No one can ever claim Marvel Studios doesn’t know how to shock an audience. Through the first four phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the $30 billion franchise continuously raised the bar for how big a blockbuster can be—and how devastating it can become at the snap of a finger. Despite the conclusion of 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame,” the MCU’s fourth “Avengers” movie, there will be more from America’s most famous superheroes.
In typical Marvel fashion, the studio announced plans for the next two “Avengers” films with a bang at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. From the films’ directors and release dates to surprising new villains, here’s what we know about “Avengers: Doomsday” and “Avengers: Secret Wars,” the highly anticipated fifth and sixth installments, respectively, in MCU’s “Avengers” franchise.
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With Shawn Levy’s “Deadpool & Wolverine” earning over a $1 billion at the global box office, there are just two films left in the MCU’s fifth phase: Julius Onah’s “Captain America: Brave New World,” set for release on Feb. 14, 2025, and Jake Schreier’s “Thunderbolts*,” set for May 2, 2025. Phase 6 will then kick off on July 25, 2025, with Matt Shakman’s “The Fantastic Four: First Steps.” But the mega-franchise’s final chapter in Phase 6 is already sending major shockwaves through the fandom.
At San Diego Comic-Con in July, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige announced that Phase 6 would conclude with two team-up events: “Avengers: Doomsday” on May 1, 2026, followed by “Avengers: Secret Wars” on May 7, 2027. He followed up that bombshell with an even bigger surprise: Robert Downey Jr. is returning to the MCU to play the iconic antagonist Victor von Doom, better known as Doctor Doom.
“Avengers: Doomsday” will reportedly start production in London in the second quarter of 2025.
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Downey, of course, kicked off the MCU all the way back in 2008, playing Tony Stark in Jon Favreau’s “Iron Man.” That film made $585.8 million worldwide and launched the MCU. Downey would reprise the role in eight more movies, until (spoiler alert!) the character heroically sacrificed his life to cap off “Avengers: Endgame.”
The actor’s return has shocked, thrilled, and confused fans everywhere. But it wasn’t always supposed to be this way.
What happened to “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty”?
Back in 2022, Feige presented a much different vision of the MCU’s fifth and sixth phases, one that concluded with “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty” and “Avengers: Secret Wars.” The “Kang” in question referred to Marvel supervillain Kang the Conqueror, played by Jonathan Majors. The actor made his MCU debut in 2021 during the first season of Disney+’s “Loki” and starred opposite Paul Rudd in Peyton Reed’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” in 2023.
“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” director Destin Daniel Cretton was initially tapped to helm “Kang Dynasty,” with “Quantumania” writer Jeff Loveness on script duty. However, Cretton departed the film soon after to work on other projects (including a “Shang-Chi” sequel), and “Loki” creator Michael Waldron replaced Loveness a week and a half later. At this point, both “Kang Dynasty” and “Secret Wars” had pushed back their release dates to May 1, 2026, and May 7, 2027, respectively.
In December 2023, the studio dropped Majors altogether after the actor was convicted of domestic harassment and assault. Although “Kang Dynasty” remained on the calendar, the studio shifted to calling it simply “Avengers 5” internally, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Who is writing and directing “Avengers: Doomsday” and “Avengers: Secret Wars”?
Almost as surprising as Downey’s return is the news that Joe and Anthony Russo (aka the Russo brothers) will helm both “Doomsday” and “Secret Wars.” The Russo brothers garnered acclaim for 2014’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” and would go on to direct the highly successful “Captain America: Civil War,” “Avengers: Infinity War,” and “Avengers: Endgame.” The duo’s independent studio, AGBO, will also co-produce the films in a rare partnership with Marvel.
According to Variety, part of Downey’s agreement to return was contingent on the Russos directing both movies.
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Additionally, Stephen McFeely, who co-wrote all four of the Russo brothers’ Marvel films with Christopher Markus, will take over the script from Waldron.
What is the story of “Avengers: Doomsday” and “Avengers: Secret Wars”?
While Marvel is famously hush-hush about plot details, the two-part “Avengers” epic will mark the end of the MCU’s Multiverse Saga. The interconnected story started with the 2021 Disney+ limited series, “WandaVision,” and explored the concept of alternate realities interacting with each other. This is ultimately how Tom Holland, Tobey Maguire, and Andrew Garfield all played Peter Parker in Jon Watts’ “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” and (spoiler alert!) former characters like Blade (Wesley Snipes) and Elektra (Jennifer Garner) popped into “Deadpool & Wolverine.”
The sixth film’s title, “Secret Wars,” also offers many clues. Joe Russo called the 2015 comic book storyline of the same name “the biggest story that Marvel Comics ever told.” Written by Jonathan Hickman, “Secret Wars” saw the main Marvel universe colliding with countless other alternate realities to create a post-apocalyptic planet called Battleworld. This volatile place is ruled over by—you guessed it—Doctor Doom.
In addition to Downey, the titular members of the upcoming “Fantastic Four” film are set to star in “Doomsday” and “Secret Wars”—Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards, Vanessa Kirby as Susan Storm, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm. We’ll also see the ragtag crew of “Thunderbolts*”—including Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov, and Wyatt Russell as John Walker.
There have been reports that Downey will first appear as Doctor Doom in the credits scene of “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” but Marvel has not confirmed that as fact.
“Avengers: Doomsday” is currently scheduled to begin filming in the second quarter of 2025, following not just preproduction but also Downey’s Broadway debut in Ayad Akhtar’s “McNeal”. While the previous Russo brothers’ “Avengers” movies were filmed in Atlanta, “Doomsday” and “Secret Wars” will move across the pond to London’s Pinewood Studios.
While neither of the films is currently casting, the studio has posted gigs on Backstage in the past, meaning you, too, could soon don a new mask. Check out our guide on how to get cast in the MCU, with details on how the audition process works and tips from MCU stars and casting directors, including MCU’s go-to casting director, Sarah Finn. Finn, who has put together the casts of every Marvel project since 2008’s “Iron Man,” will continue her work with the franchise on both upcoming “Avengers” films.
Do your homework before entering Finn’s audition room by finding out what the veteran CD looks for or by learning how the “interconnectedness” of Marvel’s film and TV projects affects her casting process.
Also, don’t forget to bookmark our main casting page for the latest opportunities. If you’re looking to land a major film or TV gig faster than the speed of light, our roundup of background gigs and superhero castings are also great resources for getting noticed.
Check back for more updates on “Avengers: Doomsday” and “Avengers: Secret Wars,” as we plan to continue updating this piece with new information.