History of Avengers: Doomsday in Timeline

Avengers: Doomsday is an upcoming superhero film, a sequel to Avengers: Endgame and the 39th film in the MCU. Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, and written by Michael Waldron and Stephen McFeely, the film features an ensemble cast led by Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom. The Avengers, along with the Wakandans, Fantastic Four, New Avengers, and the X-Men, must unite to confront Doctor Doom.

1984: Inspiration for Secret Wars film

Avengers directors expressed interest in directing a Secret Wars film based on the 1984-85 comic book crossover event written by Jim Shooter.

2001: Inspiration for The Kang Dynasty

The Kang Dynasty was inspired by a 2001-02 comic book storyline written by Kurt Busiek in which Kang the Conqueror travels through time to enslave humanity.

2015: Inspiration for Secret Wars film

Avengers directors expressed interest in directing a Secret Wars film based on the 2015-16 comic book storyline written by Jonathan Hickman.

2015: Concept art and panel recreation featured

Disney's Merchandise Expo in China featured concept art of Doom from the film and a recreation of a panel from the 2015 Secret Wars comic series.

2017: Release date reveal for Game of Thrones Season 7

In 2017, the release date reveal for the seventh season of Game of Thrones, which saw a block of ice melt to reveal the date, was compared to the livestream cast reveal for Avengers: Doomsday for being mocked for their pace.

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2018: Avengers: Infinity War released

In 2018, Avengers: Infinity War was released.

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2019: Avengers: Endgame released

In 2019, Avengers: Endgame was released, preceding the upcoming film Avengers: Doomsday. Avengers: Doomsday is intended to be the sequel to Avengers: Endgame.

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July 2022: Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars announced

At San Diego Comic-Con in July 2022, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige announced the films Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars, to be released on May 2, 2025, and November 7, 2025, respectively.

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. Destin Daniel Cretton was hired to direct The Kang Dynasty, and Jonathan Majors was set to reprise his role as Kang the Conqueror.

March 2023: Majors's arrest

In March 2023, Jonathan Majors was arrested and faced assault allegations, leading to reports and speculation about his future in the MCU.

November 2023: Destin Daniel Cretton departed

In November 2023, Destin Daniel Cretton departed from directing The Kang Dynasty. Michael Waldron replaced Jeff Loveness as writer, and Marvel was considering moving away from the Kang storyline due to Majors's legal issues.

November 2023: Cretton stepped down

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 reteams from Citadel

Production designer Gavin Bocquet and cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel reteamed with the Russo brothers after working on their television series Citadel (2023-present).

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February 2024: Rewriting of Avengers 5 and Secret Wars

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 as top choice for director

By mid-March 2024, Shawn Levy became the studio's top choice to direct Avengers 5, after he directed the MCU film Deadpool & Wolverine (2024).

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April 2024: Alan Silvestri indicated to be composing the music

In April 2024, Alan Silvestri indicated that he could be composing the music for an upcoming MCU project.

July 2024: Doctor Doom casting announced

In July 2024, at Marvel Studios' SDCC panel, the Doomsday subtitle, the return of the Russo brothers, and the casting of Downey as Doctor Doom were announced. The announcement involved multiple people dressed as Doom appearing on stage, including Downey, who unmasked himself to reveal his casting to the audience.

July 2024: Russo brothers return

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

March 2025: Livestream cast reveal

Coinciding with the start of production 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. It became the second-most trending video on YouTube with 275 million views in its first 24 hours and garnered 55 distinct trending terms on X.

March 2025: Cast members announced

In March 2025, Marvel announced 26 cast members for the film alongside Robert Downey Jr.. Many of those actors returned from previous MCU media, while some were reprising their roles from 20th Century Fox's X-Men film series.

April 2025: Filming began

In April 2025, filming for Avengers: Doomsday began at Pinewood Studios in England, with a large cast consisting mainly of actors from previous MCU media and 20th Century Fox's X-Men film series. Location filming took place in England and Bahrain.

April 28, 2025: Principal photography began

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

May 2, 2025: Original Release Date for The Kang Dynasty

Originally, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty was announced to be released on May 2, 2025.

May 2025: Release date delayed

In May 2025, Disney delayed the release date of Doomsday to December 18, 2026, to allow more time for production to be completed. Location filming was taking place in Bahrain by the end of the month.

August 2025: Footage shown at Destination D23

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

November 7, 2025: Original Release Date for Secret Wars

Originally, Avengers: Secret Wars, was announced to be released on November 7, 2025.

December 18, 2025: Teaser release for Avengers: Doomsday

On December 18, 2025, the Russo brothers released a short teaser with a 12-month countdown clock, marking a year until Avengers: Doomsday's scheduled release.

2025: Avengers team up to face Doctor Doom

In 2025, fourteen months after the events of Thunderbolts*, the Avengers, Wakandans, Fantastic Four, New Avengers, and the "original" X-Men team up to face Doctor Doom.

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May 1, 2026: Release date pushed back for The Kang Dynasty

In June 2023, the release date for The Kang Dynasty was pushed back to May 1, 2026.

December 2026: Release Date of Avengers: Doomsday

In December 2026, Avengers: Doomsday is scheduled to be released in the United States, with international IMAX releases planned, excluding the US during its opening weekend due to Dune: Part Three also releasing on December 18, 2026.