Avengers Doomsday trailer: Marvel grasps at Endgame straws as the multiverse gets messy (again) — 5 takeaways
The Avengers are back, but at what cost?
Marvel has finally unleashed the first trailer for Avengers: Doomsday, and the multiverse appears to be in considerably worse shape than you might expect.
The MCU has spent much of Phases 4 and 5 toying with the multiverse madness, with arguably little forward momentum and an ever-growing parade of cameos. Yes, seeing Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield return as their respective Spider-Men in Spider-Man: No Way Home was undeniably fun. But the novelty began to wear thin when Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness introduced cameo after cameo seemingly designed less to serve the story than to make audiences gasp, cheer and immediately start posting about it online.
And now, the first Avengers film since 2019’s Endgame is bringing together the MCU, X-Men and Fantastic Four universes, a returning Steve Rogers and a very dangerous Doctor Doom.
Here are the five biggest takeaways from the trailer.
1. Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom is finally stepping into the spotlight
Robert Downey Jr is back, but not the way Marvel fans remembered him. At the end of Endgame, Iron Man sacrificed himself to save the universe, and it was assumed that RDJ would never return to the franchise.
Well, plot twist. He was announced as Doctor Doom in 2023, and since then, fans have been trying to puzzle exactly, how this would work in the MCU.
And now, the trailer gives audiences their first extended look at Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom, after his brief, face-concealed appearance in the post-credits scene of The Fantastic Four: First Steps. If the leaks are to be believed, Doctor Doom will kidnap the Fantastic baby.
Now, there is no hiding behind the mystery. Wearing Doom’s signature green hood and metal mask, Downey’s antagonist is preparing to wage war across the multiverse.
2. Marvel has officially thrown three universes into one very crowded room
The MCU, the X-Men universe and the Fantastic Four world collide as Doom’s multiverse war begins.
The trailer wastes no time showing off the confusion. Shang-Chi clashes with Gambit, Mystique takes the form of Yelena Belova for a showdown involving Florence Pugh and Rebecca Romijn, and Wakanda’s forces face Namor’s Talokan army.
The Fantastic Four also meet the Thunderbolts for the first time, while Tom Hiddleston’s Loki makes a brief appearance in his TVA attire.
In short: everyone has arrived, nobody appears to have received the same plan.
3. Chris Evans is back — and Steve Rogers picks up Thor’s hammer
Thor tells the assembled heroes they will need a miracle. That miracle turns out to be Steve Rogers, returning for the first time since his emotional exit at the end of Endgame. If you might remember, Steve Rogers travelled through timelines and reunited with the love of his life, Peggy Carter, possibly destroying several timelines along the way.
In the trailer, he is back, and has picked up Thor's Hammer.
Yes, Marvel has been waiting to recreate the same gasps and screams in the theatre in 2019, when Captain America picked up the hammer during the final war.
4. Thor may have met his match in Doctor Doom
Chris Hemsworth’s Thor is at the emotional centre of the trailer, urging the fractured heroes to put their differences aside and reunite. “Presume nothing except this: if you return, you will return as brothers and sisters,” he tells them.
But when Thor eventually faces Doctor Doom, the encounter doesn't go too well.
The trailer’s final sequence appears to send a very deliberate message: Doom is not simply the next Thanos. He is a different kind of threat, and even Thor looks completely outmatched.
5. Marvel is still hiding Spider-Man and Wolverine
For all the massive reveals, two expected names are notably absent: Spider-Man and Wolverine.
Tom Holland and Hugh Jackman are both expected to appear in Avengers: Doomsday, but Marvel is clearly saving some of its biggest surprises for later.
The film is directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, who return after Avengers: Endgame, and features an enormous cast including Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Letitia Wright, Paul Rudd, Florence Pugh, Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, James Marsden, Rebecca Romijn, Channing Tatum and many more.
Avengers: Doomsday arrives in cinemas on December 18, with Avengers: Secret Wars following on December 17, 2027. The multiverse, meanwhile, would probably appreciate a holiday.
