‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Trailer Brings RDJ’s Doctor Doom Face-to-Face With Thor and the X-Men
Robert Downey Jr. is in the casting room as Doctor Doom, and he has Thor, Captain America, the X-Men and a host of other heroes on his radar. Yet for the God of Thunder at least, a miracle may be called for.
So goes the first trailer for Avengers: Doomsday. After an exclusive CinemaCon preview, Marvel has officially released the trailer to the public. It is a promising glimpse of what should be the most ambitious undertaking in the studio’s history, a next chapter for the Marvel Cinematic Universe that will see heroes of all generations and universes come to blows.
Victor von Doom is the focal point. In a role that bears no resemblance to Tony Stark, Downey Jr. makes his MCU comeback as a man intent on starting a war with the Multiverse. The footage leaves some of the character’s origins to the imagination, but it is clear his ties to alternate realities will be of consequence. He will have the Avengers looking to old friends and new factions for support.
The trailer’s biggest shock comes from Chris Evans, who reprises his role as Steve Rogers in the wake of Endgame, and one can see him and the returning Thor (Chris Hemsworth) go head to head with Doom. The X-Men are making their official move into the Avengers fold as well. Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Rebecca Romijn and James Marsden are on hand as Professor Xavier, Magneto, Mystique and Cyclops, with Kelsey Grammer, Alan Cumming and Channing Tatum (fresh from Deadpool & Wolverine) also in the mix as Beast, Nightcrawler and Gambit.
The Fantastic Four and the Thunderbolts are drawn into the fray too. We see Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn and Ebon Moss-Bachrach reprise their parts as Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny and Ben Grimm. Opposing them are the antiheroes put forward in the latest Marvel outing: Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour, Wyatt Russell, Hannah John-Kamen and Lewis Pullman.
It is a large ensemble, not forgetting Anthony Mackie, Danny Ramirez, Paul Rudd, Tom Hiddleston, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Simu Liu and Tenoch Huerta. The Russo brothers, who have put their stamp on everything from The Winter Soldier to Infinity War and Endgame, are behind the camera once more. They will also be directing the follow up, Avengers: Secret Wars, due out a year after this.
On December 18, 2026, Avengers: Doomsday comes to theaters to tie up the loose ends of the post-Endgame era. The trailer makes plain that the Avengers, X-Men and the rest will have to put aside their differences to stop Doctor Doom. One has to wonder if everyone is prepared for it.
