4th Film Info (READ OP) + Speculation

[Kid]

So earlier I was thinking to myself "What if Anno actually had a plan for everything that happened so far?"
Going off that thought, I tried to figure out a place for three major things: Mari, Beast mode, and the Nebuchadnezzar key. Here is my predicted ending:

Seele decides to get Unit 1 and insert the key into its core to start instrumentality. They release lots and lots of MP Evas to go retrieve the unit from whichever location it is at now. Mari and Asuka slaughter them in droves. Then Seele reveals their secret plan: Mari dummy plugs. The MP units go into The Beast which turns them into their vulture-whale EoE counterparts. Que "Air" as Mari and Asuka proceed to be beaten into a pulp, the crew of the Wunder are slaughtered, and the MP Evas capture Unit 1.
Uh-oh! It is just like EoE!
Not quite. Seele "injected" small amounts of the liquid embryo from Nebuchadnezzar's Key into the MP Unit's cores (the liquid + the Beast creates Rebuild's version of S2 engines) so they can start instrumentality immediately when Unit 1 is retrieved. Unfortunately, nothing happens. The Key that Seele used was a fake set up by Kaji. See, Kaji knew all along about the real intentions for keeping Mari around. The base explosion at the start of 2.0 was his attempt to halt operations on the Mari plugs and get Mari out of there. Gendo Ikari has the real key with him.
Right as Mari and Asuka are about to be eaten alive, all the MP Evas fly off with Unit 1 to get to Gendo's location. The girls then chase after them. During the journey there it is revealed something else was in Kaji's fake Nebuchadnezzar key. The MP units legs and arms stiffen and collapse into the sea (or onto the ground, whatever). What is left finally arrives at Gendo's last hideout and they too stiffen into a cross shape and collapse, dropping Unit 1 onto the ground. Gendo comes out with the key and realizes that someone has been IN the Evangelion the entire time. Knowing that Unit 1 would reject anyone other than Shinji, he goes and hits the button/switch/lever which pops out the plug. Shinji looks more depressed than ever, and Gendo simply apologizes. He does a confession similar to the one he had in EoE. He finally says that he doesn't really want Instrumentality; he doesn't really want anything. After all this time there is simply nothing left for him and nothing driving him forward. He hands the Key over to Shinji and says to do what HE wants. Shinji starts to walk over to Unit 1 but is stopped by Asuka who calls him a baka and gives him a rousing speech and admits she thought of him every moment for those 14 years. Shinji drops the key onto the floor and walks off with Asuka, Mari stomps on the key and follows them. The liquid from the key seeps into the ground and causes grass to sprout. Gendo looks at it, mutters a single ambiguous word, and then the movie is over.

I didn't know where Rei fit in, but with Rei it is safe to assume she dies early on.

[Darkwing]

Isn't Seele already dead?

Oh I'm positive Poka Rei will be dead, or something equivelent at the end of Final. Sigh, no matter how much it looks like they might actually set up for Shinji/Rei it's never going to happen. Why, why must I like that ship!? Ahem, sorry about that.

Anyways I really don't know where they are going to go from here (aside from screwing poka Rei over). I would hope that something happens to at least fix the worlds enviorment, otherwise the Wunder as ark scenario would seem more likely. I assume that we'll find out something about Gendo and Yui's goals. Shinji gets some personal growth. And Kaworu's spirit shows up. Maybe shoehorning in an Asuka/Shinji getting together.

[Mr. Tines]

A cautionary tale about previews and promises, speaking of things I'd not remembered until prompted

The preview of 3.0 included with the screening of 2.22 on TV on June 2012 (or so) had the narrator saying "Shinji Ikari finally awakes. Besides him, there is a mysterious boy"

Instead poor Shinji woke up with 4 guys pointing guns at him.

[CJD]

Goddamn I'd forgotten about that. That was less than 6 months before the movie came out. They seriously went to great lengths to hide the plot of 3.0 prior to launch. That is a herculean effort. I almost have to wonder whether the teaser at the end of 2.22 was intentionally misleading or not.

