Draft:Avengers: Doomsday

Avengers: Doomsday
Directed by	Anthony Russo Joe Russo
Written by	Michael Waldron Stephen McFeely
Based on	Avengers by Stan Lee Jack Kirby
Produced by	Kevin Feige Anthony Russo Joe Russo
Starring	Robert Downey Jr. Jeremy Renner Benedict Cumberbatch Pedro Pascal Vanessa Kirby Joseph Quinn Ebon Moss-Bachrach Tom Holland
Music by	Alan Silvestri
Production companies	Marvel Studios AGBO
Distributed by	Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Release date	May 1, 2026 (2026-05-01)
Country	United States
Language	English

Avengers: Doomsday is an upcoming American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team the Avengers. Produced by Marvel Studios and AGBO, and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is intended to be the fifth film in the Avengers film series following Avengers: Endgame (2019) and the 39th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo and written by Michael Waldron and Stephen McFeely, the film features an ensemble cast including Robert Downey Jr., Jeremy Renner, Benedict Cumberbatch, Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Tom Holland.

Two new Avengers films, The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars, were announced in July 2022 as the conclusion of the MCU's Phase Six and "The Multiverse Saga". Destin Daniel Cretton was hired to direct The Kang Dynasty and Jonathan Majors was set to reprise his MCU role as the villain Kang the Conqueror. Jeff Loveness joined the film as writer that September. In November 2023, Cretton departed, Waldron replaced Loveness as writer, and Marvel was considering moving away from the Kang storyline, in part due to Majors's legal issues; Majors was fired the following month. The return of the Russo brothers as directors and McFeely as writer, the casting of Downey as new villain Doctor Doom, and the new subtitle Doomsday were all announced in July 2024. Filming is scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2025 in London.

Avengers: Doomsday is scheduled to be released in the United States on May 1, 2026, as part of Phase Six of the MCU. Secret Wars is set to be released on May 7, 2027.

Cast

• Robert Downey Jr. as Victor von Doom / Doctor Doom:
  Co-director Joe Russo described Doom as one of the most complex comic book characters, and felt Downey—who previously starred as Tony Stark / Iron Man in the MCU—was the one person who could take on the role.
• Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton / Hawkeye: A former Avenger and agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. who is a master archer
• Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Stephen Strange: A neurosurgeon who became a Master of the Mystic Arts following a career-ending car accident
• Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards / Mister Fantastic: The leader of the Fantastic Four
• Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm / Invisible Woman: Johnny's sister and a member of the Fantastic Four
• Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm / Human Torch: Sue's brother and a member of the Fantastic Four who can control flames and set himself on fire
• Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm / The Thing: A member of the Fantastic Four and former astronaut who is encased in a layer of orange rock
• Tom Holland as Peter Parker / Spider-Man: A former Avenger who received spider-like abilities after being bitten by a radioactive spider

Production

Development

Announcement as The Kang Dynasty

"Avengers: The Kang Dynasty" redirects here. For the comic book storyline, see Kang Dynasty.

In May 2018, the Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger said Marvel Studios was focusing on new characters and franchises for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) following Avengers: Endgame (2019), but another Avengers film could happen eventually given the popularity of the previous films. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige reiterated this in January 2021, saying another Avengers film would happen "at some point". Discussing the future of the MCU for Variety in May 2022, Adam B. Vary said there was no sense yet of where the franchise was heading after Endgame but several of the MCU's Phase Four projects had featured the multiverse and some potential "Big Bads" such as Kang the Conqueror. Jonathan Majors had been cast as Kang in September 2020 for the film Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023). He was introduced as an alternate universe "variant" of Kang named He Who Remains in the first season of the Disney+ television series Loki (2021), which introduced the multiverse to the MCU. Kang was described by Michael Waldron, the creator of Loki and writer of the film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022), as a "time-traveling, multiversal adversary" and the MCU's "next big cross-movie villain". Quantumania writer Jeff Loveness called him a "top-tier, A-list Avengers villain".

(L–R) Jonathan Majors and Destin Daniel Cretton were respectively attached to star as Kang the Conqueror and direct The Kang Dynasty, before Majors was fired in 2023, the film underwent creative shifts, and Cretton stepped down.

