A new piece of footage from Avengers: Doomsday is quietly making its way to audiences, and it signals a noticeably more intimate direction for Marvel’s next ensemble event. The second trailer for the film is now playing exclusively in theaters ahead of Avatar: Fire and Ash, replacing the teaser that debuted earlier this month.

Unlike traditional blockbuster previews packed with spectacle, this new trailer leans heavily into emotion. It centers on Chris Hemsworth’s Thor, who is shown walking alone through a forest, offering a solemn prayer to the All-Fathers. His words reveal a hero torn between his lifelong identity as a warrior and his newer, deeply personal role as a parent.

Thor speaks of answering calls to honor, duty, and war, before admitting that fate has given him something he never expected: a child. The footage intercuts his prayer with a tender moment of Thor kissing his daughter Love on the forehead as she lies in bed. His plea is not simply for victory in battle, but for the strength to return home—to be a source of warmth and peace rather than endless conflict.

As with the first teaser, the trailer concludes by confirming Thor’s return in Avengers: Doomsday and ends with a countdown to the film’s December 2026 release. Notably, this marks the first official confirmation that Love will appear in the film.

Love was introduced in 2022’s Thor: Love and Thunder as the daughter of Gorr the God Butcher, played by Christian Bale. After Gorr’s death, Thor adopted her, and the film closed on the promise of the two embarking on adventures together. Love was portrayed by Hemsworth’s real-life daughter, India Hemsworth, adding another layer of resonance to the character’s return.

Hemsworth’s Thor has not appeared in a new storyline since Love and Thunder, aside from reused footage in Deadpool & Wolverine. His involvement in Avengers: Doomsday had already been announced, but this trailer provides the clearest indication yet of where Thor’s emotional arc may be heading. The film is also expected to reunite Thor with Loki, as Tom Hiddleston is listed among the confirmed cast.

The Thor-focused trailer follows an earlier teaser that premiered on Dec. 18, also exclusively in theaters before Avatar: Fire and Ash. That first piece of footage centered on Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers, showing him returning to the home he shares with Peggy Carter, now holding a baby—an image that immediately caught fans’ attention.

Taken together, the two trailers suggest that Avengers: Doomsday may revolve around themes of parenthood and legacy, a notable shift for a franchise long defined by cosmic threats and global destruction. That idea is further supported by The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which hinted at the importance of Franklin Richards, the son of Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal) and Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby). A credits scene in that film showed Doctor Doom, played by Robert Downey Jr., seemingly poised to kidnap the child.

Marvel’s decision to spotlight Hemsworth and Evans in the earliest Doomsday marketing also appears deliberate. By leaning into the star power of original Avengers, the studio may be aiming to reconnect audiences with familiar faces rather than foregrounding newer heroes such as Shang-Chi or the Fantastic Four.

The theatrical-only rollout of these trailers represents an unusual marketing strategy for Marvel. Some fans have reportedly gone to see Avatar: Fire and Ash specifically to catch the Doomsday footage. While Marvel eventually released the Steve Rogers teaser online on Dec. 23—after roughly six days of exclusivity—the Thor-focused trailer has yet to receive a digital release.

Earlier this year, Marvel announced much of the Avengers: Doomsday cast during a live stream, but the first trailer served as the initial on-screen confirmation of Evans’ return. That has fueled speculation that additional, still-unannounced characters could be waiting in the wings.

The confirmed cast for Avengers: Doomsday includes Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Vanessa Kirby, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Letitia Wright, Paul Rudd, Wyatt Russell, Tenoch Huerta Mejía, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Simu Liu, Florence Pugh, Kelsey Grammer, Lewis Pullman, Danny Ramirez, Joseph Quinn, David Harbour, Winston Duke, Hannah John-Kamen, Tom Hiddleston, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn, James Marsden, Channing Tatum, Pedro Pascal, and Robert Downey Jr.

Avengers: Doomsday is currently scheduled to arrive in theaters on Dec. 18, 2026.