Marvel Studios kicked off the next wave of Avengers: Doomsday marketing with the long-awaited official release of the film’s first full trailer. The preview, released a handful of days before Marvel’s anticipated Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con, sets the stage for an epic showdown against Doctor Doom, featuring heroes from three different realities banding together to stop an extremely dangerous threat. While Doomsday features plenty of newer MCU characters like Yelena Belova and the Fantastic Four, promotional materials are leaning heavily on the returns of old franchise veterans Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, and Chris Evans. Seeing those familiar faces seems to have encouraged fans to take a trip back in time to when the Infinity Saga was nearing its end.
Currently on Disney+, both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame rank among the top 10 movies on the streaming service. The former comes in at No. 9, while the latter is No. 8. The films’ surge up the charts is unsurprising given the hype surrounding the Doomsday trailer.
Avengers: Doomsday Acts as a Sequel to Endgame
Nostalgia may not be the only driving force behind Infinity War and Endgame‘s newfound popularity on streaming. Though a plethora of MCU projects have released in the seven years since Endgame, Doomsday is shaping up to essentially be a sequel to that film. When discussing the project, directors Joe and Anthony Russo have described Doomsday as “Phase Zero,” designing it as a means to “[start] over from scratch.” It’s telling that the first Doomsday teaser released over the winter focused on Steve Rogers, building off of his happy ending in Endgame. Steve’s decision to remain in the past with Peggy could be the springboard of a multiversal crisis that brings Doom into the action.
Marvel is leaning into the narrative connections between Endgame and Doomsday, planning a special re-release of the former that includes new footage. Reportedly, this updated version of Endgame includes material like a fresh intro and a new end sequence that “will lead directly into Avengers: Doomsday.” Though the Endgame re-release is said to be just seven minutes longer than the original theatrical version from 2019, Marvel is attempting to turn it into an event with the Doomsday connective tissue. Time will tell what these extra scenes will entail, but for now, fans are simply enjoying the initial theatrical cuts as a way to make the wait for Doomsday easier — and perhaps seeing if they can figure out how the new sequences could fit in.
Connecting Endgame and Doomsday like this is inherently risky. Endgame was the perfect culmination to the Infinity Saga, wrapping up a plethora of storylines and character arcs in an extremely satisfying way (including Steve Rogers). Following up on that by adding another chapter to the story threatens to undermine what made Endgame so special, but it’s important to hold off judgment on Doomsday until the movie is out. The Russo brothers have always had a deft hand at balancing large Marvel ensembles and making sure everyone gets their just due. There’s a lack of buildup to Doctor Doom that was present with Thanos in the Infinity Saga, but the surviving Avengers dealing with the unforeseen consequences of the Time Heist could make for a compelling set up.
It’ll be interesting to see what else we learn about Doomsday during Comic-Con. The fact that Marvel released the trailer a few days before the panel indicates that they could have something else special planned. Fans are hoping for teases of what comes next after the Multiverse Saga, but Doomsday should be the main part of the presentation since it’s only five months away from hitting theaters. Some expected the trailer to be released in conjunction with the panel, but maybe Marvel has something else up its sleeve — exclusive footage or even more cast confirmations. Whatever’s in store, Marvel fans might head straight to Disney+ after for another rewatch of Infinity War and Endgame.
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