Audiences got their first real look at Avengers: Doomsday and its massive ensemble cast when Disney debuted the film's trailer at CinemaCon 2026. The footage, shown exclusively to exhibitors, journalists, and influencers, has since ignited widespread excitement among the MCU fanbase, with many clamoring for an online release soon. Before then, it's time to go a bit deeper by ranking each character's screen time in the exclusive footage.
Having watched the trailer firsthand at CinemaCon 2026, The Direct's character screen time rankings are based entirely on our own in-room tracking of the footage.
While a public release of the trailer remains uncertain, with the film still roughly eight months away from its theatrical debut, what was shown to the CinemaCon crowd left little doubt about which heroes are being positioned front and center in Avengers: Doomsday. Among the most buzzed-about moments from the presentation was the formal introduction of Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom and the continuation of Chris Evans' return as Steve Rogers, with both stars taking the stage in person to introduce the footage.
Downey's Doom caught many in the audience off guard, as his voice for the character bears no resemblance to the Tony Stark audiences had grown accustomed to over a decade.
The trailer itself appeared to lean heavily into hero-vs-hero conflict, positioning Doomsday as something of a spiritual successor to Captain America: Civil War while simultaneously serving as the long-awaited fifth Avengers film.
From The Direct's observations, it was evident that some characters commanded significant chunks of the footage, while others appeared only in brief, blink-and-you 'll-miss-it glimpses.
Avengers: Doomsday Trailer's Heroes & Villains Screen Time, From Most To Least
Thor
Chris Hemsworth's Thor is undeniably the trailer's lead, appearing across multiple locations and carrying the emotional weight of the footage from start to finish. His rallying speech runs throughout the trailer, serving as its backbone:
"I fought with many warriors in my time. They were far stronger than all of us put together, they died. They died facing enemies and threats that scared me far less than this one.
Everything they sacrificed for will be for nothing if we do not stand together... If you return, you will return as brothers and sisters."
He's also at the center of the trailer's biggest action beat, leaping at Doctor Doom with Stormbreaker in a clear callback to his iconic charge at Thanos in Infinity War, only for Doom to effortlessly stop the weapon cold with two fingers.
Thor gets the final spoken line before Steve Rogers' reveal, making him the trailer's throughline from beginning to end.
Doctor Doom
Robert Downey Jr.'s Victor von Doom makes an immediate impression, opening the trailer with a voice so distinct that audiences at CinemaCon didn't know who was speaking at first.
Doom delivers the trailer's first speech, ominously warning that something is coming, something that will force an "unthinkable decision:"
"Something is coming. Something we may not be able to deter. Before this day is done, we shall be faced with an unthinkable decision."
He also gets a proper superhero landing in the courtyard of the X-Mansion, the first real glimpse of the character in action. His wordless, composed response to Thor's charge is also arguably the most striking shot in the entire trailer.
Steve Rogers
Steve appears at the end of the Doomsday trailer, responding to Thor's desperate plea for a miracle with a simple "Hey, pal," prompting a stunned "It's not possible" from Thor.
Mjolnir then tears out of Thor's grip and flies into Steve's hand, cementing his return in Endgame-esque fashion. It's important to note that Steve has long hair and a beard in the trailer, unlike how he's shown in his solo Doomsday trailer from December 2025.
Black Panther (Shuri)
Shuri (Letitia Wright) is shown in Talokan's throne room, confronting Namor and armoring up into the Black Panther suit as the Wakandans surround him in a tense standoff; later, she appears in a wide-open sea-floor environment with the ocean dramatically parted around her.
She also gets a saluting shot that feels like a deliberate character moment, which was previously seen in the Wakandan-focused Doomsday teaser.
Namor
Namor (Tenoch Huerta) is first seen seated on his throne in Talokan as Shuri and the Wakandans close in on him. He also appears to be the one responsible for one of the trailer's most visually striking shots: the ocean floor of Talokan is completely parted, with walls of water surrounding the space, like Moses splitting the sea, while Namor flies rapidly through it.
Captain America (Sam Wilson)
Anthony Mackie is back as Sam Wilson, who gets several appearances throughout the Doomsday trailer, including in the wide assembly shot inside Avengers Tower and inside the X-Mansion, where he lands and looks up at Gambit.
Reed Richards is also seen stretching his arm out to physically restrain Sam at one point, hinting at some friction within the newly joined heroes.
Yelena Belova
Yelena (Florence Pugh) gets one of the more memorable hero-vs-hero sequences in the trailer, arriving at the X-Mansion armed and ready before coming face-to-face with Mystique (Rebecca Romijn).
She throws her baton at the shape-shifter, only for Mystique to catch it and turn into a perfect copy of Yelena herself, leading to the striking image of two Yelenas locked in a chokehold with each other. Yelena is also seen at Avengers Tower.
Mystique
Mystique makes her MCU debut in memorable fashion, appearing in what looks to be a white jacket with short, bright red hair described as notably comic-accurate.
