Avengers: Doomsday — release date, trailer, cast, plot, and what else we know so far about the new Marvel movie

Avengers: Doomsday is less than four months away from potentially dominating the late 2026 box office. Indeed, the much-anticipated Marvel movie is due out on December 18 — and, with its second trailer landing online recently, I bet you're keen to learn everything we know about it ahead of release.

That's where this guide comes in. Below, I've rounded up the latest and most important news (plus the odd rumor or 10) on Avengers 5. So, if you want to know more about the cast and story about one of 2026's hottest new movies, you've come to the right place. Don't delay, then — scroll on to find out more!

Avengers: Doomsday release date

As I mentioned, Avengers: Doomsday will be released worldwide on December 18, 2026.

Initially due out in May, Marvel delayed Doomsday and its sequel Avengers: Secret Wars over a year ago. And, even though rumors swirled that Avengers: Doomsday's release date could change again to avoid Dune Part III, which is also releasing on December 18, the former is still coming out on its current launch date.

Avengers: Doomsday trailer

Avengers: Doomsday | Official Trailer | In Theaters December 18 - YouTube

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We were made to wait a long time, but Avengers: Doomsday's first official trailer was finally released in July. For more on what it teases, check out my Avengers: Doomsday trailer breakdown article.

Marvel didn't have us twiddling our thumbs for too long before unveiling its second trailer, too. Indeed, it was released on August 14 as one of six big Marvel and Star Wars reveals at D23 Expo 2026. Check it out below if you haven't yet:

Avengers: Doomsday | Special Look | In Theaters December 18 - YouTube

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Avengers: Doomsday confirmed cast

Full spoilers follow for Avengers: Endgame. Possible Doomsday spoilers are also discussed.

Originally, we knew that 27 actors would appear in Avengers: Doomsday. Since then, though, three other Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) stars have been added to its roster. Here, then, is its currently 30-strong cast:

• Robert Downey Jr as Doctor Victor von Doom
• Chris Hemsworth as Thor
• Chris Evans as Steve Rogers
• Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic
• Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman
• Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch
• Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing
• Tom Hiddleston as Loki
• Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Captain America
• Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres/Falcon
• Sebastian Stan as James 'Bucky' Barnes/The Winter Soldier
• Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova
• David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian
• Wyatt Russell as John Walker/US Agent
• Hannah John-Kamen as Ava Starr/Ghost
• Lewis Pullman as Bob Reynolds/Sentry
• Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man
• Simu Liu as Shang-Chi
• Letitia Wright as Shuri/Black Panther
• Winston Duke as M'Baku
• Tenoch Huerta Meija as Namor
• Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier/Professor X
• Ian McKellen as Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto
• James Marsden as Scott Summers/Cyclops
• Kelsey Grammar as Henry 'Hank' McCoy/Beast
• Rebecca Romijn as Raven Darkholme/Mystique
• Alan Cumming as Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler
• Channing Tatum as Remy LeBeau/Gambit
• Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter
• Kathryn Newton as Cassie Lang

The headline news is that Downey Jr, who played Tony Stark and his superhero alias Iron Man between 2008 and 2019, is back in the MCU.

With Stark sacrificing himself in Avengers: Endgame, it seemed that the superstar responsible for spear-heading Marvel's shared universe was done with it.

However, at SDCC 2024, Downey Jr's return was announced, albeit as Doctor Victor von Doom. One of Marvel's most iconic villains and long-time adversary of The Fantastic Four in the comics, Doom will be the primary antagonist of Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.

Is that the only character he'll play, though? Last July, Downey Jr sparked a new Doomsday theory over a possible dual role. Then, in November 2025, a new Avengers: Doomsday video teased more ties between Downey Jr's Doom and another character, leading some fans to believe Doom will be a multiversal variant of the MCU's Tony Stark.

There are bound to be other cast surprises in the final product, too. That much was confirmed by Marvel president Kevin Feige, who recently told Fandango that, for certain scenes, there are over 30 actors on set.

Who could those other individuals be? If we visit the Time Variance Authority (TVA) to check back in with Hiddleston's Loki, Own Wilson's Mobius and Wunmi Mosaku's Hunter B-15 should appear.

Meanwhile, Iman Vellani has practically confirmed her return as Kamala Khan/Ms Marvel (per Brit + Co). Furthermore, an in-person appearance from Ryan Reynolds at San Diego Comic-Con 2026, plus a video starring Hugh Jackman and an off-camera Reynolds at D23 Expo 2026, heavily suggests Deadpool and Wolverine are part of proceedings.

Lastly, an MCU newcomer in Wesley Holloway was namedropped as part of an official Disney CinemaCon 2026 recap piece. Who could he be playing? Some fans think he's the grown-up version of Steve and Peggy's son that we see as a newborn in Steve Rogers' Doomsday mini teaser. Right now, though, Holloway's role is yet to be confirmed.

Avengers: Doomsday cast rumors: Spider-Man, Scarlet Witch, and more

Potentially huge spoilers follow for Avengers: Doomsday.

With Marvel teasing "there's always room for more" cast announcements in mid-2025, fans have spent the past year debating who else might show up.

