Marvel Studios is shifting its plans once again. Disney has officially delayed the release of its next two Avengers tentpole features — Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars — pushing both films back by seven months from their original release dates.
Avengers: Doomsday is now scheduled to debut on December 18, 2026, instead of its prior date of May 1, 2026. Its follow-up, Avengers: Secret Wars, will now premiere on December 17, 2027, moving from its original slot on May 7, 2027.
Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards in Fantastic Four: First Steps – YouTube, Marvel Entertainment
The news comes as part of a larger theatrical slate reorganization from Disney. As part of the calendar overhaul, multiple untitled Marvel entries previously dated for February 13, 2026, November 6, 2026, and November 5, 2027, have been removed or rebranded as generic “Untitled Disney” projects. That leaves Avengers: Doomsday and Spider-Man: Brand New Day as the only officially scheduled Marvel Cinematic Universe releases for the 2026 calendar year.
However, it’s currently unknown whether Spider-Man: Brand New Day, a Sony co-production tied to the MCU, will also move its debut back to release between the two Avengers films. That placement had reportedly been intended to bridge the narrative gap between Doomsday and Secret Wars — much in the way Captain Marvel connected Infinity War and Endgame.
At this time, however, it’s unclear if Sony will maintain its original release window or adjust in response to this Disney delay.
Tom Holland as Spider-Man in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), Marvel Studios
These shifts also leave Marvel Studios with a sizable theatrical gap. After Fantastic Four: First Steps releases on July 25, 2025, no new MCU films will arrive until Spider-Man: Brand New Day July 31, 2026 — over a year later. Of course, if Sony is coerced into moving Brand New Day into 2027 to maintain its place between the two Avengers films, then there won’t be a new MCU entry until Doomsday in December 2026, which is almost a year and a half after Fantastic Four hits theaters.
This marks the longest pause between Marvel theatrical releases since the 2019–2021 lockdown-era break between Spider-Man: Far From Home and Black Widow.
Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Captain America in Marvel Studios’ CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD. Photo by Eli Adé. © 2024 MARVEL.
Disney still has placeholder dates for untitled Marvel films on February 18, May 5, and November 10 of 2028. However, there’s no solid information on what films these could be.
The delay aligns with comments made earlier this year by Disney CEO Bob Iger, who acknowledged the company’s need to slow output and refocus its Marvel division.
“By consolidating a bit and having Marvel focus much more on their films, we believe that will result in better quality,” Iger said during a recent investor call.
Bob Iger via CNBC Television YouTube
Despite the delays, Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars are expected to be massive crossover events. The cast includes the return of Robert Downey Jr. as a variant version of Tony Stark — this time portraying Doctor Doom — along with characters from Thunderbolts, Fantastic Four, and the Fox X-Men films, including the return of Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen as Professor X and Magneto.
Ian McKellen playing the role of Magneto in X2: X-Men United – Disney+
Production on Doomsday is currently ramping up, with Downey Jr. recently appearing in a social media post alongside other cast members attending a Thunderbolts screening in support of the Marvel team-up films.
Stay tuned to That Park Place for updates as more details emerge.
Are you surprised that Marvel pushed the release of Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars back? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
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