Avengers get epic send-off at 'Endgame' world premiere

There were more than a few sniffles from the audience at the premiere of "Avengers: Endgame" Monday night in Los Angeles, which Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth proudly admitted contributing to.

"I don't know about you, but I cried like six times," Evans said standing alongside dozens of his Marvel Cinematic Universe co-stars like Scarlett Johansson, Brie Larson and Robert Downey Jr. after the first public screening of the film.

Hemsworth chimed in too: "I cried more than six times, Chris."

Chris Evans takes a selfie with a fan as he arrives at the premiere of "Avengers: Endgame" at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Monday, April 22, 2019. (Photo by Chris PizzelloInvisionAP)

It was an emotional affair for many as "Avengers: Endgame," which opens nationwide Thursday, closes the book on the first 11 years and 22 films of the MCU, and ends the year-long cliffhanger of "Avengers: Infinity War," in which half of humanity turned to dust. And, as Hemsworth reminded on the purple carpet, "this grouping may never happen again."

Marvel and Walt Disney Co. held the premiere in a fittingly massive setting, taking over the Los Angeles Convention Center and constructing a 2,000-seat movie theater, including a large format screen and Dolby sound, inside.

Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger kicked off the evening with a special thanks to two people — Downey, "the person who really helped to start it all," and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, who he called, "our own superhero."

Elsa Pataky, left, and Chris Hemsworth arrive at the premiere of "Avengers: Endgame" at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Monday, April 22, 2019. (Photo by Jordan StraussInvisionAP)

The event was a who's who of Marvel and Hollywood, with actors and directors from MCU films past and present turning out to see the film, including the likes of Natalie Portman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Bradley Cooper, Jon Favreau and even Matt Damon, who some may remember had a cameo in "Thor: Ragnarok." Luke Hemsworth, Liam Hemsworth and Miley Cyrus also came out to see the film and support their family.

Although official reviews won't be out until Tuesday afternoon, initial reactions from press and insiders at the premiere were largely positive with the words "epic" and "emotional" being tossed out by many. Letitia Wright, who plays Shuri in "Black Panther," tweeted "Wow, I feel like crying...it was amazing!!"

The New York Times' Dave Itzkoff wrote that he was, "Not prepared for the range of emotions that #Endgame put me through, from utter despair to pure elation."

Liam Hemsworth, left, and Miley Cyrus arrive at the premiere of "Avengers: Endgame" at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Monday, April 22, 2019. (Photo by Chris PizzelloInvisionAP)

Entertainment Weekly's Anthony Breznican added: "Epic is the word. Epic multiplied by a decade of emotion, excitement and investment. This is the payoff. It left me with a full heart."

And People Magazine's Kara Warner said to "see it as soon as you can and go in as blind as possible."

The film has been kept under wraps until the very last minute in the hopes of allowing general audiences to go into it spoiler free. Even still, some spoiler-y footage leaked on social media last week before being taken down.

Robert Downey Jr., left, and Bradley Cooper arrive at the premiere of "Avengers: Endgame" at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Monday, April 22, 2019. (Photo by Jordan StraussInvisionAP)

"I wasn't pleased," Feige told the AP Monday of the leaking incident. "But the response was what I expected, which was everybody turning it off, dismissing, don't watch it, don't spoil it for anybody else. People are excited to see the movie fresh. People are excited to see the movie for the first time. That's what they've been waiting a year, or 12 years, depending on where you joined us. So, I'm excited that that day is finally here."

AP Entertainment Reporter Ryan Pearson contributed from Los Angeles.

Scarlett Johansson arrive at the premiere of "Avengers: Endgame" at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Monday, April 22, 2019. (Photo by Jordan StraussInvisionAP)

Scarlett Johansson arrives at the premiere of "Avengers: Endgame" at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Monday, April 22, 2019. (Photo by Jordan StraussInvisionAP)

Natalie Portman arrives at the premiere of "Avengers: Endgame" at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Monday, April 22, 2019. (Photo by Jordan StraussInvisionAP)

Letitia Wright takes a selfie with a fan as she arrives at the premiere of "Avengers: Endgame" at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Monday, April 22, 2019. (Photo by Chris PizzelloInvisionAP)

Tessa Thompson arrives at the premiere of "Avengers: Endgame" at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Monday, April 22, 2019. (Photo by Chris PizzelloInvisionAP)

Gwyneth Paltrow arrives at the premiere of "Avengers: Endgame" at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Monday, April 22, 2019. (Photo by Chris PizzelloInvisionAP)

Disney CEO Bob Iger arrives at the premiere of "Avengers: Endgame" at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Monday, April 22, 2019. (Photo by Jordan StraussInvisionAP)

Brie Larson takes a selfie with a fan as she arrives at the premiere of "Avengers: Endgame" at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Monday, April 22, 2019. (Photo by Chris PizzelloInvisionAP)

Brie Larson arrives at the premiere of "Avengers: Endgame" at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Monday, April 22, 2019. (Photo by Jordan StraussInvisionAP)

Mark Ruffalo, left, and Sunrise Coigney arrive at the premiere of "Avengers: Endgame" at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Monday, April 22, 2019. (Photo by Jordan StraussInvisionAP)

JABO, Nigeria (AP) — Sanusi Madabo, a 40-year-old farmer in the Nigerian village of Jabo, was preparing for bed on Thursday night when he heard a loud noise that sounded like a plane crashing. He rushed outside his mud house with his wife to see the sky glowing a bright red.

