The Marvel Cinematic Universe launched in 2008 with Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk. The former was the bigger success of the two, spawning 2010's Iron Man 2 before Captain America: The First Avenger and Thor came along the next year to set the stage for The Avengers in 2012.
The franchise has rapidly expanded since then, though nothing has quite compared to the rapid growth we saw when the Multiverse Saga began, and Disney+ was launched. For many fans, that's led to a "quantity over quality" issue, which Marvel Studios is attempting to make right as this era of storytelling nears its end.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is shaping up to be a fan-pleasing, street-level adventure for the wall-crawler this summer. Avengers: Doomsday, meanwhile, will feature the return of Robert Downey Jr. and the Russo Brothers, as the studio looks to recapture the magic and success of movies such as Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
A newly released international promo for Avengers: Doomsday focuses on the MCU's 18-year legacy. In that, we see meaningful clips from movies and TV shows like Iron Man, Loki, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and Captain Marvel.
Much of the spotlight is placed on Avengers: Endgame, no great surprise now that the movie is shaping up to be a crucial lead-in to Avengers: Doomsday (explaining plans for it to be re-released in theaters next September).
Discussing the four Avengers: Doomsday teaser trailers, Joe Russo recently said, "Each one of those trailers is narrative information. And it’s all part of a larger story. And so, I would argue that Doomsday has already started for you."
Addressing Steve Rogers' return, the filmmaker added, "His central role to the Avengers and the larger narrative of what the MCU has been, that’s very personal to [us]. We can’t see this narrative without his central role in it."
Check out this new international promo for Avengers: Doomsday in the player below.
Avengers: Doomsday officially 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, and India Rose Hemsworth 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 trades have pointed to Ryan Reynolds and Hayley Atwell also appearing in Avengers: Doomsday.
The Russo Brothers direct Avengers: Doomsday from a screenplay by Stephen McFeely, with whom they previously collaborated on the Avengers and Captain America franchises. Loki and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness's Michael Waldron is also working on the script.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released on December 18, with Avengers: Secret Wars scheduled to arrive on December 17, 2027.