world . . . Sam [Jackson] and I were climbing up these steps. We had to go up all these flights of stairs. By the end of it we were just drenched, Smulders told The Hollywood Reporter in August.

4) Beyond Loki. If the film remains true to the comic books, expect more than one villain in the film. It's unlikely that Loki will be able to defeat the Avengers by himself. In fact, fans are expecting the film to include the shape shifting aliens better known as Skrulls. Loki's role will be the mastermind of an attempted invasion from another world, according to fan site Den of Geek.

5) Team America. As pointed out by several critics, Captain America (Evans) appears to have some bad blood with Iron Man and Thor, at least in what the trailer has shown so far.

Perhaps Iron Man summed up their relationship best, telling the Captain, No offence, but I don't play well with others.

What do you think of The Avengers trailer? Take a look at the video and share your thoughts below.