The hope among fans had been that one of Avengers: Doomsday's teaser trailers would put the spotlight on Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom.
Outside of some promo art, we've seen very little of the MCU's big bad. Even The Fantastic Four: First Steps' post-credits scene only showed him from behind, mask in hand. Alas, it appears Marvel Studios intends to keep us waiting (almost certainly until the first full trailer next year).
Shortly before the holidays, it was widely reported that the fourth and final sneak peek—which will once again debut in theaters ahead of Avatar: Fire and Ash screenings—is going to revolve around the Fantastic Four and Wakandans.
Speculation has since run rampant about Marvel's First Family potentially meeting the new Black Panther. And, like the X-Men-centric teaser coming next week, it's clearly going to be vastly different from the previews revolving around Steve Rogers and Thor.
According to @MyTimeToShineH, "The [fourth] teaser for Doomsday will now have Shuri and Ben Grimm. The Doom-focused teaser is no more."
That's an unexpected pairing, but we have to believe Marvel Studios has something big planned for it. Then again, with the first confirming what we already knew—Chris Evans' MCU return—and the second simply making it clear that Thor is a serious character again, it might be best to keep expectations in check.
Shuri actress Letitia Wright was recently asked about Ryan Coogler's Black Panther 3 plans and replied, "I have no clue. All I know is that we just finished Secret Wars, and that was really great. Doomsday, sorry. I confuse the two. I confused the two. That's what I have to film next, Secret Wars. But Doomsday, we finished that, and that was very great."
Despite refusing to divulge anything about the next Avengers movie, she did say that it's "an honor" to hold the Black Panther mantle, pointing out, "I'm excited for the growth of Shuri to be seen in these next few films."
Avengers: Doomsday officially stars 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, Florence Pugh, Danny Ramirez, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, and Lewis Pullman all make their Avengers franchise debuts in the movie.
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.
Chris Evans is also officially confirmed to reprise his role as Steve Rogers. The Hollywood trades have reported that Hayley Atwell and Ryan Reynolds will appear as Peggy Carter and Deadpool, respectively.
The Russo Brothers direct Avengers: Doomsday 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's Michael Waldron is also working on the script.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released on December 18, 2026, with Avengers: Secret Wars scheduled to arrive on December 17, 2027.