While the latest Avengers: Doomsday teaser gives Doctor Doom a platform to criticize the MCU's heroes, one seems to be getting off scot-free. The new look at Doomsday, revealed during Marvel Studios' D23 panel, focuses on offering insight into Doom's psyche. Sue Storm reveals that he's broken after suffering a great loss and that he used to be kind and caring.
Reed Richards also spends a fair amount of time scolding Doom, making it clear that the leader of the Fantastic Four expected more from his old friend. But Robert Downey Jr.'s character doesn't just take all the verbal jabs lying down. No, he explains exactly what issues he has with Earth's Mightiest Heroes, namely that they have "lived stolen lives".
As Doom reveals this, the Doomsday teaser shows shots of various characters, including Steve Rogers, who traveled back in time to get a second chance with Peggy Carter, and Loki, who escaped death by stealing the Tesseract and landing on the TVA's radar. However, Doomsday doesn't feature every MCU hero living a "stolen" life.
Clearly, the events of Avengers: Endgame will factor into Doomsday, since that's the movie that saw Steve and Loki end up where they didn't belong. They weren't the only two characters to walk down that road, though. Following Tony Stark's funeral, the Guardians of the Galaxy set off to search for Gamora. But it wasn't the Gamora they knew and loved.
Of course, in Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos sacrificed his favorite daughter for the Soul Stone, leaving the Guardians devastated. Peter Quill thought a miracle had happened when he returned from being dust in Endgame and crossed paths with Gamora on the battlefield. He later learned the warrior standing before him was a variant from the 2014 timeline that Thanos and his army also hailed from.
When Tony snapped his fingers and wiped out the Mad Titan and his forces, he left Gamora intact. She didn't stick around to exchange pleasantries, though, taking off into space and linking up with the Ravagers. Peter and Gamora met again in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, an emotional affair that forced them to accept they didn't have a future together.
Gamora hasn't appeared in the MCU since the final moments of Vol. 3. The tag of the movie confirmed that Star-Lord would return but said nothing about his friends. Well, it seems that Doom's criteria for his enemies in Doomsday fit Gamora to a T, as she's taken the place of her Sacred Timeline variant.
As it stands, Gamora has no role in Doomsday. Zoe Saldaña didn't get a chair in the big cast reveal. And while Marvel Studios always has surprises up its sleeve, it feels like Doomsday has already surpassed its superhero quota. Fortunately, the 2026 film won't be the last opportunity for Gamora to answer for her transgressions.
Avengers: Secret Wars Could Be The Guardians Of The Galaxy's Time To Shine
Avengers: Doomsday is a who's who of the Marvel Multiverse. The Avengers, X-Men, and Fantastic Four are all major parts of the narrative, coming together to keep the universe alive and thriving. There are even rumors of Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man showing up, along with cameos from Deadpool and Wolverine. It feels like Marvel Studios is emptying the clip with its latest team-up movie.
What's easy to forget is that there's an even bigger film coming down the pike. Doomsday will set the stage for Avengers: Secret Wars, a project that shares a name with Marvel Comics' most significant event. In Jonathan Hickman's story, Doctor Doom gained immeasurable power and used it to create Battleworld, a reality of his design where all of the multiverse's heroes were his subjects.
If Secret Wars follows in its comic book counterpart's footsteps, it will likely focus on the good guys trying to make their way off Battleworld. But Marvel Studios surely won't be able to resist tossing in additional cameos from characters who didn't make the cut for Doomsday before Battleworld is no more.
MCU mainstays such as Doctor Strange and Captain Marvel may be first in line, since they're not only incredibly powerful but also relevant to the Multiverse Saga as a whole. Once they get their moment in the sun, the powers that be would be wise to turn their attention to Gamora and the Guardians.
Vol. 3 served as a perfect swan song for the team's original members. However, going out on their own terms doesn't absolve them of their crimes. They, like many others, benefited from messing with reality, getting one more chance to say goodbye to someone who meant so much to them.
The Guardians' role in upsetting the natural balance can't be swept under the rug, especially if there are plans to bring them back in some form or fashion after Secret Wars. The bill is coming due in the MCU, and they owe as much as anyone else.
