Avengers: Doomsday - Everything We Know So Far

"Avengers: Infinity War" and "Avengers: Endgame" make up one of the most incredible one-two punches in cinema history. The two films were a culmination of everything the Marvel Cinematic Universe had worked up to until that point, bringing back every hero introduced so far for one final, epic battle with Thanos (Josh Brolin). But even though the latter film was subtitled "Endgame," the MCU isn't done yet — though that's proven to have mixed results.

Phases 4 and 5 have certainly had some highs, with the financial and critical successes of "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" and "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" standing out in particular. But for every accomplishment, it felt like another film was holding the overall franchise back, like when "The Marvels" bombed at the box office. Exasperating all of this, there hasn't been a proper Avengers film to cap off either of these phases — but that all ends with the impending arrival of "Avengers: Doomsday."

It seems Marvel Studios is going back to what worked in the past, as another "Avengers" duology is on the horizon with "Doomsday" being followed by "Avengers: Secret Wars" in quick succession. But will they live up to the hype of the MCU's glory days? It's too early to say with any certainty, but while we wait to see what happens, here's everything we know about "Avengers: Doomsday" so far.

As of right now, "Avengers: Doomsday" is slated to hit theaters on May 1, 2026, while "Avengers: Secret Wars" currently has a release date just over a year later on May 7, 2027. We say "as of right now" because Marvel release dates have been pushed back before, so these could very well change in the near future.

In 2022, Kevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios, announced at San Diego Comic-Con that the next Avengers movie, originally subtitled "The Kang Dynasty," was set to come out on May 2, 2025. A lot happened with that project (as we'll get into further down), and, after some restructuring, "Kang Dynasty" was changed to "Doomsday." Filming is currently set to begin in Spring 2025, which will give the team about a year to complete production and finish what's bound to be a hectic post-production cycle if they want to meet the 2026 premiere date.

That means there will be a seven-year gap between Avengers movies, with "Endgame" having come out in 2019. In 2022, Feige spoke with MTV News about the decision to make these team-up films less frequently. "As [Phases] 4, 5, and 6 were coming together, there are more projects in less years," Feige explained. "Because of all the amazing stuff we're now allowed to do on Disney+ and getting characters from Fox ... it felt like, certainly after 'Infinity War' and 'Endgame,' that we thought Avengers movies aren't cappers." With the Multiverse Saga barreling toward its conclusion, the time to bring Avengers movies back is certainly now.

As mentioned above, the next Avengers movie was originally planned as "The Kang Dynasty," and in the years since that film was announced, the MCU tried to build Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors) as its next Thanos-level threat. Kang was the primary antagonist in "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania." Even though he's defeated by the end of that movie, we see a stadium full of Kangs, indicating his power runs throughout the Multiverse. Kang, or at least variants of him known as He Who Remains and Victor Timely, had previously appeared in "Loki," further setting him up as a truly major villain — but now, the MCU is heading in a different direction.

This is due to Majors' legal troubles, which began when his ex-girlfriend, Grace Jabbari, accused the actor of domestic abuse. Following his arrest in March 2023, Marvel Studios kept things close to the vest for the remainder of the year regarding Majors' future with the franchise. But in December of that year, the actor was convicted of second-degree aggravated assault and third-degree misdemeanor assault. At this point, Marvel promptly dropped him from any future projects, opting to go in a completely different direction with the next Avengers movie by making Doctor Doom the big bad.

Majors responded to Doctor Doom replacing Kang in the MCU succinctly, stating, "Yeah, heartbroken. Of course, I love him. I love Kang. Doctor Doom is wicked though." What was once a promising career and a chance to play the villain in what could've been one of the biggest movies of all time had turned to ash.

Casting news has steadily trickled out regarding what the cast of "Avengers: Doomsday" will look like. Further castings are bound to be announced soon, and Marvel may just keep a few surprises up its sleeve. The most well-known actor involved at this point is Robert Downey Jr.; the face of the MCU for over a decade as the heroic Iron Man, RDJr will switch things up and portray the titular Doctor Doom in the film. We were a little worried about Downey playing the classic Fantastic Four villain, as it felt a bit like stunt casting, but Downey's an incredible, Oscar-winning actor, so, hopefully, he'll prove to be an imposing threat.

