Marvel reboots Avengers: Doomsday with Evans and Downey Jr., drawing critics' ire

Disney and Marvel Studios on Thursday unveiled a four-trailer blitz for next year’s Avengers: Doomsday, a marketing push that appears designed to revitalize the studio’s flagship franchise ahead of the release slate for the coming year. The teasers are scheduled to roll out ahead of the release of Avatar: Fire and Ash, a reminder that Marvel remains competitive in a crowded holiday season. The campaign centers on high-profile returns from two of the franchise’s most recognizable faces: Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr., with Evans reprising his role as Steve Rogers and Downey Jr. taking on a newly conceived villain in the film, Dr. Doom.

The development arrives after months of questions about the direction of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, particularly following a new Cap America entry that underperformed at the global box office. Evans, who had said he was happily retired from the Star-Spangled role after Avengers: Endgame, is back in a project that Marvel executives describe as a pivotal reboot of sorts for the sprawling universe. The first teaser that circulated this weekend centers Evans, and the closing frame carries a message that Rogers will return in Avengers: Doomsday. The timing and tone of the release—sandwiched between other tentpoles—underscore Disney’s intent to keep the MCU in the public conversation even as the company contends with a plateau in some post–Covid-era results.

Evans’s comeback comes on the heels of a February shift in leadership for the character’s on-screen trajectory. In February, Anthony Mackie took over as Captain America in Captain America: Brave New World, a film that critics and industry insiders said struggled to connect with audiences and underperformed relative to Marvel’s earlier peak. The movie’s reception added to questions about where the franchise stands as it nears its second decade. The Doomsday campaign appears designed to reassemble a familiar ensemble, but with a new strategic emphasis on legacy figures joining younger cast members to drive box-office interest.

Downey Jr. is also returning to the universe in a villain’s guise, stepping into the role of Dr. Doom. The decision to reintroduce the Iron Man alums and push into a new arc reflects Marvel’s willingness to reframe its villain roster after a series of high-profile departures and public-relations challenges tied to other casting decisions. Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark died in Endgame, a moment many viewers regarded as a conclusive end to his arc. The new film, however, treats Stark’s presence as a transformative plot thread rather than a mere cameo, with the expectation that audiences will accept a complex, cross-generational confrontation anchored by Doom and a reshaped cosmic threat.

The shift follows a broader industry context in which the MCU has faced scrutiny over its ability to sustain audience interest. After the pandemic, only three Marvel titles crossed $1 billion worldwide: Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Deadpool & Wolverine, with many other releases posting more modest returns. In addition, Doomsday inherits a narrative history in which previous high-expectation projects have struggled to maintain momentum, prompting some observers to describe Doomsday as a hinge moment for whether Marvel can recapture the sustained, cross-demographic appeal it once enjoyed.

This latest move also arrives after reports that the film’s development was reshaped by previsional edits and scheduling realities common to large franchises. Principal photography wrapped in September, and reshoots were planned to begin in January as Marvel Studios seeks to tighten the film’s pacing and connective tissue with earlier entries in the saga. The decision to lean on veteran actors alongside a new generation of heroes has led some analysts to liken the approach to a rebooted era that borrows nostalgia while pursuing fresh conflict, a balancing act that Marvel has sought to manage through multiple releases over the past several years.

The changes at Doomsday appear to reflect broader questions about whether the era of the MCU as an unquestioned cultural phenomenon has faded. Industry observers point to the franchise’s reliance on familiar faces and legacy lines as a potential trap if audiences do not respond to the renewed emphasis on past stars. Critics and some fans have described the strategy as reflective of a desperate push for relevance, arguing that the studio’s marketing cadence has become a year-round cycle rather than a tightly plotted, cohesive narrative arc. Others, however, see the renewed focus on Steve Rogers and Tony Stark as a legitimate strategic pivot, one that could reassemble a broad fan base with a compelling, if complex, storyline.

The Doomsday rollout is not happening in isolation. The Electric State, produced by the same studio ecosystem, has been described by some observers as among the costliest projects in recent years, highlighting how Marvel’s appetite for cross-platform storytelling increasingly sits alongside large-scale production investments. As the slate expands with a mixture of sequels, reimaginings, and crossovers, the studio faces the challenge of aligning fan expectations with a narrative that can justify another extended cinematic event.

For fans and analysts alike, the central question remains whether this move signals a sustainable return to form for the MCU or a continuation of a pattern that critics have labeled as nostalgia-driven pandering. The four teaser trailers will provide a first gauge of audience reception in the coming weeks, but many will be watching the broader box office trajectory and the degree to which subsequent entries in the Doomsday arc can translate renewed interest into durable growth for Marvel Studios.

As Marvel presses forward with a strategy that leans on iconic figures returning to the stage, observers will be watching how Doomsday performs relative to its predecessors and whether the film can deliver a fresh, coherent arc that justifies the investment. Disney executives have signaled confidence in the franchise’s long-term appeal, but the current market environment will test whether the MCU can reclaim its status as a can’t-miss cultural phenomenon or whether the era of obligatory Marvel viewing has indeed waned. The answer may determine the studio’s approach to future crossovers and how aggressively it expands its roster of legacy characters alongside new entrants.