Avengers: Doomsday is fast approaching. We're now less than half a year away from what could be the biggest MCU movie next, which means anticipation is mounting with every day that passes.
Thanks to some Marvel reveals from the SDCC 2026 schedule, we now have a trailer and some insights into Doctor Doom himself. Also, Spider-Man: Brand New Day has just released, and its post-credits scene may be a nod to the upcoming Marvel movie as it sees Spidey heading to space. Basically, things are starting to heat up, and there are now more theories and breaking news stories to unpack than there ever were before. So to help keep track of everything, below, we've rounded up everything you need to know about the Marvel film, so you can get up to speed at a glance.
This is one of the most exciting of all the Marvel Phase 6 movies on the way, so it's well worth getting up to date on Avengers: Doomsday. It doesn't hurt that Avengers: Secret Wars is arriving just a year later, either. So, get ready to assemble with the returning Avengers and dive into our breakdown below.
Avengers: Doomsday release date
Currently, Avengers: Doomsday has a release date of December 18, 2026.
Filming has now wrapped, though The Hollywood Reporter indicates that "Kevin Feige and the Russo Bros. will be tinkering as they prepare for a healthy dose of additional photography down the road." While much has been made of the movie shooting without a finished script, X-Men star Alan Cumming revealed that the cast did, eventually, see a finished screenplay. "We eventually saw a script. It took a while, but we had a script," Cumming told ET.
Avengers: Doomsday cast
We know that Robert Downey Jr. is coming back to the MCU as Doctor Doom. This is obviously a big shock and has tons of timeline implications, as Downey Jr. famously played Iron Man until the character's death in Avengers Endgame (aka one of the best Marvel movies of all time).
The first significant look at Doctor Doom's costume in Doomsday arrived in September 2025, thanks to a Disney light show in Shanghai. The Marvel villain was seen with an in-depth look at his mask, outfit, and potentially some MCU Easter eggs.
For now, we also know a decent chunk of stars who will be popping up with the ex-Tony Stark. It was also revealed during the event that the casts of Fantastic Four (Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach) and the Thunderbolts* (Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour, Wyatt Russell, and more) would be part of Avengers 5. The first look at the cast and their costumes came on crew merch, which you can see below.
New crew merch for ‘AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY’(📸: giponci | IG) pic.twitter.com/cttWSbcb7PSeptember 21, 2025
More of the heroic cast of Avengers Doomsday was revealed during a surprise livestream from Marvel Studios on March 26, 2025. You can read the current confirmed cast list below:
- Chris Hemsworth as Thor
- Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm
- Anthony Mackie as Captain America
- Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes
- Letitia Wright as Black Panther
- Paul Rudd as Ant-Man
- Wyatt Russell as US Agent
- Tenoch Huerta Mejia as Namor
- Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Thing
- Simu Liu as Shang-Chi
- Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova
- Kelsey Grammer as Beast
- Lewis Pullman as Sentry
- Danny Ramirez as Falcon
- Joseph Quinn as Human Torch
- David Harbour as Red Guardian
- Winston Duke as M’Baku
- Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost
- Tom Hiddleston as Loki
- Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier
- Ian McKellen as Magneto
- Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler
- Rebecca Romijn as Mystique
- James Marsden as Cyclops
- Channing Tatum as Gambit
- Pedro Pascal as Mister Fantastic
- Kathryn Newton as Cassie Lang
A new illustration for the film shows off some of the cast, featuring Steve Rogers, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, and more, though there are some absences.
AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY - the final full film I had the honor of leading as Director of Visual Development at Marvel Studios.This illustration commemorates that journey & reveals the characters & their looks for the first time. #AvengersDoomsday pic.twitter.com/87l95XZZ7dJuly 11, 2026
Plus, it sounds like Pugh's Yelena will play a big role in the film. "If you're a fan of Yelena, wait until Avengers: Doomsday, Yelena plays a big part in that," Marvel boss Kevin Feige teased at Shanghai Expo. "But if you don't want to wait until then, you might see Yelena a little bit sooner in the movies." Yelena does appear in Spider-Man: Brand New Day first, so be sure to check that flick out.
