Why Robert Downey Jr Hype Could Supercharge James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash

Avatar: Fire and Ash is reportedly seeing a box office bump as fans pack theaters for a first look at Robert Downey Jr.'s Avengers: Doomsday, with the Russo brothers poised to drop not one but three trailers alongside James Cameron's third Avatar film.

Marvel and Cameron might be trying to pull off the rare double win at the box office: get you hyped for Avengers: Doomsday while nudging you to see Avatar: Fire & Ash more than once. The plan, according to multiple reports, is... ambitious.

The trailer rollout everyone is talking about

• Reportedly, there are three different Avengers: Doomsday teasers, and they connect. The catch: they will not play together. The idea is one new teaser per week, over three weeks, exclusively in theaters with Avatar: Fire & Ash. That rollout is being cited as a deliberate push to encourage repeat Avatar viewings.
• Complicating things, insider Daniel Richtman claimed on Dec 12, 2025 that it is actually four teasers, not three. Each would spotlight a different team: the Avengers, the New Avengers, the X-Men, and the Fantastic Four.
• Projection-side chatter (Dec 11-12, 2025) says theaters have already received a Doomsday teaser file that requires a key to play, which typically means it is locked to theatrical exhibition and not headed to socials anytime soon. One cut is said to run 1 minute and 27 seconds, not the 60 seconds people were expecting.
• This all lines up with earlier word that the Russo brothers' Avengers: Doomsday would debut its first look in theaters alongside James Cameron's third Avatar film.
• The marketing bet here is obvious: with Robert Downey Jr. rumored to be playing Doctor Doom (yes, villain mode), fans are going to want to see whatever footage exists. If those teases are staggered, Avatar benefits. Some folks love the gimmick; others think four separate teasers is overkill.

Why this move could actually work

If you care about Marvel's next Avengers era, you probably are not skipping a new Doomsday teaser in a theater. Split that tease across multiple weeks and suddenly Fire & Ash becomes the default place to chase the next piece. It is a very 'only-in-theaters' power play, and a smart one, even if it ruffles feathers.

What Avengers: Doomsday looks like right now

None of these teasers have been officially announced by Marvel, so treat the rollout details as rumors for now. What has people buzzing is the combo of the Russo brothers returning to direct and the chatter that Robert Downey Jr. is back as Doctor Doom. On the cast side, the thing is stacked: Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Mackie, Winston Duke, Tom Hiddleston, Sebastian Stan, Letitia Wright, Paul Rudd, Wyatt Russell, Simu Liu, Tenoch Huerta Mejia, Florence Pugh, Danny Ramirez, David Harbour, and more are in the mix.

So what is Avatar: Fire & Ash actually doing?

After Avatar (still the all-time box office champ at $2.9 billion) and The Way of Water ($2.3 billion, third-highest ever), James Cameron is pivoting from 'Na'vi vs. human invaders' to a deeper dive into Pandora's cultures and conflicts. This chapter introduces two new Na'vi clans: the Tlalim (aka the Wind Traders) and the Mangkwan (aka the Ash People). Expect a darker tone than the first two films.

"I don't think I could say too much about it until you actually see the film and you see what it means, but if you think of fire as hatred, anger, violence, that sort of thing, and ash is the aftermath. So what's the aftermath? Grief, loss, right? And then what does that cause in the future? More violence, more anger, more hatred. It's a vicious cycle. So that's the thinking."

Zoe Saldana and Sam Worthington are back as Neytiri and Jake Sully. Oona Chaplin plays Varang, leader of the Ash People. Also returning or joining: Sigourney Weaver, Britain Dalton, Jack Champion, Trinity Jo-Li Bliss, Stephen Lang, Giovanni Ribisi, Edie Falco, Brendan Cowell, Matt Gerald, Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Bailey Bass, Jemaine Clement, and David Thewlis.

Cameron is already looking beyond this one: Avatar 4 is slated for December 21, 2029, and Avatar 5 for December 19, 2031. But first up, Avatar: Fire & Ash hits theaters December 19, 2025.

The bottom line

If these Doomsday teasers really are theatrical-only and staggered, Avatar: Fire & Ash just became appointment viewing for Marvel fans. Whether it ends up being three connected teases or four team-focused ones, the strategy is clear: make the theater the only place to see the next big thing. And honestly, given the players involved, it might work.