Nearly a decade after Marvel last united its heroes under one banner, the studio is preparing to revisit the Avengers label – but not everyone is excited about the prospect of Avengers: Doomsday (2026).Avengers: Doomsday remains scheduled for release in December, but its path to the screen hasn’t exactly run smoothly. The film was conceived as the next major event following Avengers: Endgame (2019), a box office juggernaut that closed a decade-long storyline and reset the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Recreating that scale — or cultural impact — was never likely to be straightforward.Credit: Marvel StudiosInstead, Marvel has spent recent phases expanding outward. New characters, divergent timelines, and parallel realities have reshaped the franchise, often without the connective tissue that once anchored its storytelling. Avengers: Doomsday was designed to pull those strands together.But many feel like the Multiverse Saga isn’t as cohesive as the Infinity Saga, with too many projects across the big screen and Disney+ and no strong narrative thread. It doesn’t help that the original direction for the next Avengers installment – initially called Avengers: The Kang Dynasty – was abandoned and reworked after Jonathan Majors, the man behind Kang, was convicted of harassment and assault in December 2023.The film now centers on the Avengers, Wakandans, Fantastic Four, New Avengers, and the “original” X-Men coming together across multiple realities to face Doctor Doom. Surviving Avengers, multiversal variants, and newly introduced threats are expected to converge around destabilized timelines left unresolved across recent films and series.Credit: Marvel StudiosCasting decisions have fueled much of the conversation. Robert Downey Jr.’s return to the MCU — this time as Doctor Doom, not Iron Man or Tony Stark — marked a dramatic shift from the studio’s post-Endgame trajectory. The move has been praised as daring and criticized as excessive in equal measure, with many claiming it makes Marvel look desperate after a few years of inconsistency at the box office.Downey is far from alone. Returning characters include Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Sam Wilson/Captain America (Anthony Mackie), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), and Yelena (Florence Pugh), alongside new franchise leads Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal) and Susan Storm (Vanessa Kirby). The ensemble reflects Marvel’s attempt to balance legacy with reinvention.The cast also pulls heavily from earlier Marvel eras. Patrick Stewart (Professor Charles Xavier), Ian McKellen (Magneto), Alan Cumming (Nightcrawler), Rebecca Romijn (Mystique), James Marsden (Cyclops), and Channing Tatum (Gambit) are all slated to appear, signaling an unprecedented crossover of pre-MCU characters.Credit: Marvel StudiosSpeculation has grown around additional appearances. Fans continue to theorize that Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds), Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), and multiple versions of Spider-Man could surface, enabled by the multiverse framework that has become central to Marvel’s recent storytelling.Fan Reaction Remains DividedMarvel has begun promoting the film through trailers attached to major theatrical releases, including Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025)One preview, in particular, sparked widespread discussion by confirming Chris Evans’ return as Steve Rogers.December 18, 2026. #AvengersDoomsdayDecember 18, 2026. #AvengersDoomsday pic.twitter.com/6eBYWSTEde— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) December 23, 2025 But not everyone is impressed.For many viewers, Steve Rogers’ ending in Avengers: Endgame represented rare finality in a genre known for reversals. Revisiting that arc has raised concerns about eroding emotional closure in favor of short-term familiarity.Critics have also pointed to potential fallout for Sam Wilson. Anthony Mackie’s Captain America is still establishing his footing following the disappointment that was Captain America: Brave New World (2025), and some worry that Evans’ return could undercut that transition.Credit: Marvel StudiosOthers see the decision as reflective of Marvel’s broader position. After uneven critical responses and several box office disappointments, familiar characters are increasingly viewed as a stabilizing force rather than a creative risk.The debate has extended beyond casting. Questions around narrative cohesion, multiverse fatigue, and long-term planning have followed nearly every update tied to Avengers: Doomsday.Production Continues Behind the ScenesReports now indicate additional photography is scheduled for April 2026, roughly eight months before the film’s release — a timeline that, for some fans already wary of the project’s direction, reinforces the sense of a film still searching for its footing.Credit: Marvel StudiosThe sessions are reportedly intended for actors who were unavailable during earlier filming.The additional photography for ‘AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY’ will reportedly be specifically for the actors who couldn’t film last year.It will take place in April.(via @KnightGambit)The additional photography for ‘AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY’ will reportedly be specifically for the actors who couldn’t film last year.It will take place in April.(via @KnightGambit) pic.twitter.com/gonairRQ3a— Cosmic Marvel (@cosmic_marvel) January 1, 2026Late-stage filming is not unusual for Marvel, though the timing has prompted renewed speculation. Longstanding rumors suggest the film may be working from an unfinished script rather than executing standard pickups.Those concerns are magnified by the scale of the project. With multiple franchises, timelines, and character arcs converging, even minor structural changes could carry significant ripple effects.The film is directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, who previously helmed Captain America: Civil War (2016), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame. Their return has been framed as both reassurance and pressure, with many noting that the quality of their post-Marvel releases doesn’t exactly inspire confidence.Marvel has not commented publicly on the reports, maintaining its usual silence as production details circulate online.Are you excited for Avengers: Doomsday?The post ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Faces Major Rework as Marvel Orders Late-Stage Shoots appeared first on Inside the Magic.