Avengers: Doomsday - Wakanda Trailer Teases Counter-Earth, Franklin Verse?

The fourth teaser of Avengers: Doomsday has now surfaced online, a bit late, but it did before it was quickly removed within an hour due to DMCA. On the outside, it may seem that the clip is less exciting than the previous three, as evidenced by the fact that it is hardly the point of discussion in any major forums. People may have moved on to anticipate the next teaser, but I noticed something that couldn't stop me from digging deeper.

The leaked fourth teaser trailer for Avengers: Doomsday focuses on an unlikely alliance between Wakandan forces and Atlanteans (Talokans). This teaser continues Marvel's pattern of building hype through character-focused vignettes, following previous ones spotlighting characters like Steve Rogers, Thor, and the X-Men. It highlights Shuri as Black Panther, Namor and his forces, M'Baku as King of Wakanda, and Ben Grimm (The Thing) from the Fantastic Four.

The teaser opens in a vast desert, focusing on the back of Shuri's head as Black Panther (Letitia Wright). She stands alone initially, evoking isolation amid a barren, ominous landscape. The camera lingers, building tension.  "I’ve lost everyone that matters to me," says Shuri as she begins walking forward, symbolizing resolve amid grief. The clip cuts to Namor (Tenoch Huerta) and his Atlantean forces (Talokans, including Namora) emerging above water or overlooking the desert. Namor appears intense and regal, staring off-camera, with his people arrayed behind him. Shuri is joined by M'Baku (Winston Duke) and the Dora Milaje, marching through the desert. The Wakandans encounter Ben Grimm / The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) in his full Fantastic Four suit. The setting remains the desert. It teases the Fantastic Four's integration without showing the full team, raising questions about why Ben is alone. The teaser ends with, "The Wakandans and The Fantastic Four will return in Avengers: Doomsday."  

The previous three teasers have a pattern and theme - each of them highlights a child or children. Steve was with his child, Thor was with his daughter, and the X-Men seemed to have lost their X-Mansion, which is the home of young mutants. This Wakanda teaser doesn't highlight any young hero, although it has a similar serious tone filled with grief and being battle-ready for something big. However, the fourth seems to tease something else; it is very vague, but still, I could be in the right direction.

From the scenes and tone of the fourth teaser, it seems that the other three members of the Fantastic Four are probably missing or somewhere else. However, the scenario could be the exact opposite - what if Ben Grimm is the missing one? Ben Grimm may be the one who is caught or gone in another reality - "Counter-Earth."

In Counter-Earth, Franklin Richards unintentionally created a pocket universe in which persons who sacrificed themselves were "reborn" into new lives that resembled their previous ones. Even though this reality was created quickly and has no actual history before its creation, all of the people who live on Counter-Earth have built their own history in their thoughts. Counter-Earth was once located in a distinct pocket dimension similar to that of Earth-616, but the exact extent of this realm remains unknown. Furthermore, it is very likely that whatever existed in this pocket dimension was determined by Franklin's subconscious mind as being necessary for existence. It appears that the entire purpose of the heroes' existence on Counter-Earth was to remind them of who they were so that they may eventually return home, allowing them to relive changed origins, face comparable monsters, and even get flashes of their previous lives. Aside from the beings transplanted from Earth-616, Counter-Earth is occupied by an entire population created by Franklin Richards.

The Counter-Earth realm is thought to be a pocket dimension that exists within the larger Earth-616 universe, similar to the Dark Dimension, Otherworld, and Asgard, rather than an alternate reality. The Counter-Earth realm also has a unique source of power known as "Rip Energy". This enormous energy source was unsuccessfully accessed by British North Sea Oil and Energy Cartel CEO Leland Walker, resulting in Walker's death and the creation of Order and Kaos, two sentient entities powered by Rip energy. Order and Kaos, along with Galactus, appeared to be the only cosmic-level entities formed in Franklin's pocket dimension.

In the same reality, Reed Richards got the opportunity to analyze the data from the accident that granted them their abilities. He discovered an object from a space explosion that had crashed in Wakanda. He and Sue visited the crash site, joined by Wakanda's monarch, the Black Panther.

Avengers: Doomsday is surely related to Franklin Richards and also the various teasers suggesting the missing young heroes hint at Secret Wars, but I can't deny the return of Steve Rogers or X-Men linked to Counter-Earth. I know the Counter-Earth event happened in the aftermath of the Onslaught event, which, by the way, involves the eradication of most of Earth's heroes.

In the comics, Onslaught, posing as an imaginary friend named Charlie, had been visiting Franklin Richards in an attempt to gain the boy's trust. What if Marvel is trying to project Onslaught as Doctor Doom? Not Impossible, right? - Onslaught made his presence and name known to the X-Men, offering them the opportunity to join his cause. Noting that Onslaught acted more like Magneto than Xavier, the X-Men all declined his offer to join them, except the Beast, who, unbeknownst to the rest of the team, accepted. The X-Men defeated Onslaught, but the X-Mansion was severely destroyed - Seems something we have seen in the Avengers: Doomsday X-Men teaser.

Marvel Studios hardly adapts any comic story in its true form; they always make numerous changes, expecting it to be better and to adapt to the live-action version. The fourth teaser certainly led me to a different path, but the direction remains the same. You can watch the low-quality video teaser below until the official one releases this Tuesday (Jan 13).

Directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo and written by Stephen McFeely, with Robert Downey Jr., Pedro Pascal, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Letitia Wright, Vanessa Kirby, Tom Hiddleston, and more, Avengers: Doomsday is scheduled for release on December 18, 2026, in theaters worldwide.