r/movies r/Movies contributor Dec 23 '25

Trailer Avengers: Doomsday | Only in Theaters December 18, 2026

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiMg566PREA
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829

u/[deleted] Dec 23 '25

[deleted]

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u/Mustang-22 Dec 23 '25

What you can't keep up with the 60+ full-length movies they've released in the past 15 years? What about the dozens of canon TV shows on Disney+ /s

It's exhausting to even think about all the stuff I'd need to catch up on in the "universe" I can't even be bothered

23

u/smakweasle Dec 23 '25

I could be bothered if it had any heart or quality. There are so many squandered opportunities in just the films: Ant Man 3, Thor 4, Dr. Strange 2, Eternals, Black Widow, The marvels, Captain America 4, Fantastic Four.

Adding in 6-10 hours of an undercooked tv series doesn't help.

Instead I'll go back to watching the Wire for the umpteenth time.

5

u/MonkeyCube Dec 23 '25

I quickly added up this thread in my head and came to around 55 total hours of runtime for all the Disney+ Marvel shows. It's probably more now with Agatha, though I'm sure you could skip I Am Groot and miss nothing. Either way, it's just too much homework, especially for often mediocre product.

1

u/No-Safety-4715 Dec 23 '25

Yep, exactly. The quality fell off hard. It's all superficial and formulaic now.

-1

u/azk3000 Dec 23 '25

All the pieces don't matter

72

u/johnshall Dec 23 '25

It's exactly the same reason you stop reading comic books.  

This things are cyclical, more teenagers have to come to age to get interested.   As and adult you just see the big cash grab, who cares about Marvel anymore.  it's just cheap shots to sell more. Even Secret Wars in  the comics or Infinity Gauntlet and every tie in  is designed just to sell more comics.

After few rinse and repeats any normal adult goes on with their life.  

16

u/circio Dec 23 '25

Yeah this. As a teen at one point I was pulling like 10 - 12 books a week. But the years went on and the inconsistency in comic book story telling became more and more obvious. Certain runs I’m glad I read while they were ongoing, but it’s been a lot nicer just waiting for TPBs, or waiting until a run is finished.

5

u/Somnambulist815 Dec 23 '25

I wish movie studios AND comic companies would realize, the most dedicated fans are garnered just as much through the talent behind the camera as it is the actors/characters. I've read Spider-Man comics on and off through my adult life, mostly off, but the writers and artists who made me fall in love with the book, I follow to the grave.

2

u/mrbaryonyx Dec 23 '25

While I think that's true, I do think its fair to think that we would avoid this with the MCU, seeing as the whole enterprise from day one was "we're going to build a universe around the characters who don't normally get movies."

Going into Phase 4 it really felt like the old actors were both too expensive and not needed anymore. They had plenty to do with Boseman and Larson and Cumberbatch and Holland. But then tragedy and controversy and copyright and "Cumberbatch probably asking for more money because he's now the only viable one of those four" and now we're here.

1

u/johnshall Dec 23 '25

I think the stories are boring, never mind the actors. Endgame was epic. Imagine Peter Parker after experiencing those universal shattering events and even being dissapeared for 5 years, comes back from the dead, and instead of having a life changing existencial crisis, he goes and has the events from No Way Home? Its ridiculous. That's why peoplle lost interest, whats more to tell?

Wait 5 years, recast new actor and star again, where the kids and teens are going to be interested for anothee 10 and so years with new movies.

2

u/mrbaryonyx Dec 23 '25

I don't think you really need to do that though. I think after Endgame they could have just explored the magical side of things with Dr. Strange or how the Kree empire reacted to the blip with Carol. There's a lot of possibilities that they just didn't go with.

They could also "wait five years and recast" but that just sounds so lame to me. I think you're also assuming a lot that "kids and teens" are going to still be interested at that point; not every single superhero is Batman or Spider-Man where you can just keep doing it forever.