Benedict Cumberbatch will return as Doctor Strange, and one would imagine he'll have a sizable role, as the character knows plenty about the Multiverse following "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness." It's also been confirmed the main cast of "Fantastic Four: First Steps" — Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm — will reprise their roles in "Doomsday." Reports suggest Anthony Mackie will return as Captain America, with Tom Holland's Spider-Man also seemingly in the mix. A good chunk of the cast of "Thunderbolts*" are also rumored to feature in the story as well.

However, the most intriguing casting news since Downey is easily the announcement that Chris Evans, known for playing the MCU's first Captain America, may be back as well, possibly as Nomad, according to recent rumors. Nothing regarding his return has been confirmed, although one "Avengers: Doomsday" theory suggests Evans could portray Hydra Supreme. The idea of Downey and Evans playing villains is a fascinating, even tantalizing, possibility, but the latter could be playing almost anyone. After all, he popped up in "Deadpool & Wolverine" as Johnny Storm, so he seems up for whatever these days.

It shouldn't surprise any MCU fan when Marvel is incredibly tight-lipped about all of its projects. Because of the studio's legendary silence, we don't have a solid idea of what the plot of "Avengers: Doomsday" could be, and we probably won't learn until we at least get a trailer. For now, all we can do is guess.

Following the announcement of "Doomsday," a rumored synopsis leaked revealing what the plot of "The Kang Dynasty" might've been. This should absolutely be taken with a grain of salt, but reportedly, it was going to involve various universes' "anchor beings," like Tom Holland, Tobey Maguire, and Andrew Garfield playing their respective Spider-Men, along with Hugh Jackman returning as Wolverine, trying to defeat the Council of Kangs. They would fail, and this would lead to the creation of Battleworld in the lead-up to "Avengers: Secret Wars," which was intended to incorporate even more characters.

It's unclear if "Doomsday" will go in an entirely different direction or sort of just swap out Kang for Doom. Either way, it's probably safe to assume that an eclectic collection of heroes will try to stop Doom from doing something and fail (like "Infinity War"), leading into "Avengers: Secret Wars."

Robert Downey Jr., Benedict Cumberbatch, and (possibly) Chris Evans aren't the only lucky charms Marvel is bringing back for "Avengers: Doomsday." At 2024's San Diego Comic-Con, it was also announced that Anthony and Joe Russo would be back to film both "Doomsday" and "Secret Wars." Marvel has had an incredibly fruitful relationship with the Russo Brothers, as they've helmed some of the best MCU films, including "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," "Captain America: Civil War," "Avengers: Infinity War," and "Avengers: Endgame."

The Russos' hiring is incredibly fortuitous. When Deadline spoke with the duo in 2022, they talked about how "Secret Wars" was in the works, saying, "The one series that we adored growing up was 'Secret Wars.' It's incredibly ambitious. It would be bigger than 'Infinity War' and 'Endgame.' But it's a massive undertaking."

While "Infinity War" and "Endgame" were filmed back-to-back, with only a four-week break between them, there will be a more sizable hiatus between filming the next two Avenger films. Anthony Russo has stated that there will be about a year between productions, so if work on "Doomsday" kicks off in the spring of 2025, "Secret Wars" will likely begin toward the beginning of 2026 in order to meet its 2027 release date.

The Russo brothers will once again work with Stephen McFeely on the script for "Avengers: Doomsday" and "Secret Wars." A long-time collaborator with the Russos, McFeely worked with them on screenplays for previous MCU movies, including "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" and "Avengers: Endgame." However, the Russos appear to be keeping a close eye on the current "Avengers" writing process. Anthony Russo told Collider, "We've always worked very closely with [Christopher] Markus and McFeely through all the work that we've done together."

It's interesting to note that Markus and McFeely are usually a writing partnership, with Markus also having worked on the aforementioned MCU movies. The two have also continued working with the Russos outside of Marvel, having written the scripts together for "The Gray Man" and "The Electric State." However, Markus doesn't seem to be involved with "Doomsday" for reasons that remain unclear.

