7 Major Takeaways From the Avengers: Doomsday Trailer
Marvel Studios has released the first full trailer for Avengers: Doomsday, bringing together characters from the Avengers, New Avengers, Fantastic Four, Wakanda, Talokan, and several generations of X-Men. Unsurprisingly, much of the immediate conversation has centered on the returning faces. Chris Evans is back as Steve Rogers, Robert Downey Jr. can finally be seen as Doctor Doom, and Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, James Marsden, Rebecca Romijn, Alan Cumming, and Channing Tatum are among the mutants entering the larger MCU crossover.
But beyond its reunions and surprise appearances, the trailer begins to clarify how Marvel is organizing such an expansive story. It offers new clues about the universes involved, the alliances taking shape, and the characters whose roles remain deliberately obscured. With that in mind, here are seven observations from the Avengers: Doomsday trailer for MCU fans following the Multiverse Saga.
1. The Three Central Universes Are Coming Into Focus
Disney has confirmed that Doomsday involves heroes from three distinct universes. Based on the characters and locations shown, those worlds are most likely the main MCU continuity, the Fantastic Four’s Earth-828, and the reality occupied by the returning X-Men.
That narrows the scope of the film considerably. The Multiverse may contain countless branches, but Doomsday seems to be concentrating on three established worlds rather than treating every cameo as evidence of another universe entering the story.
Earth-616 supplies Sam Wilson, Thor, the New Avengers, Wakanda, Talokan, Shang-Chi, and the MCU’s other active heroes. The Fantastic Four: First Steps established Reed Richards and his family on Earth-828, while the damaged Xavier Institute gives the returning X-Men their own point of entry.
Marvel has not officially identified the X-Men’s universe by number, and the continuity of the earlier films has never been particularly simple. Still, the trailer only needs audiences to understand that the mutants have arrived from a world separate from the Avengers and the Fantastic Four.
2. The X-Men Seem to Encounter the Crisis First
The trailer begins at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, where the building is already damaged and Professor Xavier watches an intense light approaching outside. Later footage shows further destruction at the school, along with a visibly shaken Cyclops unleashing one of his signature optic blasts.
Across each of these moments, the X-Men appear to have already experienced the effects of whatever is bringing the universes together. That gives the returning characters a clearer place in the plot beyond their familiarity to longtime Marvel viewers. They may reach the Avengers after losing part or all of their own world, making them some of the first heroes to understand the threat from direct experience.
Their arrival may not lead to an immediate alliance, either. Gambit is shown fighting Shang-Chi, while Mystique and Yelena are placed against each other, suggesting the different groups could initially meet as rivals before they understand what is happening around them.
3. Thor Is Leading the Recruitment Effort
Thor occupies an unusually central position throughout the trailer. He introduces the Fantastic Four to the assembled heroes, urges the various groups to work together, confronts Doom himself, and eventually reunites with Steve Rogers. And, while previous Avengers lineups were generally assembled by Nick Fury, Tony Stark, or Steve—Thor seems to be traveling between groups and making the case for another alliance.
His involvement also creates a natural route to central player, Loki. Thor may know less about the mechanics of the Multiverse than Reed Richards or the TVA, but his connection to Loki could help him move between the people who understand the crisis and the heroes capable of responding to it.
4. There Are Still Two Versions of the Avengers
The heroes in the main meeting scene remain divided into recognizable groups. Yelena, Bucky, Red Guardian, John Walker, and Ghost stand together as the New Avengers, while Sam Wilson is positioned alongside characters associated with the more traditional Avengers lineup.
That separation follows the ending of Thunderbolts, which formally gave its central team the New Avengers name. Marvel has continued to use the title in its official promotion, suggesting the disagreement will carry into Doomsday rather than being resolved off-screen. Thor’s request that everyone set aside their disputes may therefore refer to more than individual tensions, with both groups still holding a claim to the Avengers identity.
5. Loki Still Has a Connection to the TVA
One brief shot shows Loki looking at a TVA identification card. It is easy to overlook beside the larger action scenes, but it confirms that the organization remains part of the story (which makes perfect sense).
The ending of Loki Season 2 left Loki holding the branching timelines together after destroying the Temporal Loom. Marvel described the timelines as safe because of his decision, which creates a question Doomsday will eventually need to answer. And something has clearly changed strongly enough to place multiple universes in danger despite Loki’s intervention.
The TVA could also provide a straightforward way for the characters to travel between realities. Reed may be able to explain the science behind the collision, while Loki and the TVA possess the tools and experience required to navigate it. For now, the brief TVA shot confirms that the series finale remains connected to the larger Multiverse Saga.
6. Marvel Is Still Playing Coy About Downey’s Victor von Doom
Robert Downey Jr.’s return has led to widespread theories that Doctor Doom will be an alternate Tony Stark—or conversely—that our now-deceased Tony was unknowingly Victor Von Doom all along. Though Marvel’s official announcements have consistently described Downey as playing Victor von Doom in a new role. As of now, the trailer maintains that distinction. Doom is kept behind his mask, and nothing in the footage provides an explanation for why he resembles Tony.
His face will almost certainly affect characters who knew Iron Man, but resemblance alone does not establish his origin. Yet. Until the film offers a direct answer, everything else remains a theory rather than a confirmed part of the story.
7. Sentry Is Still Being Kept Out of Sight
Lewis Pullman is included in the official cast as Bob Reynolds, but Sentry does not receive a clear appearance in the trailer. That absence is especially noticeable because most of the other New Avengers are shown throughout the team sequences. Following Thunderbolts, Bob is one of the most powerful characters available to Earth-616, though his connection to the Void also makes him one of the least predictable.
Sure, there's a chance that Marvel may be avoiding footage of Sentry confronting Doom because it would reveal too much about either character’s abilities. It is equally possible that the film keeps them apart, or that Bob is unable to join the New Avengers when the crisis begins.
Saving Sentry for later marketing would preserve some uncertainty around his role. For now, the trailer leaves viewers without a clear indication of whether Bob is active, missing, compromised, or being held back as a last resort.
Avengers: Doomsday is Approaching
We are still more than four months away from the release of Avengers: Doomsday, and even when we get it, there is a strong chance the film will leave audiences with a substantial cliffhanger leading into the next major MCU event, Avengers: Secret Wars. Until the full story comes together, however, the trailer has given fans plenty to consider—from the collision of its three universes to the characters Marvel is still keeping out of sight. And after several years of setup across films and television, we’re definitely invested to see how the MCU brings these separate corners of the Multiverse Saga together.
