The Marvel Cinematic Universe is renowned for making history. It's the first franchise in Hollywood history to cross the $30 billion mark and it continues to add to that legacy, with its most recent movie installment The Fantastic Four: First Steps helping to push it over the $32 million mark.It made history with The Avengers in 2012, recreated it in 2015 with Avengers: Age of Ultron, and then surpassed it all with 2018's Avengers: Infinity War and 2019's Avengers: Endgame. Heck, it even managed to do it again with 2021's Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Yep, Marvel is a history-maker.
It's also been making all kinds of new history with its Multiverse Saga, introducing variants of beloved characters, crossing over with previous Marvel - non-MCU - films and even introducing some of the classic X-Men characters (with actors such as Sir Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, and Kelsey Grammer all reprising their roles). Although this particular chapter hasn't been as consistent as the Infinity Saga, it's been full of highs that fans have absolutely appreciated. It's all building towards a moment that will undoubtedly change the MCU - and quite possibly cinema itself - forever.
On December 19, we get our first look at that potential change.
The first Avengers: Doomsday trailer will set the stage for the culmination of the Multiverse Saga
We finally know when we will get our first look at the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday. Collider has confirmed that the first trailer for the MCU juggernaut will debut alongside the release of Avatar: Fire and Ash in theaters on December 19. Needless to say, that's going to be a big one for fans, who have been eagerly awaiting their first official look at the movie that is no doubt going to be the most game-changing of 2026. And what better time to preview it than in the final month of 2025, showing us all what the future of the MCU looks like.
While plans could still change, this is actually a great gameplan. Disney's involvement in Avatar: Fire and Ash means that it can use the upcoming phenomenon - which is destined to gross close to $2 billion - as a launching pad for the next Avengers film, which comes out almost exactly a year later. The general audiences might not be as aware of the fact that one of those are on the horizon (partially due to the franchise's struggles throughout its Multiverse Saga), so Avatar levels of promo could serve it extremely well - especially if it unveils the first look at Robert Downey Jr.'s return to the franchise.
There's no understating just how imperative the success of Avengers: Doomsday is to the Multiverse Saga. The MCU's current chapter has had a lot of highs and lows throughout its five-year existence and the late-in-the-game pivot away from main villain Kang the Conqueror was a big risk that threatened to undermine the imperfect story Marvel Studios was telling. And yet, it's one that can be overlooked if Doomsday delivers, especially with Robert Downey Jr. stepping in as the new villain - the infamous Doctor Doom.
The details of the film's central plot remain mostly a mystery but there are some story elements that are clear. The Avengers will reunite in a bid to stop Doctor Doom from either destroying the multiverse or reshaping it as he pleases. Considering that the events of the film will lead directly into 2027 sequel Avengers: Secret Wars, we would hazard a guess that the villain might end up succeeding in doing that - at least temporarily.
What we do know is that the upcoming movie features a who's who of Marvel veterans, alongside some of its most promising new stars. The studio unveiled the official cast list via a five-hour livestream back in March that quite literally broke the internet, getting Marvel some of its most-streamed / watched online content of all time. Among the returnees will be Chris Hemsworth's Thor, Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson / Captain America, Sebastian Stan's Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier, and Tom Hiddleston's Loki. The rest of the cast of Thunderbolts*, as well as the four main stars of The Fantastic Four: First Steps will be featured, alongside more recent MCU stars, including Shang-Chi And The Legend of the Ten Rings' Simu Liu and Captain America: Brave New World's Danny Ramirez.
A multitude of X-Men stars, including Stewart, Grammer, Ian McKellen, Rebecca Romijin, James Marsden, and Alan Cumming will reprise their roles, alongside Deadpool and Wolverine's Channing Tatum as Gambit.
Needless to say, December 19 is going to be a game-changer as it will offer up the first look at something we have been waiting oh-so very long for. Here's hoping that it exceeds all expectations!
Avengers: Doomsday arrives in movie theaters on December 19, 2026.