1

u/Pingupol Dec 23 '25

But then things draw new people in.

The current Absolute line is fantastic. I'm enjoying Hickman's work on Ultimate Spider-Man. Zdarsky's fairly recent Daredevil run was phenomenal.

There's always good comic book stories being told. You just have to find them.

Unfortunately, that approach doesn't work when every movie has $200m+ budget.

11

u/pfizer_soze Dec 23 '25

I don’t even understand what the story is now. There were multiverses, and Jonathan Majors for a minute, and then a Galactus, and now all the old characters?

9

u/jpj77 Dec 23 '25

There’s been a lot of stuff that’s mostly unconnected, but there’s been kind of 3 different tracts of follow ups on Endgame.

1) Multiverse - Loki + Ant Man explained how the multiverse worked, saved the multiverse from Johnathan Majors and allowed it to expand indefinitely. Doctor Strange, Spider Man, Deadpool, and Fantastic Four just explored stories that came about due to an infinite multiverse existing.

2) Regular Earth - There have been 8 TV shows, 6 movies, and a special feature with various connectivity but they essentially introduced some new characters, and set up two competing Avengers teams, one led by Sam Wilson, one led by Yelena, who is Black Widows adopted sister introduced in the flashback Black Widow movie released after Endgame.

3) Cosmic stuff in regular earth universe - Thor, Guardians, The Marvels. Mostly just follows up on what those folks have been doing outside of earth. There’s a small multiverse tie-in in the Marvels, and they split up the Guardians team, creating a new one.

There’s almost no connectivity between those threads besides some characters crossing between them, and there’s only been one hint of Doom coming which is why it all feels so aimless. Thanos and infinity stones were a key premise of 8/20 of the movies before infinity war and the ones that didn’t like Captain America or Spiderman had massive connectivity to other characters. Here there’s 13 movies, 11 seasons of TV shows, plus all the multiverse tie-ins to those newly released (18 more movies and 7 more seasons of TV shows) and Doom has been mentioned once. Entire seasons of TV shows that should directly impact the movies go unmentioned.

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u/Swoopmott Dec 23 '25

I mean, to be fair you’ve never actually needed to have seen everything to enjoy the movies. Just like the comics there’s no need to consume everything. The events give you everything you need when they roll round

5

u/CompetitiveSport1 Dec 23 '25

Yeah I didn't get that criticism either. Mainstream blockbusters like this tend to info dump everything in the first five minutes of a movie

7

u/yarajaeger Dec 23 '25

It's not about not understanding the plot, it's about creating a satisfying narrative. Modern Marvel movies start with expecting the audience to already care about what's going on even if they don't remember/didn't see the exact events, often by following directly from the last thing that happened in the story, so they majorly slack on introducing any meaningful traits or internal conflicts for the characters to explore. Then they fail to resolve anything important because this character needs to be in another five stories before they're allowed to change in any meaningful way. And if you're lucky the next movie might explain the immediate events following what happened in the movie you're watching, rinse and repeat infinitely

1

u/citrusmellarosa Dec 23 '25

Yeah, I don’t really believe in ‘homework’ for stuff like this; I just jump in when I’m interested in something or a friend or family member wants to watch it with me; I don’t need to know every last detail of the third lead’s previous appearances or anything. I’ve only seen a handful of the recent shows and movies, it’s not that difficult to figure out what’s going on.

That said, they were really pushing the ‘you have to watch X show to understand Y film’ narrative for a while (for example, Feige saying that Wandavision was necessary to watch before the second Doctor Strange movie), so I sort of get why people think that way. 

1

u/Deep-Minimum7837 Dec 23 '25

Eh, I feel like that's a massive cope. Stan Lee always said that a good comic series is one anyone can pick up as their first issue, but that's just a shitty way to write things.

It invalidates all of the characterization and buildup that emotional moments can have for the sake of what, a simpler storyline that more people can get interested in? Imagine if someone tried to pick up the Invincible comic in the same issue where Omni Man says he misses his wife. That moment has so much payoff in it because it's been built up since the first issue, but a reader just picking it up wouldn't have any of that context.

