AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY Concept Art Has Fans Divided as Kevin Feige Calls the Cast a "Dream"
Marvel Studios finally gave fans their first official look at Avengers: Doomsday, and the response has been exactly what you'd expect from one of the biggest superhero movies ever made.
The newly released concept art features The Avengers, X-Men, the Fantastic Four, and Doctor Doom, but while plenty of fans are excited by what's on the poster, an equally loud group is focused on who's missing.
The reveal has sparked a flood of discussion across social media, with fans questioning why so many major Marvel heroes appear to be absent.
Marvel obviously isn't going to reveal every surprise this far ahead of release, but between last year's famous chair reveal and this new artwork, it's looking increasingly likely that these characters represent the core lineup for Avengers: Doomsday.
That has left fans wondering where several of the MCU's biggest names are hiding. The biggest omissions being pointed out include Hulk, Spider-Man, and Wolverine.
On the mutant side, characters like Storm and Jean Grey are nowhere to be seen, while Sam Wilson's Avengers roster also appears surprisingly thin.
Then there are heroes introduced during the Multiverse Saga who seemed destined for much bigger roles. America Chavez, whose ability to travel between realities feels tailor-made for a multiverse story, doesn't appear to have any role in the film at all.
Considering how much Phase 4 expanded the Marvel Cinematic Universe by introducing characters like the Eternals, Hercules, Moon Knight, and She-Hulk, it was probably inevitable that not everyone would make the cut. Still, that hasn't stopped fans from voicing their disappointment.
At the same time, Kevin Feige is looking at this lineup from a very different perspective. Speaking to fans during a recent appearance in Shanghai, Feige explained that the heart of Avengers: Doomsday isn't about including every Marvel character. It's about putting together combinations of heroes that audiences never expected to see sharing the screen.
"That’s what Marvel's all about: assembling heroes that might not get along and forcing them to do what's best for the world. Seeing the X-Men and the Avengers and the New Avengers and the Fantastic Four together is a dream I never thought would come true."
He also looked ahead to what's coming after Doomsday, teasing an even bigger future for mutants in the MCU.
"I can't wait for all of you to see Avengers: Doomsday. We have a movie after that called Avengers: Secret Wars, and after that, the mutants are coming, and the X-Men are coming, and that's been a dream of mine. I started with the X-Men many, many years ago, and to bring a new version into the MCU is going to be very exciting."
Even with Feige's enthusiasm, Marvel still has an interesting challenge ahead. While seeing Doctor Doom, the Fantastic Four, the Avengers, and the X-Men united in one movie is undeniably exciting, many of the featured heroes come from Multiverse Saga projects that didn't connect with audiences as strongly as Marvel had hoped, either critically or at the box office.
The X-Men also bring a welcome dose of nostalgia, but even that lineup raises questions. Of the seven mutant characters featured in the artwork, two are villains, while two others have only appeared in a single X-Men or Deadpool movie.
That leaves Marvel with the task of convincing audiences that this particular team is the one worth rallying behind, especially with fan favorites like Spider-Man, Hulk, Wolverine, Storm, Jean Grey, and several others seemingly sitting this battle out... at least for now.
Of course, Marvel has built its reputation on surprises, so it's entirely possible that plenty of familiar faces are being kept under wraps until the movie hits theaters. If that's the plan, the studio is certainly succeeding at getting fans talking.
In Avengers: Doomsday, beloved heroes from three distinct universes will be set on a deadly collision course and face an existential threat unlike anything they've ever encountered.
Joe and Anthony Russo return to direct both Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars from a screenplay by Stephen McFeely, reuniting the creative team behind some of Marvel's biggest hits.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to hit theaters on December 18.