Marvel Studios will release Avengers: Doomsday on December 18, 2026, and the film marks the return of Robert Downey Jr. to the franchise, this time as a villain rather than a hero. Downey Jr. previously played Iron Man, a superhero who died stopping Thanos to save the world. He now plays Doctor Doom, a villain who threatens the entire multiverse.
The film is directed by Joe and Anthony Russo from a screenplay by Stephen McFeely and Michael Waldron. The cast includes Chris Hemsworth, Vanessa Kirby, Anthony Mackie, Pedro Pascal and Robert Downey Jr., among others.
The English title plays on the word "Doomsday," which means both the end of the world and, in this case, the day of Doom, since the film's main antagonist is named Doctor Doom.
Release date and delays
The release of the fifth Avengers film has been pushed back several times. It was originally scheduled for May 2025, then moved to May 2026, and later shifted again to the end of the year. It is now set to open on December 18, 2026.
Whether the film will reach Russian cinemas remains unclear. After Disney, Warner Bros. and other major studios exited the Russian market, official screenings of Western blockbusters stopped there, though some titles still reach audiences through so-called gray distribution, a pre-screening service arrangement. Media reports this autumn suggested Russian cinemas may abandon that practice altogether, meaning Doomsday might not screen in Russia before April 2027 at the earliest, if it is shown there at all.
Plot
The film was originally subtitled "The Kang Dynasty" and was meant to center on a battle with Kang the Conqueror, a villain seeking to control the entire multiverse. After a scandal involving the actor cast in that role, Marvel rewrote the story, replacing Kang with Doctor Doom, played by Downey Jr.
Little concrete plot detail has been released. What is known is that Doctor Doom wants to destroy the multiverse and the heroes must try to stop him. The story picks up 14 months after the finale of Thunderbolts*.
Doom will face nearly everyone: the Avengers led by Captain America, now Sam Wilson, played by Anthony Mackie; the New Avengers, formerly the Thunderbolts; the people of Wakanda; the Fantastic Four; and X-Men from parallel worlds. The ending of Doomsday is expected to launch the plot of Avengers: Secret Wars, a film expected to fully reboot the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
What happened to The Kang Dynasty
Avengers: The Kang Dynasty was announced in 2022 at Comic-Con as part of Phase Six of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, alongside Avengers: Secret Wars, then planned for 2027.
The film was meant to depict a clash between the heroes and Kang the Conqueror, a villain who enslaves worlds using his ability to travel the multiverse across space and time. Screenwriter Jeff Loveness said the character was meant to become a top-tier enemy for the Avengers.
Jonathan Majors had been cast as Kang, with the character introduced gradually through brief appearances in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and the Loki series. Before filming began, Majors was dropped after his former girlfriend accused him of harassment and assault, and a court found him guilty on some of the charges. Marvel was forced to quickly rework the concept for its next Avengers film.
Production
Doomsday is being made by brothers Joe and Anthony Russo, who directed Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War before giving Marvel its two highest-grossing films: Avengers: Infinity War (2018), which took in $2.05 billion on a $321 million budget, and Avengers: Endgame (2019), which took in $2.79 billion on a $356 million budget and ranks as the second highest-grossing film of all time as of September 2026.
Filming on Avengers: Doomsday began in April 2025 and wrapped five months later. The Russo brothers said they worked on Doomsday and Secret Wars at the same time. Joe Russo explained that everything was happening in London, with the two films shot almost back to back, adding that there was a lot of work ahead and that they might succeed, or they might not, and would have to see.
Cast
Joe Russo has said that any character from the Marvel universe could turn up in the new film. Sources suggest more than 60 actors could reprise their roles, with the film bringing together several superhero teams, including Sam Wilson's Avengers, the New Avengers, the X-Men from Sony's films and the Fantastic Four.
- Victor von Doom / Doctor Doom, played by Robert Downey Jr.
- Thor, played by Chris Hemsworth, and Love, played by India Rose Hemsworth
- Loki, played by Tom Hiddleston
- Sam Wilson / Captain America, played by Anthony Mackie
- Scott Lang / Ant-Man, played by Paul Rudd, and Cassie Lang, played by Kathryn Newton
- Shang-Chi, played by Simu Liu
- Joaquin Torres / Falcon, played by Danny Ramirez
- Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier, played by Sebastian Stan
- John Walker / U.S. Agent, played by Wyatt Russell
- Yelena Belova / Black Widow, played by Florence Pugh
- Alexei Shostakov / Red Guardian, played by David Harbour
- Ava Starr / Ghost, played by Hannah John-Kamen
- Bob Reynolds / Sentry, played by Lewis Pullman
- Ben Grimm / The Thing, played by Ebon Moss-Bachrach
- Johnny Storm / Human Torch, played by Joseph Quinn
- Reed Richards / Mister Fantastic, played by Pedro Pascal
- Sue Storm / Invisible Woman, played by Vanessa Kirby
- Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto, played by Ian McKellen, and Charles Xavier / Professor X, played by Patrick Stewart
- Scott Summers / Cyclops, played by James Marsden
- Hank McCoy / Beast, played by Kelsey Grammer
- Kurt Wagner / Nightcrawler, played by Alan Cumming, and Raven Darkholme / Mystique, played by Rebecca Romijn
- Remy LeBeau / Gambit, played by Channing Tatum
- Shuri / Black Panther, played by Letitia Wright
- Namor, played by Tenoch Huerta, M'Baku, played by Winston Duke, and Namora, played by Mabel Cadena
Steve Rogers, played by Chris Evans, is also expected to appear, though it is not known how the character will return. At the end of Endgame, Rogers traveled to the past and remained there, with Sam Wilson taking over as Captain America in the present. Rogers' love interest, Peggy Carter, played by Hayley Atwell, will also appear in Doomsday.
Interesting facts
Rumors suggest the runtime of Avengers: Doomsday will run 2 hours and 45 minutes. Doctor Doom is also expected to return in Avengers: Secret Wars in 2027.
In the comic book series Infamous Iron Man, Doctor Doom decides to reform and join the heroes in the fight against evil, notably choosing to become Iron Man himself. Downey Jr.'s eventual return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe was hinted at in Deadpool & Wolverine, which was released in the summer of 2024.
