Disney accidentally confirmed the validity of the leaked Avengers: Doomsday trailer footage with some recent action. Shortly before the first Doomsday teaser was reportedly scheduled to be released theatrically (attached to James Cameron's Avatar: Fire and Ash), the first look at Marvel's 2026 mega-movie made its way online.
Given the trailer's lack of any official release, fans questioned whether the footage was real; however, Disney's reaction to the leak seems to suggest that it is, in fact, authentic. In the just over 24 hours since the first Avengers: Doomsday trailer was found online, Disney issued sweeping DMCA takedown notices, citing copyrighted material.
This blurry cell phone footage seemed to reveal the return of Chris Evans' Steve Rogers in the upcoming film. The footage, just over a minute long, centered on Evans' former Marvel hero as he lived out his family life post-Endgame. He arrived home, checked on his Captain America costume (which had been carefully folded and stored away), and embraced a small baby, assumed to be his own.
These takedowns suggest that the trailer was real, and Disney/Marvel Studios is ready to take action to stop it from spreading before an official release. The super-powered movie studio has yet to comment publicly on the leaks, and no release timing for the tease's official debut was revealed as of writing.
The DMCA notices have not halted the spread of the Doomsday footage, as the trailer continues to pop up on social media. With three more trailers reportedly part of this initial Doomsday rollout, it would not be surprising if these leaks persist for the next few weeks.
Avengers: Doomsday comes to theaters on December 18, 2026. The latest chapter in Marvel's billion-dollar-making mega-franchise will see Earth's Mightiest Heroes come up against a new reality-hopping threat in the villainous Doctor Doom. The film, directed once again by the Russo Brothers, stars Robert Downey Jr. as its titular villain, alongside classic MCU actors such as Anthony Mackie and Chris Hemsworth. The Avengers will also team up with several other superhero squads, including the Fantastic Four and Fox's classic X-Men heroes.
What Will Disney Do About the Doomsday Leaks?
Leaks are a sad reality of the entertainment industry. This is especially the case when it comes to projects as hotly anticipated as Avengers: Doomsday.
In a world where everyone has a camera sitting in their pocket at all times, there was almost no chance that Marvel's latest teaser was not going to leak. According to reports surrounding the debut of the Doomsday tease, Marvel Studios was planning to keep these initial bits of footage theatrical-exclusive (at least for a time).
Word is that the MCU studio wants to debut a new trailer during each week of Avatar: Fire and Ash's first month in theaters. This, of course, has begun with the Steve Rogers-focused trailer, which picks up his story following his return to Hayley Atwell's Peggy at the end of Avengers: Endgame. The plan will reportedly continue with each new trailer focusing on a different character.
Now that the Steve Rogers trailer is 'out there' in an unofficial capacity, it will be interesting to see what Disney does. There is a chance that these leaks could prompt the studio to release the footage online, providing fans with an official way to watch the trailers without having to visit theaters.
However, there is also the chance that Disney holds the line, playing legal keepaway by issuing these DMCA notices and allowing its presumed theatrical-exclusive release plan to roll out.
It remains unclear what the House of Mouse will do in this regard, and whether it plans to release these first Doomsday trailers online at all. So, fans will have to wait and see whether Disney will debut these bits of new footage online around the time they begin running in theaters.
