History of Avengers: Doomsday in Timeline

Avengers: Doomsday is a forthcoming MCU film, a sequel to Avengers: Endgame. Directed by the Russo brothers and written by Michael Waldron and Stephen McFeely, the film features the Avengers, Wakandans, Fantastic Four, New Avengers, and X-Men uniting against Doctor Doom, played by Robert Downey Jr. The movie is the 39th installment in the MCU, produced by Marvel Studios and AGBO, and will be distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

2015: Recreation of Secret Wars comic panel

In September 2025 at Disney's Merchandise Expo in China, a recreation of a panel from the 2015 Secret Wars comic series was showcased.

2017: Game of Thrones release date reveal comparison

In March 2025, Variety likened the reveal of the cast to the Game of Thrones release date reveal from 2017.

Loading Video...

2018: Release of Avengers: Infinity War

In 2018, Avengers: Infinity War, directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, was released. The directors later expressed interest in directing a Secret Wars film.

Loading Video...

2019: Release of Avengers: Endgame

In 2019, Avengers: Endgame, directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, was released. The directors later expressed interest in directing a Secret Wars film.

Loading Video...

2019: Avengers: Endgame released

In 2019, Avengers: Endgame, the predecessor to Avengers: Doomsday, was released.

July 2022: The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars Announced

At San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) in July 2022, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige announced the films Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars.

July 2022: New Avengers films announced

In July 2022, The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars were announced as the conclusion of the MCU's Phase Six and "The Multiverse Saga".

March 2023: Majors's arrest and allegations

Following Jonathan Majors's arrest in March 2023 and subsequent assault allegations, reports and speculation emerged about his future in the MCU.

November 2023: Cretton departs, Waldron replaces Loveness as writer

In November 2023, Destin Daniel Cretton departed as director, Michael Waldron replaced Jeff Loveness as writer, and Marvel was considering moving away from the Kang storyline.

November 2023: Cretton stepped down as director of The Kang Dynasty

In November 2023, Destin Daniel Cretton stepped down as director of The Kang Dynasty, partially due to schedule delays, and Michael Waldron was set to rewrite the film.

2023: Crew members reteam for Doomsday after Citadel

In 2023, Gavin Bocquet, Newton Thomas Sigel, and Judianna Makovsky reteamed with the Russo brothers for Doomsday after working on their television series Citadel.

Loading Video...

February 2024: Avengers films being rewritten to minimize Kang's role

By February 2024, both Avengers 5 and Secret Wars were being rewritten to minimize Kang's role or remove him entirely following Majors's firing.

March 2024: Shawn Levy Top Choice to Direct Avengers 5

By mid-March 2024, Shawn Levy became the studio's top choice to direct Avengers 5 after directing Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), but there were potential scheduling issues.

April 2024: Alan Silvestri indicated composing music for upcoming MCU project

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 and Endgame.

July 2024: Doomsday subtitle, director return, and casting announced

In July 2024, the Doomsday subtitle, the return of the Russo brothers, and the casting of Downey as Doctor Doom were all announced at Marvel Studios' SDCC panel.

July 2024: Russo brothers return as directors, Downey cast as Doctor Doom

In July 2024, the return of the Russo brothers as directors and Stephen McFeely as co-writer, the casting of Robert Downey Jr. as the new villain Doctor Doom, and the new subtitle Doomsday were announced.

March 2025: Livestream cast member reveal

In March 2025, Marvel aired a nearly five-and-a-half-hour-long livestream showing a line of director's chairs with cast member names on them, becoming a major social media event.

March 2025: Cast members announced for the film

In March 2025, Marvel announced 26 cast members for the film, including some reprising their roles from 20th Century Fox's X-Men film series.

April 2025: Filming began at Pinewood Studios

In April 2025, filming for Avengers: Doomsday began at Pinewood Studios in England, with a large cast and location filming in England and Bahrain.

April 28, 2025: Principal photography began

On April 28, 2025, principal photography for Doomsday began at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, England, under the working title Apple Pie 1.

May 2, 2025: Initial release date for The Kang Dynasty

May 2, 2025, was the initial release date announced for The Kang Dynasty.

May 2025: Release date delayed to December 18, 2026

In May 2025, Disney delayed the release date of Avengers: Doomsday to December 18, 2026, to allow more time for production. Location filming was also taking place in Bahrain.

August 2025: Footage introduced at Destination D23

In August 2025, the Russo brothers and Paul Rudd introduced footage from the film at Destination D23.

November 7, 2025: Initial release date for Secret Wars

November 7, 2025, was the initial release date announced for Secret Wars.

December 18, 2025: Russo Brothers Release Countdown Teaser

On December 18, 2025, the Russo brothers released a short teaser featuring a 12-month countdown clock, signaling one year until the scheduled release of Avengers: Doomsday.

2025: Heroes converge to face Doctor Doom

In 2025, fourteen months after the events of Thunderbolts*, heroes from three different universes converge to face the threat of Doctor Doom.

March 2026: Early Box Office Tracking "Strong"

In March 2026, Variety reported that early box office tracking for Avengers: Doomsday was "strong", with it predicted to be 2026's highest-grossing film.

April 2026: Teaser Trailer Introduced at CinemaCon

In April 2026, a teaser trailer for Avengers: Doomsday was introduced at CinemaCon by Feige, Downey, Evans, and the Russo brothers. The trailer included narrations from Doom, Thor, and Rogers, showcasing character interactions and Doom's warning of a multiversal threat.

May 1, 2026: The Kang Dynasty Release Date Pushed Back

In June 2023, the release date for The Kang Dynasty was pushed back to May 1, 2026, due to script issues related to the Writer's Guild strike.

December 2026: Avengers: Doomsday Scheduled for Release

In December 2026, Avengers: Doomsday is scheduled to be released in the United States. The release in IMAX in the US will be delayed by three weeks due to Dune: Part Three. However, Doomsday will be available in premium large formats (PLFs) such as Dolby Vision, Screen X, D-Box, and 4DX.