Copyright takedowns are targeting what appears to be a leaked version of Marvel’s first Avengers: Doomsday trailer, which is now being snapped out of existence across social media.
Uploads of the video file began yesterday, and were initially easy to find across social media. But today, copyright notices have replaced numerous instances of the file on X and reddit, and the original video is nowhere to be seen YouTube.
Warning! Potential spoiler for the Avengers: Doomsday trailers follows:
As for the video itself, it features a blurry first glimpse at a returning character not seen since the last Avengers movie: Steve Rogers, the original Captain America, played once again by Chris Evans.
The trailer begins with a figure on a motorbike pulling up to a familiar-looking 1950s house, which Marvel fans may recognize from Avengers: Endgame’s closing scene. Inside the house, the figure is revealed to be Steve Rogers, as he folds away his Captain America uniform and picks up a young baby. On-screen text then reads: “Steve Rogers will return in Avengers: Doomsday.”
Marvel is, of course, yet to formally announce that Steve Rogers will be part of Doomsday’s story. But filming reports from this summer appeared to show this same house being secretly constructed, sparking speculation of the character’s return. Fans also spent a good deal of time analysing recent photos of Evans’ real-life arms, and noted that he appeared to have gotten his physique Captain America ready.
When asked about not being part of Doomsday filming, Evans previously offered the following answer which did not specifically deny he was part of the movie: “Yeah, I talk to [the cast] all the time,” Evans told ScreenRant in June this year. “It’s where Pedro [Pascal] is right now. I mean, it’s sad to be away. It’s sad to not be back with the band, but I’m sure they’re doing something incredible, and I’m sure it’s going to be that much harder when it comes out and you feel like you weren’t invited to the party.”
Narratively, Rogers’ return would make sense. The character was last seen living happily in the 1950s with Peggy Carter, having presumably completed his final mission of returning the Infinity Stones to their original places in the timeline. Unpicking this happy ending might prove controversial, but story-wise there’s certainly room for Rogers to be involved in years of further adventures before he hands over his shield as an old man — something Endgame also showed.
Rogers’ mission of returning the Infinity Stones may also explain why he’s in Doomsday, the finale of Marvel’s Multiverse Saga which has seen numerous heroes repeatedly meddle with parallel universes despite dire warnings of the consequences (looking at you, Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, Wanda, Captain Marvel, Loki…). It’s easy to see how Cap’s antics could rope him into fixing a larger multiversal problem he unwittingly contributed to.
Doomsday could also be used to explain how Rogers managed to get back to the main MCU reality in order to hand his shield over (according to MCU time-travel rules, he should technically be in a new branch of reality instead). It’s a minor plot point in the grand scheme of things, but one that Avengers director Joe Russo hinted back in 2021 that he and his brother Anthony had considered as a clear idea for more story featuring Steve Rogers.
“One thing that’s clear that Anthony and I have discussed, I don’t know that we’ve discussed this publicly at all, Cap would have had to have travelled back to the main timeline,” Joe Russo said. “That’s something that, yes, he would have been in a branch reality, but he would have to travel back to the main timeline to give that shield to Sam Wilson.”
Of course, there are also far more straightforward reasons for Steve Rogers’ return. The character was one of the original Avengers and played a key part in the $2.7 billion-grossing Avengers: Endgame. Having the original Captain America back will undoubtedly be a huge audience draw, especially for those who have lost interest in Marvel over the past few years amid a string of underwhelming entries in its Multiverse Saga (and some highlights, looking at you Thunderbolts*).
Having Evans back alongside his former co-stars Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Hemsworth (Thor) would undoubtedly help cement Doomsday as an Avengers-level movie event (while also simultaneously highlighting Disney’s failure to replace its previous leads with similarly beloved stars in the years since).
Disney is expected to officially release the first Avengers: Doomsday trailer this week, attached to its latest blockbuster Avatar: Fire and Ash. A recent report suggested that four separate trailers would launch over four weeks, in a move designed to encourage repeat viewings of Avatar and keep audiences entertained with a series of big reveals. Confirmation of Steve Rogers’ return would certainly be a strong start.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
