It's almost time. Avengers: Doomsday is coming on the heels of the wildly successful Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The upcoming Marvel movie will be the first movie to feature most of The Avengers since 2019's Avengers: Endgame, and it promises to be a star-studded affair. Because this 39th installment of the long-running franchise of acclaimed superhero movies is finally bringing in one of the most feared villains in comic book history, Doctor Doom, Kevin Feige and his team are assembling a collection of heroes unlike anything the MCU has seen before. There are familiar faces, newcomers, and even a few people from other corners of the Marvel multiverse who have not been properly introduced into the MCU. Let’s get into who is avenging this time and what else we know about the upcoming superhero movie in the following guide to Avengers: Doomsday.What Is The Avengers: Doomsday Release Date?(Image credit: Marvel Studios)Avengers: Doomsday is set to hit theaters on December 18, 2026. That date coincides with the release of Dune: Part 3 on the same day of the 2026 movie schedule, and fans have taken to calling it "Dunesday." It's set up a perfect double feature for hardcore movie fans, though it's going to make for a long day, as it's expected both movies will have runtimes around the two-and-a-half-to-three-hour mark. Avengers: Doomsday TrailerAfter years of anticipation, an epic cast reveal, a brief appearance by Doom in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and a series of teasers featuring different characters, our first real look at Avengers: Doomsday came in July 2026 with the release of the first full trailer. Of course, it was talked about as much for what it didn't show as what it did. What Avengers: Doomsday Is About(Image credit: Marvel)Here's basically what we know: Avengers: Doomsday will bring together superhero teams from across the multiverse who will converge in one place to battle Doctor Doom. For the first time, the biggest teams in the Marvel canon will be teaming up in the MCU, including The Avengers, The Fantastic Four, The New Avengers (or The Thunderbolts), and last but certainly not least, The X-Men. Previously, the plot of the fifth Avengers film was intended to revolve around a different villain and was going to be called Avengers: The Kang Dynasty before Kang the Conqueror actor Jonathan Majors was dropped by Marvel in 2023 following high-profile legal troubles.The Avengers: Doomsday Cast(Image credit: Marvel)As you would expect, the cast for Avengers: Doomsday is huge. The first announcement came way back in the summer of 2024 at San Diego Comic Con. The Hall H crowd erupted into a roar of excitement and confusion when it was revealed that Robert Downey Jr. is returning to the MCU, but not as Iron Man. Instead, the Academy Award winner is the one putting the “doom” in Avengers: Doomsday by starring as Victor von Doom/Doctor Doom.In March of 2025, Marvel Studios revealed who would be taking on Doom with a live-streamed video on X, which is now available on YouTube, lasting more than five hours. Foldout chairs bearing the actors’ names were placed next to each other, one by one, every 15 minutes. In addition to established veterans of the franchise, the previewed ensemble also includes the stars of the yet-to-be-released Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four: First Steps, as well as a few who are making their MCU debuts but not their Marvel debuts, having previously starred in the live-action X-Men movies.Check out the full Avengers: Doomsday cast, complete with character names, below:Robert Downey Jr. (Victor von Doom / Doctor Doom)Chris Hemsworth (Thor)Chris Evans (Steve Rogers)Patrick Stewart (Charles Xavier / Professor X)Ian McKellen (Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto)Anthony Mackie (Sam Wilson / Captain America)Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes)Letitia Wright (Shuri / Black Panther)Channing Tatum (Remy LeBeau / Gambit)Pedro Pascal (Reed Richards / Mister Fantastic)Paul Rudd (Scott Lang / Ant-Man)Rebecca Romijn (Raven Darkhölme / Mystique)James Marsden (Scott Summers / Cyclops)Tom Hiddleston (Loki)Vanessa Kirby (Sue Storm / Invisible Woman)Simu Liu (Xu Shang-Chi)Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova)Hayley Atwell (Peggy Carter)Wyatt Russell (John Walker / U.S. Agent)Tenoch Huerta (Namor)Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Ben Grimm / The Thing)Kelsey Grammer (Hank McCoy / Beast)Lewis Pullman (Bob / Sentry)Danny Ramirez (Joaquin Torres / Falcon)Joseph Quinn (Johnny Storm / Human Torch)David Harbour (Alexei Shostakov / Red Guardian)Winston Duke (M'Baku)Hannah John-Kamen (Ava Starr / Ghost)Alan Cumming (Kurt Wagner / Nightcrawler)There are a few names you might be wondering about who aren't on that list. There are a few actors who have not been officially confirmed for Doomsday, but there is speculation that at least some of them will appear. This includes Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Strange, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool, and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. Also not on the list is Tom Holland as Spider-Man, and that's because it's very unclear if he'll be in Doomsday or only in the sequel, Avengers: Secret War. There is a lot of chatter that Tobey Maguire may appear as his version of Peter Park/Spider-Man in Doomsday.Avengers: Secret Wars Is Coming December 17, 2027(Image credit: Marvel)Joe and Anthony Russo revealed to Omelete that, while Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame were two halves of a finale to the MCU’s first saga, Avengers: Doomsday will be the first half of a new beginning for the franchise. Avengers: Secret Wars will drop on the 2027 movie schedule next December and will mark the end of Marvel Phase Six and the Multiverse Saga overall.The sixth Avengers movie shares its name with the aforementioned comic book arc, which ran for 12 issues from 1984 to 1985, in which an omnipotent being called the Beyonder brings various heroes and villains (including Doctor Doom) to the planet Battleworld and pits them against each other like gladiators. All of this was potentially hinted at in the post-credits scene on Spider-Man: Brand New Day and could explain why Tom Holland won't be in Doomsday, as his version of Spidey is now trapped on Battleworld. Joe And Anthony Russo Are Directing Avengers: Doomsday(Image credit: Marvel Studios)Some of the titles considered to be the absolute best Marvel Cinematic Universe movies include Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame – all of which are directed by Joe and Anthony Russo. The brotherly duo previously claimed they would be walking away from the franchise for good after their 2019 smash, but it looks like you should never say never. The Russos are directing both Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, which, according to Variety, was a top condition for Robert Downey Jr.’s return.After most recently working with the Russos as the co-writer for their Netflix original movies, The Gray Man and The Electric State, Stephen McFeely is reteaming with them to pen Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars. He had previously written several classic MCU movies, including Endgame, with his frequent partner, Christopher Markus, but this will be his first solo effort with the franchise. Loki creator Michael Waldron was previously serving as the screenwriter when Daniel Destin Cretton was still on board as the director.What To Watch In Anticipation Of Doomsday(Image credit: Marvel)You still have plenty of time to catch up on or revisit all of the Marvel movies in order before Avengers: Doomsday is released if you are up for it. However, Disney and Marvel have also released a list of MCU shows and movies that they say are essential viewing, and thankfully, it's much shorter than diving into everything! All you need is a Disney+ subscription, and you can watch everything recommended. X-Men X-Men 2 Captain America: The First AvengerThe AvengersAvengers: Infinity War Avengers: EndgameLoki Seasons 1 and 2 Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten RingsSpider-Man: No Way HomeBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of MadnessDeadpool and Wolverine Captain America: Brave New WorldThunderbolts*The Fantastic Four: First StepsWhile there have been some left wondering why certain shows and movies were left out, and others are mad that more of what they watched seemingly isn't important to this installment, I am glad the list isn't too exhaustive. It's hard work keeping up with the MCU, but I'll keep doing it and making updates on this story as often as needed!