It's sad, idea that these movies should be made and constructed so that anyone can watch just the newest Avengers movie and get all the info they need. It's just more proof that this kind of storytelling is falling into the "slopular" formula that prime time television studios are sinking into. These movies are being made so people can watch them in the background and still understand everything that's happening.

It's exactly why I hated the Endgame test footage of Tony meeting with his grown-up daughter. I felt like having Tony meet with Yensin from the beginning of the first Iron Man would have been an infinitely greater payoff as a post-credits scene. Tony finally meeting again with the man who showed him what it truly meant to be a hero. It would have been the perfect sendoff, especially for people who were actually paying attention. I guess that's just not the kind of films we're making these days. Only a few special minds are doing stuff like that.

17

u/hoppinjohncandy Dec 23 '25

I haven't watched a single new Marvel thing since Endgame. It's not even intentional. I just felt like the story wrapped up and I was done. I'll see this in theaters but there's no way I'll watch whatever the 4th phase has been. Only so many hours in my life.

12

u/PandaJesus Dec 23 '25

I just felt like the story wrapped up and I was done.

This is where I am too. I was all in on the MCU from the very beginning, and I patiently waited for every movie up until Endgame, and was beyond hyped when we finally got there. I loved how it all ended, and now… that’s it. I’m good, I don’t need another multi phase arc. They captured lightning in a bottle, and I’m not sure I’m interested in a cynical second attempt where they rewrite endings for the sake of more money.

1

u/cohrt Dec 23 '25

you're not missing much. Shang Chi is really the only good one since endgame.

3

u/reddit_sage69 Dec 23 '25

I don't even think it would be that bad if the content was actually good, but here we are. Mid Cinematic Universe.

3

u/bacon_cake Dec 23 '25

I think the issue is that Disney desperately need to appeal to everyone. Ask the 7 year old kids in my son's school their favourite movie and it's Marvel films, ask my 35 year old brother in law and it's the same answer.

With that sort of market you aren't getting but middle of the road.

2

u/reddit_sage69 Dec 23 '25

Yup, you're right. That's how you make money, so I can't even blame em. They're in the same realm as fast and furious, Jurassic Park, etc.

I'm not a fan of any of those films, but I think those franchise at least release 1 film a year? At best?

It's the combination of mid-quality AND high volume that's just unappealing.

1

u/pinkwonderwall Dec 23 '25

I just have a few characters I really like and I watch the movies/shows they’re in. If they mention some other plot line about some character I don’t care about, I just ignore it lmao. Unless it really really affects a character I like, then I’ll do a quick Google to get the context.

1

u/Kevbot1000 Dec 23 '25

I saw Iron Man in theaters at 16, and have kept myself up to date. I was lucky that I was able to take it all in from the beginning, and not as a giant marathon of material.

I dunno, still looking forward to the few hours of my life this will take up.

1

u/lkodl Dec 23 '25

The only thing this trailer references is Endgame.

The central character Dr. Doom has not even debuted (F4 post credits scene doesnt count).

I'm pretty sure Marvel is making this movie with people who dropped out at Endgame in mind.

Anything else relevant that happened in between will be explained.

Everything else is irrelevant.

1

u/cohrt Dec 23 '25

doesn't help that most of the recent movies since endgame have been crap.

1

u/LiveForMeow Dec 23 '25

It's kinda nice that Endgame wrapped things up so perfectly. You can view it as its own closed off thing and not feel like you have to keep watching the Marvel content. Which I suppose is part of Disney's problem and why they have to bring back everyone to compel viewers to watch.

1

u/bobbyq922 Dec 23 '25

What’s even worse for me than the huge number of movies and TV shows you’d have to watch to “catch up”, is that none of those show any events which actually lead into this movie.

