Following that epic first trailer, Marvel Studios has shared the official poster for Avengers: Doomsday. Showing Doctor Doom bowing his head before an intricate tapestry—mask in hand—this appears to confirm a major plot point relating to the villain.
In the comics, Victor Von Doom's face is left scarred after he conducts an experiment to try to contact his dead mother in the afterlife. It goes wrong, and Doom wrongly blames college classmate Reed Richards, starting a feud that would continue in the years that followed.
However, it's been widely reported that the MCU's Doom is left disfigured after conducting an experiment to stop the Incursions from destroying his planet. During those, his wife and child die, and Victor reportedly blames Steve Rogers (who may have begun the Multiverse's collapse by travelling to the past for a happy ending with Peggy Carter).
This tapestry looks an awful lot like a tribute to his lost family, and it seems the idea is for the MCU's Doom to be a somewhat relatable villain, not unlike Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War.
As for the trailer stills, those highlight several key moments, including Shang-Chi vs. Gambit, the first meeting between The Thing and M'Baku, an epic assemblage in New Avengers Tower, and Doom effortlessly stopping Thor's blow from Stormbreaker.
Outside of Black Panther, Marvel Studios has rarely broken into serious awards categories, but could playing Doom land Downey another Oscar? "He is so immersed in it. He is so dialled in," filmmaker Joe Russo previously said of his commitment to the role. "He’s writing backstory, costume ideas."
"We were just on the phone with him this morning before we got here talking about it. He just loves really rich three-dimensional characters. He sees a real opportunity here with the character," the director added.
Check out Avengers: Doomsday's new poster and some 4K trailer stills below.
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.
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. The movie is produced by Kevin Feige, Louis D'Esposito, and Jonathan Schwartz, with Callum McDougall serving as executive producer.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released on December 18.