6 Easter eggs in the Marvel's Avengers beta hinting at the bigger picture

The Marvel's Avengers beta is now in full swing, with the Open Beta available on PlayStation 4 and a Closed Beta available for those that pre-ordered on PC and Xbox One running from August 14 through 16. As you hop in and try out the superhero adventure, look out for the following 6 Easter eggs ripped right out of Marvel Comics that hint at the wider world presented in the game.

Plus, there's one surprising real-world connection as well.

6. Phil Sheldon and the Daily Bugle

The main news channel seen multiple times during the Marvel's Avengers beta is the Daily Bugle, a station named after the fictional New York City tabloid newspaper that Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man, works at in most iterations of his story.

In this world though, the Daily Bugle and host Phil Sheldon seem to be very pro-AIM and anti-Avengers after the events of A-Day make the world question how effectively superheroes are able to protect people. Sheldon and the network play key part in turning the public's perception against the team. While Marvel's Avengers is disconnected from Marvel's Spider-Man and the character relegated to PS4-exclusive DLC, it's awesome to see that the Daily Bugle is significant within the game's world.

5. Classic AIM outfits

While the typical AIM enemy looks different than the classic beehive-shaped design from Marvel Comics, that look isn't absent entirely.

The Aero Keeper enemies in the Marvel's Avengers beta not only sport the iconic suit, but they're even yellow like they are in the comics as well. For those familiar with AIM's comic book origins, the inclusion of this suit on some enemies is a nice bonus, even if it isn't the standard.

4. Adaptoids

One of the most powerful enemies that players will come across during the beta are AIM's Adaptoids, and it seems like they'll pop up throughout the game to copy the powers of the Avengers. It also seems like the even more powerful Super-Adaptoid will be in the mix as well.

In the comics, these enemies would copy the look and powers of humans before killing them and were spawned by the Super-Adaptoid. In Marvel's Avengers, it appears that these deadly robots were instead created by AIM for use against the Avengers.

3. Captain America's original shield

In the story-based portion of the demo, the player controls Ms. Marvel for a stretch while she tries to track down the hard drive containing JARVIS. In a vault, she encounters a number of relics.

While many of the items found in the vault aren't direct references to specific comic book items, Captain America's original shield definitely is. Captain America's classic shield is displayed in one of the cases. While Cap's circular shield is more iconic and is even present near the War Table in the beta, this shield is based on the one from his original appearance. Captain America sports it briefly in the MCU film Captain America: The First Avenger, and in the comics, the shield was eventually given to the Young Avenger's Patriot. It doesn't look like this shield will be usable in-game, but still a fun nod to the comics.

2. Hawkeye

Hawkeye has already been confirmed as the first DLC character for Marvel's Avengers, but he doesn't seem to be present in the game's main story.

You can still get a glimpse at this version of Hawkeye, however, while exploring the vault as Ms. Marvel. Towards the end of that section, she comes across a team photo that includes all of the game's main Avengers and Hawkeye. Will the game or its DLC explain why Clint seemingly split from the team and wasn't present during A-Day?

1. Pepper Potts

Another character reference from that same segment nods towards Pepper Potts.

A guitar owned by Tony Stark is in one of the glass cases found in the Olympia Archive. When you interact with it in-game, Ms. Marvel reads a note aloud: "To Pepper, From Tony." This confirms that Pepper Potts exists within this universe and that she and Tony Stark are/were in a relationship at some point.

As we have not seen her in any of the marketing, this suggests that she could pop up in the final game.

Bonus Easter Egg: "Cheap Thrills" by Sia

This one's canon: Sia exists within the world of Marvel's Avengers.

During a story segment when players first arrive on the Helicarrier, Ms. Marvel switches the music playing in her room from a more heavy rock 'n roll song to something more relaxing. The song in question is "Cheap Thrills" by Sia, and players can listen to it in its entirety.

Marvel's Avengers will be released on September 4, 2020.