Marvel Studios is using Thor in a way never done before, and for the first time in 14 years, the studio is breaking a tradition deeply tied to the character for Avengers: Doomsday. Chris Hemsworth's Thor is one of the most important characters in MCU history. He is the only hero in the entire franchise to have four solo films and has appeared in every single Avengers flick. Thor will return in Avengers: Doomsday on December 18, as confirmed by Marvel Studios, but there have already been changes to how he is being presented.
A full-length trailer for Avengers: Doomsday was technically released already, just not publicly. Those who attended CinemaCon 2026 saw the special full trailer for Doomsday, but the general public still hasn't had the opportunity to watch it. However, those in attendance at CinemaCon described the footage in great detail, and one thing is clear: for the first time in MCU history, Thor is the main focus of the main trailer for an Avengers film.
Given all the descriptions of Doomsday's main trailer, Hemsworth's Thor is the clear central character. For example, Thor is featured in multiple shots, each presenting him as the main focus.
It is also clear that Thor was made the central character of the Doomsday trailer because he has a voiceover that lasts nearly the entire runtime of the footage. Specifically, he is giving a speech (apparently to the other Avengers) to rally them. For reference, Thor's speech can be read below:
"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."
It is also worth noting that Thor was showcased during the trailer's biggest action sequence. Near the end of the footage, Thor could be seen with Stormbreaker in hand, jumping toward Doctor Doom. He was seemingly trying to land a heavy blow on Doom, as he did with Thanos in Infinity War. But Doom stopped Stormbreaker with just two fingers, proving just how powerful the movie's main antagonist will be.
After Thor's speech ends, he also gets a line of dialogue in which he expresses surprise to see Chris Evans' Steve Rogers. Therefore, Thor is the clear focus of the main Avengers: Doomsday trailer. He has the most screen time, speaks throughout almost the entire footage, and is in the trailer's biggest moments.
This breaks a 14-year Marvel Studios streak when it comes to Thor. This Doomsday trailer marks the first time that Thor has been treated as the central character in an Avengers movie's main trailer. For the most part, the Avengers trailers have split the focus among the different heroes or have featured characters like Iron Man (in Avengers: Endgame's case) a bit more than others.
However, Thor is front and center in this Doomsday trailer, which makes sense given that Marvel continued Thor's story after Avengers: Endgame, making him the most prominent member of the original Avengers team who has never taken a break from the MCU.
How Doomsday's Trailer Is Different From Other Avengers Trailers
Doom's Absence Compared To Past Villains
Avengers films are more like events than they are movies, and one of the most important aspects of an event like an Avengers title is the villain. Those movies have to feature strong and compelling villains, or nothing else in the film will work.
In the past, the Avengers trailers have all spent a lot of time showcasing the movie's main villain. For example, the big trailer for The Avengers heavily featured Loki. The Age of Ultron trailer spent a lot of time showing Ultron and featuring his dialogue. The trailers for Infinity War and Endgame put a lot of focus on Thanos.
Avengers: Doomsday is different. Doctor Doom is the film's primary antagonist, but he doesn't have a strong presence in the trailer. Yes, he appears and has some lines of dialogue, but he isn't featured in the same way past villains were in Avengers trailers.
This could be because Doctor Doom is more recognizable and well-known to general audiences than any villain who has appeared in an Avengers movie before. It is also possible that Marvel wants to save as much of Doom as possible for the actual movie.
Heroes Fighting Each Other
The majority of the Avengers: Doomsday trailer consisted of the superheroes fighting each other. For instance, the trailer itself featured footage from a handful of fights, and nearly all of them featured heroes fighting other heroes.
In the past, Avengers trailers have always been centered around the heroes working together. A good example of this was the main trailer for Endgame, which was entirely focused on the Avengers who weren't snapped away, working together to bring everyone home. Doomsday's main trailer is more like a fan getting their action figures out and having the good guys fight each other.
There is a good reason for this, though. Most of the fights are between heroes who have never met before, so naturally, they would initially think they could be in danger. It also allows fans to see action sequences that don't spoil what will happen in a hero vs. villain fight.
Characters From Other Marvel Franchises
Avengers: Doomsday is doing something the MCU has never done before, so it is going to include a tease of that in its main trailer. For the first time in franchise history, the Fox X-Men characters and actors are going to be featured in an Avengers film.
This is a huge deal because those movies and characters were extremely popular in the 2000s and paved the way for the MCU to be as successful as it is. Some of those X-Men characters, like Cyclops, Professor X, Magneto, and Mystique, were featured in the Avengers: Doomsday trailer. In the past, no characters from other Marvel franchises have appeared in an Avengers movie, so they haven't shown up in any Avengers trailers either.
