Worlds Collide: Wakanda, Talokan, and the Fantastic Four Unite in New Avengers: Doomsday Teaser
Marvel has released another teaser trailer for Avengers: Doomsday today, this time focusing on the heroes from Wakanda and Talokan, and the Fantastic Four.
Avengers: Doomsday is scheduled for release in North America on December 18. The film sees the return of the Russo Brothers (Avengers: Endgame) as directors, with a script penned by Michael Waldron (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness) and veteran Marvel writer Stephen McFeely. Starting last month, Marvel began a unique rollout strategy by releasing a new teaser every week, exclusively paired with theatrical screenings of Avatar: Fire and Ash. Following previous teasers that spotlighted Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), and the X-Men, this fourth installment turns its attention to the combined forces of Wakanda and Talokan, alongside members of the Fantastic Four. The new footage features a strong lineup of returning characters, including Shuri/Black Panther (Letitia Wright), M’Baku (Winston Duke), Namor (Tenoch Huerta Mejía) and Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach). Additionally, Mabel Cadena is confirmed to reprise her role as Namor’s cousin, Namora, from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
This follows the massive announcement two years ago at San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) that Robert Downey Jr. is returning to the MCU, not as Iron Man, but as the film’s central antagonist, Doctor Doom (Victor von Doom). Production officially began in March of last year, accompanied by a five-hour livestream event where Marvel announced an expansive cast list. The roster includes familiar faces from the Thor and Loki series such as Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston, as well as the new Captain America, Anthony Mackie, alongside Danny Ramirez as the new Falcon. Other returning heroes include Paul Rudd as Ant-Man, and a significant contingent from Wakanda and Talokan, including Letitia Wright, Tenoch Huerta Mejía, and Winston Duke. The film also features Simu Liu as Shang-Chi and a massive lineup from the Thunderbolts*, including Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, Florence Pugh, Lewis Pullman, David Harbour, and Hannah John-Kamen. Furthermore, the entire Fantastic Four cast—Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Joseph Quinn, and Pedro Pascal—will appear, alongside a huge ensemble of X-Men veterans including Kelsey Grammer, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn, James Marsden, and Channing Tatum as Gambit.
The project was originally titled Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, intended to focus on the villain introduced in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. However, following the 2023 legal issues surrounding actor Jonathan Majors, Marvel pivoted away from the Kang storyline. This led to the rebranding of the fifth film as Doomsday and the shifting of the villainous focus to Doctor Doom. Marvel is also planning Avengers: Secret Wars for a December 2027 release, which will also be directed by the Russo Brothers and feature Robert Downey Jr.
The previous installment, Avengers: Endgame, was released in 2019 and remains Marvel's highest-grossing film to date, earning nearly $2.8 billion. Within months of its release, it climbed to the top of the all-time worldwide box office charts, holding the spot until it was surpassed by the 2021 re-release of Avatar. Serving as the grand finale to the first three phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the film was originally intended to conclude the story arcs of its two primary protagonists: Steve Rogers as Captain America and Tony Stark as Iron Man. However, in the years following that milestone, the majority of Marvel's film and television releases have experienced a decline in both critical reception and box office performance. Projects such as Eternals, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and Captain America: Brave New World received "Rotten" scores on Rotten Tomatoes. Furthermore, The Marvels, released two years ago, earned only about $200 million globally, marking it as the lowest-grossing film in Marvel history and resulting in a financial loss for the studio.
In response, Marvel has brought back the Russo Brothers to direct the next two Avengers films and rehired Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. to star. While this is undoubtedly the safest strategy for the studio, it risks feeling like a repetitive formula that could undermine the emotional significance and narrative finality of Avengers: Endgame. Compounding these concerns is the fact that the Russo Brothers' three directorial efforts since Endgame—Cherry, The Gray Man, and last year’s The Electric State—have been met with largely negative reviews. With The Electric State even being labeled as one of the worst films of the year, many are left wondering what the actual quality of Avengers: Doomsday will be.
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Photo and Source: Marvel