After a turbulent few years and major behind-the-scenes changes, Avengers: Doomsday is officially moving forward at Marvel Studios—and it’s bringing some major surprises with it.
The next Avengers film is set to begin filming imminently and is currently slated to hit theaters on May 1, 2026, as part of the MCU’s Phase Six slate. It’s the first Avengers title since 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, which—alongside Avengers: Infinity War (2018)—solidified its place as one of the most financially successful franchises in history.
While Endgame briefly held the title of highest-grossing movie of all time, it was later dethroned by James Cameron’s Avatar (2009) following its re-release.
This new chapter also marks the long-awaited return of the Russo Brothers, who will once again direct following their pivotal work on Infinity War and Endgame, which brought the Infinity Saga to its cinematic climax. The Russos will helm both Avengers: Doomsday and its 2027 sequel, Avengers: Secret Wars, following earlier reports of production delays, a title change, and a major creative overhaul.
Adding to the intrigue is Robert Downey Jr.’s return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe—but not as Iron Man. Instead, Downey Jr. is stepping into the role of one of Marvel Comics’ most iconic villains: Victor Von Doom. This major casting shift comes after Marvel Studios dropped Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conqueror following his 2023 guilty verdict. Doom is now positioned as the MCU’s new central antagonist for the next saga.
A livestream in March 2025 helped confirm the star-studded ensemble. Fans can expect to see familiar faces like Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man and Sebastian Stan’s Winter Soldier, alongside new additions including Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic and Florence Pugh reprising her role as Yelena Belova. More casting announcements are expected as production ramps up.
Though Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige previously said the Avengers were no longer active, the franchise clearly has more stories to tell. In a recent interview, the Russos hinted that Doomsday isn’t meant to close the book on anything, but to launch “a new beginning” for the cinematic universe. That sentiment comes at a critical time for Marvel, following mixed receptions to many of its Phase Four and Five entries.
Endgame famously featured a massive ensemble cast and tied together a decade’s worth of storylines while introducing key new characters like the Black Order—Thanos’ elite squad of lieutenants. Among them was Proxima Midnight, voiced and performed via facial capture by The Gilded Age and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire star Carrie Coon in Infinity War.
However, Coon did not reprise the role in Endgame, despite the character’s return. In a candid conversation on the Big Picture podcast (via Variety), her husband, actor-playwright Tracy Letts, revealed the reason behind her absence.
“I believe [Marvel] went to her for the second one, and they asked her to be in the second one,” Letts said. “And she said, ‘Well, the first one is the most successful movie ever made. Are you going to pay me any more money?’ And they said, ‘No. We’re not going to pay you any more money.’”
“She said, ‘Wow, you’re not going to pay me any more money, then I don’t think I’m going to do it,’” Letts continued. “And they said, ‘Well, you should feel yourself fortunate to be part of the Marvel Universe.’ So she declined… We would’ve made a bigger deal out of this, but it would have involved us watching the movies, and we weren’t going to do that.”
Coon later returned to the MCU in a voice-only capacity for Marvel’s animated What If…? series, voicing Proxima Midnight in the Season 1 episode “What If… T’Challa Became Star-Lord?” Speaking to Entertainment Weekly back in 2018, Coon recalled the whirlwind of working on Infinity War: “I was also pregnant when I did it. I flew down to Atlanta and did some [motion-capture], mostly the facial capture.”
“Of course, I can’t take credit for all of it — it’s a gifted team of animators that are taking on the bulk of that performance. But it morphed from a voiceover job into a mo-cap job, and then suddenly I realized I was in the highest-grossing movie of the year.”
As the MCU charts its path beyond the Multiverse Saga, reports suggest the franchise is heading toward the so-called Mutant Saga—a move that tracks with the appearance of former Fox-owned X-Men characters in Doomsday. Early versions of The Kang Dynasty reportedly focused on the Avengers battling various Kang variants, while Doom is now set to lead the charge into this next era.
With so many moving pieces and a lot riding on Avengers: Doomsday, it’s clear Marvel is betting big on its return to the team-up formula that made it a global juggernaut. Whether it can reignite fan enthusiasm remains to be seen.
Who are you most excited to see join the Avengers? Let us know in the comments below!
