{"id":535264,"date":"2026-07-20T14:33:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T14:33:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/535264\/"},"modified":"2026-07-20T14:33:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T14:33:09","slug":"avengers-doomsday-trailer-reaction-and-breakdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/535264\/","title":{"rendered":"Avengers: Doomsday Trailer Reaction and Breakdown"},"content":{"rendered":"

Marvel Studios tantalized fans by debuting a trailer<\/a> for Avengers: Doomsday<\/a> at CinemaCon, but only for those lucky enough to be in the room where it happened. Fortunately, that trailer has now finally gone wide<\/a>, and that means we\u2019ve all gotten our first real taste of Robert Downey, Jr. as Doctor Doom. Suffice it to say, this isn\u2019t just Iron Man in a green cape. <\/p>\n

The new Doomsday trailer doesn\u2019t reveal a lot about the plot of the new film. If anything, it raises a bigger question about Doom\u2019s role in this multiversal conflict. Is he the hero or the villain here? Is he the doomsday the Avengers and X-Men are desperate to prevent, or is he our heroes\u2019 only hope against the coming destruction? Let\u2019s take a closer look at this new footage and explore what role Doom seems to be taking in this conflict.<\/p>\n

Meet Robert Downey, Jr.\u2019s Doctor Doom<\/p>\n

This may not be the first Avengers: Doomsday footage Marvel has released, but it is the first trailer to actually feature Doom himself. All four teaser trailers that were attached to Avatar: Fire and Ash focused on the Avengers and X-Men, leaving Doom still shrouded in mystery. But at long last, we\u2019ve finally got a good look at the character and can actually hear his voice.<\/p>\n

Visually, Marvel seems to be sticking pretty close to the comic book source material here, certainly more so than with previous cinematic incarnations of Doctor Doom<\/a>. He\u2019s got the emerald green robes covering the silver, almost medieval-looking armor. The mask is pretty much one-for-one with the comics. About the only visual difference we can see here is that Doom\u2019s chest is covered by armored plating, whereas in the comics, he usually just has a green cloak over his armor. That little flourish seems to be a nod to the work of Secret Wars artist Esad Ribic. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s not surprising that a film that\u2019s finally giving us the Fox X-Men characters<\/a> in comics-inspired costumes would also opt for a very traditional version of Doom. Once Doom\u2019s look was solidified by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in the early Fantastic Four comics, it really hasn\u2019t changed much over the decades. <\/p>\n

One thing the trailer doesn\u2019t tell us is what Downey\u2019s Doom looks like under that mask. Which is understandable, as he\u2019s famously pretty shy about taking it off. Marvel has offered a number of different origin stories for Doom over the years, some of which offer conflicting accounts of what Doom\u2019s face looks like. One origin story suggests that Doom forged his mask to hide a single scar, only to don the mask before it had properly cooled and burn himself irreparably. <\/p>\n

In the MCU, characters tend to be a little freer about unmasking, in part because Marvel doesn\u2019t spend the big bucks on these A-List actors just to hide their faces. One would assume the same holds true for Downey in Doomsday, and that we\u2019ll eventually see him reveal his face to a group of awestruck Avengers. As it stands, Doom already showed his face to young Franklin Richards<\/a> in the post-credits scene for The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Franklin, for his part, seemed pretty intrigued by what he saw. <\/p>\n

The trailer does give us a clear taste of Downey\u2019s Doom voice, however. Up until now, it was an open question as to how Downey would handle the voice. Would Doom sound pretty much like an evil version of Tony Stark? Would Downey dust off his trusty British accent from films like Sherlock Holmes and Chaplin?<\/p>\n

Downey is opting for something much different and more reflective of Victor von Doom\u2019s Eastern European roots.\u201c<\/p>\n

The answer, it seems, is that Downey is opting for something much different and more reflective of Victor von Doom\u2019s Eastern European roots. Which makes sense, since First Steps established that Latveria exists as its own country on Earth-828. Doom may look like Tony Stark, but he seems to have the background and upbringing of the classic Doctor Doom.<\/p>\n

Downey\u2019s Doom voice is surprisingly deep and baritone in quality, with a distinctive Austro-Hungarian accent. Again, that tracks, given where in the Marvel Universe Latveria is supposed to be located. Downey\u2019s Doom voice reminds us more than a little of the late Henry Kissinger, and we wouldn\u2019t be at all surprised to learn that the actor drew inspiration from Kissinger\u2019s many speeches in crafting his character.<\/p>\n

The most striking thing about Doom\u2019s voice in the trailer is just how different he sounds from Tony Stark. If Marvel didn\u2019t specifically reveal that Downey is playing this role ahead of time, would anyone realize it was him under the mask? That may be the entire point here. Whatever the real explanation for why Doctor Doom has Tony Stark\u2019s face in the film, Doom may be looking to hide that fact from the Avengers until the inevitable grand reveal finally arrives. We can easily see how the Avengers would be none the wiser until Doom is finally unmasked. <\/p>\n

Marvel Cinematic Universe: Every Upcoming Movie and TV Show\"ClickIs Doom the Hero or Villain of Doomsday?<\/p>\n

No, this new trailer doesn\u2019t reveal much about the plot of Avengers: Doomsday that we didn\u2019t already know. We knew that Doomsday is a multiverse-spanning film that centers around the Avengers of Earth-616, the X-Men of Earth-10005, and the Fantastic Four of Earth-828. <\/p>\n

We see heroes from all three groups in the trailer, including several shots confirming the X-Men and Avengers will indeed be battling one another. For example, we see Channing Tatum\u2019s Gambit brawling with Simu Liu\u2019s Shang-Chi, and Rebecca Romijn\u2019s Mystique fighting and impersonating Florence Pugh\u2019s Yelena Belova. <\/p>\n

