The Marvel Cinematic Universe is at a turning point, and its next big team-up film, Avengers: Doomsday (2026), is at the center of the storm. While fans eagerly await the franchise’s next major crossover event, a new report suggests that the film may not arrive as planned—raising even more questions about the MCU’s future.
Marvel’s Current Struggles
For over a decade, Marvel Studios dominated the box office, culminating in the record-shattering success of Avengers: Endgame (2019).
However, the years since have been uneven.
While Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) proved that Marvel can still deliver a billion-dollar hit, more recent releases like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) and The Marvels (2023) struggled to meet box office expectations.
Meanwhile, Disney+ series like Secret Invasion failed to generate the level of excitement seen in earlier phases.
Beyond financial performance, the MCU has been plagued by production delays, shifting release schedules, and the fallout from Jonathan Majors’ legal issues. The actor, who was set to portray Kang the Conqueror as the franchise’s next major villain, was convicted of misdemeanor assault and harassment in 2023. Following his firing from Marvel Studios, the company needed to course-correct—fast.
Enter: Doctor Doom and the Russo Brothers
As part of this course correction, Marvel Studios brought back Robert Downey Jr.—not as Iron Man, but as the MCU’s new big bad: Doctor Doom. The decision to reintroduce one of Marvel’s most iconic villains is seen as a major move to reignite fan excitement and set up a fresh direction for the franchise’s Multiverse Saga.
Adding to the nostalgia play, Marvel has also tapped Joe and Anthony Russo—the directors behind Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, and the last two Avengers films—to helm Avengers: Doomsday and its sequel, Avengers: Secret Wars (2027).
While Marvel has remained tight-lipped on plot details, rumors suggest an ambitious multiversal storyline featuring both current MCU heroes and legacy characters from past Marvel films. Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s versions of Spider-Man, Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, and even past iterations of the X-Men and Fantastic Four have all been speculated to appear.
Is Avengers: Doomsday About to Be Delayed?
Despite all these moves, Marvel may still be struggling to get the film off the ground.
Industry insider Jeff Sneider recently stated on The Hot Mic podcast that Avengers: Doomsday “might push” its release date.
“I heard a rumor that [‘Avengers: Doomsday’] might push. I think that the release date could [be pushed] to the next slot. I don’t know when the next slot is, but it could just miss one slot, so it’d be pushed like a few months,” Sneider said.
Even more concerning, Sneider claims that Marvel Studios still hasn’t finalized the film’s cast.
“I heard we still don’t know who’s gonna ultimately be in this movie and who’s not,” he added. “Like we don’t know who’s gonna be available, like we don’t know any of that. So I think they’re still just figuring out what that ensemble looks like.”
As of now, Avengers: Doomsday is slated for a May 1, 2026 release. However, its rumored delay could see it take the November 2026 slot.
Another report from insider Daniel Richtman claims that production, originally scheduled to start in March 2025, has now been pushed to April 2025 as Marvel makes further script revisions.
Is a Delay a Good Thing?
If Marvel does opt to push Avengers: Doomsday, it might actually be for the best. The studio’s recent struggles with visual effects quality have been widely criticized, with rushed CGI plaguing films like Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) and Quantumania. Delaying the film could allow more time for post-production, ensuring a polished final product—especially for a spectacle-driven film of this scale.
The delay could also allow Doctor Doom’s introduction to be handled more carefully, rather than feeling rushed as a replacement for Kang’s abandoned storyline. Given Doom’s history as one of Marvel’s greatest villains, many fans argue he deserves more build-up before facing the Avengers.
For now, Avengers: Doomsday remains on Marvel’s official slate for May 2026, but if history is any indicator, that could change at any moment.
Do you think Marvel should delay Avengers: Doomsday?
