Marvel fans think the new Avengers: Doomsday teaser has answered a question that’s nagged them since the first trailer: who was missing from the heroes’ meeting scene. According to IGN, the leading theory is that the answer is Steve Rogers, and that Marvel removed Chris Evans’ character from the original shot.
The footage in question comes from a minute-long spot that premiered during Game 1 of the 2026 World Series. The teaser, posted to MLB’s X account, features a new scene at Ebbets Field on Earth-828, where members of the Fantastic Four play a baseball game. MLB players Bryce Harper, Freddie Freeman, Junior Caminero, Randy Arozarena and Jacob Misiorowski watch and react. The baseball crossover takes up most of the runtime, and Dark Horizons notes that further footage from the film plays afterwards.
That film footage is where the theory starts. A shot in the original trailer showed the New Avengers meeting old heroes and the Fantastic Four, and IGN says a gap between the Earth-828 heroes led many fans to suspect a character had been edited out. It’s one of several trailer theories we’ve covered, including fans’ belief that the trailer hides secret characters. The World Series spot shows the same scene from another angle, and IGN says Steve appears to be standing next to Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s Ben Grimm while Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang tries to entertain the group. Because Evans was absent from the original frame, fans now read the gap as a Steve-shaped hole. One post on X put the claim bluntly, saying Steve’s position next to Ben, Sam and Scott confirms the edit.
Not everyone buys it. IGN points out that Steve does appear later in the same trailer, which makes hiding him from one shot an odd choice. Some fans suspect the original trailer was never edited, and that the new clip shows the same scene a few seconds before or after the frame in question. Another camp is questioning whether the figure wielding Mjolnir is Steve at all, and the popular version of that theory says it’s Tom Hiddleston’s Loki in disguise. IGN cites one fan who says Steve’s face seems to change from scene to scene, and another who reads the Ben-and-Steve positioning as proof that Doctor Doom was also cut out, tying into a theory that Doom could appear as an ally. Fan account Best of Marvel flagged the same frames with a one-word “Holdup”.
Marvel hasn’t commented on any of this, but the idea isn’t far-fetched. IGN notes that marketing for Avengers: Infinity War in 2018 featured several scenes that never made the final cut, and fans also hunted for edits ahead of Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Doomsday trailers have already sparked other readings, such as a two-Doctor-Doom theory with a Cillian Murphy cameo. Until the film lands, every extra frame gets the same treatment. IGN and AOL’s WFRV report on the teaser both give 18 December 2026 as the date Avengers: Doomsday arrives in theatres.
Did Marvel confirm Steve Rogers was edited out of the first trailer?
No. The claim comes from fans comparing the World Series teaser with the original trailer shot, and Marvel hasn’t commented. Rival theories say the two clips show different moments of the same scene.
Where can I watch the Avengers: Doomsday World Series teaser?
MLB posted the teaser on its X account after it aired during Game 1 of the World Series, and you can watch it in the embed above.
When does Avengers: Doomsday come out?
The film is due in theatres on 18 December 2026. We haven’t confirmed a UAE or wider GCC date, so check your local cinema listings.
