7 Years Later, 'Avengers: Doomsday' Gambles on Very Recent Nostalgia
Has it really been seven years since the last proper Avengers movie? The short answer is yes, by the time Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters on December 18, 2026, exactly one year from now, it will have actually been seven and a half years since Avengers: Endgame revealed the final fates of Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and the original Captain America (Chris Evans).
But, now, in addition to the massive cast already revealed for Avengers: Doomsday, Marvel is betting that nostalgia for a superhero we said goodbye to less than a decade ago will help supercharge the next movie. As previously revealed in a theater-only trailer, Steve Rogers, as played by Chris Evans, will very much return in Avengers: Doomsday.
The trailer, which was previously only playing in theaters with Avatar: Fire and Ash, has now been released online, and it reveals that Evans is fully back as Steve Rogers.
The first teaser for ‘AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY’ featuring Chris Evans as Steve Rogers has been released.
— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) December 23, 2025
In theaters December 18, 2026.
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However, the trailer implies a big twist from the previous ending of Endgame. In that film, we saw Steve go back in time to the 1940s in order to be with his one true love, Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell). Now, in the new trailer, it seems that at some point after that final shot of Endgame, Peggy and Steve had a baby.
Interestingly, the emergence of Doctor Doom at the end of Fantastic Four: First Steps also featured a young child. Is Doctor Doom going full Rumpelstiltskin? What's the connection between Steve and Peggy being parents and Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal) and Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby) being parents? Is there one?
We don't know right now, but one thing is clear: With Robert Downey Jr. playing Doctor Doom, and Chris Evans once again playing Steve Rogers, it's clear that the MCU of 2026 is hoping to remind audiences that this is the same beloved MCU of 2019.