The first teaser of Avengers: Doomsday, which had been leaked prior to its arrival online (and even in theatres attached with Avatar: Fire and Ash), is finally officially online. The Russo Brothers shared the teaser, which heralds Chris Evans’ return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, on their social media and YouTube on Tuesday. And while fans are ecstatic at seeing Steve Rogers back in the fold, there was a massive shadow of ‘cash grab’ written all over the teaser.
Avengers Doomsday teaser
The teaser opens with a wide shot of American suburbia, seemingly from the 50s or 60s. A man atop a Triumph motorcycle stops, and we see it is Steve Rogers. Inside his house, he holds his baby (Cap and Peggy have a family now), and then reveals his old Captain America uniform. The short reveal ends with a simple message: “Steve Rogers will be back in Avengers: Doomsday”. This put an end to all theories and speculations about Evans’ return to the MCU, and also the capacity in which he will return. To some, it is a throwback to Marvel Comics’ penchant at bringing back characters from the dead and dusted corners of their universe. To others, it is the Russos’ desperate attempt to breathe life into a franchise that is not just dying, but almost decaying.
Why Steve Rogers’ return does not work
Avengers: Endgame and Infinity War were marvels of storytelling (no pun intended). The Infinity Saga of the MCU (Phases I through III) were an example of how interconnected films, cameos, and crossovers can be effectively used to tell one long story with its branches extending outwards. What worked for Endgame is how masterfully it tied almost all loose ends. Iron Man, the hero who always wanted to show the world he cared, got to make the ultimate sacrifice. The Black Widow finally got to clear the red in her ledger and stand for something bigger than herself. And Steve Rogers, the man who devoted more than a lifetime to the nation and humanity, got his own happy ending, however ‘unethical’ it may have been. But Doomsday plucking him out of that fairytale undoes the conclusion his character had in Endgame, rendering one of the most satisfying film endings of recent times completely obsolete.
People also ask what of Anthony Mackie, the new Captain America. Marvel has, in the past, enabled two heroes to carry the same mantle simultaneously in the comics. Peter and Miles were both Spider-Man, and Steve and Sam can both be Captain America. But it does dilute the standing of Mackie’s Sam Wilson in the MCU if he constantly has to peer over the broad shoulders of Steve Rogers, and not just figuratively.
Perhaps the biggest disservice this fan service does is to the actors meant to lead Doomsday. The return of Robert Downey Jr (as Doctor Doom, no less) and now Chris Evans means that the MCU is desperate, out of ideas, and circling back to the tried-and-tested formulae. Their best films had worked not because of any star power, but because of the sheer curiosity in the storytelling. RDJ was a washed-out star, Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston were nobodies, Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson were popular, but by no means household names. And Jeremy Renner and Mark Ruffalo seemed like misfits in it all. Yet, they all worked, not because the audience wanted to see them, but because they fit the characters and the story’s demands. But as MCU is drowning (which was the last big hit, and when was it?), the Russos and Kevin Feige have abandoned that game plan to nostalgia-bait the audience and dazzle them with starry cameos and familiar faces. Alas, this was one comic book trope I’d hoped never to see in this film franchise.
Avengers Doomsday arrives in theatres on December 18, 2026.