The light burned bright for hours, Madabo said: “It was almost like daytime."

He did not learn until later that he had witnessed a U.S attack on an alleged camp of the militant Islamic State group.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced late Thursday that the United States had launched a “powerful and deadly strike” against IS militants in Nigeria. The Nigerian government has since confirmed that it cooperated with the U.S government in its strike.

Nigerian government spokesperson Mohammed Idris said Friday that the strikes were launched from the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean shortly after midnight and involved “16 GPS-guided precision" missiles and also MQ-9 Reaper drones.

Idris said the strikes targeted areas used as “staging grounds by foreign" IS fighters who had sneaked into Nigeria from the Sahel, the southern fringe of Africa's vast Sahara Desert. The government did not release any casualty figures among the militants.

Residents of Jabo, a village in the northwestern Nigerian state of Sokoto, spoke to The Associated Press on Friday about panic and confusion among the villagers following the strikes, which they said hit not far from Jabo's outskirts. There were no casualties among the villagers.

They said that Jabo has never been attacked as part of the violence the U.S. says is widespread — though such attacks regularly occur in neighboring villages.

Abubakar Sani, who lives on the edge of the village, recalled the “intense heat” as the strikes hit.

“Our rooms began to shake, and then fire broke out,” he told the AP.

“The Nigerian government should take appropriate measures to protect us as citizens," he added. "We have never experienced anything like this before.”

The strikes are the outcome of a monthslong tense diplomatic clash between the West African nation and the U.S.

The Trump administration has said Nigeria is experiencing a genocide of Christians, a claim the Nigerian government has rejected.

However, Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs now said the strikes resulted from intelligence sharing and strategic coordination between the two governments.

Yusuf Tuggar, Nigeria's foreign minister, called the airstrikes a “new phase of an old conflict" and said he expected more strikes to follow.

“For us, it is something that has been ongoing," Tuggar added, referring to attacks that have targeted Christians and Muslims in Nigeria for years.

Bulama Bukarti, a security analyst on sub-Saharan Africa, said the residents' fear is compounded by a lack of information.

Nigerian security forces have since cordoned off the area of the strikes and access was not allowed.

Bukarti said transparency would go a long way to calm the local residents. "The more opaque the governments are, the more panic there will be on the ground, and that is what will escalate tensions.”

Analysts say the strikes might have been intended for the Lakurawa group, a relatively new entrant to Nigeria's complex security crisis.

The group's first attack was recorded around 2018 in the northwestern region before the Nigerian government officially announced its presence last year. The composition of the group has been documented by security researchers as primarily consisting of foreigners from the Sahel.

However, experts say ties between the Lakurawa group and the IS are unproven. The Islamic State West African Province — an IS affiliate in Nigeria — has its strongholds in the northeastern part of the country, where it is currently involved in a power struggle with its parent organization, Boko Haram.

“What might have happened is that, working with the American government, Nigeria identified Lakurawa as a threat and identified camps that belong to the group,” Bukarti said.

Still, some local people feel vulnerable.

Aliyu Garba, a Jabo village leader, told the AP that debris left after the strikes was scattered, and that residents had rushed to the scene. Some picked up pieces of the debris, hoping for valuable metal to trade, and Garba said he fears they could get hurt.

The strikes rattled 17-year-old Balira Sa’idu, who has been preparing for her upcoming marriage.

"I am supposed to be thinking about my wedding, but right now I am panicking," she said. “The strike has changed everything. My family is afraid, and I don’t even know if it is safe to continue with the wedding plan in Jabo.”

Adetayo reported from Lagos, Nigeria.

A previous version of this story was corrected to note that analyst Bulama Bukarti is no longer with the Tony Blair Institute.

People visit the site of a U.S. airstrike in Northwest, Jabo, Nigeria, Friday, Dec. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/ Tunde Omolehin)

A boy picks debris at the site of a U.S. airstrike in Northwest, Jabo, Nigeria, Friday, Dec. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/ Tunde Omolehin)

Police Anti-Bomb squad inspect the site of a U.S. airstrike in Northwest, Jabo, Nigeria, Friday, Dec. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/ Tunde Omolehin)

Nigeria police, Anti-Bomb squad, secure the scene of a U.S. airstrike in Northwest, Jabo, Nigeria, Friday, Dec. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/ Tunde Omolehin)

People visit the site of a U.S. airstrike in Northwest, Jabo, Nigeria, Friday, Dec. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/ Tunde Omolehin)