Yesterday brought us our first look at Avengers: Doomsday's Doctor Doom, and that unexpected sneak peek might be a very deliberate move on Marvel Studios' part to build anticipation for its biggest (and only, not counting a certain web-sling Sony Pictures co-production) movie of 2026.
The @Cryptic4KQual X account has proven itself a hugely reliable source for trailer and runtime leaks, and it's now shared some insights into Disney's plans for this long-awaited Avengers: Endgame follow-up.
It appears we can expect to be drip-fed bits and pieces of intel and various other teases over the next 9 months or so, with the marketing campaign really ramping up in the summer of 2026.
"Apparently, they wanna market Doomsday like they did Endgame. Little but huge," the insider explains. "Dropping small teases here and there till we're about 6-5 months away from release. They'll then aggressively market the film. They'll also leverage past films for a bit of the marketing drive as well."
This lines up with what we've had since that big casting reveal. News of Ryan Reynolds joining the ensemble generated quite a bit of excitement recently, while we've since been treated to that Doctor Doom promo art. We don't know when the rest of the actors in the movie will be announced, but the anticipation among fans for that is already palpable.
Kicking things off next summer also means Marvel Studios can get a trailer in front of Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Plus, it seems inevitable that the movie's post-credits scene will set the stage for the start of the Multiverse Saga's two-part finale.
That last part about leveraging past films is almost interesting, and suggests we're either getting re-releases or a marketing campaign that leans heavily on the glory days of the Infinity Saga. That's not a bad way to win back moviegoers suffering from "superhero fatigue."
You can get more trailer updates in the X posts below.
Avengers: Doomsday 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, and Deadpool & Wolverine star Channing Tatum.
Chris Evans, Hayley Atwell, and Ryan Reynolds are also set to appear, according to recent reports from the trades.
The Russo Brothers direct the movie 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.