Avengers: Doomsday
Avengers: Doomsday prep guide
Doctor Doom arrives in theaters in December. Here is your countdown, a seven-step prep plan, and how the heroes on the announced cast measure up against him.
Avengers: Doomsday opens December 18, 2026. This page retires on opening day; the full guide stays on as our Avengers: Doomsday prep guide article.
What Marvel has confirmed
- Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, scheduled to open December 18, 2026, after moving from May 1, 2026.
- Robert Downey Jr. plays Doctor Doom, announced at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2024.
- The cast announced on March 26, 2025 includes the Fantastic Four of First Steps, Thor, Loki, Captain America, Namor, the Thunderbolts and the original X-Men film cast.
- The mid-credits scene of The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025) shows a cloaked figure, face unseen, beside Franklin Richards.
- Avengers: Secret Wars follows on December 17, 2027.
Cast lists can change before release. Plot details have not been announced, and this page does not guess at them.
Your prep plan
Seven steps, in order. Tick them off as you go; your progress is saved in this browser only.
Eight minutes with our primer for movie fans: the king, the genius, the sorcerer.
It introduces the Fantastic Four of Earth-828, all four of them announced for Doomsday, and its mid-credits scene gives Doom his first, faceless appearance.
Fantastic Four Annual #2 (1964), by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Twenty minutes, and every later Doom starts here. Amazon · Bookshop.org
Doom at the height of his power, ruling what is left of reality. It shares its name with the Avengers film that follows in 2027. Amazon · Bookshop.org
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) introduced the film Namor, who is on the announced cast. In the comics, he and Doom go back to 1962: Doom vs. Namor.
The argument every fan will have in December. Read our verdict.
Try the Earth-828 Fantastic Four against every Doom in the team calculator.
The heroes on the call sheet, against Doom
Nobody has seen the film's Doom fight yet, so these are this site's ratings for the comics' classic Doom and the all-powerful God Emperor Doom against the First Steps family, plus the comics' Namor and Thanos.
| Opponent | Classic Doom wins | Outcome | God Emperor Doom wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mister Fantastic (Earth-828) | 70% | Favored | >99% |
| Invisible Woman (Earth-828) | 52% | Toss-up | >99% |
| Human Torch (Earth-828) | 76% | Favored | >99% |
| The Thing (Earth-828) | 65% | Favored | >99% |
| Namor | 58% | Toss-up | >99% |
| Thanos | 35% | Underdog | >99% |
Pick your own fight
Pick a Doom and an opponent.
Catch up on the films
| Film | Year | Why watch it now |
|---|---|---|
| The Fantastic Four: First Steps | 2025 | The Fantastic Four of Earth-828, and the cloaked figure beside Franklin in the mid-credits scene. |
| Thunderbolts* | 2025 | Yelena, Red Guardian, U.S. Agent, Ghost and the Sentry, all announced for Doomsday. |
| Captain America: Brave New World | 2025 | Anthony Mackie's first film as Captain America. |
| Black Panther: Wakanda Forever | 2022 | Namor's first appearance, with Shuri and M'Baku. |
| Avengers: Endgame | 2019 | The Russos' last Avengers film, and Robert Downey Jr.'s farewell as Tony Stark. |
The full prep guide has the complete list, including the X-Men films and Deadpool & Wolverine.
Further reading
- Avengers: Doomsday prep guide: the films, the comics and the man in the maskPrep guide
- Doctor Doom comics to read before Avengers: DoomsdayAvengers: Doomsday
- Who is Doctor Doom? A primer before Avengers: DoomsdayAvengers: Doomsday