Avengers: Doomsday — Release Date, Plot Teases, and Robert Downey Jr.'s Next MCU Epic

Marvel is about to roll the dice. 'Avengers: Doomsday' lands next year and it either steadies the MCU or tips it over. The headline-grabber is obvious: Robert Downey Jr is back, but not as Tony Stark. He is Victor Von Doom. That is either the boldest course correction Marvel has pulled off, or a fast track to fan whiplash. I’m leaning optimistic, if only because the cast list is ridiculous and the Russos keep hinting they have a wild angle.

Release date shuffle (and a spicy box office showdown)

Marvel bumped 'Avengers: Doomsday' from 1 May 2026 to 18 December 2026. Yes, same day as 'Dune: Messiah'. So we’re getting a sandworm vs. supervillain holiday face-off. Disney slid the long-awaited 'Devil Wears Prada' sequel into the old May slot.

So, what is Doomsday actually about?

Official plot? Not out there yet. What Marvel has made clear: Downey’s Doom steps up as a multiversal-level problem. He already showed up from behind in the 'Fantastic Four: First Steps' post-credits scene, walking up to the scariest four-year-old in comics, Franklin Richards. What Doom wants with him is the big question.

Kevin Feige says the script is still evolving even as cameras roll, and he frames that as a plus: when you’ve got vets who know these characters inside out, you listen and keep iterating. The bigger picture is set: 'Doomsday' feeds straight into 2027’s 'Secret Wars', a two-parter structure exactly like 'Infinity War' into 'Endgame'. Co-director Joe Russo has teased they found a radical way into the story that should surprise people. Translation: expect curveballs.

If Marvel is borrowing from the 2016 'Secret Wars', Doom might end up patching together a shattered multiverse into a god-ruled 'Battleworld'. Before that, the comics played with 'incursions' — realities smashing into each other unless one or both cease to exist. That tracks with the 'Thunderbolts*' post-credits tag: Yelena Belova flags a 'space crisis' while griping that her New Avengers are treated like the B-team and Sam Wilson’s crew won’t share intel. Then an inter-dimensional ship — the Fantastic Four — punches into the atmosphere. Fun detail: that tag was shot on the 'Doomsday' set, and director Jake Schreier called it a small hint of what is coming.

Other connective tissue: Alan Cumming says he filmed an action beat where Nightcrawler clocks Mr Fantastic in the head (yes, Pedro Pascal). Sounds like the usual Marvel 'we fight before we team up' dance. And if you’re wondering how this ends, Anthony Mackie basically confirmed they’re going full 'Infinity War' with a big cliffhanger. Consider this your tone-setter:

'It’s one of those stories that really pushes the boundaries... The cliffhanger at the end... it really builds and sets us up for the continuation of the Marvel saga... and no one is safe. Everyone is expendable.'

The cast (it is massive)

On paper, Doom is up against the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, the Thunderbolts, and a bunch of returning X-Men. Loki and Namor are in the mix as wild cards — keep an eye on those allegiances. Sam Wilson was tasked at the end of 'Brave New World' with assembling a new Avengers lineup; likely faces include Shuri, Thor, Shang-Chi, Ant-Man, and the new Falcon. And if you wondered about that ominous 'farewell' vibe from Chris Hemsworth’s anniversary video earlier this year: he says it was misconstrued. Thor’s safe, at least for now.

