Avengers 5 aka Avengers: Doomsday is set to shake up the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Here's everything we know so far.
What is Avengers: Doomsday about?
It's unclear at this stage. In the Ultimate Comics: Doomsday comic, members of The Fantastic Four teamed up with Marvel heroes to take on Doctor Doom but the Marvel movies frequently deviate from their source material.
Is Robert Downey Jr in Avengers: Doomsday?
Yes, Robert Downey Jr. is playing Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday (the fifth Avengers movie to date). Having bowed out as Tony Stark/Iron Man in Avengers: Endgame (2019), he returns to the fold as essentially the new Thanos. Doctor Doom, real name Victor von Doom, is the Fantastic Four's nemesis and we can expect Downey Jr. to chew the scenery.
Downey Jr. was unmasked at Comic-Con 2024. He revealed himself to a packed and ecstatic audience at Hall H, long considered the mecca for comic book fans.
Presenting Victor Von Doom.
— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) July 28, 2024
Robert Downey Jr. stars in Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Doomsday, in theaters May 2026. #SDCC pic.twitter.com/xWQx9owZjG
Marvel chief Kevin Feige had consistently played down rumours of Downey Jr.'s return, telling Vanity Fair in 2024: "We all worked very hard for many years to get to [Stark's death], and we would never want to magically undo it in any way." However, he later recapitulated, saying that Downey Jr. could return if "great care was taken."
Downey Jr. for his part has always seemed open to returning to the MCU. Speaking to Esquire he said he would "happily" return to the franchise, adding: "It’s too integral a part of my DNA. That role chose me."
Are the Russo brothers directing Avengers: Doomsday?
Yes, Anthony and Joe Russo are helming Avengers: Doomsday and its sequel Avengers: Secret Wars. The Russos had the responsibility of concluding the two-part Infinity Saga, which comprised Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame. The saga detailed the Avengers' battle with Thanos (Josh Brolin) and stitched together a vast canvas of action and character beats stretching from planet Earth to the other side of the universe before it all culminated in Tony Stark's death.
Before the Infinity Saga, the Russos directed the critically acclaimed Captain America installments The Winter Soldier (2014) and Civil War (2016). The Russos were quoted in 2022 as saying (via Deadline): "The one series that we adored growing up was Secret Wars. It’s incredibly ambitious. It would be bigger than Infinity War and Endgame. But it’s a massive undertaking.
However, they had appeared to deflect any suggestion of their ongoing involvement in the MCU. Anthony Russo thought Endgame was their last movie, saying (again via Deadline): "That four-movie run was incredible, and it left us with our emotions spent." Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings helmer Destin Daniel Cretton was initially in the picture to direct Avengers 5 (then called Avengers: The Kang Dynasty) but later stepped down.
The Russos then came aboard, and one imagines Kevin Feige sees them as a safe pair of hands having steered Avengers: Endgame to ear-splitting success. (It was briefly the highest-grossing movie of all time before Avatar: The Way of Water stole its crown in 2022.)
Does this mean Kang the Conqueror is no longer part of the upcoming Avengers movies?
Following Jonathan Majors' departure as Kang the Conqueror, the next two Avengers movies have been recalibrated. Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom now informs the direction of the films (Avengers 5's revised title should make that clear) and he's poised to cross into the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot. That film is scheduled for release in 2025 and is directed by WandaVision creative Matt Shakman.
Fantastic Four is the inaugural movie in Marvel Phase Six, which is also set to encompass Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. (Where the oft-delayed Blade movie sits remains to be seen.) Before that, Marvel Phase Five ranges from the recently released Deadpool & Wolverine to Captain America: Brave New World (released February 14th, 2025) and Thunderbolts (released May 2nd, 2025).
Are the next Avengers movies part of the Multiverse Saga?
That's also unclear. The multiverse has fuelled the recent Doctor Strange, Ant-Man and Spider-Man movies but given that Deadpool & Wolverine incorporates key characters from the X-Men (the title character being one), one imagines that a new era of the MCU will soon begin. An MCU X-Men reboot is on the cards but no release date has been set.
"Well, the most exciting challenge is delving even deeper into the mythology of the [X-Men comics] and into the deep bench of mutant characters," Feige tells Screenrant. "I think we've seen a lot of great characters in the X-Men movies that have existed up to now, but there are literally hundreds that we haven't seen yet. And you've already referenced X-Men 97.
"For me, that was, and the animation team of Marvel Studios did such a spectacular job with that and seeing the audience respond to the soap opera elements and to the love triangles and to all that that really makes the X-Men the X-Men. It had all of us very excited about the translation back into live action."
When is Avengers: Doomsday released?
Avengers: Doomsday is released on May 1st, 2026.
When is Avengers: Secret Wars released?
Avengers: Secret Wars is released on May 7th, 2027.
Where can we book tickets for Deadpool & Wolverine?
Click the link below to book your tickets for Deadpool & Wolverine.
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