Happy New Year, folks! 2025 was definitely a tough year for many, but frankly, perhaps more so for Marvel Studios than most. While the House of Feige arguably put out a pair of its best post-Endgame films with Thunderbolts and The Fantastic Four: First Steps, none of its three releases last year grossed anywhere close to the heights of many of the studio’s previous wins.
Thus, when desperate times call for desperate measures, the only option you have is to assemble the Avengers! The hype is building for Avengers: Doomsday, and we are breaking down each of the trailers released for December’s highly anticipated release.
In a strategy unheard of since the ‘90s, Disney played incredibly coy with their teasers for Avengers: Doomsday, crafting a total of four teasers to play exclusively in theaters with Avatar: Fire and Ash for a one-week engagement each. Naturally, audience backlash to the strategy in the age of social media generated massive leaks for every trailer on social media, with audiences just filming the footage and posting it to TikTok and other platforms early. Thankfully, fans who avoided the spoilers, were eventually rewarded with Marvel’s official release of each of the trailers the Tuesdays following their initial theatrical debuts. Here is a breakdown of each of those trailers.
Trailer 1: Steve Rogers
The first trailer released was a *huge* reveal for Avengers: Doomsday: the announcement that Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) would return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe!
The emotional trailer, which The Russo Brothers debuted to a handful of influencers beforehand, came as a highly anticipated shock to many who thought Evans had hung up the uniform for good. The reveal of he and Peggy having settled down at the end of Avengers: Endgame, followed by the reveal that they now have a son, led fans to speculate what Steve’s role will be in the film, and what Doom has in store for him, as well as others with children (more on this later). After all, in the comics Steve has had children in some different dimensions, such as his adopted son, Ian Rogers, or James Rogers (Actually from the direct-to-video animated movie Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow).
However, one of the biggest things many wondered was whether or not this would undo the passing of the Captain America mantle from Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie). After all, given everything Sam went through post-Endgame to prove to the world he is worthy of the mantle, it would seem like such an unjustified waste just to take it back from him. And the good news is, I feel like Marvel Studios understands this. How could they not given all the work they’ve done to establish Sam as the new Captain America in both The Falcon Captain America and the Winter Soldier and Captain America: Brave New World? Not to mention that Mackie is genuinely terrific as Sam Wilson, and Sam is genuinely as deserving of the mantle as anyone.
The truth of the matter is the end of this trailer states specifically that “Steve Rogers will Return in Avengers: Doomsday;” *NOT* “Captain America.” This likely means that Steve will just be Steve, or perhaps Nomad. Alternately, it’s also possible for the MCU to have two Captain Americas just like the actual comics do. Walk into any comic book shop today and you’ll see two different titles: Steve Rogers: Captain America and Sam Wilson: Captain America. That means the MCU can do the same thing, without negating the mantle of Captain America for Sam Wilson.
Alternately, it’s entirely possible this could just be a one-off. Evans could return for these next two films before officially backing off from the MCU permanently, as he originally intended, or even just sporadically making “guest” appearances here and there as a mentor to Sam’s Cap. Who’s to say this isn’t possible? Regardless, it’s important for folks to remember that Sam’s Cap is here to stay, and the return of Steve Rogers absolutely does not negate this.
Trailer 2: A god’s return
While the second trailer was less of a grand announcement, as folks knew the god of thunder was returning from the very first chair announcement for Avengers: Doomsday, it did restore many people’s faith in the MCU’s ability to treat Thor as a more serious character. Granted, I actually enjoyed Taika Waititi’s takes on the character, and his blend of humor and heart, even if the humor didn’t always land. However, it’s nice to see a return to a much more solemn version of this character, which is what this trailer gives us:
Though not really a lot of information is given, we do know from the above that firstly, Love, Thor’s adopted daughter from Gorr the God Butcher, re-born of Eternity’s powers, will be returning. And additionally, the short buzz cut look from Infinity War and Ragnarok will be returning too! The presence of Love certainly increases the speculation that Doom’s schemes will involve powerful children (told you I would circle back to it). And frankly I think there’s a possibility that instead of Infinity Stones, Doom will be collecting powerful children with various abilities.
