Avengers: Doomsday opens in theaters on December 18, 2026, with Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom and Anthony and Joe Russo directing. With two months to go, the week's news came from the cast: Jeremy Renner says he is not in it, and Sebastian Stan expects it to be "heartbreaking."
Quick facts
| Release date | December 18, 2026 (U.S.); December 16 (UK) |
| Directors | Anthony Russo and Joe Russo |
| Writers | Michael Waldron and Stephen McFeely |
| Villain | Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom |
| Runtime | About 165 minutes, per The Hollywood Reporter (not officially confirmed) |
| Formats | Dolby, ScreenX, 4DX, Infinity Vision; no U.S. IMAX at launch |
| Next film | Avengers: Secret Wars, December 17, 2027 |
Is Jeremy Renner in Avengers: Doomsday?
He says no. At a fan Q&A reported by GamesRadar+ and Variety on October 12, Renner answered the question directly: "No, no, no, no. Not in that one." Then he added the line that went around the internet: "Doomsday I'm not in, so The Avengers will probably lose."
He hinted he could turn up in Secret Wars instead. Marvel has not commented, and plenty of fans don't believe him. Marvel actors have denied roles before, and co-director Anthony Russo has said "we've announced some of the cast, and we haven't announced some of the cast." Paul Bettany has joked he would "get fired" if he confirmed his own casting.
What did Sebastian Stan say about Doomsday?
Stan, who plays Bucky Barnes, told Decider on October 7 that he hasn't seen the finished film. "I'm sure it's going to be probably heartbreaking, in a lot of ways. We'll see who makes it to the next level."
Fans took that as a hint that major characters die. He also said earlier this year that the cast shot without a full script, which the Russos say is deliberate: Joe Russo has described the script as "a living organism."
Who is in the cast?
Marvel has confirmed a cast of more than 25, drawn from three corners of its universe:
- The Avengers: Chris Evans (Steve Rogers), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Anthony Mackie (Captain America), Paul Rudd (Ant-Man), Letitia Wright (Shuri), Simu Liu (Shang-Chi), Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Winston Duke (M'Baku), Tenoch Huerta Mejía (Namor)
- The Fantastic Four: Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, Ebon Moss-Bachrach
- The Thunderbolts: Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour, Wyatt Russell, Hannah John-Kamen, Lewis Pullman
- The X-Men: Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, James Marsden, Rebecca Romijn, Alan Cumming, Kelsey Grammer, plus Channing Tatum as Gambit
David Harbour's viral "You… are Tony Stark" moment, incidentally, was not a line from the film.
Is there a new Avengers: Doomsday trailer?
Not yet. The last full trailer came out July 20, alongside the first ticket sales. A Doom-focused "special look" followed after Comic-Con and D23 in August, where Marvel also showed new footage.
In mid-October, fan outlets reported, citing unnamed insiders, that a third trailer is ready and could drop within weeks. Marvel hasn't announced one, so treat that as a rumour until it does.
Why can't you see it in IMAX?
Because of "Dunesday." Denis Villeneuve's Dune: Part Three opens the same day, December 18, and holds IMAX screens in the U.S. exclusively for about three weeks.
Disney's answer is Infinity Vision, a certification it launched at CinemaCon in April for premium large-format screens that meet minimum standards for size, brightness and sound. Tickets for those showings have been on sale since July 20. IMAX's CFO has called it "a marketing play."
What comes after Doomsday?
Avengers: Secret Wars, also from the Russos, on December 17, 2027. It closes Phase Six and Marvel's Multiverse Saga.
What to watch
The third trailer, and whether it finally shows Downey's Doom unmasked.
Surprise cast. Russo's "haven't announced some of the cast" leaves room for returns Marvel hasn't confirmed, including Renner's, whatever he says.
The box office fight. Two of the year's biggest films opening on the same day, one with every IMAX screen in America.
Updated October 18, 2026. Cast and release details are from Marvel Studios. Runtime is as reported by The Hollywood Reporter; trailer timing is from unnamed sources and unconfirmed.