[Shinoyami65]

Goddamn I'd forgotten about that. That was less than 6 months before the movie came out. They seriously went to great lengths to hide the plot of 3.0 prior to launch. That is a herculean effort. I almost have to wonder whether the teaser at the end of 2.22 was intentionally misleading or not.

Well, they seem to have spent two years doing god-knows-what before suddenly bringing out the Asuka-in-space trailer in August, 2011, so I think they either pulled the wool over our eyes from the start, or suddenly switched tracks halfway through and came up with what we have now.

[CJD]

Well, they seem to have spent two years doing god-knows-what before suddenly bringing out the Asuka-in-space trailer in August, 2011, so I think they either pulled the wool over our eyes from the start, or suddenly switched tracks halfway through and came up with what we have now.

Was the Asuka in Space trailer really in 2011? I thought it was 2012....

Also I'd be more surprised if the second wasn't the case (hence the "almost" in my previous post), considering Anno's history with Eva. Though I do think he had the general tone of the movie planned from early on. (At least I hope he did, because if he didn't my next guess is that the tsunami played a big role in it.)

[Shinoyami65]

Was the Asuka in Space trailer really in 2011? I thought it was 2012....

Nope, August 26th, 2011. Check on the wiki and Youtube if you don't believe me. So evidently they decided on some of the particulars of the opening sequence a lot earlier than we might have been led to believe...

[CJD]

Well fuck...

[Darkwing]

Well, they seem to have spent two years doing god-knows-what before suddenly bringing out the Asuka-in-space trailer in August, 2011, so I think they either pulled the wool over our eyes from the start, or suddenly switched tracks halfway through and came up with what we have now.

I'm not sure. Asuka in space could well have been something they had planned early on and kept. After all it just needs to have a reason to put her in space. There's enough stuff, namely the difference between what we see of 3I and the resualts shown in Q. Also I don't see why it they would have had Rei pulled into the entry plug and seemingly saved, even at the cost of the world, if they planned for it to be "Oh, no you didn't save Rei, world got screwed for nothing". To me that ending seemed to really be indicating he'd done that, and they had more plans for Poka Rei, but dropped them. I could of course be wrong, but it sorta seems possible to me. Basicly I wonder if Anno came up with the time skip later, thought it was cool, and wanted it to be darker and angstier, so he started changing things to force this in.

[CJD]

I'm not sure. Asuka in space could well have been something they had planned early on and kept. After all it just needs to have a reason to put her in space. There's enough stuff, namely the difference between what we see of 3I and the resualts shown in Q. Also I don't see why it they would have had Rei pulled into the entry plug and seemingly saved, even at the cost of the world, if they planned for it to be "Oh, no you didn't save Rei, world got screwed for nothing". To me that ending seemed to really be indicating he'd done that, and they had more plans for Poka Rei, but dropped them. I could of course be wrong, but it sorta seems possible to me. Basicly I wonder if Anno came up with the time skip later, thought it was cool, and wanted it to be darker and angstier, so he started changing things to force this in.

I think you're writing Poka Rei off too soon. Given Fuyu's monologue I highly suspect she'll play some role in 4.0, even if's a minor one. I wouldn't be surprised if she serves as a plot device of some sort.

[Darkwing]

I think you're writing Poka Rei off too soon. Given Fuyu's monologue I highly suspect she'll play some role in 4.0, even if's a minor one. I wouldn't be surprised if she serves as a plot device of some sort.

I was referring specifically to her role (or lack thereof) in Q. I'm sure she'll be in Final in some role. I'm sure Kaworu will be too, even after loosing her head. I'm also sure that they won't actually be alive at the end.

Is it easier if your favorate is Asuka?

[Bagheera]

I was referring specifically to her role (or lack thereof) in Q. I'm sure she'll be in Final in some role. I'm sure Kaworu will be too, even after loosing her head. I'm also sure that they won't actually be alive at the end.

Is it easier if your favorate is Asuka?

If she's Soryu, yes. Then you don't give a fuck because she's not in it. Shikinami, I suspect not.

[CJD]

Is it easier if your favorate is Asuka?

Ehh... not sure how personal I want to get in my answer... I suppose, to preface this, I can say that I like both Asuka's equally, so the whole "It's not Soryu" logic doesn't fly for me.

