When looking at how Elden Ring trailers showcased Malenia and the early discussion around here, it seems clear an MCU strategy was in effect.

Nobody likes spoilers, but unfortunately with the internet, they tend to be everywhere. Movie or video game trailers too can sometimes be spoiler-filled, but there’s been a recent trend with some Marvel movie trailers that help mitigate some of these early discussions. Interestingly enough, there is a similar strategy seen with some of Elden Ring’s early trailers—if almost inverted.

Indeed, trailers for Elden Ring were far and few between, with the marketing driving hordes of fans “hollow” while waiting. What was shown was precious, though, especially as more and more came to light. Yet, there is one element of early trailers that was as misleading as any MCU trailer.

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MCU trailers are misleading so as to keep the integrity of certain plot elements intact. Infinity War is a good example as, while the trailer showed Bruce Banner as the Hulk, he’s actually incapable of turning into the green guy in the film. He’s running around in the Hulk Buster suit instead. Had it been done any other way, the impact of Hulk’s storyline could have been undercut. Another good example is how Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Men were edited out of the Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer.

What the MCU does show can be equally misleading—needless to say, the plot goes in a different direction in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness than one would presume. Although it’s a slightly different tactic, early Elden Ring trailers were misleading fans on one element: Malenia.

When Malenia was first shown, some believed she was a class of the main playable character or an important woman in the early game—similar to the Doll in Bloodborne and the Maiden in Black in Demon’s Souls. Players even, temporarily, called her Valkyrie in lieu of other information. Except, as players now know, she’s none of these things. Before this was clarified, many believed she would be a “main” character—not the secret boss of the game. In fact, what this boils down to is that FromSoftware made Malenia’s identity in Elden Ring much more surprising by showing her beforehand.

This makes the whole of Malenia in Elden Ring all the more impressive. Facing her and obtaining her armor is no easy feat, and since she was shown early—albeit to some thinking of her in a different capacity—fans are endeared to her. It’s the serious appreciation of Malenia’s lore and her boss fight that has likely led players like Let Me Solo Her to her footsteps. Furthermore, because of this, spoiler discussions about her were limited in a way similar to how MCU trailers help shape the conversation.

Deciding what to show and what to tell is a neat little trick that the MCU has mastered in marketing, but Elden Ring’s approach of showing but not telling works wonders as well.

Elden Ring is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.

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When Joshua Duckworth received Pokemon Yellow for Christmas at 5-years-old, his fate as a gamer was set. Since then, he's been involved with every step of the gaming industries' growth from the golden PS1 era and the dying days of the arcade to any current gaming trend. When he's not writing, playing his own games, or thinking about writing or playing his games, he's probably the second player to his son's Pokemon Let's Go, Pikachu! file. Joshua has an MA degree in English from Jacksonville State University.