Avengers: Doomsday release date, cast, plot, trailer, and more news
Everything there is to know about Avengers 5, AKA Avengers: Doomsday
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Avengers: Doomsday has become the centre of the pop culture universe again thanks to new CinemaCon footage and a handful of revelations about where the MCU is heading next.
Though we haven't gotten a full trailer just yet, we've seen four teasers for Avengers: Doomsday and now have footage description of a behind-closed-doors sneak peek.
While there are plenty of upcoming Marvel movies and TV shows on the way, Doomsday promises to be the MCU's biggest spectacle in years, leading directly to 2027's Avengers: Secret Wars. With so many characters and so much at stake, we've run down everything you need to know before Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters, including the release date, what we know of the plot, the announced cast, all the trailers released so far, and more. So, get ready to assemble with the returning Avengers, and dive into our guide below.
Article continues belowAvengers: 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.
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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
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.
A post shared by Robert Downey Jr. (@robertdowneyjr)
A photo posted by on
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, prehaps 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 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.
Avengers: Doomsday trailer
An Avengers: Doomsday trailer has been shown behind-closed-doors at CinemaCon, taking in story beats such as Professor X witnessing an incursion, Shang-Chi facing down Gambit, and Thor fighting Doctor Doom. We're hoping to see it released to the public in the next few months.
Four Doomsday teasers were also released in cinemas, beginning December 2025. In the first of the teasers, Cap is back. And we're not talking Anthony Mackie (though we will absolutely see him in the film). Steve Rogers is back... somehow. No one ever really dies in Marvel, and the brief clip sees him gently cradling a newborn baby. It then cuts to a title screen that reads, "Steve Rogers will return in Avengers: Doomsday." Why has he returned? I guess we'll find out in December.
A second teaser was released in December 2025, this time starring Chris Hemsworth as Thor. The short clip shows Thor walking through a forest and imploring his father, Odin, for help. He's done away with the longer locks we saw in Avengers: Endgame and Thor: Love and Thunder and has a closer crop like he did in Avengers: Infinity War. We also get our first look at Love for the first time since 2022's Love and Thunder, the young girl he adopted after her father Gorr the God Butcher died at the end of that movie.
"Father, all my life I have answered every call. To honor, duty, to war. But now fate has given me something I never sought. A child, a life untouched by the storm," the God of Thunder says, before we see him tenderly kissing Love on the forehead.
The third Avengers: Doomsday trailer arrived on the internet on January 6, and this one focuses on the X-Men. In it, we see Professor X and Magneto join hands over a friendly game of chess in the X-Mansion. Then, ominously, Cyclops drops to his knees and screams, unleashing his powers, in what appears to be the ruins of the X-Men as a huge being walks behind him (potentially a Sentinel?). Watch it above.
The final teaser focuses on the Fantastic Four arriving in the MCU from their alt-reality timeline, landing somewhere close to the once hidden nation of Wakanda.
The FF encounter Shuri, as well as M'Baku, who is now the ruler of Wakanda with Shuri serving as its protector, the Black Panther. We also get a look at Namor and the people of Talokan as they prepare for what's coming in Doomsday.
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.

Lauren Milici is a Senior Entertainment Writer for GamesRadar+ based in New York City. She previously reported on breaking news for The Independent's Indy100 and created TV and film listicles for Ranker. Her work has been published in Fandom, Nerdist, Paste Magazine, Vulture, PopSugar, Fangoria, and more.
- Emma-Jane BettsManaging Editor, Evergreens
- Mireia MullorContributing Writer
- Molly EdwardsSenior Entertainment Writer
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