Even though the film is still 11 months away, Marvel and Disney are in the midst of marketing for “Avengers: Doomsday.” Easily the biggest Marvel Cinematic Universe film to come out in years, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes having to take on Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom is going to be quite the event. Marvel Studios treats it as such, having released four different trailers for “Doomsday” so far. The newest, which focuses on the Wakandans and the Fantastic Four, has hidden meaning beyond what’s on screen.
The fourth teaser for “Avengers: Doomsday” arrived online recentlywith Letitia Wright’s Shuri/Black Panther, Winston Duke’s M’Baku and Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s Ben Grimm/Thing taking center stage, while Tenoch Huerta Mejía’s Namor also appeared. At the end of the sequence, we see Ben meeting M’Baku, the two sharing a charming little exchange. The biggest implication is that the Fantastic Four will spend time in Wakanda, which is a nod to a major Marvel Comics story.
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 important characters in Marvel history has its roots in 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 the Wakandans in the trailer is pretty significant.
Likewise, 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 storyits inclusion in this teaser seems to be yet another nod to the comics.
Fantastic Four and Black Panther have a lot of history
The Fantastic Four in the MCU differs from previous versions of the characterswith the group that debuted in last year’s “Fantastic Four: First Steps.” But it’s also important to point out that Human Torch and Namor were characters from the pages of Timely Comics who were later retroactively introduced into the Marvel Comics universe. But “Fantastic Four” is nicknamed 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 derives from this book. Same with Black Panther.
It’s also not insignificant that the fourth teaser for “Doomsday” is the one that focuses on the Fantastic Four. Generally speaking, this teaser makes the post-credits scene attached to “Thunderbolts” profitable, which showed the FF arriving to the main MCU from their universe. We’re still wondering why or how this is happening, but they will clearly have a key role 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 have already directed “Infinity War” and “Endgame,” as well as “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” and “Civil War.” Their return is a big problem. Although some key names have been omittedthe cast of this movie is absolutely huge. So far, these teasers only scratch the surface.
“Avengers: Doomsday” is scheduled to hit theaters on December 18, 2026, and “Avengers: Secret Wars” will arrive on December 17, 2027.
