Avengers: Doomsday
Release Date: May 1, 2026
Directors: The Russo Brothers
Writer: Stephen McFeely
Cast:
• Pedro Pascal - Mister Fantastic/Reed Richards
• Robert Downey Jr. - Doctor Doom/Victor von Doom
• Vanessa Kirby - Invisible Woman - Sue Storm
• Ebon Moss-Bachrach – Thing/Ben Grimm
• Joseph Quinn – Human Torch/Johnny Storm
Ever since Marvel dropped Jonathan Majors, there has been a lot of uncertainty surrounding the fifth Avengers, which was previously called The Kang Dynasty. Major’s behavior in his private life has led to him losing out on the role of a lifetime and the MCU has pivoted away from Kang-centric storylines. This giant hole will now be filled by Doctor Doom.
The biggest shocker coming out of San Diego Comic-Con is that Robert Downey Jr. will portray Doctor Doom in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and will be the ultimate Avengers antagonist for the foreseeable future. Will Downey Jr. strictly be depicting the character as Victor von Doom or could his history as Iron Man factor into the narrative? With the multiverse still dominating the franchise, Doctor Doom as an Iron man variant from another universe would be a logical potential plot point.
And of course, Doctor Doom will have to face off against actual heroes. And the only ones that have been name dropped so far are those that have not even hit the big screen yet – The Fantastic Four. Their “first steps" will be taken a year before Doomsday, so perhaps that story will lead into the Avengers team-up, with the possibility of Doom making a more comic book accurate debut; under the Fantastic Four tentpole. Although he has not yet been officially announced, Benedict Cumberbatch hinted that he was getting ready to reprise his Doctor Strange role for the upcoming Avenger epic.
Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow
Release Date: June 26, 2026
Director: Craig Gillespie
Writer: Ana Nogueira
Cast:
• Milly Alcock – Supergirl/Kara Zor-El
• Matthias Schoenaerts – Krem
James Gunn’s Superman is looking more and more like a launching pad for the DCU projects that will follow. After Nathan Fillion will portray Guy Gardner, other Green Lanterns will glow in the HBO Max series Lanterns. Superman heroes like Hawkgirl, Metamorpho, and Mister Terrific will likely resurface in future content. But a primary focus after Superman will be the Supergirl spinoff, Woman of Tomorrow.
Unlike James Gunn’s Superman, which will now share a name with the revered Richard Donner classic (after dropping “Legacy” from its title), the Woman of Tomorrow subtitle will differentiate this undertaking from the 1984 movie, as well as the Arrowverse television series, which were both called Supergirl. "Woman of Tomorrow" is the name of a popular contemporary DC comics story.
House of the Dragon standout, Milly Alcock, will debut as Supergirl in James Gunn’s Superman, before starring in Woman of Tomorrow. Even better news is the hiring of director Craig Gillespie, who has a solid track record – something some of the DCEU filmmakers lacked. Gillespie’s filmography is well-rounded, however the most pertinent connection worth formulating for Woman of Tomorrow is his incredible work directing phenomenal female performances, such as Margot Robbie in I Tonya and Emma Stone in Cruella.