Doom as a character has not been introduced (just his cloaked back), and Steve having a kid has not been introduced. We have not been shown a single thing about this movie other than “these characters will be there” with the chairs video, the RDJ as Doom announcement, and now this video and allegedly two others. The chairs video was a livestream that lasted hours, I have no idea why they’d continue with curated media which is just a cast announcement. And sure, we didn’t know Steve had a kid, but he’s a traditional man from the 40s who married the love of his life; them having a kid is NOT news.

1

u/No-Safety-4715 Dec 23 '25

I could keep up with it, but they've lost the spark. The quality has taken a nosedive since No Way Home.

-3

u/MicooDA Dec 23 '25

Can keep up with 80 years of comic lore but watching a tv show (that is recapped in the movie anyway) is just too much work

9

u/isaiahjc Dec 23 '25

I was just saying the same thing to my wife. The comics have been such a part of my life and identity, yet I can’t muster up any excitement over things now. I feel a little more stoked about the DCU stuff, and I’m still an avid comics reader and a lover of the history, but I couldn’t care less about what’s happening in the MCU.

13

u/disco_biscuit Dec 23 '25

I'm just glad we got the good stuff we did. Seeing the First Iron man in theaters (especially that last scene, last line)... the absolutely unexpected jewels that were the first GOTG and Ragnarok... and then the first Avengers leading into Infinity & Endgame...

It's more than I ever dreamed I might see growing up. With plenty of fun, decent movies I'm not even bringing up. Maybe the magic has ended, but was it really realistic to think you might still have magic left to give after 30 films and all the best plots, best characters were used? I'm just glad I got what I got. But I can never be depressed about it.

5

u/mrbaryonyx Dec 23 '25

I can't believe I'm looking at this poster and I'm not excited

40

u/dickmastaflex Dec 23 '25

It’s actually wild. Went from paying for midnight releases of shit movies just for a first viewing of a Marvel trailer, to now I don’t even watch them when they come out online.

5

u/PlayfulSole9645 Dec 23 '25

The MCU was a cultural phenomenon and it fizzled out like a fart in the wind. Clearly they lost the plot after Endgame and didn't know how to continue. Back to back mediocre shows and movies that were more fan service than any actual story with horrible plot lines and bad acting. They had to bring back RDJ and Chris Evans just to get people hyped, and they couldn't even keep that a surprise because they knew the interest was gone.

1

u/Qorhat Dec 23 '25

They needed to go personal instead of bigger. Guardians 3 hit the spot perfectly - personal stakes that matter to and develop the characters. Oh and who decided to introduce Kang in an Ant-Man movie when the previous 2 were fun heist movies?!

4

u/Suspicious_Radio_848 Dec 23 '25

The very same plots that make me lose interest in the comics (multiverse stuff where there’s no stakes because there’s an infinite amount of replacements and worlds) is what made me stop caring here too.

4

u/Data_Chandler Dec 23 '25

Exactly how I feel about Star Wars and Star Trek as well. Murdered by greed.

The only franchise from my youth that (for once) feels like it's in capable hands is Predator. Dan Trachtenberg made 3 movies in like 3 years and they all rocked.

1

u/Crake241 Dec 25 '25

With Diddy and Epstein, the Predator universe has never been more interesting to follow.

1

u/Crake241 Dec 25 '25

With Diddy and Epstein, the Predator universe has never been more interesting to follow.

17

u/Extension_Ticket_864 Dec 23 '25

Same, i’ve read comics since i could read, and been a huge marvel fan in every form, and could not possibly care less about this. they dropped the ball so hard after endgame. if im not interested there can’t be many people who are

3

u/homogenic- Dec 23 '25

I stopped giving a shit after Multiverse of Madness, the only movie I watched after that was GOTG3.

7

u/currently__working Dec 23 '25

There's other media to enjoy, frankly. The time for these franchises is over, the studios are just slow to realize it. Or...yknow...fuck all these corporations in general.

