It goes without saying that Avengers: Doomsday is one of the most highly-anticipated movies of 2026. Yes, the Marvel Cinematic Universe might currently be tearing up the box office with Spider-Man: Brand New Day but the franchise's Multiverse Saga is still heading towards Doctor Doom's arrival in the upcoming film. And it is also safe to say that anticipation is building by the minute.
Marvel Studios' presence at San Diego Comic-Con built the excitement further, as president Kevin Feige, directors Joe and Anthony Russo, and the stars of Avengers: Doomsday teased fans with some of what they can expect from the larger-than-life MCU crossover. This reiterated just how larger-than-life the Avengers movies are, and it certainly set the stage for the marketing campaign this year.
However, after a brand new trailer was shown at SDCC, fans had hopes that it might be officially released to be shown alongside a certain MCU movie. But that was unfortunately not the case.
New Avengers: Doomsday trailer not attached to Spider-Man: Brand New Day in theaters
Marvel fans were holding out hopes that the brand new Avengers: Doomsday trailer that was shown at SDCC might have found its way to theaters to be attached to the theatrical release of Spider-Man: Brand New Day. With that in mind, when it was revealed that a trailer for the movie would indeed be attached to the Spider-Man movie's release in theaters, they were over the moon. However, it turned out to be the original trailer for the film; not the new footage.
Needless to say, it's easy to see where Marvel fans are coming from in their disappointment. This is coming from someone who watched the original trailer in theaters ahead of Brand New Day and was equally amazed by how good it was, so I mean it when I say no shade to the first Avengers: Doomsday trailer; it's epic, and it succeeds very well in doing what it's designed to do: Teasing the movie without spoiling it. And yet, it might have been a good opportunity to roll out the new one, too.
Let's be honest: The idea of putting an Avengers: Doomsday trailer in front of Spider-Man: Brand New Day was always going to be a work of genius. Spidey doesn't bear any of the recent battle scars that the MCU franchise has - as he is a franchise of his own, too - so spotlighting the big "course-correcting" film of the Multiverse Saga in front of an audience full of Marvel fans for a movie that could very well make $2 billion was a wise choice. And there's probably a lot of younger fans who haven't seen that trailer yet, so a great opportunity to show it to them.
That being said, reception to the SDCC footage was reportedly even better, with many praising the fact that it gives us more a glimpse of the story, leaning on the fact that Reed Richards and Victor von Doom had a previous friendship and highlighting some more of the emotional stakes of the movie. It also features more footage of the X-Men, who are set to play a major role in the film too - and that is undoubtedly one of its biggest selling-points.
But perhaps one of the biggest reasons that Marvel Studios should have just went ahead and released the footage here is that it has already leaked online. While the footage descriptions and breakdowns of the original trailer did surface pretty quickly after it was shown at CinemaCon, that footage never appeared online in its entirety. The Comic-Con trailer footage, however, has made its way all around social media in the week since it was screened to audiences in attendance.
So, while it's understandable that Marvel Studios doesn't want to release a brand new trailer for the movie widely after unveiling the first just a few weeks ago, the trailer is out there, so MCU fans will likely come across it. Screening it in theaters ahead of Spider-Man: Brand New Day may have been a good way to keep it "exclusive" to one setting (movie theaters) while also presenting fans with a new opportunity to see it in the quality that it was meant to be viewed in.
You can see both sides of the argument here, but it is safe to say that a brand new Avengers: Doomsday trailer screening ahead of Spider-Man: Brand New Day would have drummed up even more support, buzz, and excitement for the MCU movie. But hey, at least they managed to get a trailer in front of it at all; that was an excellent idea that reminds us all that - with or without Tom Holland's Spider-Man - the Avengers are in for one heck of a battle in December.
Avengers: Doomsday arrives in movie theaters on December 18, 2026.
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