McFeely replaced Michael Waldron, who had been hired to pen the script for "Avengers: The Kang Dynasty" after previously working on "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" and "Loki," so he was intricately involved with the MCU's ever-growing Multiverse. McFeely coming aboard suggests a complete swapping of the guard, perhaps hinting at a vastly different story from the one that was mapped out for "Kang Dynasty."

Alan Silvestri is a legendary composer who has worked on the likes of "Back to the Future," "Predator," and "Who Framed Roger Rabbit." He's also been an integral force in some of the best scores within the MCU, including the last two Avengers movies; he'll be back to compose the score for "Doomsday" and "Secret Wars."

With the inclusion of Robert Downey Jr., the Russo brothers, Stephen McFeely, and Silvestri, it really feels like Marvel Studios is opting for a tried-and-true formula on "Doomsday" and "Secret Wars," which is understandable. These are going to be massive movies and a chance to prove that the MCU still has a place at the forefront of the modern entertainment landscape. It only makes sense to include individuals who were integral to its success during the franchise's heyday.

One would imagine Silvestri's iconic "Avengers" theme will be heard in "Doomsday," but one of the intriguing questions about the film's score is what Doctor Doom's theme will sound like. Honestly, Redditor u/godzilla1992 has a pretty awesome suggestion, stating, "I wouldn't be surprised if Doom's theme is a twisted version of [Tony Stark's]."

Again, there's no way at this time to know with any certainty what the story of "Avengers: Doomsday" will be. However, many MCU movies at least somewhat pull from pre-existing stories in the comics. And while one might assume the movie's subtitled "Doomsday" because Doctor Doom will be in it, there are a number of comic storylines that may potentially factor into it.

One possible "Avengers: Doomsday" plot could take influence from a disastrous Marvel story arc called "Ultimate Comics: Doomsday," by Brian Michael Bendis and Rafa Sandoval. The story involves many heroes' deaths and a string of attacks led by the Maker, a deranged and incredibly deadly variant of Mr. Fantastic. The movie could swap out the Maker for Doctor Doom, who attacks and murders heroes across the multiverse, but that seems like a bit of a stretch.

The real pièce de résistance for the MCU's upcoming slate may be "Avengers: Secret Wars," which will probably pull from one (or several) of the "Secret Wars" storylines that have unfolded in the comics over the years. The original "Secret Wars" from 1984-85, by writer Jim Shooter and artists Mike Zeck and Bob Layton, basically involves a bunch of kidnapped heroes and villains fighting on a manufactured planet called Battleworld. But the 2015 version, from Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribić, has Doctor Doom as the story's primary villain as the Multiverse dies. This seems like a more logical plot to use for the MCU's "Secret Wars" movie, but the question remains: how will "Avengers: Doomsday" lead up to it?

With nothing really concrete to go off of, all we have are a bunch of online speculation about what may happen in "Avengers: Doomsday" and "Secret Wars." One Doctor Doom theory perfectly explains why Robert Downey Jr. was cast, positing that he's playing a variant of Doom who used to be Tony Stark but pursued a path of evil instead of good. This would give him a solid entryway into the story while leaving the door open for a proper Victor Von Doom to wreak havoc later in the MCU.

Looking beyond "Doomsday," there's the question of what the landscape of the MCU will be like following "Secret Wars." One theory suggests that "Secret Wars" will soft reboot the MCU, possibly through a merging of universes into one where the main timeline has mutants in it — a major change, since they weren't really around for the first part of the franchise. This would effectively allow the MCU to use what they want moving forward and ignore what hasn't really been popular.

Taking a quick glance online, it's clear to see that people have a lot of thoughts on what direction "Doomsday" could take to lead into an epic showdown in "Secret Wars." Some believe that Downey's Doctor Doom could manipulate Peter Parker to help him, since he has the same face as his former mentor, while others have speculated that "Doomsday" may be a secret "Avengers vs. X-Men" film. Until there's more solid information, people's imaginations will continue to run wild with a Multiverse of possibilities.