One year from now, Russo brothers' Avengers: Doomsday will hit theaters as one of the most anticipated new Marvel movies on the 2026 movie release calendar. It’s the first Avengers movie since Endgame closed out the MCU’s Infinity Saga, and it’s already carrying major narrative weight, including the long-awaited arrival of Doctor Doom, played by Robert Downey Jr.. Even with the movie still a year away, Marvel has started planting seeds early, including Doomsday teasers quietly rolling out in theaters with Avatar: Fire and Ash. And yes, we need to talk about that baby.
One of those teasers has completely hijacked the conversation. The short tease features a brief but shocking image of Steve Rogers, back in Captain America mode, holding a baby. The moment builds on an earlier leaked clip and raises immediate questions, especially since Steve’s story felt finished after Endgame and Evans wasn’t part of Marvel’s massive cast reveal. Whether this is our Steve, a variant, or something else entirely, Marvel clearly wants fans talking. And it worked.
Who The Baby Could Be: Comics vs. The MCU
In the comics, Steve Rogers has lived countless lives across alternate multiversal timelines, futures, and reboots, often with families, protégés, or successors attached. The MCU has taken a far more restrained approach. Steve’s decision to stay in the past with Peggy Carter was framed as a definitive ending. That’s why this teaser lands with such force. If the baby really is Steve’s, it immediately reframes what that “quiet life” actually looked like.
The comics provide ample precedent for that kind of flexibility. Steve Rogers has never had one clean, straightforward lineage. Across various universes, his children and descendants have included figures such as James Rogers and Steven Rogers Jr., more direct heirs to the Captain America mantle, as well as Ellie Rogers and Sarah Rogers, also known as Crusader, who carry the legacy in different directions.
Some timelines go even further off the rails, introducing creations like Ian Zola, born from Arnim Zola’s experiments, or alternate futures involving the Rogers twins, Nicky Rogers, and even alien-descended versions like St’vaan Jr.. There are even iterations tied, in disturbing ways, to Captain America’s greatest enemy, the Red Skull, in Ultimate-style timelines.
In the comics, Steve Rogers' children have been heroes, symbols, experiments, and cautionary tales. That history gives Marvel considerable room to maneuver. Showing Steve holding a baby in Doomsday doesn’t lock the MCU into a single explanation. It opens the door to several.
Fan Speculation Has Fully Taken Over
Once the teaser hit theaters, speculation exploded on X, with one detailed post gaining traction fast. User @lakersspammer, posting under the name Doom’s Servant, shared an alleged rumor breakdown that reads like pure Marvel fan fiction… or an oddly specific leak:
DOOMSDAY RUMOR: The scene from teaser 1 is from the mid act,we then get time jump [don’t know exact years] then we see a much more older like steve with beard and long hair [Nomad look from infinity war but BETTER] his children are grown up 10-15 don’t know, his some is named James and he will be a adult by ending of secret wars, also what i heard is that there is a Captain America Daughter Variant,that has a black tactical suit with a triangular shaped shield that has eagle on middle.
That post alone set off a chain reaction in the replies, with fans immediately debating what Marvel could be setting up:
- @itzduhArya_06: “So they’re doing Sharon Rogers?”
- @Avatar_TheAsh: “I was really hoping for the daughter to be Sharon Rodgers but now that you brought up the black suit I think the daughter will be Ellie Rodgers.”
- @SubhanKhan_157: “Can you describe Steve Rogers look the Nomad version suit/costume?”
- @hs4muel: “Makes sense act one established the threat by act one someone gonna realize someone ruined the timeline and I bet it’s either Bucky/Hulk that saids oh uh: then we get that clip from the first trailer”
- @themarvelsboy: “sharon rogers?”
- @RMH_MMA: “I’m honestly getting tired of all of the teenage superheroes.”
- @pumaboxer: “Source?”
Classic new superhero movie discourse, honestly. We'll just have to wait and see if all this chatter results in huge box office numbers.
Why Marvel Would Tease This Now
Whether any of these rumors are real or not, the strategy is obvious. Steve Rogers is emotional shorthand for the MCU’s peak era. Showing him with a baby instantly reframes his legacy and raises personal stakes in a story that’s expected to be massive, chaotic, and multiversal by design.
It also lets Marvel tease a generational shift without committing to anything outright. A child doesn’t mean a new hero. A variant doesn’t mean a reboot. But it does mean possibilities, and Marvel thrives on that gray area.
Right now, we don’t know whose baby it is, what timeline we’re in, or how long Steve Rogers actually sticks around. What we do know is that Marvel dropped one image and successfully distracted half the internet from blue aliens and three-hour runtimes.
Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters on December 18, 2026. Until then, catch up on all the other Marvel movies in order by streaming them with a Disney+ subscription.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
