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We’re still a year out from Robert Downey Jr.’s villainous turn

Everything we know about the first trailer for Avengers: Doomsday

Image: John Romita Jr./Marvel Comics

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Disney has been building hype about Avengers: Doomsday* *since Comic-Con 2024, when Robert Downey Jr. announced he would return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe to play the archvillain Doctor Doom. Any subsequent reveals have eschewed plot and mostly centered on the massive cast, which includes the Fantastic Four, the old Avengers, the new Avengers, and the 20th Century Fox era X-Men. Even some of the actors involved have said they’re unsure what the film is about or who they’re supposed to be sharing the green screen-heavy scenes with. However, we may finally get some answers in a trailer expected to screen in front of Avatar: Fire and Ash, which premieres on Dec. 19.

Collider previously reported that multiple sources have confirmed that the trailer will debut before the third film in James Cameron’s blockbuster science fiction series, with IGN sharing the same suspicion based on a Korean Ratings Board listing for an 85-second *Avengers: Doomsday *trailer. The timing would make sense given *Avatar: Fire and Ash *comes out almost exactly a year before the Dec. 18, 2026 premiere of Avengers: Doomsday. Putting the trailer in front of one of the most successful film franchises’ is also a way for Disney to build hype among viewers who potentially haven’t seen a new MCU movie since Avengers: Endgame.

While Doom made a brief appearance in the mid-credits scene of Fantastic Four: First Steps, he didn’t say a word. We don’t know anything about RDJ’s spin on the character or the multiversal dynamics at play in the Iron Man actor taking on a new role in the MCU, but it seems like all of Marvel’s heroes are going to have to team up to stop him from claiming Franklin Richards’ cosmic power. Hopefully, we’ll learn a little bit more very soon.