People all over the world had been eagerly awaiting December 11 for quite some time, and it all had to do with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Of course it did, for the MCU is the biggest franchise in the world, and if there is one franchise capable of uniting people in anticipation for a new release, it's this one. And it seemed like that would be the case on this day. Unfortunately, it wasn't.
December 11 has come and gone, and Marvel Studios unfortunately didn't offer up the Avengers: Doomsday trailer that had been rumored to come out. Although it turned out to be a major day for DC Universe fans as James Gunn unveiled the first trailer for next year's Supergirl, it wasn't to be for the MCU fandoms. At least not yet.
Avengers: Doomsday's trailer didn't arrive on its rumored date, but it's still coming
The rumor that the first Avengers: Doomsday trailer would arrive on the internet on December 11 all started from the confirmation that it would be coming at the end of December. It was reported last month that Marvel Studios would attach the first look teaser to Avatar: Fire and Ash on December 19 in the hopes of broadcasting it to the widest audience possible, letting those who go to see James Cameron's inevitable juggernaut that the Avengers would be assembling once again in a year from now on the silver screen. It was subsequently revealed by reliable insider Daniel Richtman that Disney would be releasing a trailer online on December 11.
That obviously turned out not to be the case. Insider Grace Randolph tried to give Marvel fans a heads-up that the film's trailer - or the trailer that Disney had planned to be released - would no longer come out on that day, tweeting:
"I just heard that Disney trailer, which wasn’t necessarily [Avengers: Doomsday] is no longer coming out tomorrow."
Richtman corroborated the new report, too. Nevertheless, fans still held out hope that it might make its presence felt as a surprise. After all, nobody loves to surprise their fans more than the MCU. And given that the original Avatar: Fire and Ash report still stands, it's not unreasonable to consider that it's still coming. In fact, new evidence suggests that this is still the case.
Although DC Studios' confirmation that the Supergirl trailer would release on December 11 seemed like a valid reason for Disney and Marvel to think twice about debuting the Avengers: Doomsday one, there have been some rumblings that it's closer than ever. One of those involved the fact that it was listed as "in progress" in the official Korea Media Rating Board’s online database, which has led fans to believe that it will come out imminently. It's also the reason why so many were still convinced that it would arrive on December 11 in spite of the new report claiming that it wouldn't.
However, there might be an unexpected twist here: The first Avengers: Doomsday trailer is now expected to be exclusive to Avatar: Fire and Ash's theatrical release for its first week. Yes, if that turns out to be the case, it means you will have to see the movie in theaters to watch the Marvel trailer. And while a huge portion of the fanbases for Avatar and Marvel will be seeing the movie anyway, there are those who will now ultimately go out to theaters just to watch the Doomsday trailer.
The question is whether this will help or hurt Marvel's strategy. Right now, there are more positives. There is enough good will among the Marvel fans after a relatively strong year for the franchise in terms of quality of writing, and enough general excitement about Robert Downey Jr.'s return as new villain Doctor Doom, so the studio can take the risk of making it exclusive to theaters for now. After all, the movie is one year out, so there is plenty of time to build the film on social media and video platforms after that one-week window is up. It will also likely benefit Avatar as well as you know some MCU fans will be seeing the movie just to see the trailer (which is a win-win for Disney).
That being said, it is a somewhat risky approach. There will be buzz surrounding the trailer the moment that it arrives on the first big screen, so it would be wise to capitalize on that by getting the online fans in on the action too. The concern here is that recorded versions from the theaters themselves will do the rounds on social media, undercutting the trailer's official release a week down the line. And considering Marvel needs to ensure that Avengers: Doomsday is a big hit on par with at least the earlier Avengers movies, getting the word out everywhere as early as possible would be a wise play.
Although it goes without saying that it's disappointing that Marvel didn't unveil the Avengers: Doomsday first look teaser trailer on December 11 as rumored, it's great to know that we won't have to wait too much longer to see it. The only question is whether you'll be seeing it in theaters or waiting for the online release instead. Either way, we're ready!
Avengers: Doomsday is the first act of the conclusion of the MCU's Multiverse Saga and will pave the way for Avengers: Secret Wars in 2027, a sequel and grand finale to the multiverse storyline. To say that the stakes are high is an understatement. RDJ returns to the legendary franchise as a Tony Stark variant who goes by Victor von Doom, and it seems that he will be at the heart of the incursions taking place throughout the multiverse - forcing the Avengers to unite once again!
Avengers: Doomsday arrives in movie theaters on December 18, 2026.