Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Mike Redmond | News | July 24, 2026
Despite taking over Hall H at Comic-Con this weekend, Marvel decided to surprise fans by dropping the Avengers: Doomsday trailer first thing Monday morning. It was fine.
I’m not going to deny that the Doom of it all isn’t intriguing. He is one of Marvel Comics most iconic and captivating characters for a reason, and you’ve got the writing and directing team from the MCU’s best hits on the job. Plus, Marvel is hungry right now. It has to nail this one, and judging by the already massive presales, fans are hoping Doomsday shows that the MCU still has juice. Heck, I’m rooting for the best. I will always love this genre, and it can be an absolute blast when the right pieces are in play.
That said, the trailer was concerning. After pumping the brakes on its shows and movies, you’d think Marvel’s VFX department would have some breathing room to make Doomsday sing, and yet, we were treated to yet another bowl of gray soup where everything looks like it was filmed in a CGI shoebox. And this might be me, but when you can’t even get Chris Hemsworth to wear the wig, what are we even doing here?
Anyway, while the trailer proved the old adage that all publicity is good publicity as it got dissected on social media, both positively and negatively, Marvel made a brilliant move by firing up the theory machine with a lowkey reveal at Comic-Con. With no fanfare whatsoever, Marvel quietly debuted the costume for a character called “Latverian Witch.”
The Latverian Witch at the Marvel Booth. #AvengersDoomsday #CBCCatSDCC #SDCC
— CBCC @ SDCC (@cbccpodcast.bsky.social) July 22, 2026 at 11:01 PM
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Thanks to her exclusion from the trailer, the Latverian Witch’s presence immediately raised eyebrows as fans went nuts parsing her identity. Within minutes of the costume reveal, Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch became the top contender. Doomsday leaning into Wanda and Doom’s comic book history has been a long-simmering fan theory, and this character reveal certainly bolstered that train of thought.
Also, c’mon.
AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY's Latverian Witch mask looks familiar 🤔
— Kameo (@kameoapp.bsky.social) July 24, 2026 at 6:46 AM
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However, an interesting thing started happening: The Latverian Witch changed color. As of this writing, she’s been green, purple, and orange, sparking theories that there are more of them, who act as “heralds” for Doctor Doom. It could just be a costume change reflecting the various ways Doom is affecting the Multiverse and reality itself. Or I’ve seen theories that the other witches are Clea (Charlize Theron), Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino), Monica (Teyonah Parris), and even Carol Danvers (Bree Larson). Basically, if you’re a woman in the MCU, you’re a suspect.
Finally, there’s the issue of ol’ Steve-arino up top. Marvel fans are convinced that this is not the Cap we know, but the evil Hydra Cap variant working for Doom. Maybe! I’ve also seen theories that it’s Loki convincing Thor he’s alive by shapeshifting, and we’ve yet to see Chris Evans’ true return.
But more likely, the Steve we saw in the trailer is the real deal. A solid theory that’s floating around is that when he left to start a life with Peggy Carter in the final moments of Endgame, that created the Fantastic Four timeline where everything started to go south with Doom. The end credits to film showed him (or one of his witches) making a play for Franklin Richards. If that’s where Steve has been hiding out, it could explain how he and the Fantastic Four wind up in the Sacred MCU timeline for Doomsday.
Very dorky stuff, but infinitely more fun to ponder than watching the trailer. I’m told Gambit fights Shang-Chi, but apparently, the Russos decided to have it take place in a dark, empty house that looks like it belongs on Stranger Things. I’ve held my tongue on the “TV shows are took dark to see” debate for years, but this broke me. Light your damn movies.
