Look, I don't actually think superhero fatigue is really a thing, but that said, I've been having trouble getting excited for Avengers: Doomsday. The first trailer for the film, which confirmed the return of Chris Evans as Captain America, didn't really help matters for me, either. However, the second trailer, which shines the spotlight on Chris Hemsworth's Thor, has finally got me looking forward to next year.
The Avengers: Doomsday Trailer Moves Thor's Story Forward
The first Doomsday trailer with Chris Evans was simple and showed us the man as he apparently lives now, with a baby of his own. The new trailer with Thor also focuses on a hero and a child, but while the first one felt like a step backward for the MCU, the new one takes Thor on the next step of his journey.
We see Thor in the woods, alone, praying to his father, asking for the strength and the guidance to fight and survive one last battle. This is not for himself, but for his child. In Thor: Love and Thunder, Thor picked up the child Love, and the two have clearly become a family in the time that has passed since then.
Did this trailer touch me because I'm a dad? Almost certainly. However, it isn't just that. If that were the case, then Steve Rogers and a baby would have hit me in the feels just as well. What's different about this one is that it not only teases the future of the plot but the future of the character, one who has seen one of the more interesting arcs over the course of the MCU.
I'm Now Very Worried For Thor
Seeing the return of both Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. to the Marvel Cinematic Universe certainly feels like a move by Marvel Studios to get people who haven't been into the last few phases post-Endgame excited about the franchise again. However, I've always been much more interested in seeing time progress in the MCU.
Having said that, and this probably is the dad in me talking, I'm now much more worried about what's going to happen to Thor in Avengers: Doomsday. Chris Hemsworth himself started the rumor mill going that Thor may not survive the next film. This trailer certainly seems to be hinting that things could go in that direction. Could Thor be the one who heroically sacrifices himself to save the world this time around? Love has already lost one father. If she loses another, I may not be able to handle it. That is the dad in me talking.
Still, the question of what's going to happen to Thor is now the main reason I'll be sitting down to watch Doomsday when it premieres on the 2026 movie schedule. Congratulations, Marvel, you got me.
Chris Hemsworth's name was the first we were given when the Avengers: Doomsday cast was announced, which doesn't guarantee he'll be a focal point of the story, but could certainly hint that's the case. If Doomsday or Secret Wars mark Hemsworth's end in the MCU, I'm certainly hoping he sees an ending more like Captain America than Iron Man. Of course, whatever happens, it apparently doesn't mean he won't come back anyway.
