The ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ poster and a still from ‘Dune: Part Two’
| Photo Credit: Marvel Studios, Warner Bros.
Marvel fans will have to wait a bit longer for the next epic showdown. Disney has officially pushed Avengers: Doomsday to December 18, 2026, delaying it by seven months from its original May release. The move also shifts Avengers: Secret Wars to December 17, 2027.
The delay puts Doomsday in direct box-office collision with Dune: Messiah, the third and final installment of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune saga. The internet, unsurprisingly, already has a name for the upcoming double blockbuster weekend: Dunesday.
While Marvel’s usual May slot is now empty, Disney seems to be reshuffling its entire superhero slate. Several “Untitled Marvel” placeholders have vanished or been rebranded as “Untitled Disney,” indicating a tightening of release strategy. Between Fantastic 4: First Steps in July 2025 and Spider-Man: Brand New Day a full year later, the MCU will experience its longest feature film drought since the pandemic.
The change also follows recent comments by Disney CEO Bob Iger, who admitted Marvel had “lost a little focus by making too much.” The revised approach aims to emphasise fewer, higher-quality tentpoles, which is a likely reason behind the strategic delays.
Still, Avengers: Doomsday remains a major event film. Robert Downey Jr. returns, but this time as Doctor Doom, joined by teams from Thunderbolts and Fantastic 4, and even X-Men legends like Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen. Production has already begun ramping up.
Doomsday and Messiah are now set to headline a packed December 2026, including Ice Age 6, Shrek 5, and Jumanji 4
Published – May 23, 2025 01:21 pm IST
