Avengers Doomsday #4 Trailer Reveals Surprising Fantastic Four Mission to Wakanda

If you’ve been wondering where the Wakandans have been hiding since the last round of Avengers carnage—and why The Thing of all people would wander into their royal court—the new 'Avengers: Doomsday' trailer has some answers. Or at least, it throws us a really curious bone.

This fresh trailer keeps playing that heavy, 'nothing will ever be the same' note, with Letitia Wright’s Shuri in a moment of grief, but things actually lighten up at the end—thanks to a cameo I honestly wasn’t expecting yet: Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), aka The Thing, rolls up into Wakanda and gets welcomed by Shuri and M'Baku (yep, Winston Duke is back and, apparently, is now King).

This is not your ordinary Marvel team-up. After all the angsty music and lingering looks, the big payoff is The Thing apparently being the first (only?) member of the Fantastic Four on hand, cracking wise with two of Wakanda’s finest. It’s about time Marvel gave us a little comic relief—and honestly, pairing up a rock monster and a Wakandan monarchy might be the most fun the MCU’s had in a minute.

So Why Are the Fantastic Four in Wakanda?

Just to be clear, the trailer is in no rush to actually answer this. We get zero explanation for why only Ben Grimm shows up, or why the Fantastic Four are seeking out Wakandan help in the first place. But anyone who’s poked around the comics knows this isn’t exactly random:

• Wakanda and the Fantastic Four have a long history—Black Panther actually debuted in a Fantastic Four comic, and even joined their team for a bit.
• Both Reed Richards and Wakanda (especially Shuri and T’Challa) are tech geniuses basically operating on a whole other level than the rest of the Marvel crowd.
• With Tony Stark out of the picture, the Avengers are going to need some science powerhouse allies—and, frankly, the most obvious call is Wakanda.
• If you’ve seen how Infinity War and Endgame built up to big team-ups, this looks like that playbook: scatter the cast, bring them together arc-by-arc, and maybe keep some surprises up your sleeve by having only one of the Four show up—for now.

So, tech bros unite. But for now, it’s just Ben Grimm in the throne room, probably breaking stuff by accident.

What’s Going On With Shuri’s Arc?

The trailer is tight-lipped about Shuri’s actual journey in 'Doomsday', but Letitia Wright at least confirmed she’s not done with Wakanda or the MCU anytime soon. She told Screen Rant (and she honestly sounded as confused as any of us about which apocalyptic crossover she’s been filming):

'I have no clue. All I know is that we just finished [filming] Doomsday—sorry, I confuse the two! That’s what I have to film next, Secret Wars. But Doomsday, we finished that, and that was very great.'

So: no spoilers, but Wright is locked in through the mega crossover 'Secret Wars'. And if you’re wondering what’s next for Black Panther specifically, there’s another film brewing. Ryan Coogler is expected back for a third Black Panther outing, likely centered on the son of T’Challa (if you remember that tease from 'Wakanda Forever').

In short, you can expect Shuri and probably the entire extended Wakandan royal family to keep popping up as Marvel works its way through one multiverse implosion after another.

The Release Date

If you’re counting down: 'Avengers: Doomsday' lands in theaters on December 18, 2026. Buckle up.