For better or worse, Marvel’s Cinematic Universe finally has a focus point again. Though Kang the Conqueror was once the future of the franchise, he’s just been usurped by the King of Latveria.
Marvel’s Multiverse Saga is barreling toward a confrontation between the new Avengers (whoever they may be) and Doctor Doom. That conflict will play out in Avengers: Doomsday, and may continue in Avengers: Secret Wars. Robert Downey Jr. is also set to return to the MCU, not as Iron Man, but as a potential variant of Doom. Marvel is clearly reinvesting in the assets that brought the franchise to greatness, and after years of diminishing returns, you can’t really blame them for returning to what worked. Still, it feels like the studio has yet to learn a crucial lesson about its most troubled films.
A new report from Variety offers details on Marvel’s upcoming Avengers film. Directors Anthony and Joe Russo, who are returning to the MCU after a five-year hiatus, will shoot Doomsday in London “beginning in the second quarter of 2025.” That puts its start date between late spring and early summer, giving them around a year to complete the film before its May 1, 2026 release date.
Before the demands of visual effects and reshoots, most Hollywood productions took a bit over a year to complete. But that’s not the standard for Marvel, especially not recently, as its latest projects have been more expensive and involved than previous MCU entries. A global health crisis and two Hollywood strikes only further hindered the studio, but the pressure to meet a pre-established release date is still a major factor in Marvel’s declining quality; rather than focusing on script development, recent projects have reportedly been fixing their biggest problems in post-production.
That strategy puts inordinate pressure on the visual effects houses Marvel works with, and that strategy isn’t working for anyone. It’s why Marvel’s in-house visual effects team has been moving to unionize, and perhaps why Marvel has spent years working on the script for its Blade reboot. Starting with a strong foundation is the only way to get the MCU back on top, so it’s encouraging (if a little bewildering) to see Marvel taking its time with its vampire hunter. That said, the studio doesn’t seem to be taking the same precautions with Doomsday, despite its crucial place on Marvel’s slate.
It’s only been a few months since Marvel was forced to scrap its plans for the end of the Multiverse Saga. At the beginning of 2024, Avengers: Doomsday was Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. Marvel pivoted from Kang the Conqueror after Kang actor Jonathan Majors was convicted of reckless assault; with the added departure of director Destin Daniel Cretton, the fifth Avengers film fell apart. Screenwriter Michael Waldron has reportedly been working on a new script, and it should be ready to shoot in 2025. But it’s hard to be too optimistic about Doomsday when Marvel is still struggling to crack other, simpler films.
Marvel has already pushed back the release dates of Doomsday and Secret Wars, so it’s understandable it wouldn’t want more delays. Given all the work that’s been put into the film already, maybe two years is enough time to finish Doomsday. But this duology is the lynchpin of the Multiverse Saga, and is supposed to provide purpose to five years of meandering, lackluster storytelling. It also has to offer a satisfying conclusion to a complicated yet aimless multiverse storyline, one that’s proved divisive among fans. Marvel needs to get Doomsday right. It can’t afford to rush such a crucial film... otherwise, what was the point of all this fanfare?
