The first Avengers: Doomsday trailer hit the internet yesterday. It is packed with heroes. There are surprises. We get an extended look at Dr. Doom. It looks cool. But it is missing a big chunk of what made the MCU what it is: outer space.
Think about it. Since Avengers kicked off the Infinity Stone saga, the franchise has been sci-fi heavy. Guardians of the Galaxy took us to the stars. Captain Marvel brought cosmic powers home. Then there was the entire Thanos arc, which was all about balance across galaxies. Films took place in vacuum. Exposition happened inside ship hulls. We saw alien heroes swing around made-up planets and hang out in the skulls of dead space titans. Don’t even get me started on the Eternals mess. The MCU was into space in a major way.
Now? That feels like it’s ending.
Earthbound Focus Replaces Cosmic Scope
This trailer is strictly Earth-based. Sure, superhero comics always dabble in sci-fi, but the focus is clearly gone. We aren’t looking at a bigger universe. We’re staying put. The trailer opens with the Fantastic Four stepping out of a spaceship—probably an unintentional visual metaphor for Marvel abandoning the cosmos—but that’s about it. Otherwise, we’re on the ground.
No alien heroes appear on screen. Well, except for Thor. And our main villain is earthbound. Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom might come from a different multiverse, but he’s not running around in deep space here.
So why pull back from the stars?
There are logical reasons. The X-Men are here. They are all Earth-based characters. There is plenty of terrestrial drama to explore without needing rocket ships. Plus, when you have time travel, quantum realms, and the multiverse expanding the narrative scope, space travel becomes less necessary. You can warp reality without leaving your living room.
To be fair, time travel and the multiverse are sci-fi. They just aren’t space. It’s a different vibe. It’s less vast. Less lonely. Less expensive to shoot.
Is the MCU Leaving Space Behind?
We know from casting announcements that some of those space-based heroes are returning. But the trailer hammers home one thing: space is no longer the focal point. The MCU started pulling back from the cosmos after Thanos fell. This new footage just drives the final nail into that coffin.
Marvel is a master of misdirection. They do fake-outs all the time. The trailer could be lying to you. Anything could change before the film finally hits theaters. But for now? It doesn’t look like Marvel cares much about the “universe” part of the MCU anymore.
The stars are quiet. And for the first time in a decade, that feels intentional.
