Avengers: Doomsday is set to feature a historic time jump that would see the film go backward in time, with a sequence centered on a returning original Avenger. The MCU has featured notable time jumps in several of its movies, with the most famous (and unexpected) being the five-year one in Avengers: Endgame following Thanos' victory over Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Other noteworthy gaps between movies include several years between The Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron and, most recently, the confirmed four-year time jump between Spider-Man: No Way Home and Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
According to filmmaker Robert Meyer Burnett on X, the scene showcasing Steve Rogers' peaceful life with his son and Peggy Carter in the first Avengers: Doomsday teaser trailer takes place 11 years prior to the events of Avengers: Doomsday. This would likely be before the Multiversal chaos ramps up and before Steve meets Doctor Doom.
"This is incorrect. Steve’s appearance in the DOOMSDAY trailer is eleven years after the clip posted here. He has yet to meet Doom in this original clip."
Burnett then pointed out that Steve "already met Doom" in Avengers: Doomsday's official teaser from CinemaCon 2026:
"In the DOOMSDAY teaser, he HAS already met Doom, because he’d been living on the FF Earth with Peggy and Jim (his son)."
The 11-year gap in Avengers: Doomsday is historic, as it marks the furthest forward that an Avengers movie has shifted within its own narrative.
Avengers: Endgame previously held the record with its five-year "Blip" time jump, a deliberate storytelling choice that allowed the surviving heroes to grapple with loss before they began regaining their momentum during the Time Heist. The half-decade skip completely reshaped everything after Endgame.
An 11-year leap in Doomsday would be quite intriguing because fans would see a preview of Steve's quiet family life before he gets tasked to suit up once again to save the Multiverse from the evil Doctor Doom. Avengers: Doomsday is expected to be set in 2028, the same year as Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
In January 2026, a rumor from scooper MyTimeToShineHello claimed that Loki and Steve Rogers would share an important scene in Avengers: Doomsday. This could be where Loki warns Steve about the ramifications of his actions, suggesting it occurs during the 11-year time jump.
Doctor Doom is also expected to target Steve Rogers in Avengers: Doomsday, setting up their eventual clash in the film.
If the rumors are true, there is a good reason Doctor Doom has an intense hatred for Steve Rogers: MyTimeToShineHello claimed that Steve's decision to go to Earth-828 triggered an incursion that completely changed Doom's life, and he now blames the former Captain America for his misfortune.
Doomsday's 11-year time jump will be an eventful sequence that sets the stage for the main crisis in the movie and the complicated rivalry between Doom and Steve.
Why Avengers: Doomsday's Historic Time Jump Has a Deeper Meaning Than Fans Think
Avengers: Doomsday's 11-year time jump would have massive repercussions and add deeper meaning to Steve Rogers' MCU return.
While Avengers: Endgame gave Steve a poignant ending, allowing him to live a happy life with Peggy, this time jump reframes his post-Endgame existence as a ticking time bomb for the Multiverse's looming collapse and Doctor Doom's eventual arrival.
Moreover, Steve's selfish decision ultimately becomes the instigator of Doomsday's plot involving incursions. The 11-year time jump also amplifies tragedy. While it gave Steve years of genuine happiness, it sends a deliberate message that no one escapes the fight despite time travel and Multiversal intervention.
If anything, the man who chose peace now has to choose war again, and this time it is different because it might be his biggest fight yet.
Exploring this time jump will also allow Doomsday to do some much-needed catching up. Establishing Doctor Doom as the next big bad will be a tall task, so pairing him with Steve Rogers makes for fertile ground to draw an immediate connection as to why audiences should care about this incarnation of the villain.
While not as drastic as Steve's time jump, there are several other heroes in Avengers: Doomsday who will need to fill the audience in on their whereabouts from the past few years. Shang-Chi is perhaps the biggest standout, having not appeared in a live-action MCU project since his debut film. Fans will also be curious to find out what became of the X-Men, particularly given that it is unclear which continuity they have carried forward.
