The first trailer for ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ dropped online on Monday, and created a new record by hitting 500 million views in just 24 hours.Since its debut, fans have taken to social media to share their theories and speculations about the film, characters, plot, alleged leaks and more. However, one thing that fans can’t seem to put their finger on, is the first visuals of Chris Evans‘ return as Steve Rogers.While it had been confirmed that Evans would return as Steve in ‘Doomsday’ back in December with the film’s multiple trailer releases, the appearance of the character’s first meeting with the ‘Avengers’ is making waves online.Fan theories going viral on social media have many convinced that the version of Steve Rogers seen in the footage may not be the Captain America audiences remember, but another variant.
Fans question Steve Rogers’ appearance
Shortly after the trailer’s release, social media users began dissecting every frame featuring Steve Rogers, pointing to subtle differences in his appearance in ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ and his bearded appearane in the new film footage.One of the most widely shared theories had a fan claiming, “That is not Captain America. That is Captain freaking Hydra.”Another pointed out the rather unusual reactions of Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes on seeing Steve again. One asked, “Is it just me or are Sam & Bucky not happy to see Steve? They know him best, do they sense something is off? Could we actually be getting Captain Hydra in #AvengersDoomsday?”Still another said, “What if the Steve Rogers we saw in the Avengers Doomsday trailer is pretending to be Steve from the 616 universe… but he is actually Captain Hydra.”
Why fans think something is different
The speculation stems from Rogers’ noticeably altered look in the trailer, including the absence of his stelth uniform for dark civilian clothing. This has led some viewers to believe Marvel is deliberately concealing a major twist. The trailer also shows Steve Rogers summoning Mjolnir, seemingly proving he remains worthy of wielding Thor’s hammer.However, others have debated that the hammer seen in Avengers: Doomsday may not be the same version Rogers famously lifted in ‘Avengers: Endgame’.
The Captain Hydra connection
Much of the online speculation also revolves around Steve actually taking on the role of Captain Hydra, after first adapting the Marvel Comics ‘Hail Hydra’ dialogue in ‘Endgame’.In 2016’s Steve Rogers: Captain America #1, writer Nick Spencer introduced the controversial Hydra Cap storyline, in which the Cosmic Cube rewrites reality and transforms Steve Rogers into a loyal Hydra agent. That version of Captain America was also able to wield Mjolnir.Some fans now believe Avengers: Doomsday could adapt elements of that storyline through the Multiverse, introducing a variant of Steve Rogers, who is an agent for Doctor Doom.Whether the Steve Rogers seen in Avengers: Doomsday is the familiar Captain America, a Multiverse variant or Captain Hydra, fans will have to wait until December 18 to know the details for sure.