But what the trailer does do is raise new questions about how Doom fits into the overall picture. Is he really the villain of the film, or is there a little more nuance at work here? At the very least, we get the strong impression that Doom is cut from the same cloth as Josh Brolin\u2019s Thanos. He\u2019s a guy doing what he feels he has to for what he sees as the greater good of the universe. Or, in this case, the multiverse.<\/p>\n

When we first see Doom in the trailer, he\u2019s telling the Avengers, \u201cSomething is coming. Something we may not be able to deter. Before this day is done, we shall be faced with an unthinkable decision.\u201d<\/p>\n

Doom is almost certainly referring to the Incursions<\/a>, a cosmic phenomenon that\u2019s been referenced in past Multiverse Saga films like 2022\u2019s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and 2023\u2019s The Marvels. In case you\u2019ve forgotten, Incursions happen when the Earths of two parallel universes start to collide. If one Earth isn\u2019t pushed back or destroyed, both universes will die as a result. The Incursions are a chain reaction of destruction that is currently rippling across the multiverse.<\/p>\n

Doom seems to be warning the Avengers that an Incursion is coming to destroy Earth-616. Only by making what Doom refers to as \u201can unthinkable decision\u201d will Earth\u2019s Mightiest Heroes be able to save their home. They may well have to accept that the only way to save their planet is by destroying another world. And we\u2019d bet good money that the other world in question is Earth-10005, the home of the Fox X-Men.<\/p>\n

That seems to be at the root of the conflict between the Avengers and X-Men in the film. Each team is fighting for the fate of their respective Earth. That\u2019s why two teams that we\u2019d normally expect to work alongside one another are instead at each other\u2019s throats. They don\u2019t have the luxury of time or cooperation here.<\/p>\n

But what is Doom\u2019s true aim here? Is he helping the Avengers overcome the X-Men? Or maybe vice versa? There\u2019s still a lot we don\u2019t know about the character\u2019s origins and true motivations. Is Doom trying to preserve his own Earth here? Which Earth is his true home, anyway? Is Doom simply playing both teams against one another for his own benefit?<\/p>\n

Assuming Doomsday follows the comics, Doom\u2019s ultimate goal isn\u2019t to save the multiverse so much as make himself master of all existence. In 2015\u2019s Secret Wars, Doom confronts the Beyonders, the cosmic gods behind the Incursion phenomenon, and becomes a god himself. Doom transforms himself into the God Emperor of Battleworld, an artificial planet composed of the fragments of dozens of dead realities. Doom may have similar plans in mind here. His goal may be to manipulate the Avengers of Earth-616, the X-Men of Earth-10005, and the Fantastic Four of Earth-828 as part of a larger plan to achieve ultimate power over reality.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s clear that Doom already has plenty of power to spare in Avengers: Doomsday. We hear Chris Hemsworth\u2019s Thor urging the Avengers and X-Men to put aside their differences and prepare for the ultimate battle. Thor warns them, \u201cMark my words – we are going to need a miracle.” <\/p>\n

We then get a taste of Doom\u2019s full might when Thor attacks him with Stormbreaker and Doom calmly stops the weapon with his fingers. Bear in mind, this is the weapon that gravely wounded Thanos in 2018\u2019s Avengers: Infinity War, but it\u2019s a trifle for Doom. Doom\u2019s mastery over science and sorcery is apparently so great that not even a thunder god stands a chance against him.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s here that the trailer reveals the man who might be the miracle Thor desires. Echoing the climax of 2019\u2019s Avengers: Endgame, we see Chris Evans\u2019 Steve Rogers enter the battlefield, pick up Mjolnir, and tell Thor, \u201cHey, buddy.\u201d<\/p>\n

If the rumors are true, Steve\u2019s happy retirement has come at the price of the very multiverse itself.\u00a0\u201c<\/p>\n

Clearly, the former Captain America is central to this conflict. In fact, rumors suggest that Steve is the heart of the Incursion problem, with his decision to elope with Hayley Atwell\u2019s Peggy Carter<\/a> in another universe being the root cause of those disasters. If the rumors are true, Steve\u2019s happy retirement has come at the price of the very multiverse itself. <\/p>\n

Rumors also suggest that Doom has a very personal beef with Steve because of that decision. As much as comic fans are used to seeing Doom direct all of his rage and hatred toward Reed Richards<\/a> and the Fantastic Four, it would seem that he has a very different archnemesis in the MCU. Ironic, considering that he has the face of Tony Stark.<\/p>\n

We also wonder how much Doom\u2019s plan involves targeting the children of the Avengers. The first teaser trailer for the film revealed that Steve is now a happy, doting father, and the second alludes to Thor\u2019s adopted daughter, Love. Meanwhile, this trailer pointedly shows us a glimpse of Kathryn Newton\u2019s Cassie Lang, reminding us that many of the Avengers have families and loved ones to protect. And, as mentioned earlier, Doom already confronted the Fantastic Four and revealed himself to young Franklin Richards. <\/p>\n

Franklin is speculated to be the source of Doom\u2019s godlike power in much the same way Molecule Man was in the Secret Wars comic. But does Doom also have designs on Steve\u2019s son and other children like Love and Cassie? Is he stealing the next generation of heroes away from their parents to raise them in his own image? Hey, every God Emperor needs an heir. <\/p>\n

Let us know your theories about Doom\u2019s motivations in the comments below. And for more on the future of the MCU, check out every Marvel movie and series in development<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Marvel Studios tantalized fans by debuting a trailer for Avengers: Doomsday at CinemaCon, but only for those lucky…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":535265,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[156,409,111,139,69],"class_list":["post-535264","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-entertainment","tag-movies","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/535264","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=535264"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/535264\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/535265"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=535264"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=535264"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=535264"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}