I'm maybe not the best person to ask on this one, though. I imagine Na7e, who's made quite clear his opinion of Shinji and shipping Asuka with him, might be a better example. What I can say is that there was much rejoicing on /a/ when the camrip came out with people praising what they referred to as "Asuka's return to form." I can also say I'm grateful she's alive, but that comes with some asterisks. Namely, I've never knowingly had Asuka die (In EoE I didn't realize she died until my second viewing, which made the impact much less meaningful since I already knew she came back to life.) and that I'm expecting her to die in 4.0. I just can't know what Rei fans and Kaworu fans feel because I haven't been through that myself.

It's complicated. Is it easier for your average fan if Asuka is their favorite? I don't know because I don't know what it's like to be a Rei fan (more than normal) or a Kaworu fan (more than normal) and because I'm not your average fan of Asuka. Is it easier for me though? No, it's not. I'm right there next to you in the pit of blackness that is emotional attachment to Evangelion characters. So don't hog the rum.

[X10Unit1]

While I understand that what we saw in the 4.0 preview has a high chance of not being in 4.0, I am still not sure I like seeing the 2+4 gracefully slicing through the mass production units.

I really enjoyed the brutal struggle of a fight that Asuka had against the mass production models in EoE. Lets hope we see more brutal struggle than graceful slicing in the final product.

[Gendo'sPapa]

While I expect there to be a massive action scene with Eva 8 + 2 fighting a bunch of Mass Produced Evas in FINAL I don't expect it in any way shape or form to match what we glimpse in the end credit teaser.

The teasers are clearly made up at the last moment by the staff & have little in common with what the final movie looks like.

Eva Unit 8 + 2 I'm 100% certain is not going to look like that in Final (if it shows at all). Why? Because the Unit in the teaser is a super simple design of the two Eva's just stitched together straight down the middle. This makes no sense since the right arm of the new Eva - the one originally belonging to Unit 2 - is of the traditional Evangelion design. In 3.0 proper Willie is shown to not have the capabilities to properly fix the Eva's & are using whatever scraps they have on hand to fix them, hence why the battle hardy Unit 02 is over 30% retrofitted scrap metal. Whatever Unit 08 + 02 looks like in the final film it's not going to be what we see in the trailer. Probably a lot more patchwork like with very little of Unit 02 in it.

As for the Mass Produced Evas? I also doubt they'll look like that nor will they go down so easily.

[Darkwing]

Considering how little of the Q trailer from the end of 2.22 was used I'd thought about suing for false advertising.

Okay crazy idea time. Eva8+2 isn't a sewn down the middle franken eva. Nope. Wille is actually going to be able to fully repair and upgrade both Eva's. The upgrade? They can now combine with Symetrical docking!

[K40s]

Considering how little of the Q trailer from the end of 2.22 was used I'd thought about suing for false advertising.

Okay crazy idea time. Eva8+2 isn't a sewn down the middle franken eva. Nope. Wille is actually going to be able to fully repair and upgrade both Eva's. The upgrade? They can now combine with Symetrical docking!

maybe the frankeneva happens during the next timeskip??

combine with symetrical docking?? now what?? mighty morphing power evangelion rangers?? eva-zorgs!!

[TheFriskyIan]

Okay crazy idea time. Eva8+2 isn't a sewn down the middle franken eva. Nope. Wille is actually going to be able to fully repair and upgrade both Eva's. The upgrade? They can now combine with Symetrical docking!

What happens to the other halves?

[Reborn Upright]

On the point of Eva 8 + 2 I figure Wille might have discovered some useful advantage to having two pilots per Eva. I don't know what exactly that could possibly be, but given the result of Eva-13 I suppose it could have some potential. Baring in mind Wille doesn't have the available resources NERV has (had?) a rather crude melding of the two Units may be the best they can do.

That said, I'll agree that if they can't regenerate and all that's left of Unit-02 and 08 is what we saw at the end, then I don't know how on Earth they're expected to create what we saw in the trailer, unless it's about 60% mech and only about 40% biological.

[Alpha]

Well... to be honest, they could have always merged the remaining torso of Unit-02 with Unit-08 limbs, and then painted half of 08 red