At San Diego Comic-Con in July 2022, Feige announced the films Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars, to be released on May 2, 2025, and November 7, 2025, respectively. They were set to conclude Phase Six of the MCU and complete "The Multiverse Saga", which covers Phases Four, Five, and Six. The films were respectively inspired by "Kang Dynasty", a 2001–2002 comic book storyline written by Kurt Busiek in which Kang the Conqueror travels through time to enslave humanity, and Secret Wars, the name of a 1984–85 comic written by Jim Shooter and a 2015–16 comic written by Jonathan Hickman that both follow various Marvel characters who converge on the planet Battleworld. Feige compared the films to Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Endgame, which concluded "The Infinity Saga" that grouped the first three MCU phases. He said a lot of the Phase Four projects had been building to the larger story of The Kang Dynasty and "The Multiverse Saga", and this would continue throughout Phases Five and Six. Feige added that Majors's role as multiple variants of Kang made him a different type of villain from the Infinity Saga's main antagonist, Thanos, and said there was "nobody's shoulders I'd rather be putting the Multiverse Saga on" than Majors's. It was later reported that Marvel Studios was not initially planning to have the next MCU saga revolve around Kang, but they decided to do so after seeing Majors's performance in the first season of Loki and in early footage from Quantumania.

Feige said Anthony and Joe Russo would not be returning as directors from Infinity War and Endgame, despite them previously expressing interest in making a Secret Wars film. Destin Daniel Cretton was revealed to be directing The Kang Dynasty shortly after the Comic-Con announcement. He had directed Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) for Marvel Studios, and signed an overall deal with them in December 2021 that included directing a sequel to that film and developing a Wonder Man series for Disney+. Cretton was only hired to direct The Kang Dynasty, unlike how the Russo brothers directed both Infinity War and Endgame. Loveness was hired to write the screenplay in September 2022, and began work two weeks later. He did not expect to be considered for the film, thinking he would be "one and done" with Quantumania despite adding elements to that film which he felt would be good setup for an Avengers film. He believed he was asked to pitch for The Kang Dynasty because Marvel Studios had enjoyed those elements in Quantumania and his take on Kang. Majors confirmed the following month that he had discussed the film with Cretton, and in November, Simu Liu expressed enthusiasm for reprising his role as Xu Shang-Chi and potentially working with Cretton again on the film. Loveness said in January 2023 that he wanted The Kang Dynasty to feel like a "generational struggle" that would take the MCU's new characters from Phase Four and "throw them into the fire". Shang-Chi was set to be one of the lead characters of the film at that time. In March, Loveness said the Fantastic Four and the X-Men would not appear in the film due to their MCU introductions being "pretty far away".

Firing of Jonathan Majors and creative shifts

Following Majors's arrest in March 2023 and subsequent assault allegations, Marvel Studios had not yet discussed removing the actor from the MCU by the following month. He was still attached to star in The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars, and was set to receive $20 million with back-end compensation for the former. Disney was reported to be monitoring the situation. Joanna Robinson of The Ringer described the allegations against Majors as a "huge problem" for Marvel Studios that put them in an unusual position, since it was unprecedented for the studio to plan so much of the franchise on one character and actor; she argued that Majors had become a much more integral part of the Multiverse Saga than Robert Downey Jr. or Josh Brolin had been for the Infinity Saga as Tony Stark / Iron Man and Thanos, respectively. Robinson also noted that there were conflicting reports on how the studio would proceed with the matter. By then, The Kang Dynasty was scheduled to begin filming in early 2024. Jeff Sneider of Above the Line reported in May that Loveness was no longer involved in the film and had exited before the start of the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike earlier that month. In June, the film's release date was pushed back to May 1, 2026, in part due to the script not being ready before the strike.

