I’ll get this out of the way up front: I am not going to post or link to what is believed to be a leaked Avengers: Doomsday teaser trailer that will supposedly be shown in theaters this week in front of Avatar: Fire and Ash. But what I am going to do is attempt to explain why this teaser is the way it is, and why it’s leading to Doom. Specifically: Doctor Doom, played by Robert Downey, Jr.
The reason I’m doing this? Most of the conversation I’ve seen online around this potential leak has been negative. And while I personally am dubious about Doomsday being able to pull off an overstuffed cast and some head-scratching casting, if the initial ad campaign for the movie — which is still a year away — goes the way I believe it will be going, then it’s a smart play by Disney and Marvel.
I’m going to describe the leaked teaser trailer now for context, and while in the age of AI nothing is for sure, this one seems pretty real… Disney has been issuing copyright claims for the video, and they don’t do that for fakes. So it starts with someone riding a motorcycle down the road, then entering a house, looking at a packed away Captain America costume, and cradling a baby… With the camera spinning around to reveal actor Chris Evans. That gives way to a white text on black card à la the end of most MCU movies reading “Steve Rogers Will Return In Avengers: Doomsday.” And that cuts to a big ol’ “A” logo, with a countdown to the debut of the movie in a year, which, uh, doesn’t make a lot of sense if you don’t watch the teaser at a specific time.
I’m going to pause on this because I’ve seen consternation that Steve Rogers had a satisfying end to his story in Avengers: Endgame, and I’ve also seen griping that this undercuts Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) becoming Captain America. But on that I’ll note a few things. First, this is Steve Rogers returning, not Captain America. Sam is still Cap. Second, this is a young Steve with a baby, so it’s pretty fair to say this is a year or so after he went back in time to be with Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) in Endgame. It’s not undoing that ending, it’s expanding on it. This is also a series of silent scenes, and who knows whether it’s elsewhere in the multiverse, or back in time, or Doom enters moments later after this cold open of Doomsday and kills Steve to set the stakes, just like Drew Barrymore in Scream. Sorry for the spoilers for Scream.
But what this teaser does effectively (if it is real) is tell casual audiences who have abandoned the MCU that an actor they like is returning to a role they like. It’s not something new and oh so scary like Thunderbolts or Fantastic Four. It’s Chris Evans as Steve Rogers, a character people have loved in multiple Captain America and Avengers movies. It’s basically saying “hey, come back to theaters!” and on that level, for the more casual fan, it works.
That gets us to the second part of this, which is very much a rumor… But I hope it’s true, because it will continue what I would argue is a potentially very effective ad campaign (regardless of whether it leads to a good movie or not). The rumor is this is the first of four teasers that will roll out weekly on Avatar. And if this is true, I can almost all but guarantee they’ll follow the same pattern as this first one, with one big exception.
What does that mean? Again, this is pure speculation based on rumor at this point, but it’s probably safe to say a second teaser would also likely be simple without too much action, and focused on Chris Hemsworth’s Thor, who we know will be in the movie — versus the relative surprise of Evan’s’ return. Same thing, with scenes of Thor that remind us why we like this actor and character, probably in some sort of new circumstance, ending with “Thor Will Return In Avengers: Doomsday” and then a more advanced form of the countdown clock. And in fact, there’s a supposed leak of this one as well, albeit with dialogue — versus the wordless Steve Rogers tease.
If we get a third one, I’m going to go out on a limb and say it’s going to tease one of two characters/actors: either Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/The Hulk, or even more likely Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow. On the latter, didn’t she die in Endgame? Sure did, which is why this would probably confuse multiverse-brained fans, and delight casual MCU viewers knowing the movie star will be back. I guess it’s also possible this could include Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton/Hawkeye, but I’d venture it’ll be either Ruffalo or Johansson, along with the “Will Return” text and the countdown again.
Why do I think it’ll be one of the above? Because, if it’s not readily apparent, what Disney and Marvel are doing is telling viewers that the original Avengers cast is reuniting for Doomsday. It’s the safest bet to get butts back in theaters, and given Doomsday and Secret Wars are likely some of, if not the most expensive movies of all time, they have to get butts in theaters.
The reason I feel confident about this, if indeed they do release the multiple teasers, is this is leading to a swerve in the final one. After being told Steve Rogers will return, and Thor will return, and Black Widow will return (or whoever), you’re going to get a final teaser revealing Robert Downey Jr. which will seem to indicate he’s back as Iron Man… Only to instead reveal he’s Doctor Doom. Whether there’s additional movie footage on that teaser or not, that’s what we’re heading towards. You get the comfort of three known actors returning as known characters, and then the rug pull of a known actor returning as someone else entirely. Maybe you see Downey in the cave from the first Iron Man, making a mask, only to bring it up to his face and reveal not his superhero guise, but a Doctor Doom mask. Perhaps it’s something else entirely. But the whole selling point of this movie is based around this very publicly revealed twist, and that’s what they’re going to play into. Even if it feels like everyone in the world already knows this item of news? Well, they do not.
Will it work? Is this actually how this will all spin out over the next couple of weeks? We’ll certainly see soon enough. But if the goal is to remind the audiences who have gone elsewhere after Endgame that the MCU is still around? This will definitely accomplish that mission. Otherwise? Doomsday is doomed.
Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters on December 18, 2026.
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