Let's get some heavy hitters out of the way first, starting with Tom Holland's Peter Parker/Spider-Man. The wallcrawler's latest solo movie, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, is set prior to Avengers: Doomsday. There's nothing to suggest he'll be in the latter, too, but Spider-Man: Brand New Day's ending and post-credits scene appeared to tease his involvement in Doomsday and/or Secret Wars.

Elsewhere, Elizabeth Olsen has regularly denied Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch is in Avengers: Doomsday. After initially claiming Doctor Strange will only show up in Avengers: Secret Wars, Benedict Cumberbatch has since left the door open on a possible appearance (per ETOnline).

Speaking on The View , Brie Larson replied "I can't answer" when she was pressed over her possible involvement as Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel. Meanwhile, Jeremy Renner has rebuffed suggestions that Clint Barton/Hawkeye will also show up (per The Breakfast Club radio show) and Teyonah Parris chose not to give anything away about Monica Rambeau/Photo having a role to play (via Deadline).

Elsewhere, Halle Berry says she won't be back as iconic X-Men member Ororo Monroe/Storm (per the Black Girl Nerds podcast). Famke Janssen says she wasn't asked to reprise her role as Jean Grey from the original X-Men film trilogy (per Variety), either.

Lastly, what of previous Spider-Man actors Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield? Speculation abounds that one or both could feature but, with Maguire shunning the limelight and nobody believing a word Garfield says after he cried wolf too many times prior to his return in Spider-Man: No Way Home, we don't know if they're involved.

Avengers: Doomsday story synopsis and speculation

Potential spoilers follow for Avengers: Doomsday's plot.

Here's the plot brief: "In Avengers: Doomsday, beloved heroes from three distinct universes will be set on a deadly collision course and face an existential threat unlike anything they’ve ever encountered."

Not much to go on, then, but the last four MCU movies have given us some clues about where things could go. For more on three of those, check out my Captain America 4 ending explained, Thunderbolts* ending explained and First Steps ending explained articles.

Directors Joe and Anthony Russo has also been busy telling – and teasing! – us about its plot.

Firstly, they told me that the next two Avengers flicks will take inspiration from both Secret Wars comic book series. The MCU hasn't directly adapted many storylines from the comics, so it'll be interesting to see what aspects of those literary works are used in Doomsday and Secret Wars.

One thing we'll definitely see is the return of — and narrative expansion on — Incursions. These cataclysmic events occur when the boundaries between two universes breaks down and puts them on a collision course. Unfortunately, there's no way to stop these multiversal catastrophes from occurring, and the only outcome is the destruction of one or both realities.

How will this impact the Marvel Phase 6 movie's story? Initially, it seems that The Fantastic Four and the MCU's heroes will a) unite to stop their worlds from crashing into each other, and b) travel to the Fox X-Men universe to convince them to join their cause. Based on what the official trailer shows, though, the FoX-Men aren't interested and choose to battle the others instead, which is a plot device that Marvel detectives appeared to solve after a new Avengers: Doomsday's image was shared in March 2025.

Later that month, it seemed other story elements had been spoiled when apparent concept art for Doomsday and Secret Wars leaked online. However, the Russos said this artwork doesn't spoil anything significant, so read what you will into their response.

There are myriad other questions that need answering, too, some of which I tried to shed light on in my Doomsday trailer breakdown piece. Some other more pressing ones, though, are: How does Steve Rogers factor into the plot? What is Doom planning? And are these three universes, alongside others that exist in the Marvel Multiverse, all doomed to die?

Given that Doomsday and Secret Wars are a duology in the mould of Infinity War and Endgame's book, it's highly likely that Avengers 5 will end on a potentially lethal cliff hanger. Speaking at Tokyo Comic-Con 2025, Sebastian Stan heavily implied that not everyone will make it out alive (thanks to the sebstanaddict Instagram fan account for sharing the footage), while Kevin Feige told The Movie Report that fans will be "incredibly surprised" by how it ends.

How will Avengers: Doomsday set up Avengers: Secret Wars?

The short answer is: I don't know. Nobody outside of Avengers: Doomsday's cast and crew, plus Marvel's top brass, know how it'll specifically impact its sequel. For more on what's been teased, check out my guide on everything we know so far about Avengers: Secret Wars.

One thing is abundantly clear, though: Avengers 6 isn't being turned into two movies. Indeed, after rumors spread that Avengers: Secret Wars would be split into two parts, Feige told the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast that won't be the case.

As for how the Multiverse Saga's duology capper will impact the MCU, the Russos and Feige have confirmed that it'll undergo a soft reboot post-Secret Wars. The former said they're actually telling "a beginning story" with the next two Avengers movies, while Feige has insinuated (via Variety) that Secret Wars will act as a "reset" for Marvel's cinematic juggernaut, rather than a full-scale reboot.

We've already got an idea of what MCU 2.0 will look like, too, because Marvel has already confirmed the first three movies that'll drop post-Secret Wars. Those being, X-Men (May 8, 2028), Ghost Rider (July 28, 2028), and Black Panther 3 (December 15, 2028). At the very least, then, we'll see some new and returning characters in a post-Multiverse Saga world.

For more Marvel coverage, find out how to watch the Marvel movies in order. Then, get the full lowdown on VisionQuest, aka the final live-action Marvel Disney+ show of 2026, and learn more about Marvel's new X-Men movie.

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