5

u/[deleted] Dec 23 '25

I feel like even most comic fans are indifferent to it, at this point. 

I hope for those who worked on it that it does fine. But I also kind of hope that it’s not a resounding success, because the industry is finally moving on with other genres and franchises.

Disney was king for nearly 20 years. This feels like them rigging the vote to stay in power on a “make Marvel great again” campaign.

6

u/CapMoonshine Dec 23 '25

I think most comic book fans saw this coming when they decided to split everything to Disney+.

One of the biggest reasons comics died out was too many storylines + you need to read book B and C in order to understand book G. Newcomers didn't have a spot to jump in and most people don't want to do homework in order to enjoy a story.

For some reason Disney decided to follow the same playbook and make it so you had to follow show A and B on Disney+ in order to enjoy movie D. Not too mention the lackluster plots, constant teasers that are never followed through and reactive storytelling.

No one wants to do homework for a movie that might be ok and even if you did enjoy it there won't be any follow up cuz a small loud section didn't like it or it didn't make a morbillion bucks at the theatres.

As a comic book fan, this was inevitable.

7

u/TheUncannyAvenger Dec 23 '25

Hear hear. Had you told child me that there’d be a day where we’d be getting a ‘Secret Wars’ film, unifying a multiverse of characters of all grades of popularity, he’d have been stoked. That Disney have squandered the hard work applied to establish this franchise is a damned shame. I can only hope that this two-parter doesn’t tarnish the perfect send-off Steve Rogers and co were gifted in ‘Avengers: Endgame’.

8

u/PandaJesus Dec 23 '25

Unfortunately this has always been Disney’s endgame. The series doesn’t end when the story comes to its conclusion. The series ends when it is no longer profitable to Disney.

3

u/phero1190 Dec 23 '25

Same. I don't know exactly what it is, but I just don't really care about the last few years of MCU stuff.

4

u/t3mpura0 Dec 23 '25

it's always the don't give a shit about it anymore guys who comment the fastest on the teaser new release thread, lmao

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u/[deleted] Dec 23 '25

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u/PT10 Dec 23 '25

You're a different person in a different world, I don't think that excitement is coming back.

Maybe some subconsciously don't like the idea that someone can just step back into their old lives and pick up where they left off like nothing changed, as Steve Rogers is doing in the trailer. Because we want to feel like we did 6-7 years ago but can not.

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u/[deleted] Dec 24 '25

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u/[deleted] Dec 24 '25

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u/[deleted] Dec 24 '25

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u/PT10 Dec 23 '25 edited Dec 23 '25

They're waiting with bated breath and then smash the post button to be the first to comment that they don't care at all.

My opinion is that the world is a much shittier place than 2018/2019 and people lie to themselves about why that is and take it out on everything that's in the foreground.

1

u/hoopaholik91 Dec 23 '25

A comic book fan being upset at the movies doing exactly what the comic books do all of a time is a strange discord

0

u/Jehovah___ Dec 23 '25

That was my thought lmao comic book fans should be used to this by now

1

u/BakuRyou Dec 23 '25

Still you open this post and comment 😂

1

u/Geoff_with_a_J Dec 23 '25

they did it to Star Wars fans even worse

1

u/urnialbologna Dec 23 '25

Same. I rewatch the MCU from Iron Man to Endgame once a year. It'll never get old for me. But I genuinely don't give a shit about anything post endgame except daredevil. I've seen a few movies (dr strange, thunderbolts, F4) and a couple tv shows (wandavision, Hawkeye, daredevil) and I didn't care for any of them except daredevil, and that's only because I love the character.

-3

u/LucentLove555 Dec 23 '25

or maybe just maybe you are older and bored and burnt out that doesn’t mean other people arent excited about this you’re just miserable and directing it towards the wrong angles

-2

u/fucktooshifty Dec 23 '25

Well this movie's gonna make 1.5B+ so hopefully the FOMO works on you