Avengers: Doomsday promo's Captain America problem has a perfect Marvel comics answer

A new Avengers: Doomsday teaser has been released as a part of a Major League Baseball promo. While the teaser does not feature a lot of new footage, it does include a small clip that refers to the confusion of who Captain America is now that Steve Rogers (played by Chris Evans) will be returning to join the Avengers against Doom.

Sam Wilson (played by Anthony Mackie) is the current Captain America in the MCU. However, with Steve's return, fans have been wondering whom to refer to as Captain America. The teaser addresses the same issue but doesn't resolve it. The Marvel comics, however, has a solution to this dilemma.

The Captain America debate from the Avengers: Doomsday promo can be ended with a single line from the Marvel comics

In the new Major League Baseball promo, we see Fantastic Four's Reed Richards, The Thing, and Johnny Storm play a ceremonious first pitch at a game, while the other baseball players watch. That part of the promo doesn't reveal anything new about Avengers: Doomsday. We then get a short glimpse at a conversation from the film, where Steve Rogers asks Thor (played by Chris Hemsworth) if it bothers him that he took Mjölnir. Thor says:

"You know it does."

We then see one of the other baseball players who are watching the game say that one can always rely on Cap to score well. Right then, another player says:

"Depends on which cap you're talking about."

That is a direct reference to a dilemma that exists between Marvel fans and evidently will be seen in Avengers: Doomsday as well. After going back in time at the end of Avengers: Endgame, an older Steve Rogers came back to the main MCU's present time to pass on the mantle of Captain America to Sam Wilson.

Wilson has thus been Captain America since then, and we've seen him carry out the duties that come with the title in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Captain America: Brave New World. But with Steve Rogers returning in Avengers: Doomsday, fans have been confused as to who is Captain America now.

The teaser also then shows us a short clip of a scene from Avengers: Doomsday, in which Scott Lang/Ant-Man asks Steve Rogers:

"Right, Cap?"

He then realizes what he has done and corrects himself by saying:

"I mean Steve... Cap."

As he corrects himself, we see Sam Wilson stare at him while he's dressed in a full Captain America suit with the shield in his hand. It makes for a funny moment because Scott has evidently made a common mistake. Marvel has clarified several times that Sam Wilson is the official Captain America right now. However, there is still confusion regarding whom we should address as Captain America with the return of Steve Rogers, who owned the mantle originally.

The teaser doesn't help in resolving the confusion; it just addresses it. But if the MCU takes inspiration from the Marvel comics, it can end the debate in the Avengers: Doomsday scene showed in the teaser. In the Marvel comics issue, Captain America: Sam Wilson #7 (2015), Steve Rogers addressed the public to defend Sam Wilson's legitimacy as Captain America after passing on the mantle to him.

Since the public refused to accept a new hero as Captain America, Steve clarified for once and for all:

"He's Captain America. I'm just Steve these days."

If Marvel wants, that can make Steve Rogers say this exact line or an iteration of it in Avengers: Doomsday after the scene of Scott's confusion. That way, the debate will be ended by the man who held the title of Captain America first.

Avengers: Doomsday will be released in theaters on December 18, 2026.