History of Avengers: Doomsday in Timeline

Avengers: Doomsday, the fifth Avengers film and 39th in the MCU, sees the Avengers, Wakandans, Fantastic Four, New Avengers, and X-Men uniting against Doctor Doom. Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo and written by Michael Waldron and Stephen McFeely, the film boasts an ensemble cast featuring returning MCU actors like Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Mackie, and Robert Downey Jr., alongside new additions like Vanessa Kirby, Pedro Pascal, and many more from prior Marvel movies like Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen.

2017: Reference to Game of Thrones Release Date Reveal

Variety's Jordan Moreau and Brent Lang called the livestream a "slow-burn" and likened it to the release date reveal for the seventh season of Game of Thrones in 2017, which saw a block of ice melt to reveal the date; both stunts were "mocked for their pace".

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2018: Release of Avengers: Infinity War

In 2018, Anthony and Joe Russo directed the film Avengers: Infinity War and expressed interest in directing a Secret Wars film.

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2019: Release of Avengers: Endgame

In 2019, Anthony and Joe Russo directed the film Avengers: Endgame and expressed interest in directing a Secret Wars film.

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July 2022: Announcement of The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars

In July 2022 at San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC), Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige announced two new Avengers films, The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars, as the conclusion of the MCU's Phase Six and "The Multiverse Saga".

March 2023: Majors's arrest

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

November 2023: Departure of Cretton, Waldron replaces Loveness as writer

In November 2023, Destin Daniel Cretton departed as director of The Kang Dynasty. Michael Waldron replaced Jeff 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.

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: Citadel series

In 2023 production designer Gavin Bocquet reteamed with the Russo brothers after working on the second season of their television series Citadel.

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February 2024: Rewriting 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

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), but there were potential scheduling issues with his other projects.

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April 2024: Silvestri indicated to compose music for 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, Endgame, and other MCU films.

July 2024: Announcement of Russo brothers as directors, Downey as Doctor Doom

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

July 2024: Announcement at SDCC panel

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 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.

March 2025: Livestream revealing cast members

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. A new chair was revealed approximately every 12 minutes, accompanied by music from a relevant previous Marvel project. After revealing 26 cast members, the livestream ended with an appearance by Downey and a rendition of Silvestri's Avengers theme.

March 2025: Cast members announced

In March 2025, Marvel announced 26 cast members for the film alongside Downey. 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 begins at Pinewood Studios

In April 2025, filming began for Avengers: Doomsday at Pinewood Studios in England, with a large cast consisting mainly of actors from previous MCU media and other Marvel films.

April 28, 2025: Principal photography begins

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