Avengers: Doomsday (2026) is set to arrive in theaters in just over a year, marking what many anticipate as the culmination of Kevin Feige’s current Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Following the removal of Avengers: The Kang Dynasty from Marvel’s release schedule due to legal issues surrounding Jonathan Majors (He Who Remains/Kang the Conqueror/Victor Timely), the studio quickly reconfigured its plans for the next chapter of the Multiverse Saga. Their solution: bringing in one of Marvel’s most formidable villains, Doctor Doom.
Feige made the announcement at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, revealing that Anthony and Joe Russo, the directors behind Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019), would return to direct Avengers: Doomsday and its follow-up, Avengers: Secret Wars, scheduled for December 2027. Stephen McFeely will take over writing duties, replacing the previously announced Destin Daniel Cretton and Michael Waldron.
The show-stopping reveal came when Feige confirmed that Robert Downey Jr., forever linked to Tony Stark/Iron Man, would now portray Doctor Doom. The casting immediately ignited debate, with some fans thrilled by the unexpected twist and others criticizing the decision for erasing Doom’s Romani roots. Questions were also raised about whether a widely recognizable actor could convincingly inhabit a villain role, even in the Multiverse framework.
Early hints suggest Avengers: Doomsday will revisit one of Endgame’s most emotional sequences—Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) reuniting—which may serve as the catalyst for Doom’s “Battleworld” plotline.
The film’s ensemble is shaping up to be a major crossover, uniting characters from both Marvel Studios and 20th Century Fox franchises while building on Multiversal threads teased in Shawn Levy’s Deadpool & Wolverine (2024). Confirmed cast members include Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Professor Charles Xavier/Professor X (Patrick Stewart), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), and Sam Wilson/Captain America (Anthony Mackie).
Michael Waldron, the writer of Loki and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022), recently spoke with The Wrap about his evolving role in the Avengers films. “I was writing the movie after that, but there wasn’t a filmmaker attached yet; I was just involved in all those conversations,” Waldron said. “When that movie went away, I was working on what would become Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars for a time, and then they brought in the Russos and Steve McFeely.”
With the Russos and McFeely on board, Waldron transitioned from leading the scripts to assisting the creative handoff. “As those guys got in and wrapped their hands around what these movies were going to be, and [then] there was an opportunity for me to come back in and get to know Joe and Anthony and Steve and really just help however I could,” he explained. “That’s what I’m trying to do is just support them.”
Waldron’s remarks highlight his continued presence in shaping the Multiverse Saga, even if now in a supporting capacity, ensuring his storytelling imprint remains a guiding force for the franchise’s next phase.
While Doctor Doom had a brief post-credits cameo in The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025), fans received their first substantial look at the character at the 2026 Merchandise Expo in China. The artwork was shared on social media by CinXperience (@CinXperience).
Unlike other legacy 20th Century Studios characters, Marvel chose to recast Doom. Julian McMahon previously played the role in Fantastic Four (2005) and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007), and Ross Marquand has voiced the character in Marvel’s animated projects.
Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars are not meant to conclude the Multiverse Saga but rather to pivot the MCU into a new creative direction. Both the Russos and Feige have indicated these films will set the stage for a universe-wide “reset” featuring the X-Men.
Though details about the X-Men’s MCU debut are closely guarded, it is confirmed that Thunderbolts* (2025) director Jake Schreier will oversee their introduction.
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