Avengers Doomsday and Avengers Secret Wars delayed; fans will have to wait longer for New Avengers, X-Men, Fantastic Four union | Hollywood News
Marvel Studios has reportedly postponed the release dates of its two biggest upcoming movies, Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, pushing them back 7 to 8 months. Fans will have to wait a bit longer to see Robert Downey Jr. return to the MCU, as supervillain Doctor Doom, alongside the iconic cast of about 60 characters. They will be joined new heroes like the Thunderbolts* and the Fantastic Four. On Thursday, Variety reported that this move is part of a larger reshuffling Disney, which also removed some unnamed Marvel movies from its upcoming schedule. So far, only a few confirmed films, including Sony’s new Spider-Man, remain on the l.
Also read: Fake or real? Avengers Doomsday ‘set leak’ leaves MCU fans scratching their heads; viral video teases return of Captain America character. Watch
New release dates for Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars
Initially, Avengers: Doomsday was supposed to be released on May 1, 2026. The film is set to bring together stars like Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Anthony Mackie (Captain America), Vanessa Kir (Susan Storm), and others. But now, it’s been delayed about seven months and will be released on December 18, 2026. The follow-up movie, Avengers: Secret Wars, was set for May 7, 2027, but it will now roll out on December 17, 2027. The original plan was dropped to let the movies fall in the December holiday schedule, aiming for a better and wider response.
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In the process, Disney has also cleared out its calendars removing some titles. For instance, a Marvel movie planned for February 13, 2026, has been taken off the schedule completely, with casting and production halted. Other Marvel projects scheduled for November 2026 and November 2027 are now just led as “Untitled Disney” films, suggesting they might or might not be Marvel movies anymore. For 2026, this means the only confirmed Marvel movies will be Avengers: Doomsday and Sony’s Spider-Man movie called Brand New Day.
Fans are not as surprised, knowing that there were always telltale signs, given that the shooting didn’t start almost a year before its release was approaching. Another theory suggests that the new December dates are the same holiday window when Spider-Man: No Way Home came out in 2021, and the film went on to do a business of nearly $2 billion worldwide, becoming one of the biggest hits of the franchise. The makers are reportedly aiming to recreate the magic.
Also read: Robert Downey Jr. bulks up for Doctor Doom for Avengers Doomsday, gives a shout-out to co-star Hawkeye aka Jeremy Renner
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is scheduled to arrive on July 25, 2025, and then the next Tom Holland Spider-Man movie on July 31, 2026, marking the biggest gap between MCU films since the pandemic caused delays back in 2019–2021. Disney CEO Bob Iger explained the reason for this slowdown, revealing that the production had “lost a little focus making too much.” He believes that focusing more on quality and fewer films, the franchise could do better. The Doomsday and Secret Wars are mega Marvel projects bringing a mix of Avengers, Thunderbolts, Fantastic Four, and X-Men characters on board.
