Dread it, run from it, delays to a Marvel Studios production arrive all the same — and even The Russo Brothers are not beyond the great leveller that is the slate reshuffle. Which is why, though disappointing, it comes as no great surprise that Disney has announced Avengers Doomsday and Avengers Secret Wars have both been bumped from their respective 1 May, 2026 and 7 May, 2027 release dates. Instead, Doomsday is now set to hit cinemas on 18 December, 2026, with Secret Wars due to follow on 17 December, 2027.
News of Doomsday and Secret Wars‘ changed release plans broke late last night as the House of Mouse revealed a significant reshuffling of its upcoming slate. Further eye-catching changes include the removal of a 13 February, 2026 slated as-yet-unnamed Marvel movie, and the seeming removal of two untitled Marvel movies penciled in for 6 November, 2026 and 5 November, 2027, whose slots are now being filled by ‘Untitled Disney’ movies. All of which is to say that once The Fantastic Four: First Steps makes its theatrical landing on 25 July, it’ll be over a year before the next MCU movie — July 2026’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day — hits our screens. And, if we’re being totally honest, we wouldn’t be surprised to see Spidey’s fourth outing thwip to another release date between now and then, especially if Marvel Studios’ rejigged slate makes any script alterations necessary before shooting gets underway this summer.
It’s not all Doom and gloom though, True Believers. In recent weeks, we’ve seen Robert Downey Jr. share BTS pictures from Avengers Doomsday on Instagram, teasing his MCU reintroduction as the villainous Victor Von Doom as production ramps up on the Russos’ multiversal blockbuster. We’ve also gotten confirmation that Sadie Sink and The Bear‘s Liza Colón-Zayas are both set for Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Plus, we’re still digesting the absurdly stacked roster for Doomsday, which is still quite frankly mind-boggling. (Alan Cumming Nightcrawler! Sir Ian McKellen’s Magneto! Channing Tatum’s Gambit! Sheesh!)
All of which is to say that though delays never make for exciting news to share, Avengers Doomsday and Secret Wars remain, to pinch an adjective from a Mad Titan, inevitable. And before then, we still have Ralph Ineson turning into a world devouring cosmic entity in Matt Shakman’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps to look forward to. Roll on July!