Tatiana Siegel at Variety reported in November 2023 that Marvel Studios executives had discussed potentially bringing back the original Avengers cast, including Downey as Iron Man and Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow, which Feige later denied. Siegel also reported that Marvel Studios executives had started discussing alternative plans for the Multiverse Saga due to Majors's legal issues, including pivoting to focus on another comic book antagonist such as Doctor Doom; that character was already expected to be a major antagonist, if not the primary antagonist, in Secret Wars. The studio started considering changes to the Multiverse Saga, including minimizing the role of Kang, following the disappointing box office performance of Quantumania. Siegel felt recasting Majors was another option given Marvel Studios had previously recast major roles in the MCU due to offscreen issues, and she reported that the final episode of Loki's second season (2023) would set-up the future role for Kang and his variants in a way that would be difficult for Marvel to change. However, when the episode was released soon after, several commentators opined that it actually downplayed Kang's future role and provided several possible solutions for Marvel, including having the Kang variants be handled by Loki's Time Variance Authority (TVA) offscreen and potentially replacing them with Loki variants. In mid-November, Robinson reported that Loveness departed the film because he was closely associated with the Kang storyline and Marvel was "moving away" from that. Aaron Couch and Borys Kit, writing for The Hollywood Reporter, said Loveness completed a draft of the script before he left. They were unsure whether another writer would be hired to work on the film. At the same time, Cretton stepped down as director to focus on other MCU projects. His exit was said to be amicable as he was still working on other projects with the studio, and it was partially attributed to the film's schedule delays. Sneider reported that Marvel now wanted a writer and a director who could develop both The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars as a two-part finale to the Multiverse Saga. He suggested that Marvel drop the Kang Dynasty title and instead call the films Secret Wars part one and two, believing this to be a convenient way to generate excitement for the films while avoiding further questions about Majors's involvement.

By mid-November 2023, the writing team of Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely—who wrote Infinity War and Endgame—had reportedly been acting as "unofficial advisors" at Marvel Studios for several months. Waldron, who was already writing Secret Wars, was hired to rewrite the screenplay for The Kang Dynasty at the end of the month. In December, Majors was fired by Disney and Marvel Studios after he was found guilty of harassment and reckless assault in the third degree. It was unknown if Marvel would recast Kang or refocus their plans on a new villain, but the studio had started referring to the film internally as Avengers 5. Sneider soon reported that, like his earlier suggestion, Marvel Studios was now developing Secret Wars as a "giant five-hour movie" split into two parts, with a year between their releases, and they were searching for a director who had not previously directed a Marvel film. Filming was expected to begin in late 2024. In February 2024, Couch and Kit said Marvel was "cleaning up the creative mess" caused by Majors's legal issues and firing, as well as Quantumania's performance, with both Avengers 5 and Secret Wars being re-written to minimize the role of Kang or remove the character entirely. They confirmed that Avengers 5 was being retitled to no longer reference Kang.

New work as Doomsday

While completing his work as director of the film Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) for Marvel Studios, Shawn Levy was quietly asked to direct Avengers 5 in mid-March 2024. He turned down the offer due to scheduling concerns with his role as a director and executive producer on the fifth season of Stranger Things (2025) that would keep him busy until the following year. In April, filming was reported to be beginning in early 2025, after Marvel Studios delayed the film's production schedule by several months. By early May, the studio had approached Downey about portraying Victor von Doom / Doctor Doom; he had auditioned for the role in 20th Century Fox's film Fantastic Four (2005), where Julian McMahon was ultimately cast, before being cast as Iron Man in the MCU. Feige wanted Downey to return to the franchise and had discussed this with Downey around a year prior. The studio made repeated offers to the actor, but Downey turned these down and said he would only return if the Russo brothers also returned as directors. Waldron turned in a new draft of the script by late May which was given to Levy, who was still considered to be the studio's top choice to direct the film. Levy was in contention again following the production delay and began early discussions with the studio by the start of June. Other directors were still being considered and Levy had yet to commit to the film due to his work on Stranger Things and a planned Star Wars film.

Deadline Hollywood described Avengers 5 as more of an ensemble than the prior Avengers films, which mostly focused on a core group of Avengers. There was potential for more than 60 MCU actors to reprise their roles in the film, including established characters from the Infinity Saga alongside newer ones from the Multiverse Saga, though Feige cautioned that not all of the new Multiverse Saga characters would be able to appear in Avengers 5 and Secret Wars. Benedict Cumberbatch said he would reprise his MCU role as Dr. Stephen Strange in the next Avengers film and would begin filming in 2025. The Russo brothers were in early talks to direct both Avengers 5 and Secret Wars by mid-July, after it became clear that Levy was not interested in returning to the MCU so soon after Deadpool & Wolverine. Matthew Belloni of Puck reported that talent agency Creative Artists Agency had suggested Greg Berlanti and Noah Hawley to Marvel Studios as potential directors for both films, but they were turned down by Feige. Downey signed a deal to star as Doctor Doom by late July. Sneider reported that he would be introduced in the film The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025) before starring in the next Avengers films, and that Jeremy Renner would reprise his MCU role as Clint Barton / Hawkeye in Avengers 5.