Her scene is built entirely around her power set, adding to her screen time after transforming into Yelena's body.
Professor X (And Seemingly Magneto in One Shot)
Patrick Stewart's Charles Xavier appears in a couple of key shots rooted at the X-Mansion, as he was first seen in the X-Men Doomsday teaser.
He's shown looking out from a window as a red globe appears in the sky and fire spreads across the atmosphere, shielding his eyes from the light. Most insiders and comic-book analysts believe he's watching an incursion begin.
He also appears alongside Magneto in a later interior shot that feels like the two of them coming to terms with what's ahead.
Shang-Chi
Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) appears in a fight sequence against Channing Tatum's Gambit, with his rings glowing orange as he clashes with Gambit's glowing staff and playing cards.
He repels the staff using his rings, then sends two of them flying outward to push Gambit back before they return to him.
Cyclops (Scott Summers)
James Marsden's return as Cyclops gets two notable moments: a new shot debuting his comic-accurate suit as he powers up his visor to investigate an explosion on the X-Mansion steps and a returning shot from an earlier teaser of him firing off a full optic blast.
Gambit
Channing Tatum's Gambit, after debuting in Deadpool & Wolverine, makes his presence known in the same fight sequence as Shang-Chi.
After being pushed back by the rings, he holds up a glowing ace of hearts card and gives a shake of his head. Fans cannot wait to see this moment unfold in theaters.
Sue Storm
Vanessa Kirby's Sue appears in a handful of shots across different settings: at Avengers Tower with her family, a close-up of her projecting a force field, a shot in the underwater Talokan environment, and a quieter moment in which she embraces Johnny.
With Doom after her son, Franklin, Doomsday is shaping up to be another heart-wrenching storm for the Richards/Storm family.
She's also shown in the background when M'Baku and Ben shake hands, which was previously edited out of the earlier released trailer.
Johnny Storm
Johnny's (Joseph Quinn) most prominent moment is an intimate one, a close-up of him hugging Sue, a small emotional beat amidst the chaos.
He's otherwise visible in the Avengers Tower sequence with the rest of the Fantastic Four but doesn't have any standout solo action in the footage (yet).
The Thing
Ebon Moss-Bachrach's Ben Grimm appears in a brief shot shaking hands with M'Baku, with Bucky, Sue, and Joaquin Torres visible behind him. It's a small moment, but it positions the Fantastic Four as active participants, and they're also shown at the new Avengers Tower.
Reed Richards
Reed gets a few appearances, the most notable being a moment where he stretches his arm and jacket outward to physically hold Sam Wilson back.
He's also seen standing with the Fantastic Four in the Avengers Tower assembly and is theorized to be on the forefront of understanding multiverse travel and incursions at this point (at least four years after The Fantastic Four: First Steps).
Ant-Man (Scott Lang)
Scott appears in the wide shot inside Avengers Tower and gets one personal moment, a close-up of him kissing his daughter, Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton), on the forehead.
It's a brief beat, but it served a larger purpose: it confirmed Cassie's presence in the film, which had not been announced prior to CinemaCon.
Bucky Barnes
Bucky shows up in two wide group shots: once in the Avengers Tower assembly among The New Avengerz squad and once behind Ben Grimm during the M'Baku handshake. He has no individual moments, but don't count out Sebastian Stan from having another important role 15 years into his MCU career.
Falcon (Joaquin Torres)
Joaquin Torres similarly appears in two wide shots in the Avengers Tower assembly on the side of Sam's New Avengers and is briefly visible behind the Thing. He's also behind Sam when Reed restricts Cap at the X-Mansion.
Thunderbolts* (John Walker, Red Guardian, Ava Starr)
The Thunderbolts/New Avengerz appear as a collective in the same Avengers Tower wide shot, lined up on the opposite side of the room from Sam's group.
John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Red Guardian (David Harbour), Ava Starr (Hannah John-Kamen), Yelena, and Bucky make up the visible roster. Notably absent is Lewis Pullman's Bob, aka Sentry, whose exclusion is interesting, especially considering how powerful the character is.
M’Baku
M'Baku (Winston Duke) is shown in a few shots, one time shaking Ben Grimm's hand and another with Shuri near Namor's throne. As the King of Wakanda, don't think these brief moments mean M'Baku won't be a major part of this film.
Cassie Lang
Cassie's appearance in the trailer was one of the quieter moments, with her dad Scott kissing her on the forehead.
Cassie previously appeared in Avengers: Endgame (played by Emma Fuhrmann), having aged up five years after Scott was trapped in the Quantum Realm following the events of Infinity War and Ant-Man and the Wasp.
BONUS: New Avengers
Sam's New Avengers, one of many teams fighting Doom, are shown together in the wide shot inside Avengers Tower, representing the more traditional hero faction of the film's sprawling ensemble.
The group includes Sam, Joaquin Torres, Scott Lang, and Thor, gathered beneath the team's new logo, with the Fantastic Four standing at the center of the room.
