Marvel Studios has released a new Avengers: Doomsday TV spot, and while it features mere seconds of new footage, that hasn't stopped fans from developing a wild new theory: that Loki is impersonating Steve Rogers.
There are a few pieces of evidence pointing to this. First, during the scene where Scott Lang calls Steve Cap, he turns around despite knowing that the shield and that moniker have passed to Sam Wilson. Loki might not know this if he's impersonating Steve. And second, the smile that Steve flashes Thor before they take off in the Bifrost resembles Loki's fraternal smile to his brother. Of course, this wouldn't be the first time Loki has impersonated Steve Rogers – the God of Stories briefly transforms into Cap during Thor: The Dark World.
Whether this theory holds weight or is another case of the Mephistos, there's no denying that something feels off about Steve Rogers in Doomsday. Earlier this year, fans developed another theory that the Steve we see in Doomsday might actually be a Hydra agent from another universe, instead of the Steve we know and love. And we don't yet know why Steve's appearance changes so much between his final scenes in Avengers: Endgame and Doomsday, where he has longer hair.
If you're still not sure what the heck Doomsday is going to be about, the new footage in Avengers: Endgame Encore actually gave us some pretty good clues - and more or less warned us that the end is nigh for Earth-616. An incursion is headed for the universe that houses our beloved Fox X-Men, which explains why we saw Patrick Stewart's Professor X crying while looking up at the sky in a previous trailer. We also know that the TVA is trying its darndest to prevent these incursions from happening, and it's Loki who is responsible for Steve Roger's puzzling return to the present.
Don't worry: Marvel isn't dropping another big MCU event and then letting it coast for six years. Avengers: Secret Wars is due out in 2027, and if Doomsday is following the Jonathan Hickman Avengers comic book run, this means the new movie will lead right into the 2015 Secret Wars event... which is all about Doctor Doom and Battle World.
Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters on December 18. For more of what's to come, check out our list of the 5 biggest questions we have for Avengers: Doomsday after watching that last trailer. For more, check out our list of all the upcoming Marvel movies and TV shows on the way.