We expect more names to be added to this massive list as well. Thanks to the comics, we know that more people are involved in the Doomsday plot, such as She-Hulk. So stay tuned for more updates. Andrew Garfield, meanwhile, has made it very clear he won't be part of the cast.
Benedict Cumberbatch may also be a surprise addition to look out for. The star has said he wouldn't be in the movie, then later said he would be. Simu Liu may have spoiled Tom Holland's involvement, while Cassie Lang actor Kathryn Newton was the latest to confirm they will appear in Doomsday, as of April 2026.
Avengers: Doomsday plot
Plot details for Avengers: Doomsday are currently in flux. As we mentioned above, Robert Downey Jr's casting as Doctor Doom means some multiverse antics need to be explained. So, we will likely see the TVA from Loki fame make an appearance at some point.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps was the film that many fans thought would reveal a lot of details about the new big bad. As many comic book fans know, Doctor Doom made his first appearance in the Fantastic Four comics back in the '60s. Since then, he has been their greatest foe. However, Doctor Doom only makes the smallest appearances during The Fantastic Four: First Steps post-credit scenes.
In the post-credits scene of the movie, we see Reed and Sue's son, Franklin, talking to Doom. We know that Franklin has crazy powers that even Galactus was after, so seeing the villain getting chatty with the kid can't be a good sign. It'll also no doubt be part of a grand scheme that future movies before Avengers 5 will hint at. Robert Downey Jr. also posted a cryptic Instagram post that could point to Doom's future plans for Franklin.
The actor posted a video of himself listening to a song titled 'Change of Scenery' by his son, Indio Downey, before showing us a table with the comic Secret Wars #1 by Jim Shooter as well as Iron Man: Legacy of Doom by Bob Layton and David Michelinie.
West Coast Avengers #35, involves not Doctor Doom himself, but instead his adopted son and heir as ruler of Latveria, Kristoff Vernard. In the story, Kristoff impersonates Doom in order to trick the West Coast Avengers into doing his bidding. So could Doom have his sights set on making Franklin his successor and son? Or, perhaps he wants to harness Franklin's powers in order to save the Multiverse, the same way he uses the powers of the Molecule Man in the 2015 Secret Wars comic?
Plus, the Russo brothers shared a frustratingly vague first look of Doomsday, which seems to show Reed Richards' chalkboard. Marvel's First Family are going to be very important to the film, it seems. That and Steve Rogers, naturally.
"It just felt to us like the correct way for us to come back would be to continue that story of that character... and to move the story forward," Joe Russo told Fandango. "I think that's the thing that really excited all of us: we found a path forward that really was integral, really required both Chris and Robert for the story to be told."
Avengers: Doomsday trailer
The first public Avengers: Doomsday trailer is here, and you can watch it for yourself above.
In the teaser, we see a ton of characters. There are X-Men, people from Wakanda, and the Fantastic Four (just to name a few). In fact, most of the MCU is in the trailer, including Steve Rogers, who ends the teaser by holding Thor's hammer... somehow. Not much of the plot was revealed, but at least we know the whole gang is getting together.
We will keep an eye out for more trailers. Hopefully future clips will reveal more plot details. So, stay tuned for updates!
Avengers: Doomsday director and writer
SDCC 2024 announced that the Russo brothers will be directing both Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. The two are Marvel legends, since they helmed Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, so it's welcomed news to see their return.
"Joe and I truly believed Endgame was the end of the road for us," Anthony Russo said during the event. "In the time since, through a special story, we have come to potentially see a road to take with you all."
Michael Waldron and Stephen McFeely will be penning the script, with the former best known in the MCU for his work on Loki. McFeely has contributed to multiple Avengers movies in the past.
And that's everything we know about Avengers: Doomsday. For much more action check out our guides to all the upcoming superhero movies and all the upcoming movies heading our way this year.
