With so much excitement surrounding Avengers: Doomsday, it's hardly surprising that fans are poring over every frame of new footage for clues. However, we didn't expect them to notice a difference in Chris Evans' appearance between the first trailer and this weekend's TV spot.
The actor reprises his role as Steve Rogers, returning to the MCU as the character for the first time since 2019's Avengers: Endgame.
Aboard the Fantastic Four's spaceship, Steve appears to reunite with Thor and, to prove he's the real deal, calls Mjolnir to him (despite rumours that his actions caused the Multiverse's collapse, the Avenger is obviously still worthy).
Now, eagle-eyed fans have noticed that Marvel Studios appears to have used VFX to change Evans' nose and hairline. There's a clear difference between the trailer and TV spot, though we can't discount the possibility that this is down to lighting or reshoots. Either way, Evans is now seven years older than when he shot Avengers: Endgame, so the idea may simply be to make him look more like the 2019-era Cap.
This has sparked some wild fan theories, of course, including the possibility that Loki has disguised himself as Steve. We wouldn't necessarily bank on that, but stranger things have happened in the MCU.
"It was almost like going back to 2011 on the first Avengers, because at the beginning of that, you’re kind of the new kid on the block and you’re excited to even be there," Evans previously said of his Avengers: Doomsday experience. "I would find myself during that movie watching."
He continued, "You’re in the scene, but then you’re just like, 'Robert Downey Jr. is playing Tony Stark! F---, I have a line.' And on this one, I felt that a little bit again, just watching you do this thing that I couldn’t wait to see."
It's also worth noting that both shots appear to be from slightly different angles—as you'll see in the screenshots below—so this may be much ado about nothing.
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, along with X-Men franchise stars Kelsey Grammer, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn, and James Marsden, plus Deadpool & Wolverine star Channing Tatum.
The Russo Brothers direct Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars from a screenplay by Stephen McFeely, with whom they previously collaborated on the Avengers and Captain America franchises. Loki and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness writer Michael Waldron has also been enlisted to refine the story, alongside Spider-Man: Brand New Day's Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released on December 18.