Entertainment Desk:

The highly anticipated Marvel Studios titles “Avengers: Doomsday” and “Avengers: Secret Wars” have officially been pushed back, as part of a broader reshuffle in Disney’s theatrical release calendar.

“Avengers: Doomsday”, previously slated for release on 1 May 2026, will now hit theatres on 18 December 2026. Its sequel, “Avengers: Secret Wars”, has also been moved from 7 May 2027 to 17 December 2027.

The announcement came on Thursday (May 22) afternoon, when Disney unveiled a sweeping overhaul of its upcoming film slate. Among the changes was the removal of several untitled Marvel projects, including a film previously set for 13 February 2026. Other dates—6 November 2026 and 5 November 2027—have been reclassified as “Untitled Disney” films, signalling a slowdown in Marvel’s release schedule.

With these shifts, only two Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) titles are currently confirmed for 2026: “Avengers: Doomsday” and Sony’s “Spider-Man: Brand New Day”. The decision to schedule both “Avengers” films in mid-December mirrors the release strategy of “Spider-Man: No Way Home”, which earned USD 1.9 billion globally following its 2021 holiday debut.

Notably, there will now be a significant gap in Marvel’s theatrical timeline, with no confirmed release between “The Fantastic 4: First Steps” on 25 July 2025 and the upcoming Tom Holland-led “Spider-Man” film on 31 July 2026—a hiatus not seen since the pandemic-induced gap between 2019’s “Spider-Man: Far From Home” and 2021’s “Black Widow”.

While Marvel has staked claims on 2028 release slots—18 February, 5 May, and 10 November—films such as “Armor Wars” and “Blade” still lack official dates.

The slowdown aligns with Disney CEO Bob Iger’s recent comments about refocusing Marvel’s output, acknowledging that the studio had “lost a little focus” by producing too many titles across platforms.

Both “Avengers: Doomsday” and “Avengers: Secret Wars” are set to feature ensemble casts, including the return of Robert Downey Jr as the villain Doctor Doom. The films will also bring together characters from “Thunderbolts”, “The Fantastic 4: First Steps”, and the “X-Men” franchise, with appearances from Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen. Production on “Avengers: Doomsday” is already underway, with Downey recently sharing behind-the-scenes moments in support of the Marvel team.