Two days after the Russo brothers teased the Avengers: Doomsday teaser trailers were hiding clues, one fan might have cracked the code. A Reddit user (via IGN) has theorized that the numbers at the end of each trailer that flicker before the countdown correspond with timecodes for Avengers: Endgame. Specifically, each Endgame timecode ties into a plot point that will be picked up in Doomsday.
The Steve Rogers teaser code, “1e:24ber:02020,” would match Endgame’s timecode of 1 hour, 24 minutes, 20 seconds, the exact moment where the Ancient One tells Bruce Banner that taking an Infinity Stone creates branching realities. The Thor teaser ends with “1e:17ber:02020,” translated as 1 hour, 17 minutes, 20 seconds, which is the moment in Avengers: Endgame that Ant-Man kicks the briefcase containing the Tesseract, ultimately leading to Loki’s escape and the events of the Loki series.
The X-Men teaser trailer has the code “1e:11ber:02020” which corresponds to the scene in Endgame where Rocket asks Thor if “he is crying” at 1 hour, 11 minutes, 20 seconds. This is particularly appropriate for the X-Men one, as Deadpool & Wolverine has Deadpool himself asking “why is Thor crying?” Meanwhile, the final teaser featuring Shuri, M’Baku, Namor, and The Thing from the Fantastic Four ends with “1e:04ber:02020,” which translates to 1 hour, 04 minutes, 20 seconds into Endgame, which is when the characters are planning the time heist, the event that in many ways kicks off the Multiverse Saga.
An MCU Puzzle Solved or Wild Speculation?
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
This theory is certainly captivating and, in many ways, checks out. However, why Avengers: Endgame specifically and not any other Marvel Studios movie? Well, it appears to be because Avengers: Doomsday is being positioned as a direct sequel to Endgame. This is not only apparent in the fact that the Russo brothers are returning, but also in the first teaser trailer, which revealed Chris Evans’ return as Steve Rogers. Disney is also re-releasing Endgame in theaters in September 2026 to build excitement for Doomsday.
Of course, it is worth noting that this all speculation. During the early days of the Infinity Saga, there was a theory that each of the Infinity Stones’ containers would spell out “Thanos,” a theory that ultimately proved false. The rampant speculation about a nonexistent secret final episode of Stranger Things shows that some fans sometimes enjoy solving a puzzle more than actually watching the story. This theory won’t be verifiable until Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters on Dec. 18, 2026, but it will be a fun idea to circle back to at the end of the year.