Credit: Marvel StudiosDoom is coming. That much is clear. And after Disney’s latest move involving Chris Evans, some fans are starting to wonder if doom isn’t just heading for the Marvel Cinematic Universe on screen—but behind the scenes too. The studio has been unusually quiet, unusually careful, and unusually deliberate in how it’s rolling things out. That silence has only fueled anxiety. Marvel promises a massive collision of timelines, legacies, and consequences, but longtime fans are asking whether the franchise itself is about to feel the impact.
This sense of unease didn’t appear overnight. It’s been building slowly, layered on top of years of big swings, divisive choices, and a fandom that’s grown more cautious than celebratory. With Doomsday looming, excitement and concern now sit side by side—and neither seems willing to back down.
Disney’s High-Stakes Setup for Doomsday
Before Chris Evans even entered the conversation, Disney had already made a bold decision that split the fandom right down the middle. Robert Downey Jr. is returning to the MCU—not as Iron Man, but as its central villain. For some fans, that reveal felt electric. RDJ helped build Marvel from the ground up, and seeing him return in any form felt like a homecoming.
For others, it felt like a creative gamble bordering on desperation. Turning the face of the Infinity Saga into the saga’s next major threat raised questions immediately. Is Marvel honoring its past, or leaning too heavily on it? That tension set the stage for everything that followed, making fans hypersensitive to the next reveal.
So when rumors turned into confirmation that Chris Evans would also return, the conversation exploded.
What We Actually Know About Doomsday So Far
Despite the noise, Disney has been careful about what it’s officially confirmed. Several heroes are locked in, and the Fantastic Four are set to play a major role in the story. Their introduction into the MCU doesn’t end quietly. The film reportedly positions Doom as having a deep, unsettling interest in Sue Storm and in Reed Richards’ son—details that immediately raise the emotional and moral stakes.
This isn’t just another team-up movie. Marvel appears to be building Doomsday as a pivotal moment for the Multiverse Saga, one where personal decisions have catastrophic consequences that ripple outward, affecting the entire universe. That framing matters because it directly ties into the most controversial reveal of all: Steve Rogers is coming back.
The Teaser That Changed Everything
On December 23, 2025, Marvel dropped a short teaser that didn’t feel short on impact. The footage shows Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers walking toward the same quiet house seen at the end of Avengers: Endgame (2019), the place where he finally reunited with Peggy Carter. The moment feels intimate, restrained, and intentional.
Inside, Steve lifts the Captain America uniform, studies it, and then places it into a trunk. He picks up a baby—very likely a baby boy, given the blue nursery and clothing. The scene fades out, replaced with simple text: “Steve Rogers will return in Avengers: Doomsday.”
Marvel also confirmed this is only the first of several teasers planned to roll out during the theatrical run of Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025). The strategy feels calculated, and fans have taken notice.
Why Fans Are So Divided
In short, many fans believe bringing Steve back creates two significant problems. First, Marvel has spent an entire TV series and a feature film establishing Sam Wilson as Captain America—Reintroducing Steve, even briefly, risks overshadowing that journey. Second, Steve’s emotional farewell in Endgame now feels less final, which some fans see as a betrayal of that moment.
These concerns aren’t baseless, but they may be premature. As some have pointed out, fiction lives and dies by execution. A character’s return doesn’t automatically erase what came before. It only does damage if handled carelessly.
Steve Rogers Doesn’t Have to Undermine Sam Wilson
One of the loudest fears is that Steve’s return weakens Sam Wilson’s claim to the shield. But that outcome isn’t inevitable. In fact, Marvel has already laid the groundwork for the opposite. Steve explicitly passed the mantle to Sam and made it clear the shield belonged to him.
If the two reunite, it’s easy to imagine Sam offering the title back—and just as easy to imagine Steve refusing. That refusal would reinforce everything Steve stands for. It would also mirror moments where legacy characters helped new heroes rise, rather than competing with them, as seen in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) or Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018).
Most signs point to Evans playing Steve Rogers—not Captain America. Those aren’t the same thing, and Marvel knows the difference.
Did Steve’s Return Ruin Endgame’s Ending?
Another complaint centers on Steve’s peaceful ending. But even that choice carried unresolved consequences. Steve broke the rules of time travel to stay in the past, and the MCU never explored the fallout. If Doomsday finally addresses that choice, then his return doesn’t undo Endgame—it completes it.
Actions have consequences. If Steve’s decision opened the door for Doom’s involvement in the Multiversal conflict, then helping fix that mess isn’t a retcon. It’s accountability.
Why Marvel Keeps Looking Back
One fan summed up the frustration bluntly: “Because the newer Marvel movies haven’t been making the money they’re accustomed to seeing as ROI, and the folks in charge think it’s the old actors/characters, not having a new compelling, coherent storyline, that will bring all the boys back to the yard.”
That belief may be overly cynical, but it reflects a genuine concern. Marvel is clearly betting that familiarity will stabilize the franchise. Whether that bet pays off depends entirely on how well Doomsday balances nostalgia with narrative purpose.
Waiting for the Verdict
Right now, no one knows what form Steve Rogers’ return will take. It could be a brief cameo, a catalyst for the plot, or something far more permanent. What’s clear is that Marvel is asking fans to trust the process one more time.
Doom is coming—for the characters and for the story they’re telling. And despite the controversy, many fans are still eager to see where Avengers: Doomsday leads next.