Avengers: Doomsday – Release date and latest news on Robert Downey Jr epic
"New mask, same task," said the former Iron Man actor as he took on a new Marvel role.
Marvel Studios is eyeing a return to box office dominance, equipping its upcoming crossover blockbuster Avengers: Doomsday with two formidable weapons: Robert Downey Jr and Chris Evans.
The stars, who played Tony Stark (Iron Man) and Steve Rogers (Captain America) during the franchise's glory days are both expected to return for the upcoming sequel – although perhaps not as we've seen them before.
Downey Jr is confirmed to be stepping into a villainous light as the MCU's long-awaited incarnation of Doctor Doom, while Evans's role remains unclear as reports suggest Anthony Mackie will be holding on to the Captain America mantle for now.
The mere fact that they are returning to the franchise they dramatically exited almost six years ago will be enough to turn heads, although fans are divided on whether a nostalgia play is the right direction for Marvel's long term success.
If you're excited for the cinema's next comic book crossover, read on for everything we know so far about Avengers: Doomsday.
Avengers: Doomsday release date
Avengers: Doomsday is currently scheduled for release in cinemas on Friday 1st May 2026.
The first weekend of May has long been associated with Marvel Studios, which has kicked off many a summer movie season with its solo adventures and crossover flicks.
In an interview with Collider, directors Anthony and Joe Russo said that they intend to start filming in spring 2025 in order to meet that date, with a break of (at least) a month to separate filming on Doomsday and its sequel Secret Wars.
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Who will star in Avengers: Doomsday? Rumoured and confirmed members
Avengers: Doomsday will star returning Marvel icons Robert Downey Jr and Chris Evans, along with the Fantastic Four: First Steps cast and several others in a large ensemble.
In a shock move last summer, Downey Jr was unveiled as the MCU's Victor von Doom (aka Doctor Doom), leaving fans to wonder whether this version of the character could be an evil variant of Tony Stark.
The casting was announced in suitably dramatic fashion at San Diego Comic-Con, where co-director Joe Russo told the Hall H audience they had enlisted "the greatest actor in the world" for Doom.
Check out the electric moment of the reveal in the video below:
Approximately five months later, another bombshell dropped as Deadline reported that Chris Evans would feature in Avengers: Doomsday in an as-yet-undisclosed role.
The actor surprised and delighted fans with his recent Deadpool & Wolverine cameo, where he played Johnny Storm aka The Human Torch of the mid-noughties Fantastic Four film instead of returning as Captain America.
It begs the question of whether there could be more trickery afoot here, with some fans suggesting that Evans could play a variant of Cap similar to that from the Secret Empire comic book, where the Sentinel of Liberty was found to be a HYDRA sleeper agent.
(Don't worry: it was just the Cosmic Cube messing things up, as per usual.)
Mere days later, Deadline struck again with word that Hayley Atwell would also feature in Doomsday as Peggy Carter; an enduring character whose fanbase has only grown after recent appearances in What If...? and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Alas, for now we can only speculate as to whether we'll be seeing classic Peggy or her Captain Carter variant.
Also confirmed for both Doomsday and Secret Wars is Marvel's brand new Fantastic Four team, comprised of Pedro Pascal (Mr Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby (Invisible Woman), Joseph Quinn (Human Torch) and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Thing).
Meanwhile, longtime Marvel actor Benedict Cumberbatch has confirmed he will be back for the next Avengers movies as sorcerer Doctor Strange, telling Entertainment Weekly that the team are "cooking up a storm".
Confirmed cast
- Robert Downey Jr as Victor von Doom aka Doctor Doom
- Chris Evans as TBC
- Hayley Atwell as Agent Peggy Carter
- Benedict Cumberbatch as Stephen Strange aka Doctor Strange
- Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards aka Mr Fantastic
- Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm aka Invisible Woman
- Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm aka Human Torch
- Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm aka The Thing
In June 2024, a report by Deadline claimed that Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars could bring more than 60 established MCU characters back into the fray, so there's still plenty of room on the roster.
Below, we've compiled a few more plausible names, based on their prominence during Phases Four and Five of the blockbuster franchise. Who is on your wish list?
Rumoured/likely cast
- Chris Hemsworth as Thor
- Simu Liu as Shang-Chi
- Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson aka Captain America
- Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes aka Winter Soldier
- Tom Hiddleston as Loki
- Paul Rudd as Scott Lang aka Ant-Man
- Brie Larson as Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel
- Tom Holland as Peter Parker aka Spider-Man
What is Avengers: Doomsday about?
Avengers: Doomsday does not yet have an official plot synopsis, but the movie is poised to introduce Victor von Doom as a major threat to the Marvel multiverse.
Much like Infinity War and Endgame did to great success, Doomsday and Secret Wars will serve as two parts of a larger narrative, with one leading directly into the other.
In the 2016 comic book series Secret Wars, upon which the film appears to be based, Doctor Doom salvages elements of a destroyed multiverse and reforms them as Battleworld – a domain in which he is the unquestioned ruler.
Prior to this storyline, the Marvel comics had dealt with the concept of incursions, whereby one reality would collide with another, either destroying both or causing one side to take defensive action.
Perhaps these terrifying events could begin occurring in Avengers: Doomsday, leading the titular baddie to create his surreal new reality, just as he did in the source material.
Why was Avengers: The Kang Dynasty cancelled?
Previously, the fifth movie in the Avengers franchise was to be named The Kang Dynasty and continue plot threads previously established in Disney Plus series Loki and Marvel blockbuster Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Jonathan Majors appeared in both projects as variants of Kang the Conquerer, a powerful time-travelling menace who was initially intended to be the MCU's next Thanos-level threat.
However, Majors was dropped by Marvel Studios after he was found guilty of assaulting and harassing his ex-girlfriend by a jury in New York. He was convicted on two counts but acquitted of a different assault charge and of aggravated harassment.
Some had expected Marvel Studios to continue the storyline with a new actor as Kang, but the company has instead decided to go in an entirely different direction with its plans.
Is there an Avengers: Doomsday trailer?
Not yet! But we'll update this page the moment that any footage arrives.
Avengers: Doomsday is coming to cinemas in May 2026.
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Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