Joe and Anthony Russo (left), directors of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, returned for Doomsday after the film's creative shifts alongside star Robert Downey Jr. (right) as new antagonist Doctor Doom.

At San Diego Comic-Con at the end of July 2024, the Russo brothers were confirmed to be directing the next two Avengers films and said the story for Secret Wars had convinced them to return after being "creatively spent" by their previous MCU films. The directors revealed that Avengers 5 was now titled Avengers: Doomsday and would feature Doctor Doom, who they felt was required to do justice to the Secret Wars story. Downey's casting as Doom for both films was announced. Discussing the change from playing Iron Man to being cast as Doctor Doom, Downey said he enjoyed portraying complex characters and described the role as "new mask, same task". Different storylines within Marvel Comics have seen Stark and Doom swap bodies, and Doom takes on the Iron Man mantle in the 2016–2017 Infamous Iron Man comic book series by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev. The Russo brothers were producing Doomsday and Secret Wars through their production company AGBO, McFeely had taken over as writer for both films from Waldron, and filming was set to begin in the second quarter of 2025 in London. The reunion of Marvel Studios, Downey, and the Russo brothers was considered by industry insiders to be a return to what had worked in the past and a "perfect combination of timing and everyone being on the same page". The Russo brothers and Downey were reported to be earning $40 million and $50 million, respectively, for each film. They were expected to receive bonuses based on the films' box office performances, with potential for Downey's salary to double. Downey also negotiated private jet travel, dedicated personal security, and multiple trailers on the film sets in his deal. Additionally at Comic-Con, cast members from the films Thunderbolts* (2025) and First Steps were said to be reprising their roles in the next two Avengers films, including the main Fantastic Four actors: Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards / Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm / Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm / Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm / The Thing. Responding to the convention's announcements, Majors said he was "heartbroken" over the decision to move forward with the films starring Downey instead of himself, and added that he was open to return to the MCU as Kang if Marvel Studios ever wanted to explore more with the character.

In October 2024, Sebastian Stan expressed interest in reprising his MCU role as Bucky Barnes for the film, hoping to share a scene with Downey, despite only being contracted through his role in Thunderbolts* at that time. The same month, Tom Holland—who was expected to reprise his MCU role as Peter Parker / Spider-Man in the film—said he had known about Downey's casting as Doctor Doom before the Comic-Con announcement.

Filming

Principal photography is scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2025 in London, under the working title Apple Pie 1. Filming was originally expected to begin in 2024, prior to various production delays and Majors's firing.

Music

In April 2024, Alan Silvestri indicated that he could be composing the music for an upcoming MCU project after previously doing so for Infinity War, Endgame, and other MCU films. That July, he was confirmed to be returning as the composer for both Doomsday and Secret Wars.

Marketing

The Doomsday subtitle, return of the Russo brothers, and casting of Downey as Doctor Doom were all announced at Marvel Studios' San Diego Comic-Con panel in July 2024. The announcement involved multiple people dressed as Doom appearing on stage, including Downey who unmasked himself to reveal his casting to the audience. Kat Bailey at IGN described the casting announcement as "one of the most dramatic reveals in recent Marvel history" and reported on mixed responses from fans, with some praising Downey's return while others thought it was a desperate move from Marvel Studios following the poor performance of some recent MCU projects. Charles Pulliam-Moore of The Verge saw the casting as "Marvel betting that it might be able to win audiences back with another massive cinematic event built around a person whose face and voice have long since become synonymous with Iron Man". Other commentators also discussed the casting and mixed responses to it, including Collider's Collier Jennings who criticized the casting of a non-Romani actor considering the character's comic book heritage. The announcement led to speculation about whether Downey would be playing an alternate universe variant of Tony Stark / Iron Man or if his recasting would be ignored in the film's story.

Release

Avengers: Doomsday is scheduled to be released in the United States on May 1, 2026. It was previously scheduled for release on May 2, 2025. It will be part of Phase Six of the MCU.

Sequel

Main article: Avengers: Secret Wars

A sequel, titled Avengers: Secret Wars, is scheduled to be released on May 7, 2027. It is also being written by McFeely and directed by the Russo brothers. The film will conclude Phase Six of the MCU.

External links

• Official website at Marvel.com
• Avengers: Doomsday at IMDb

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