Avengers: Doomsday writer promises Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom will not 'betray' Endgame canon

It was originally conceived that the next installment of the Avengers franchise would feature Kang, a story arc that had been building throughout several consecutive projects in the MCU. When Jonathan Majors’ legal woes derailed those plans, a new way forward was needed and Marvel Studios called on the Russo Brothers alongside writer Stephen McFeely to shape the future.

The Russos decided to swing for the fences creatively, and announced that the upcoming film would be called Avengers: Doomsday, with Robert Downey Jr. playing a variant of the villainous Doctor Doom. The reactions sent shockwaves through social media and across pop culture. Avengers: Doomsday will hit theaters on May 1, 2026.

McFeely, who has writing credits on two previous Avengers scripts, was skeptical about doing justice to this new direction when he initially signed on to the project, but ultimately decided to embrace the daunting challenge. When interviewed on the red carpet at the world premiere of Netflix’s The Electric State, Mcfeely shared,

"When I got the news that this was where it was going, I thought it was pretty electric. There's an understandable desire to bring Robert Downey Jr. back to the universe, but to do it as Tony Stark would be betraying what I felt was a very lovely ending for him in Endgame. So the powers that be, do all of their business affairs and then it comes to this, so I was very excited to try to bring this thing to life."

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Avengers: Doomsday - An Update from the Russos

While there is no lack of excitement for the next beat in the Avengers legacy, few concrete details for the plot are known. Fortunately, the Russos provided fans with some hopeful breadcrumbs in an interview conducted by The Hollywood Reporter at the premiere of their latest film, The Electric State. Joe first addressed his outlook on casting, before giving his thoughts on their deliberate pivot in creative direction. He said:

“I think we’re always looking for new faces because there’s always new stories to tell. I think these movies are going to be a surprise to people — we found a way into the story that’s very exciting to us but we think very radical and I think it’s going to challenge audiences.”

Anthony Russo detailed their rigorous schedule as they embarked upon the grueling task of having to shoot the films in direct succession.

“It’s a lot of work again, we may or may not survive, we’ll see. We’re very excited about it, we found a way into the story that we think is going to be challenging for audiences, and challenging for us to execute. It’s really exciting to us, it gets us out of bed to do it.”

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Chris Pratt to Appear in Avengers: Doomsday? What we know about the cast

Chris Pratt’s portrayal of Star-Lord in the MCU was universally considered a smashing success. His last appearance came in 2023’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which was also James Gunn’s final project at Marvel Studios. His character’s direction has been in a state of limbo since until Pratt appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and decided to stir the pot. During the interview he stated,

"There was a promise that [The Legendary Star-Lord] would return... we will make good on that promise!"

This certainly comes as a surprise to fans, but is also not concrete evidence of his involvement in Avengers: Doomsday specifically.

As of now, Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange and Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson/Captain America have been confirmed to be in the upcoming saga-defining film. The entire cast of The Fantastic Four including Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach film will also appear.