Sci-Fi Bulletin: Exploring the Universes of SF, Fantasy, Horror and Spy-fi!

Whether we want to or not, the long (long) on ramp to Avengers: Doomsday is upon us. We’ve now had four trailers for it, each one focusing on a set of characters and each one giving us almost no concept of what the movie will actually be about. But we do know some things, and suspect others. So Alasdair Stuart takes a look to what we can make sense of.

1. Steve Rogers

The shortest, first teaser brings Steve Rogers back. We see Steve pull up on a motorbike, we see him look at his Captain America costume and we see him look adoringly at what we presume is his child. That’s what we know.

What we suspect is that that this is Steve’s baby and Peggy is the mum. Given what we see in one (maybe two) of the other trailers, the kids seem to be central to Doomsday.

Where things get interesting is in the absences. Where’s Peggy? When does this moment take place? The second seems likely to be some point in the MCU’s past, given Steve looks young. The first? Well, there is this:

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/loki-episode-1-peggy-carter-b1863112.html

Is that Peggy in the TVA in Loki? We have no idea, and the last couple of years have dented a lot of people’s faith that the MCU is as well structured as it’s previously been presented. But if it is? Even with the Kang pivot that’s had to take place, this would explain where Peggy is and instantly give Steve a reason to come back.

2. Thor

The second Chris to return is Thor, and the tone of this trailer couldn’t be more different. Where the Steve trailer is gentle, nurturing and loving, this feels bleak to the point of tragedy. Thor, on his knees, praying. Here’s the transcript:

‘Father.

All my life, I have answered the calls of honour, duty, and combat.

But destiny has offered me something I had never hoped for.

A child. A life preserved from the storm.

Grant me the strength of the fathers of all things so that I may fight once more.

Defeat a new enemy and return to her.

Not as a warrior, but as a protector.

They do not know war, but tranquillity.

The one I have never known.

I beg you, father, hear my prayer.’

Again, we have an original Avenger focusing on their child, the adoptive daughter we meet in Thor: Love and Thunder. But this feels further along in the story than Steve’s trailer, and the stakes feel higher.

Where things get interesting is in the fan speculation about just where this beat falls. Some folks are theorising that it takes place before the big final fight in the movie, with several Avengers already down and Thor praying to his father for power that may ultimately destroy him.

It gets even more interesting when we hear from Thor himself. Hemsworth released a very interesting statement last year that read, at first, like a goodbye. He’s since clarified (or perhaps, obfuscated) the issue:

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/chris-hemsworth-talks-thor-extraction-1236337948/

but this feels like a massive moment for the character, one that could be a prelude to a sign-off or the ‘next chapter’ Hemsworth refers to. After all, Thor does tend to become king every now and then…

3. The X-Men

The weirdest, and most controversial, of the trailers to date. The X-Mansion lies in ruins, a long-haired Magneto plays chess with Charles Xavier for the last time and seemingly outside in the ruins, Cyclops screams and tears his visor off as Sentinels walk through the ruins.

The vibe here feels even further along than the Thor trailer. But it also feels like the end of the Fox X-Men’s story. Years have clearly passed given Magneto’s hair, and the costume changes. This is the end of the line for these characters, and while some folks (me, I’m some folks) are enormously frustrated that they seem to be being fed into the angst mill here, that’s where we are.

Where this one gets interesting is also where it gets confounding. If this is the end of the Fox X-Men movies, then where does it fit in relation to (Old Man) Logan and Deadpool & Wolverine? Who’s killing the world here? Who’ll survive? Is this part of the movie or, as the Steve scene seems to be, prior to it?

4. The Wakandans & The Fantastic Four

The last trailer, to date, is the most conventional. It also feels, like the Thor trailer, like it could plausibly be part of the movie, albeit with an added voiceover. We see Shuri as Black Panther, alongside M’Baku, greeting a newly arrived Ben Grimm.

The relatively pedestrian nature of this one is what makes it so unusual. This feels like a direct continuation of Wakanda Forever, given the fact M’Baku is now King and Shuri is still Black Panther, and mourning the near total loss of her family. It also seems to tie into the Thunderbolts* teaser, given that rocket is, presumably, what Ben landed in.

But again, the absences are where things are interesting. Some fans have speculated that there’s a lot of digital elements missing from Ben’s scenes and that would explain where his ride is and why he seems to be alone. There’s also the issue of just where they are. Presumably Wakanda, but if they are, and if as speculated this is where the FF rocket lands, then the Fantastic Four teaming up with the two most advanced cultures on MCU Earth is going to be a lot of fun.

Now for the wild speculation!

Children

Steve and Peggy’s baby. Thor’s adoptive daughter. Xavier and Magneto’s students. Presumably T’Challa’s child. Franklin Richards way back from the Fantastic Four: First Steps trailer. Is Doom looking for children? And more interesting still, is Doom looking for children who perhaps wouldn’t exist without time travel or the impact of cosmic events like the Snap?

Other Trailers

There’s a near certainty that the first actual trailer for Doomsday is going to debut at the Superbowl. The countdown trailer that each of these teasers finishes with seems, if you do the maths right, to finish either on release day for the film or for the Superbowl. But the maths can be done a lot of different ways…

The Korea Rating Board caused some consternation when they released ratings for three (!) more trailers, but there’s growing suspicion this is international versions of the teasers we’ve already seen.

Finally, if we somehow don’t get a trailer for the Superbowl, one on either The Mandalorian & Grogu or Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a certainty.

Doomsday Clock

Each trailer finishes with a countdown and there are several competing ideas to what it means. The most obvious one is that the countdown is either to the first full trailer or to the release of the movie but you can make numbers do some amazing things. Aside from the trailer release dates, the other suspicions about what the doomsday clock means are  tied to a comment from directors, the Russo brothers who said: “What you’ve been watching for the last four weeks… are not teasers. Or trailers. They are stories. They are clues… Pay attention.”

I’ve seen some folks speculate that what we’re seeing are flashes not of our MCU but of the fall of another world. The loss of that Steve Rogers, Thor and X-Men, the doomed arrival of the Fantastic Four. It’s an interesting idea, and one that has merit.

The interesting one though, is that these countdowns are more important for where they start than where they end. Looked at a certain way, the maths for these points to pivotal moments in Avengers: Endgame. I’d encourage you to read the post in full because right or wrong it’s interesting. But here’s the really fun part:

The Steve Rogers’ teaser’s timestamp decodes down to the moment where the Ancient One warns Bruce about creating a branched realty.

The Thor teaser’s timestamp decodes to the moment where Loki escapes after the Battle of New York

The X-Men teaser is the weakest, decoding to the moment where Thor has a panic attack and starts crying. The theory, and this is a Reach, is this is part of the payoff to the flash forward in Deadpool & Wolverine where Thor is crying.

The Wakanda/Fantastic Four timestamp decodes to the explanation of the Time Heist and its trial runs.

All of them focused on time travel, and all of them orbiting that odd line Tony has in Endgame. ‘When you mess with time, time has a way of messing back.’

Did Tony know Doom was coming? (retconned obviously, and unfortunately) and did Doctor Strange? Is the price of beating Thanos the arrival of Doom?#

I have no idea how much of this is going to pan out but, despite my multiverse fatigue, honestly, I’m enjoying the journey and admiring the dedication of the folks leading us on it. Let’s see where it all goes.