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Marvel may have digitally hidden a hero in Avengers: Doomsday trailer
Developed over time first seen 4 months ago
A new trailer for Avengers: Doomsday has fuelled fan speculation that Marvel Studios digitally edited a major character out of a key scene depicting Sam Wilson's new Avengers lineup. The trailer confirmed previously teased details, including Robert Downey Jr. voicing Doctor Doom, but a scene showing Thor addressing three separate hero factions revealed Wilson's "Avengers" as consisting of just himself and Ant-Man, with a conspicuous empty space in the frame fuelling theories of a hidden cameo.
Marvel has form for this kind of edit, having previously removed Spider-Man from Captain America: Civil War marketing and alternate Spider-Man versions from No Way Home trailers, lending credibility to the speculation. Candidates floated to fill the gap included Shang-Chi, Hulk, Spider-Man and Wasp, played by Evangeline Lilly, who has been absent from acting since 2024 but hinted at a possible return via a cryptic Instagram reply. No confirmation emerged either way, leaving open the possibility that the sparse lineup simply reflects Sam Wilson's underwhelming reception as Captain America. Avengers: Doomsday is set for release in cinemas on 18 December.
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In short
- New trailer shows Sam Wilson's Avengers team as just two members
- Empty frame space sparks theories of an edited-out hero cameo
- Evangeline Lilly's Wasp among names speculated to fill the gap
How this story developed
- 4 months ago A newly released trailer for Avengers: Doomsday has sparked fan speculation that Marvel Studios digitally removed a character from a scene depicting Sam Wilson's Avengers lineup, with the footage confirming Robert Downey Jr. as the voice of Doctor Doom while leaving a suspicious gap beside Wilson and Ant-Man that fans suspect was left by an edited-out figure such as Shang-Chi, Hulk, Spider-Man or Evangeline Lilly's Wasp, ahead of the film's cinema release on 18 December.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Marvel Studios has established clear precedent for digitally removing characters from promotional materials when planning surprise reveals, notably with Spider-Man's removal from Civil War marketing and alternate Spider-Man versions in No Way Home trailers. The unusually empty space visible in the Doomsday trailer, combined with cast members' cryptic hints about potential returns, aligns with this proven strategy and suggests intentional concealment designed to preserve plot surprises for audiences.
The case against
The empty space in the trailer frame most plausibly reflects Sam Wilson's actual team composition as established in the narrative, rather than evidence of hidden editing. Without official confirmation, attributing ordinary cinematic choices to deliberate concealment risks confusing pattern-matching for evidence, and the smaller team size may be entirely intentional storytelling reflecting Wilson's character arc and standing within the MCU.
Explained simply
Marvel is releasing Avengers: Doomsday later this year, the next big instalment in its long-running superhero film franchise. Directed by the Russo brothers, it brings together numerous characters from across the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including Robert Downey Jr. returning to the series in a new role as the villain Doctor Doom. Sam Wilson, who took over as Captain America from Steve Rogers, leads his own team of Avengers in the story.
A newly released trailer has drawn attention because of who appears to be missing from it. A scene shows Wilson's team lined up alongside other hero groups, but his roster looks unusually small, with what fans believe is a gap in the frame suggesting a character has been digitally removed for secrecy. Marvel has a history of doing this in past trailers, deleting or altering characters to avoid spoiling surprise appearances before release.
This matters to fans because Marvel films are known for closely guarded surprise cameos, and speculation over hidden or altered footage has become a regular part of how audiences engage with the studio's marketing. Several actors and characters have been suggested as possible candidates for the concealed role, though nothing has been officially confirmed. Avengers: Doomsday is scheduled to open in cinemas on 18 December.
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Originally published by Polygon as “Marvel’s new Avengers: Doomsday trailer could be hiding a huge superhero cameo”.