Marvel’s New Endgame? Avengers Sequels Pushed to 2026 and 2027

Marvel fans, it’s time to set down your Infinity Gauntlets and pick up your calendars. The next entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, have officially been delayed. Originally expected to lead Marvel’s summer charge in 2026 and 2027, the studio has now scheduled both mega-sequels for December releases, just in time for the holidays. Doomsday is now set for December 18, 2026, with Secret Wars following exactly a year later on December 17, 2027. This is a notable shift for Marvel, which has traditionally dominated the early summer box office with its marquee Avengers titles. But with both projects shaping up to be monumental undertakings, it appears Marvel Studios is playing the long game. 

So, what’s the holdup? This isn’t a production meltdown or a scheduling fluke, it’s more of a strategic retreat. In the wake of Marvel’s uneven Phase Four and a streaming strategy that left fans both oversaturated and underwhelmed, the studio seems to be recalibrating. Rather than sprinting to the next milestone, Marvel is pacing itself. And with Joe and Anthony Russo returning to direct both films, there's clearly a desire to recapture the careful craftsmanship that made Infinity War and Endgame cultural events. Avengers: Doomsday, the first of the two, is shaping up to be the MCU’s most ambitious team-up yet. The plot is said to bring together not only the current roster of Avengers, but also the Thunderbolts, the Fantastic Four, Wakanda’s finest, and the long-awaited return of the original X-Men, all to face a single, towering threat: Doctor Doom. And in a multiverse-bending twist, Robert Downey Jr. will reportedly return to the MCU, not as Tony Stark, but as a variant of Victor Von Doom. It’s the kind of casting reveal that makes comic book fans squeal. 

According to Polygon, production for Doomsday kicked off in April 2025 at Pinewood Studios in the UK and is expected to continue into the autumn. Rather than filming both movies back-to-back, as Marvel did with Infinity War and Endgame, the studio is spacing them out, giving each the runway it deserves. This approach not only eases the creative pressure on cast and crew but allows audiences time to absorb the galaxy-sized implications of Doomsday before plunging into Secret Wars. Speaking of Secret Wars, Marvel insiders have hinted that the 2027 film will mark a “new beginning” for the MCU, potentially rebooting its timeline and opening doors for fresh iterations of beloved heroes. Whether that means a new Iron Man, a proper X-Men integration, or a final farewell to the remnants of the Infinity Saga, one thing’s clear: this won’t just be another crossover. 

While the delays might test fans’ patience, they also serve as a reminder: good things take time. And if Marvel’s gamble pays off, Doomsday and Secret Wars might not just redeem the franchise; they could redefine it.