On Monday, Marvel Studios finally gave us our first proper look at Avengers: Doomsday. While the trailer features plenty of jaw-dropping reveals, one moment, in particular, has sparked theories that the studio may have inadvertently shown us how the movie ends.
Well, unless that's exactly what they want us to think.
Near the end of the trailer, we see Joseph Quinn's Johnny Storm embracing his sister, Sue Storm, as what appears to be the final Incursion tears across the sky above them. It's a haunting image, and, combined with Doctor Doom's ominous narration about the heroes facing an "unthinkable decision," this is clearly a big moment.
It looks like the Human Torch and Invisible Woman have accepted their fate, which also suggests that Doom's victory is all but inevitable, setting the stage for Battleworld and whatever comes next. This also wouldn't be the first time a trailer has shown us footage from the very end of the movie. Supergirl, for example, did so earlier this year.
Still, when it comes to these Avengers movies, Marvel has a track record of manipulating footage for promotional purposes. We've seen characters digitally removed, costumes altered, dialogue changed, and scenes taken completely out of context. The Russo Brothers are no strangers to misdirection, having hidden key Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame scenes to maintain the element of surprise.
Another possibility is that this is a shot of Johnny and Sue in Avengers: Doomsday from an earlier Incursion. This Incursion, for example, may lay waste to another universe—Earth-828, perhaps—to raise the stakes before the final act.
It's also worth pointing out that, in the Secret Wars comic, Mister Fantastic was the only surviving member of the team before Doctor Doom resurrected them in his image. Sue became his wife, Johnny was Battleworld's sun, and The Thing became the wall surrounding Victor's kingdom.
Ultimately, this piece of imagery feels pretty final. Whether it's the end of the Fantastic Four's world, the death of the Multiverse, the end for Sue and Johnny, or simply Marvel's latest attempt to send us all down the wrong path, it's easy to see why it's got fans talking.
In Avengers: Doomsday, beloved heroes from three distinct universes will be set on a deadly collision course and face an existential threat unlike anything they’ve ever encountered.
Avengers: Doomsday stars Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Mackie, Winston Duke, Tom Hiddleston, Sebastian Stan, Letitia Wright, Paul Rudd, and Robert Downey Jr. Wyatt Russell, Simu Liu, Tenoch Huerta Mejia, Mabel Cadena, Florence Pugh, Danny Ramirez, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, Lewis Pullman, India Rose Hemsworth, and Wesley Holloway all make their Avengers franchise debuts.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps leads Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn join them, as do X-Men franchise stars Kelsey Grammer, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn, James Marsden, with Deadpool & Wolverine star Channing Tatum.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released on December 18.