Avengers: Doomsday footage has now leaked online in HD and without watermarks, and Marvel Studios is acting fast to remove the footage as quickly as it appears. It seems the pixelated and AI-enhanced versions managed to escape Disney's wrath, but social media accounts are currently being mercilessly hit with copyright takedowns for sharing this latest video.
While the footage isn't hard to find, it's what it tells us about the movie that we're focusing on today.
For starters, the VFX clearly aren't finished, and there are telltale signs these actors weren't all on set at the same time (hardly a scandal, given that was also the case with Avengers: Endgame's epic final battle).
This seems to be the scene where Doctor Doom's villainous nature is revealed, and he uses his magicks to take control of downed Sentinels, pitting them against the combined might of the Avengers (Steve Rogers, Thor, Captain America, Yelena Belova, and Shang-Chi), X-Men (Cyclops, Mystique, Gambit, Beast, and Nightcrawler), and Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic).
An Incursion seems to be taking place as this is happening, as another Earth can be seen in the sky above. Scott Summers, meanwhile, reels off the iconic line, "To me, my X-Men."
It's all suitably epic, but also a tad...underwhelming? The sights of those comic-accurate Sentinels rising to fight these heroes is a thrill, but the complaint fans have had since the beginning is relevant again here: the Avengers: Doomsday cast is missing a lot of heavy-hitters.
Steve Rogers, Cyclops, and Mister Fantastic all sharing the screen is incredible, but where are Wolverine, Storm, and Jean Grey? How about Spider-Man and Captain Marvel? Oh, and no Deadpool, Monica Rambeau, or Magneto?
It seems likely that many of the other already-confirmed cast members will show up to save the day here, but it's hard to shake the feeling that this movie is lacking star power. Whether that's for story reasons or because Marvel Studios wasn't willing to pay for some actors to return isn't clear.
Check out this leaked Avengers: Doomsday footage below, along with new Doctor Doom merchandise.
In Avengers: Doomsday, beloved heroes from three distinct universes will be set on a deadly collision course and face an existential threat unlike anything they’ve ever encountered.
Avengers: Doomsday stars Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Mackie, Winston Duke, Tom Hiddleston, Sebastian Stan, Letitia Wright, Paul Rudd, and Robert Downey Jr. Wyatt Russell, Simu Liu, Tenoch Huerta Mejia, Mabel Cadena, Florence Pugh, Danny Ramirez, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, Lewis Pullman, India Rose Hemsworth, and Wesley Holloway all make their Avengers franchise debuts.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps leads Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn join them, as do X-Men franchise stars Kelsey Grammer, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn, James Marsden, with Deadpool & Wolverine star Channing Tatum.
The Russo Brothers direct Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars from a screenplay by Stephen McFeely, with whom they previously collaborated on the Avengers and Captain America franchises. The movie is produced by Kevin Feige, Louis D'Esposito, and Jonathan Schwartz, with Callum McDougall serving as executive producer.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released on December 18.