Docto Doom is putting the MCU's heroes between a rock and a hard place in Avengers: Doomsday. His arrival comes at an inopportune time for the franchise, as the forces of good aren't exactly on solid footing. In fact, a new synopsis for the highly anticipated team-up movie reveals that five superhero teams will be at each other's throats when Doomsday officially arrives.
To build hype for Doomsday's release, Marvel Studios released supplementary material: From Endgame to Doomsday: A Marvel Studios Visual Dictionary: Avengers, Allies, and Foes. The book features background on all the characters who will suit up in the upcoming Avengers film, plus a tease about where their big-screen stories are headed. The synopsis reveals that the different groups have "suspicions of each other," which is no doubt good news for Doom and his cronies (via Avengers Updates on X).
"As a new existential threat emerges, courageous teams from three universes must come together to prevent a catastrophic event. The Avengers, the New Avengers, the Wakandans, the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men will need to put aside their suspicions of each other to work together against a force more powerful than any of these groups have faced before. Their choices and actions in this crucial moment will lay the foundation for the future of the Multiverse."
Of course, infighting isn't anything new in the MCU. Back in Phase Three, the Avengers split into two factions in Captain America: Civil War, leaving Earth vulnerable to an alien invasion in Avengers: Infinity War. Doomsday won't spend its entire runtime pitting the do-gooders against each other like Civil War did because it needs to build up Doom as a multiversal threat. Still, it won't have to do too much work to make the various conflicts believable, as there are plenty of hatchets to bury across the franchise and plenty more waiting their turn to stir up trouble.
Every Superhero Team Set to Face Off in Avengers: Doomsday
The Avengers
Sam Wilson, aka Captain America, is following in Steve Rogers' footsteps in the MCU by leading his own Avengers team. While the final roster is still a bit up in the air, he's clearly putting together a team of stand-up individuals, like Joaquin Torres, Thor, and Scott Lang. It doesn't sit right with him that someone like John Walker can also call himself an Avenger. And if a fight with the New Avengers wasn't bad enough, Sam's squad also has a date with the X-Men, as Shang-Chi is seen battling Gambit in Avengers: Doomsday's marketing.
New Avengers
Yelena Belova, the leader of the New Avengers, has her own fight with a mutant on the docket, as Doomsday's trailers have already let it slip that Mystique takes on her appearance in the film. The battle between the Avengers and X-Men may stem from a miscommunication, with each side believing they're fighting the bad guys. However, punches are going to fly, and egos are sure to be bruised before everyone turns their attention to Doom.
Wakandans
The nation of Wakanda always has its head on a swivel, and for good reason. The outside world has tried, more than once, to exploit the Wakandans and their resources. With the fate of the multiverse on the line, Shuri and Co. must be careful about who they trust, since people are appearing from other realities without background checks and former criminals are taking up residence in Avengers Tower. When it comes to Doomsday, it's better to be safe than sorry.
Fantastic Four
Marvel's First Family seems like a wild card heading into Doomsday. Sue Storm, the team's resident peacekeeper, makes friends out of the Wakandans in the footage released so far. But once everyone learns the Fantastic Four were buddies with Doom in the past and potentially let him off the hook a time or two, Earth-828's heroes may have far more enemies than friends. Their actions will have to do most of the talking as they work to earn the trust of the other four superhero teams.
X-Men
Mutants are used to having their backs against the wall. Where they come from, humanity is out to get them, even though they consistently put their lives on the line for it against a myriad of foes. The Avengers and Fantastic Four might just seem like another band of villains looking to knock the X-Men down a peg. Once everyone realizes they have a common enemy, though, Cyclops and his team will have no choice but to let their guard down and work with their new friends to preserve what's left of the multiverse.
