Marvel Studios has officially unveiled the twelve superhero factions set to clash against the formidable Victor Von Doom (Robert Downey Jr.) in Avengers: Doomsday. Throughout the entirety of the Multiverse Saga, fans have yet to witness a true large-scale Avengers assembly, but that long wait is nearly over. When the film arrives in theaters on December 18, every alliance and team lineup will finally be brought to light.
In a timely Easter Sunday celebration, Robert Downey Jr. took to Instagram to share official Doctor Doom artwork from Avengers: Doomsday, and it's as loaded with meaning as it is festive.
The art depicts the iconic villain looming over a woven Easter basket, filled with eggs each bearing the symbol of a different MCU hero, and as it turns out, those eggs may be doing more than just marking the hoppy-day.
Each one could represent a separate team set to go up against Doom in the film, and while some of these heroes and factions will likely forge alliances, potentially culminating in one massive, all-out battle, for now, the image gives fans a look at how the roster could be divided.
A couple of surprises were included too, most notably a Spider-Man egg that instantly sent the internet into a frenzy over which Spider-Man it's referring to.
And while many of these characters have already been confirmed since the now-legendary chair cast announcement, this Easter drop paints a picture of how they'll all be splintered across the story.
The Teams of Avengers: Doomsday
The Fantastic Four
Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn), and Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) are at the very center of this conflict, and it may be more personal for them than anyone else.
The team will somehow be transported from their own universe to Earth-616, and the reason Doctor Doom may have set his sights on them goes beyond a grudge: Franklin Richards.
It's even possible that by the time Doomsday is fully underway, Doom already has Franklin in his possession, raising the emotional and narrative stakes to an entirely different level. Based on the final teaser from this past year, expect the Fantastic Four and Wakanda to be quick allies.
The X-Men
The X-Men egg is arguably the most exciting wild card of the entire basket, as mutantkind's role in Doomsday remains a mystery.
It's most L17ely that this version of the team hails from the same universe glimpsed at the end of The Marvels, where a CGI version of Kelsey Grammer's Beast made a cameo.
How they get pulled into the conflict with Doom is anyone's guess, but their sheer power level, depending on which mutants show up, could make them one of the most formidable forces on the board. Fans have been waiting years for the X-Men to truly arrive in the MCU, and this seems to be that moment.
Spider-Man
No egg sent the internet into more of a spiral than the Spider-Man one, and for good reason; the symbol alone doesn't tell us which Spider-Man is suiting up for this fight.
Tom Holland's (Peter Parker) involvement is the most straightforward possibility, perhaps set up through a post-credits scene that ties directly into the events of Doomsday, though the exact circumstances of why he'd be thrown into a multiversal conflict of this scale remain unclear.
On the other hand, the design of the egg has fueled speculation that this could be Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker making another return, which has also been the subject of many rumors.
Captain America (Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson)
This egg is doing double duty, as both Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) are confirmed to carry the legacy of Captain America into Doomsday.
The fascinating wrinkle with Steve's return is that he may not actually be suiting up as Captain America this time around, instead stepping back into the story simply as Steve Rogers.
Sam, on the other hand, is very much Captain America in the fullest sense, and he's expected to be leading his own organized team of Avengers heading into this fight. That roster is all but guaranteed to include Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez) as Falcon, and likely pulls in a few other heroes along the way.
Loki
Loki (Tom Hiddleston) showing up in Avengers: Doomsday raises more questions than almost any other confirmed presence, purely because of where we last left him.
At the end of his own series, Loki sacrificed himself to hold the multiverse together, taking his place on the throne at the end of time and space, essentially becoming the backbone of all of existence.
For him to re-enter the fight, something catastrophic would have to pull him away from that post, maybe even setting up a Loki Season 3.
Thor
Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is set to play a significant role in Doomsday, and his motivation is about as personal as it gets. He needs to save Love (India Rose Hemsworth), the girl he adopted at the end of Thor: Love and Thunder.
As one of the most powerful beings in the MCU, Thor will undeniably be a massive asset in any confrontation with Doom, but it seems like he could be riding solo for some (if not most) of the movie.
Shang-Chi
Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) remains one of the more loosely defined pieces of this Doomsday Easter Egg puzzle. What seems most likely is that he will be part of Sam's other new Avengers team, having already been recruited in the post-credits scene of his solo movie.
Also, having Ant-Man as an also feels plausible, given that the both might be joined together by Cap's new team. Shang-Chi's connection to the Ten Rings and their mysterious, possibly otherworldly origins could also play a role if the film digs into the deeper mythology that Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings set up.
Black Panther
The Black Panther egg represents far more than just one hero; it translates to the full force of Wakanda, with Shuri (Letitia Wright) expected to have a big role in the movie. Beyond Shuri, M'Baku (Winston Duke), the new King of Wakanda, is joining the fight.
Their team-up with The Fantastic Four seems to be a jumping off point for the film, instantly combining different pieces of Marvel's widespread multiverse.
Namor
Tenoch Huerta's Namor is back in Avengers: Doomsday, and he won't be resurfacing alone. Mabel Cadena's Namora is back by his side, signaling that Talokan is mobilizing as a nation, not just sending their king.
A team-up with Wakanda feels like the most natural alliance on the board, as Wakanda Forever laid the groundwork for a tense but functional relationship between the two nations.
Ant-Man
Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) appears to be flying solo for this one, with no indication that Hope Van Dyne's Wasp (Evangeline Lilly) will be suiting up alongside him for the fight against Doom.
The most likely landing spot for Ant-Man is within Sam's Avengers team, where his ability to manipulate size and his Quantum Realm expertise should give the character several memorable moments.
Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) hasn't been officially confirmed by the studio, but his absence from this story would be genuinely difficult to justify.
At the end of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Strange and Clea (Charlize Theron) stepped through a portal and out into the Multiverse itself, on a mission to stop and repair incursions tearing reality apart.
Incursions are almost certain to be a main part of Avengers: Doomsday, which would place Strange squarely in the middle of everything unfolding.
The New Avengers*
The Thunderbolts (now The New Avengers) are back, and Marvel has already given fans a taste of what's coming.
The post-credits scene from Thunderbolts* was directed by the Russo Brothers themselves, making it essentially a direct prologue to Doomsday and might even be a scene from the final movie.
Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Bob / Sentry (Lewis Pullman), and the rest of the squad may quickly align with the Fantastic Four and the Wakandans based on what audiences have seen thus far.
