When the first full teaser for Avengers: Doomsday made its way out, it was more than a showcase of Marvel’s usual big-budget pyrotechnics. It was a deliberate examination of what is happening to the Multiverse and set the stage for where the story is headed with Secret Wars.
We have put together five points from the trailer that are worth noting, as they may well change the course of the MCU.
1. There is more to Doctor Doom than a desire to rule
If you look at the key art that came out with the trailer, you get a better sense of Victor von Doom’s headspace. One piece in particular has him on a grand staircase under a tapestry of a woman and child with some very ethereal figures. It is a clear nod to some kind of irreparable loss in his corner of the universe.
Doom doesn’t come off as your run-of-the-mill megalomaniac; there is a certain desperation to him. When he speaks of an “unthinkable choice,” it sounds like hard-nosed, utilitarian thinking: put down a few realities so the rest don’t go with them. He is the kind of villain who is convinced he is the only one who can save everyone.
And for those holding on to the fan theory that this is just a Tony Stark in a different skin, the film seems to be having none of it. In all his regalia, with a voice to match, von Doom is being put forward as his own man. The resemblance to Stark will no doubt be in the back of the Avengers’ minds, but the movie is making a point of his separate identity.
2. Incursions put the heroes at each other’s throats
The opening shot of the trailer has Professor Xavier looking up at a cosmic disturbance in the sky. For those in the know, it is an Incursion: when two universes start to overlap and threaten to wipe each other out. The only way to make sure your side of the equation is still here is to end the other.
That is a sound reason for the X-Men, the Avengers and the Fantastic Four to be at odds. It is not some contrived mix-up; these are people standing up for their home and making calls no one wants to make. Some of the staging even implies a three-way Incursion, with the prime timeline, the X-Men’s world and the retro-future of the F4 all in the same room. When extinction is on the table, heroism has to take a back seat to survival.
3. The Wakanda-Talokan truce is in tatters
There is a scene with Shuri and M’Baku in Namor’s domain that is anything but friendly. The lull from the end of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is over and both sides are ready for a fight.
The waters of Talokan are in a state of flux, though it is hard to say if that is down to multiversal wobble, some work by Sue Storm, or Doom himself. With the likes of Bucky, U.S. Agent, Ghost and the F4 in the mix, you can expect this to be a major point of contention. Wakanda might be after an alliance, but old scores are in the way. And having Sue Storm there is a quiet reference to her complicated history with Namor in the comics.
4. Loki is off the throne and with the TVA
Loki is back, but he is not sitting on his chair at the end of time like we left him. Dressed in some tactical gear, he is part of the action.
As the one who has been watching over the branches of the timeline, he would be the first to see what Doom is up to. You have to wonder if the World Tree has been compromised, or if the number of Incursions has made it necessary for him to get his hands dirty. His work with the TVA could explain the return of a few familiar faces. A little cross-timeline recruiting is the easiest way to explain how you get Steve Rogers out of retirement.
5. The F4 are bringing the brains, with H.E.R.B.I.E. in tow
Those with a sharp eye will have seen H.E.R.B.I.E. in with Reed Richards, Yelena and Sam. The little robot has been around since the 70s, but in Doomsday he is not just there for show.
It is a sign that the Fantastic Four are going to be the ones with the answers. Dealing with Incursions and whatever Doom has cooked up is going to be a matter of science, not brawn.
