Marvel delays Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars to late 2026 and 2027

The Avengers won’t be assembling as soon as expected. Disney has officially pushed back the release dates for Marvel Studios’ highly anticipated team-up blockbusters, Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, as part of a larger reshuffling of its theatrical calendar.

Avengers: Doomsday, originally slated to hit theatres on May 1, 2026, will now arrive on December 18, 2026, while its follow-up, Secret Wars, has moved from May 7, 2027, to December 17, 2027.

The delays come amid Disney’s strategic pivot, which also included removing several previously scheduled but untitled Marvel projects from its lineup. Among the dropped dates are February 13, 2026, November 6, 2026, and November 5, 2027, now repurposed as “Untitled Disney” slots or eliminated altogether.

As it stands, Avengers: Doomsday and Sony’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day are the only two MCU films officially dated for 2026, marking a notable slowdown in Marvel’s once-dense release schedule. Between The Fantastic 4: First Steps (July 25, 2025) and Spider-Man 4 (July 31, 2026), there will now be over a year-long gap, the longest theatrical pause for Marvel since the pandemic-driven hiatus between Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) and Black Widow (2021).

Both Doomsday and Secret Wars are shaping up to be some of Marvel’s most ambitious efforts yet. Doomsday is set to feature the return of Robert Downey Jr, not as Iron Man, but as the iconic villain Doctor Doom. It will unite teams from across the MCU, including the Thunderbolts, Fantastic Four, and X-Men, with returning stars like Patrick Stewart (Professor X), Ian McKellen (Magneto), and others.

Production on Doomsday has recently accelerated, with Downey sharing a behind-the-scenes photo of himself and other cast members heading to support the upcoming Thunderbolts film.

As for Marvel’s longer-term plans, Disney still holds three 2028 release slots (February 18, May 5, and November 10) for untitled Marvel projects. Meanwhile, previously announced titles like Blade and Armor Wars remain without official release dates, as the studio continues recalibrating its approach to superhero storytelling.