We recently learned that Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom won't get his own Avengers: Doomsday teaser trailer, a surprise given his limited screen time in the MCU up until this point.
Instead, it seems the plan is to either put the spotlight on him in a future sneak peek—the first proper trailer, perhaps—or to keep Victor under wraps, not dissimilar from Galactus in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. The latter option feels somewhat ill-advised, but Disney and Marvel Studios' approach to marketing Avengers: Doomsday has been pretty unique thus far, so we'll see.
One set of characters who clearly won't be kept hidden are the X-Men. It was reported this week that the X-Men will be the focus of the movie's third teaser, which will begin playing in theaters next week before Avatar: Fire and Ash.
Now, Daniel Richtman has chimed in to reveal that this Avengers: Doomsday preview will feature Cyclops (James Marsden), Professor X (Patrick Stewart), and Magneto (Ian McKellen).
If this intel is accurate, the trailer may stick with the parent/child motif seen in the Steve Rogers and Thor teasers, especially as Scott Summers has often had a complicated relationship with both of his mutant mentors on the page. Regardless of the content, seeing these three icons in comic-accurate costumes will be nothing short of epic.
During a recent interview with ComicBook.com, Shang-Chi actor Simu Liu teased his Avengers: Doomsday role and confirmed that he got to share the screen with Stewart and McKellen.
"[The] two people I wanted to see my character interact with. I don’t want to say it out loud," he started. "Truly, childhood heroes of mine. I am sure you can guess who it is. They are the two that make me feel like a little boy. I’m just going to say it. God dammit. The two that make me feel like a little boy are Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart. They are legends."
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.