Avengers: Doomsday might describe the triumphant return of Steve Rogers as a "miracle," but some Marvel fans believe there's more going on than meets the eye.
Yesterday's Avengers: Doomsday trailer was a solemn affair, as it showed the Avengers, New Avengers, and X-Men uniting to take down the seemingly unstoppable threat of Doctor Doom. A fully-powered Thor couldn't make a dent in Robert Downey Jr.'s character, leading him to declare that a miracle was needed… prompting the arrival of former Captain America Steve Rogers.
Of course, audiences have known for months that Chris Evans returns in Doomsday, and in a previous teaser we saw Cap in his house from the finale of Endgame, now holding a baby. But some fans think this new, bearded Steve Rogers in yesterday's trailer is not the same incarnation at all — but a chance for Evans to flex his muscles as an alternate universe Hydra Cap.
There's certainly a marked difference in the look of Evans here to the first Avengers teaser, not that the assembled Avengers would know any different. A shock reveal of Cap being evil would also be a good tactic to stun audiences, who will not share the Avengers' surprise by Evans' return, nor the shock at the reveal of Doom being Downey Jr.
Imagine seeing the scene with Steve Rogers holding his baby at the start of the film, only for his next appearance later on to be a different incarnation working undercover for Doom. It'd be a cool surprise, sold to the audiences (and the Avengers themselves) by the fact that Rogers can still wield Mjolnir.
But he has to be good — he's wielding the hammer! This is a fair reaction, and yet fans are now debating this too. In the comics, Hydra Cap did wield a modified version of Mjolnir, and it's believable that Doom could have manipulated the spell to allow Hydra Cap to fool the others.
Captain Hydra in 'AVENGERS DOOMSDAY'
-Long-haired Steve Rogers isn't our Steve he's Hydra Cap.
-Hydra could be working with Doom.
-Thor looks genuinely shocked when Steve appears.
In the comics, Hydra Cap even "lifted" Mjolnir through deception.
Short-haired Steve is the… pic.twitter.com/E8ZxUV4ddV
— Marvel Mania (@Sksj002) July 20, 2026
Also, that is definitely Hydra Cap.
— Comics Explained (@comicsexplained) July 20, 2026
Thor – "it really is you Steve"
Hydra Steve – "yeah bro, give me Mjölner and lets go defeat Doom" pic.twitter.com/oXsrHKfg2g
— Nue (@Nuecents37) July 20, 2026
Whether this really is an evil, Hydra-aligned Steve Rogers remains to be seen, though if it is, it'll be interesting to see where this alternate version has come from. Is he from another corner of the multiverse? Or is he the actual Steve Rogers we know and love, corrupted by Doom's magic? In the Marvel comics, Red Skull rewrote Rogers' history to make him a follower of Hydra's ideology. The storyline led to an epic showdown between good and bad versions of the character, something that would be cool to see on screen before Evans departs the role (again) for good.
Speaking of Doom, we also have a new Avengers: Doomsday poster that teases Doctor Doom's motivation in the story.
Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters December 18, 2026. Here's the official synopsis:
"Universes collide and the Multiverse Saga begins its final chapter in Marvel Studios' Avengers: Doomsday," the movie's newly-revealed description reads. "Beloved heroes from three distinct universes will be set on a deadly collision course and ultimately face an existential threat unlike anything they've ever encountered. This epic film will lay the foundation for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe."
Image credit: YouTube.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