• Robert Downey Jr (Doctor Doom)
• Pedro Pascal (Reed Richards/Mr Fantastic)
• Vanessa Kirby (Sue Storm/Invisible Woman)
• Joseph Quinn (Johnny Storm/The Human Torch)
• Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Ben Grimm/The Thing)
• Anthony Mackie (Sam Wilson/Captain America)
• Chris Hemsworth (Thor)
• Letitia Wright (Shuri/Black Panther)
• Winston Duke (M'Baku)
• Paul Rudd (Scott Lang/Ant-Man)
• Simu Liu (Shang-Chi)
• Danny Ramirez (Joaquin Torres/Falcon)
• Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova/Black Widow)
• Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier)
• Wyatt Russell (John Walker/US Agent)
• Hannah John-Kamen (Ava Starr/Ghost)
• David Harbour (Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian)
• Lewis Pullman (Bob/Sentry)
• Patrick Stewart (Charles Xavier/Professor X)
• Ian McKellen (Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto)
• James Marsden (Scott Summers/Cyclops)
• Rebecca Romijn (Raven Darkholme/Mystique)
• Alan Cumming (Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler)
• Kelsey Grammer (Hank McCoy/Beast)
• Channing Tatum (Remy LeBeau/Gambit)
• Tenoch Huerta Mejia (Namor)
• Tom Hiddleston (Loki)

Inside baseball: who’s back, who’s missing, and who’s playing coy

Deadpool in 'Doomsday'? A source told THR that Ryan Reynolds shows up. Reynolds then told Variety he hasn’t set foot on the 'Doomsday' set. Could be semantics; could be a future-dated cameo; could be nothing. The Fox-era X-Men are definitely back in a big way after 'Deadpool & Wolverine' blew up the box office: Channing Tatum finally gets to be Gambit, and vets like Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Rebecca Romijn, Alan Cumming, James Marsden, and Kelsey Grammer are on the call sheet. Marsden called it a homecoming to the role that put him on the map. Cumming said returning felt healing after a rough first go — his time was tight because he had to jump to host 'The Traitors' US season.

Noticeable absences (for now): Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel, Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord, Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk, and Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch. Marvel is teasing on social that there’s 'always room for more', so don’t rule out late-game additions. On the flip side, Benedict Cumberbatch says he’s in the 'next one' as Doctor Strange — so bank on him for 'Secret Wars'.

Hugh Jackman is being delightfully evasive about Wolverine here. On 'The View', he joked that if he did 'appear' it would be to dominate and destroy everyone — then immediately backpedaled into a polite no-comment. Read that however you want.

The Chris Evans situation is extra messy. Deadline previously said he was returning for 'Doomsday'. As of June 2025, Evans told ScreenRant he wasn’t invited back. That could be a genuine pass or an Andrew Garfield-level fib. Meanwhile, Deadline also reported Hayley Atwell is back as Peggy Carter. Given where 'Endgame' left Steve and Peggy, it would be odd to have one without the other — but odd isn’t the same as impossible.

One more FF note: 'First Steps' director Matt Shakman casually said Mr Fantastic would lead the Avengers, then walked it back after Pedro Pascal pointed out that while that does happen in the comics, it is not necessarily where his movie version is headed.

Thunderbolts*, Loki, Namor... and everybody else

The Thunderbolts* squad returns in full force: Pugh, Stan, Russell, John-Kamen, Harbour, and Pullman as Sentry. Anthony Mackie’s Captain America is positioned to field a parallel team with Shuri, Thor, Shang-Chi, Ant-Man, and Falcon 2.0 (Danny Ramirez). Loki and Namor are both in this movie and are exactly the kind of characters who could switch sides depending on the day and how doomed we all are.

Kang Dynasty? About that...

The plan used to be 'Avengers: The Kang Dynasty', continuing the Kang thread from 'Loki' and 'Quantumania'. That changed after Jonathan Majors was convicted by a New York jury of assault and harassment (two counts), and acquitted on a separate assault charge and aggravated harassment. Marvel cut ties. They could have recast and carried on; instead they pivoted completely, which is how you end up with Downey as Doom and a multiversal reset button looming.

Trailer status

Nothing yet. When Marvel drops footage, you’ll know. For now, circle 18 December 2026 for 'Avengers: Doomsday'.

Final note: Anthony Russo says they only came back because they found an idea that made it worth it. Between that and Joe’s 'radical' tease, I’m expecting big swings. Let’s hope they connect.