Marvel's Fourth Avengers: Doomsday Trailer Is More Significant Than You Realize

Even though the movie is still 11 months away, Marvel and Disney are in full marketing mode for "Avengers: Doomsday." Easily the biggest Marvel Cinematic Universe movie to come around in years, Earth's Mightiest Heroes having to square off against Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom is going to be a true event. Marvel Studios is treating it as such, having released four different teaser trailers for "Doomsday" thus far. The most recent one, which focuses on the Wakandans and the Fantastic Four, has some hidden significance beyond what's on screen.

The fourth "Avengers: Doomsday" teaser arrived online recently, with Letitia Wright's Shuri/Black Panther, Winston Duke's M'Baku, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach's Ben Grimm/Thing front and center, while Tenoch Huerta Mejía's Namor appeared as well. At the end of the footage, we see Ben meeting M'Baku, with the two sharing a charming little exchange. The larger implication is that the Fantastic Four will be spending some time in Wakanda, which is a nod to some major Marvel Comics history.

T'Challa, the original Black Panther, first appeared in the pages of "Fantastic Four" #52 in 1966. Created by the legendary duo of Jack Kirby and Stan Lee, one of the most significant characters in Marvel's history traces his roots to Marvel's First Family: Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben. So the fact that we actually see a member of the group interacting with Wakandans in the trailer is pretty significant.

Similarly, Namor also traces his roots to Reed and the gang, as he made his Marvel Comics debut in "Fantastic Four" #4. While "Wakanda Forever" changed Namor's origin story, his inclusion in this teaser appears to be yet another nod to the comics.

The Fantastic Four in the MCU differs from past versions of the characters, with the group debuting in last year's "The Fantastic Four: First Steps." But it's also important to point out that both the Human Torch and Namor were characters from the pages of Timely Comics who were then retroactively brought into the Marvel Comics universe. But "Fantastic Four" is dubbed Marvel's First Family because the entire universe as we know it stems from that book, as it was the hit that started it all. Namor as we know him derrives from that book. Same with Black Panther.

It's also not insignificant that the fourth "Doomsday" teaser just so happened to be the one focusing on the Fantastic Four. Broadly speaking, this teaser pays off the post-credits scene that was attached to "Thunderbolts," which showed the FF arriving to the main MCU from their universe. We still have questions about why or how that happens, but they're clearly going to have a key part to play in the war against Victor Von Doom.

The Russo Brothers, aka Joe and Anthony Russo, are directing both "Doomsday" and next year's "Avengers: Secret Wars." They previously helmed "Infinity War" and "Endgame," as well as "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" and "Civil War." Them coming back is a big deal. Even though some key names were left out, the cast for this movie is absolutely massive. These teasers, thus far, only scratch the surface.

"Avengers: Doomsday" is set to hit theaters on December 18, 2026 with "Avengers: Secret Wars" arriving on December 17, 2027.