The Steve Rogers teaser for Marvel Studios' Avengers: Doomsday teases a major development for Chris Evans in his MCU return. Marvel is embarking on its long-awaited promotional tour for Doomsday, setting the stage for the MCU's biggest movie efforts in nearly two decades in theaters. While Evans' involvement with the movie was not official for a long time, things are changing rapidly.
Marvel Studios released the first of four reported trailers for Avengers: Doomsday, alongside the release of Disney's Avatar: Fire and Ash, which can currently only be seen in theaters. The trailer centered exclusively on Chris Evans' return to the MCU as Steve Rogers.
The trailer showed Steve Rogers walking into the same house fans saw him residing in during the final moments of Avengers: Endgame, where he had his dance with Peggy Carter. After opening a drawer and looking at his old costume, the camera moved and showed him holding his new baby, confirming he is a father. More notably, the trailer concluded with a message reading, "Steve Rogers will return for Avengers: Doomsday."
This message reconfirms that Steve is no longer Captain America in the MCU - a mantle that he passed on to Sam Wilson at the end of Avengers: Endgame. This is further confirmed by the fact that 2025's Captain America: Brave New World ended with a message reading, "Captain America will return in Avengers: Doomsday" after the post-credits scene rather than using Sam Wilson's name.
Following reports teasing Evans' return to the MCU in December 2024, rumors indicated that he would not be playing Captain America again. One specific rumor noted his evolution into the MCU's Nomad, a moniker that had been teased for Evans' Steve Rogers as far back as 2018's Avengers: Infinity War. In that movie, he had relinquished the Captain America mantle after the events of Captain America: Civil War, leading his team of Avengers as fugitives from the law.
Avengers: Doomsday will be Marvel Studios' fifth Avengers movie and the third film released in the MCU's Phase 6 slate. Along with Evans, 27 actors have been confirmed for this movie's cast, which will feature Doctor Doom putting the multiverse in jeopardy as the Avengers, X-Men, and Fantastic Four fight to stop him. Avengers: Doomsday will debut in theaters on December 18, 2026.
Who Is Nomad in Marvel Comics?
In Marvel Comics, Steve Rogers abandons the Captain America costume and title in December 1974's Captain America #180, adopting the alternate identity of Nomad. He becomes disillusioned with the government's actions and feels he can no longer serve his country the way he previously did, with his faith in America destroyed.
That issue shows a high-ranking government official secretly operating as the leader of a terrorist organization known as the Secret Empire. After an encounter with Hawkeye, he realizes he cannot abandon his heroic duties altogether. So, he develops the Nomad persona, one with no symbols or affiliations to anyone, allowing him to protect the world.
While Chris Evans' Steve Rogers is expected to take a similar route in Doomsday, his motivations for this move are still being kept under wraps. If he is anything close to a father to what he is as an Avenger, protecting his new child and Hayley Atwell's Peggy Carter are unquestionably going to be his top priority, as was the case with Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark in Avengers: Endgame.
The real question is what brings Evans and countless other heroes back into battle against Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom, whose undisclosed plans will put the Multiverse in danger of collapsing. Rumors suggested that Steve may have been a contributing factor to that collapse, making his role in the film even more intriguing.
Richard Nebens joined The Direct in March 2020, now serving as the site's Senior Writer and also working as an assistant editor and content creator. He started his journalism career as a hobby in 2019 and is passionate about sharing news and stories from the entertainment industry, especially comic book movies, comedy, and sci-fi. Richard looks to expand his knowledge about movies and TV every day, and he is eager to stay locked into the latest releases and breaking news at every opportunity.
