The Marvel Cinematic Universe is known for its tales of good versus evil. We rarely get to debate the morality of the characters involved, as it is easy to know who's on the wrong side of history and who's there to save the day. However, there have been some exceptions to this rule. Projects like Captain America: Civil War and WandaVision featured good guys breaking the law or straight-up doing evil things for reasons audiences could relate to. Now, it appears that such a concept will be taken to a whole new extreme with the release of Avengers: Doomsday.
It has been reported that Victor Doom won't initially act like a 'villain' in the upcoming crossover. Instead, the ruler of Latveria will simply try to prevent incoming incursions that will likely kill millions in the process. While his solution—the creation of Battleworld—might not be ideal, it appears to be the only way out. So the biggest question in store is: Will some of Earth's Mightiest Heroes agree with Doom's plan, and if so, how far are they willing to go to "save" the multiverse?
Avengers: Doomsday will reportedly feature 'unexpected betrayals', and Steve Rogers is a likely suspect
Little is officially known about Avengers: Doomsday, but thanks to multiple reports, it appears a common theme of the movie will be heroes fighting against heroes. For starters, many insiders have claimed that the upcoming crossover will feature an Avengers vs. X-Men battle. To double down on this idea, it has been rumored that Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man will fight against Hugh Jackman's Wolverine. On top of all that, insider Alex Perez revealed that the film will feature some 'unexpected betrayals'.
Leaked Avengers: Doomsday concept art features Doom sitting on a throne, while Doctor Strange and possibly Yelena Belova stand by his side. This indicates that the two fan-favorite heroes will likely support Doom's mission. This isn't hard to believe, considering the two have done questionable things in the past in the name of the greater good (or, in Yelena's case, because it was her mission). So the question now becomes: who else will support the creation of Battleworld?
In comic book pages, Battleworld is a single planet made up of fragments from different universes. If the live-action adaptation were to follow the same route, then it wouldn't be surprising to learn that Doctor Doom will single-handedly pick which remnants of which universes to add to his utopia. That way, he could have leverage on multiple heroes, and it seems Steve Rogers could be one of them, as he has the most to lose.
The very first teaser trailer for Avengers: Doomsday revealed that Steve did get his happy ending. Not only is the First Avenger living next to Peggy Carter, but he now has a child. We've seen the original Captain America quite literally defy the rules of time travel in order to spend more time with the love of his life, so is there something he wouldn't do to ensure the safety of his kid? Let's suppose for a moment that Doom were to guarantee Steve's family and house have a place in Battleworld, would the iconic hero follow?
The upcoming incursions will make for a very dire situation that has no right answer. Instead of watching many universes collide with each other and destroy themselves in the process, wouldn't it be better to try and save little pieces of every one of them?
Some heroes would prefer to die trying to save everyone rather than sacrifice the majority for the benefit of the few. After all, fan favorites like Spider-Man wouldn't feel comfortable cherry-picking who gets to live and who doesn't. However, "pragmatic" characters like Doctor Strange and Yelena Belova would certainly try to bring one world under Doom if it were the only way to keep life going. But what about Steve? Well, he said it best:
"This job, we try to save as many people as we can. Sometimes that doesn’t mean everybody. But if we can’t find a way to live with that, then next time maybe nobody gets saved."
Throughout the MCU, we've seen Steve fight for what he believes is right, even if no one else agrees with him. He even "betrayed" former friends like Iron Man, Black Widow, and Vision during the events of Captain America: Civil War. He went against the government and S.H.I.E.L.D., way before it was known that Hydra had infiltrated them. He quite literally fought Iron Man in order to give Bucky a chance. There can be preferences in his judgment, which means he could choose the well-being of his family and the survival of a few over the possible destruction of the multiverse as a whole.
The list might not end with Steve Rogers. Other iconic characters could also join Doom's ranks, wholeheartedly believing that they are doing the right thing. So what other unexpected betrayals are awaiting? Well, there's only one way to find out.
Avengers: Doomsday will be released on Dec. 18, 2026.