I Think Avengers: Doomsday Is Tricking Fans Like Infinity War (But Now We All Know Better)

Avengers: Doomsday is on the way, and it may be copying one of the most annoying tricks from Infinity War‘s marketing campaign. Ahead of the film’s release, Avengers: Infinity War had some incredible trailers, making it seem like the most exciting MCU movie ever. Now, Avengers: Doomsday‘s first trailer is attempting to do the same thing, but at this point, I’m a bit more familiar with the MCU’s tricks.

Infinity War famously tampered with its trailer footage a lot, deceiving fans in some major ways. The most famous instance of this is the shot where the characters are running into battle in Wakanda, something that isn’t present in the final film at all. Shots that feature characters like Hulk were also altered to hide story developments. While this was a smart move, as it preserved some of the surprises that Infinity War had to offer, the MCU’s track record has prompted me and many others to look for moments like this in Doomsday‘s trailer. Luckily, I think I’ve already found one.

I’m Confident Thor ISN’T Talking About Doom In His Doomsday Trailer Monologue

The Avengers: Doomsday trailer opens with voice-over from Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom, with him discussing a looming threat and an impossible choice. Based on what we know about the film, this is most likely Doom discussing the threat of incursions with someone, possibly convincing them to do horrible things in order to save their universe. Then, after the Marvel Studios logo, Thor takes over the voice-over. Thor is talking to some unknown heroes about a threat unlike anything he has ever faced, and how even the great warriors he’s fought with wouldn’t be prepared to take on what they have to take on now. Based on the context of the trailer and the shots of Thor fighting Doom, it is clear that Thor’s speech is referencing the threat of Doctor Doom.

Except, I don’t actually buy that. In fact, I don’t think that Thor is referring to Doom at all. When you listen to the speech, nothing that Thor says directly references another character. While Thor does say that he has lost allies fighting opponents and threats weaker than this one, even this isn’t clearly referencing another villain. Thor’s speech is exciting, but it is vague, with the conclusion that he is referring to Doom only coming from clever editing tricks by the team at Marvel.

So, if Thor isn’t talking about Doom, what is he talking about? Well, I propose that Thor is talking about incursions. Early in the trailer, we see a shot of Professor X witnessing an exploding planet, with this probably related to an incursion event. Based on the state of the X-Mansion, this shot is probably early in the film, meaning that incursions will be established as a threat early on. Thor’s power level means that Doom shouldn’t be that much scarier than characters like Thanos or Gorr, making his speech a little odd if he’s referring to the villain. However, if Thor is referring to universe-ending collisions between timelines that no human or god can stop, then it makes perfect sense why Thor is so terrified of this new threat.

If Doom Is Doomsday’s Protagonist, He Is Copying Infinity War’s Best Thanos Trick

If I’m right, and Thor isn’t talking about Doom in the Doomsday trailer, then this makes Doom’s role in the film a lot more vague. He isn’t a clear threat to the heroes, at least according to the trailer. Luckily, I have an answer for this as well. I believe that, throughout the bulk of Doomsday, Doom is actually an ally to the characters.

When you look at the roster of Doomsday, very few of the superheroes have any history or connection to the multiverse. So, when faced with an incursion event, they need someone to explain it to them. Thus, the door is open for Doom to manipulate these heroes. Posing as a friend, Doom could warn the Avengers, the X-Men, and the Fantastic Four of an inevitable incursion event. They don’t know he’s a villain and aren’t aware of his agenda, meaning that all of these heroes may view him as an unquestionable expert on the multiverse. This would allow Doom to either pit these heroes against each other or manipulate them into accidentally doing his bidding.

The heroes may not realize Doom’s villainous nature until incredibly late in the film, meaning that he may not play the role of a true villain until Avengers: Secret Wars. Interestingly, this would parallel the previous Avengers films. Narratively, Thanos acted as the protagonist of Infinity War, with the story following his quest to obtain the Infinity Stones, only for him to return to his role as main antagonist in Endgame. Doomsday may be utilizing Doom in a similar way, and this would be the perfect way to properly set the villain up, addressing concerns that many fans have about the rushed inclusion of Doom.

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