Following Deadpool & Wolverine's success and as we prepare for an enticing 2025 spearheaded by a new Fantastic Four reboot, Disney and Marvel have confirmed Avengers: Doomsday as the first MCU-wide crossover since 2019's Endgame. Here's what we know so far about it.
It's safe to say that Marvel Studios' Multiverse Saga has had a bit of trouble getting casual moviegoers (and even some diehard fans) to care about what's next. Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania, The Marvels, and even the Secret Invasion series crashed and burned so hard that we wondered if 'Marvel mania' had run its course. Guardians of the Galaxy remains an excellent subfranchise, but everything else seems to be floundering.
The Deadpool threequel released in 2024 was pretty good, and perhaps Phase 5's final big-screen stretch – which consists of Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts – will put things back on track.
Phase 4 feels too scattered and disconnected, despite the movies themselves being decent. Sure, new faces and storylines needed to be introduced, but the whole failed to come together in a meaningful way. Without a major throughline to hold on to, audiences have struggled to find a reason to care.
The studio has already begun preparations to wrap up this saga and move on to the next, with past Infinity War and Endgame talent swooping in to save the day. Is it too late, or will the MCU rise from the ashes once again? We don’t have a time stone, so we’ll just have to wait and see.
Need to catch up ahead of everything coming to the MCU in 2025 and beyond? Our list of the MCU movies in order is what you want. And if you are a bit of a gamer, make sure you've played all the best Marvel games of all time.
Avengers: Doomsday release date
With filming scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2025 in London, the current plan is to release Avengers: Doomsday in theaters on May 1, 2026.
As always, Disney and Marvel Studios' plans are subject to change if things don't line up, and the new creative team behind the movie, led by Marvel veterans Anthony and Joe Russo, is already racing against the clock.
What is the plot of Avengers: Doomsday?
The plot of Avengers: Doomsday is, unsurprisingly, being kept hidden away in a high-security SHIELD base. Mainly because the script is still being written as we speak following the big creative shakeup that was announced in the summer of 2024.
We can, however, make some educated guesses, based on the general direction of the Multiverse Saga so far, about the larger picture. First, the concept of incursions appears to be a big deal as we wander into Doomsday and Secret Wars. Basically, after the huge multiverse-shaking events that went down in Spider-Man: No Way Home and Loki, the Sacred Timeline (Earth-616, the main MCU one) ain't that special nor as protected as before. Other realities are seeping into each other, and the whole thing could lead into another Multiversal War.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and The Marvels also highlighted some of the dangers threatening otherwise peaceful universes and even teased a strong X-Men presence elsewhere. With the Council of Kangs subplot seemingly dropped after Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania's flop and Kang actor Jonathan Majors getting into real-life trouble, it's Doctor Doom's time to take over an entire Avengers movie, and he's played by... Robert Downey Jr. because the multiverse is funny like that (and also because Disney and Marvel are a bit desperate).
We don't even know yet whether this new Doctor Doom will appear in The Fantastic Four: First Steps – which is set in another universe, by the way – before making his big Avengers entrance, but chances are we'll be feeling his presence before he threatens all of existence in Doomsday. Likewise, we don't know who the New Avengers are yet (in spite of all the candidates available) or how it all leads into the much larger, multiverse-shattering Secret Wars. We'll begin to learn things soon enough though, so stay tuned.
Avengers: Doomsday trailers
No trailers or teasers for Avengers: Doomsday have been released yet. If the current filming schedule pans out, chances are we'll be getting our first look at the movie in the latter half of 2025.
Avengers: Doomsday cast
So far, the only confirmed cast members for Avengers: Doomsday are:
- Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards aka Mister Fantastic
- Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm aka Invisible Woman
- Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm aka Human Torch
- Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm aka The Thing
- Robert Downey Jr. as Victor von Doom aka Doctor Doom
Two very safe (though not entirely confirmed) bets are Tom Holland (Peter Parker aka Spider-Man) and Benedict Cumberbatch (Stephen Strange aka Doctor Strange), mainly due to their connections to both the present multiversal menaces and the now-deceased Tony Stark (and his eerie lookalike Victor von Doom).
Anthony Mackie (Sam Wilson/Captain America) and Benedict Wong (now Sorcerer Supreme Wong) should also have major roles, with the Earth-based Peter Quill (aka Star-Lord) being another likely pick for a new Avengers team. Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) and She-Hulk (Tatiana Maslany) seem like solid candidates as well, but we haven't seen them for a while. Add other heavy hitters like Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), or Black Panther (now Letitia Wright) and you've got a solid roster going. But, again, this is all speculation for now.
More characters have been set up throughout the Multiverse Saga, and plenty of veterans are still around, not to mention unexpected picks from other universes… basically nothing's off the table.
Avengers: Doomsday directors, writers, and crew
Anthony and Joe Russo (Captain America: The Winter Soldier & Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War & Endgame) are taking over directing duties after Shang-Chi captain Destin Daniel Cretton left the event movie (back when it was called Avengers: The Kang Dynasty) to focus on several other projects including the fourth MCU-set Spider-Man (also coming in 2026).
Stephen McFeely, who also worked with the Russos on their past Marvel hits, is penning the script, though the return of Christopher Markus (the other half of the veteran writing duo) hasn't been confirmed yet. In any case, the new creative team arrives after both Jeff Loveness (Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania) and Michael Waldron (Loki, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness) explored possibilities with the Kang storyline that's ultimately been pushed aside.