We know from Love and Thunder that Love actually has some powerful abilities. And since her introduction, many of the Avengers have also had children. Hulk discovered he had a son at the end of She-Hulk, named Skaar. We just addressed Steve’s baby above. Wanda’s Billy and Tommy have been/will be making various appearances throughout the MCU. And of course, The Fantastic Four: The First Steps had the post credit scene featuring an older Franklin Richards (who if you’ve read the comics, know is an Omega-level mutant with reality warping abilities). So perhaps instead of stones that can control space, power, time, reality, soul, and the mind, Doom will find children that are linked to each of those elements. Franklin’s ability to control reality would make him the firm representative of that singularity. Perhaps Love represents space given she was born of Eternity? Whereas, Steve Rogers’ son would represent time, given he was born of a man out of time. If this theory bears true, that would mean the entities of power, soul, and mind would need representatives. This is all just me spinning potential theories, of course, but the confirmation of Love’s return, Steve’s baby, and Doom’s interaction with Franklin does support the idea that the children will have roles to play in Avengers: Doomsday.
Trailer 3: To me, my X-Men
Perhaps the biggest and most exciting trailer of the bunch so far is one announcing the official arrival of Marvel’s Merry Mutants into the MCU. Even after Beast’s cameo in The Marvels, and of course Deadpool and Wolverine, one could argue those were just teases, given notables like Professor X, Magneto, and Cyclops had yet to be seen. However, lo and behold, we finally have confirmation that the full roster of mutants is here at last:
The trailer not only proudly declares that we’ll be able to see Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen back for one final film, but also Avengers: Doomsday will finally be giving Scott Summers his due, having him fully go off in full power against some insanely large sentinels. AND IN HIS JIM LEE ACCURATE COSTUME!
Now for someone like me who has waited since 1992 to see comic-accurate suits portrayed in live action, this means the world to me. Furthermore, waiting since 2000 to see poor short-changed James Marsden get the screentime and A-list moment he deserves as Scott Summers in a film is long overdue.
So what does all this mean for Avengers: Doomsday? Well it confirms that Doom is wrecking havoc across all universes, including the Fox X-Men universe (or at least some variant of it). This also means that the existence of mutants will become a much bigger affair in the MCU. Rumors have suggested that the next saga following The Multiverse Saga is known as “The Mutant Saga.” Thus, the arrival of Professor X, Magneto, Cyclops, and the rest signifies truly the beginning of something much bigger within the MCU.
The core principle behind X-Men has always been its social relevance regarding always topical issues of prejudice and discrimination. It’s a message that has always been important to The Nerds of Color, of course. So to finally integrate the characters and their struggles into the MCU means essentially introducing those same themes through upcoming films involving these characters. As such, it’s reasonable to speculate that the arrival of mutants into the MCU may not be met with open arms. That said, it would be almost hypocritical for them to be met by prejudice in a world already heavily populated by Norse gods, super soldiers, Infinity Stone-infused super beings, and even other mutants (for instance Kamala Khan, Namor, and others). So where could this theme possibly be explored, and in what context? To be fair, I doubt we’ll get the answers to that in Doomsday and Secret Wars alone. I think the MCU is definitely setting up the speculated “Mutant Saga” to explore and answer this question.
Trailer 4: Wakanda 4 Ever!
Just when we thought the party was over, Marvel dropped another trailer! This time we are getting Wakandans, Talocans, and New Yorkers (from Earth-828), signifying both the global and multiversal impact Doomsday is promising to make on the MCU.
For everyone well versed in comic lore, we know why Marvel strategically chose to dedicate a single trailer to these characters. The first appearance of Doctor Doom? Fantastic Four #5. The first appearance of Black Panther and Wakanda? Fantastic Four #52! And after debuting and being discontinued in the golden age, do you know when Namor returned to comics in the glorious silver age? Fantastic Four #4.
While the MCU may have debuted the Wakandans and Namor earlier than their first family from the comics (due to rights issues with Fox until Disney’s acquisition), the Fantastic Four is the connective tissue that ties every single one of these characters together. So for the marketing team to dedicate a trailer to this connection shows a loving respect for the true history and relationships these entities have with one another. Add to that the rich, epic history the Wakandans have with Namor and the Talocans from their established roles in the MCU, and you have layers of complex drama to deconstruct as Doom looms large over all of them. One can almost guarantee, though, that given the acknowledgement of these characters’ connections to the Fantastic Four in the comics through this trailer, Marvel’s quartet of heroes could likely be, perhaps, the central focus of Avengers: Doomsday.
We will definitely be updating this article as more trailers drop for Avengers: Doomsday. More to come soon!
