'Avengers: Doomsday': Trailers, tickets, release date and what to watch before Marvel movie's release
The buildup to "Avengers: Doomsday," which reunites the beloved Marvel superhero team for their first movie adventure since 2019, is well underway, with multiple trailers out and tickets officially on sale.
The film, out this December, will introduce one of the most iconic comic book villains of all time to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Here's what you need to know about the movie -- beware of a slight possible SPOILER for "Spider-Man: Brand New Day."
Is there a trailer?
There are two trailers so far. Marvel released the first full trailer on July 20. It gives us our first glimpse at Doctor Doom and sees a wide array of heroes including the Avengers, the Fantastic Four and the X-Men crossing paths.
We also got a "special look" during the Disney Entertainment Showcase at D23, the company's biennial exposition, on Aug. 14. It gives us hints about Doom's character, history with the Fantastic Four and objective.
Will Spider-Man be in this movie?
It's unclear if Spider-Man will play a role in "Avengers: Doomsday," but his latest movie adventure, which just cracked $2 billion at the global box office, may offer a hint. If you haven't seen it, beware of a slight SPOILER.
"Spider-Man: Brand New Day" -- the 38th MCU movie -- has an extremely brief post-credits scene that shows his location on the Spidey Tracker: space.
It suggests that we'll next see him in some off-planet location, in either "Avengers: Doomsday" or "Avengers: Secret Wars" (more likely the latter). The 1984 "Secret Wars" storyline saw Spidey get his iconic black costume, which later became the supervillain Venom.
When will 'Avengers: Doomsday' be released?
The movie will hit theaters Friday, Dec. 18, 2026.
What is the movie about?
The official synopsis gives us a hint about what to expect.
"Beloved heroes from three distinct universes will be set on a deadly collision course and face an existential threat unlike anything they've ever encountered," it reads.
Marvel Studios revealed who several of these heroes are in a series of teaser trailers late last year, showcasing Chris Evans returning as Steve Rogers (the original Captain America), Chris Hemsworth as Thor, the X-Men, the Wakandans and the Fantastic Four.
The three universes appear to be the mainline MCU (where the Avengers are from), the Fantastic Four's reality and the X-Men's world.
Who else is in 'Avengers: Doomsday'?
The movie has assembled an absolutely stacked cast, which was revealed in a 2025 livestream:
- Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman
- Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Captain America
- Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier
- Letitia Wright as Shuri/Black Panther
- Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man
- Wyatt Russell as John Walker/U.S. Agent
- Tenoch Huerta Mejia as Namor
- Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing
- Simu Liu as Shang-Chi
- Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova
- Kelsey Grammer as Hank McCoy/Beast
- Lewis Pullman as Bob Reynolds/Sentry
- Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres/Falcon
- Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch
- David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian
- Winston Duke as M'Baku
- Hannah John-Kamen as Ava Starr/Ghost
- Tom Hiddleston as Loki
- Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier/Professor X
- Ian McKellen as Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto
- Alan Cumming as Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler
- Rebecca Romijn as Raven Darkhölme/Mystique
- James Marsden as Scott Summers/Cyclops
- Channing Tatum as Remy LeBeau/Gambit
- Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic
- Robert Downey Jr. as Victor von Doom/Doctor Doom
How does this fit into the wider MCU?
"Avengers: Doomsday" will be the 39th MCU movie overall and is set in the same continuity as many of the Disney+ shows.
However, newcomers shouldn't feel intimidated. It takes inspiration from the comics, but you can just jump in and enjoy this movie's story in isolation.
"Avengers: Doomsday" will also set up the events of the next MCU movie, "Avengers: Secret Wars." The latter is scheduled for release on Dec. 17, 2027.
If you want to watch a select few movies to prepare, "Avengers: Infinity War," "Avengers: Endgame," "Thunderbolts" and "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" would be good options. One show that would be worth watching is "Loki," which has two seasons.
The official Disney+ "Countdown to Avengers: Doomsday" suggested watchlist includes these and a few more:
- "X-Men"
- "X2: X-Men United"
- "Captain America: The First Avenger"
- "The Avengers"
- "Avengers: Infinity War"
- "Avengers: Endgame"
- "Loki"
- "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings"
- "Spider-Man: No Way Home"
- "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness"
- "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever"
- "Deadpool & Wolverine"
- "Captain America: Brave New World"
- "Thunderbolts"
- "The Fantastic Four: First Steps"
If you prefer to get hyped in audio form, the five-episode "Countdown to Avengers: Doomsday Official Podcast" will revisit key MCU movies over five episodes.
This podcast is hosted by Iman Vellani (who plays the MCU's Ms. Marvel) and podcaster Frank Alvarez. It starts on Aug. 27, and a video version will be available to stream on Disney+ and YouTube.
Who directed 'Avengers: Doomsday'?
The film is being helmed by brothers Anthony and Joe Russo, who previously directed "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," "Captain America: Civil War," "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Avengers: Endgame."
Wasn't Robert Downey Jr. already in Marvel movies?
Yes, he played Tony Stark/Iron Man from 2008's "Iron Man" to 2019's "Avengers: Endgame."
The Oscar-winning actor, however, is taking on a different role in "Avengers: Doomsday." Victor von Doom/Doctor Doom is among the most beloved supervillains in popular culture, having debuted in the fifth issue of the "Fantastic Four" comic series in 1962.
The MCU version of the character remains a mystery, having only appeared briefly in "Fantastic Four: First Steps."
When do 'Avengers: Doomsday' tickets go on sale?
Ticket sales kicked off for Infinity Vision certified theaters on July 20, and went on general sale on Friday.
Infinity Vision is a new premium format that Disney says gives audiences "an exceptional film presentation with big screens, bright images and outstanding sound."
You'll be able to check out this new format when "Avengers: Endgame" is re-released in theaters on Sept 25, as "Avengers: Endgame Encore."
Can we expect more details or footage any time soon?
After getting major showcases at San Diego Comic-Con and D23, it's currently unclear if we'll get another chunk of information about the movie. The Sept. 25 "Avengers: Endgame" re-release seems like a good opportunity to give us something, and we'll likely see further snippets as the film's Dec. 18 release date approaches.
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