Will Avengers Doomsday live up to the hype around it, or will it mark the end of an entire cinematic franchise? With nearly 18 years of movies and stories to intertwine, brothers Anothony and Joe Russo, directors for Doomsday, have over 60 characters to include and have interact with one another. With as many actors and backgrounds as they have, it can prove very difficult to work with so many people in one movie. The head of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Kevin Feige, announced their return at the San Diego Comic-Con in 2024. They had previously directed both Avengers Infinity War and Endgame.
The MCU had faced its biggest hurdle yet in April of 2024, when the actor chosen for their next multi-movie villain, Jonathan Majors, had been involved in a controversy that Marvel studios did not want any part of. Even though Majors took part in two MCU projects playing the Marvel villain known as Kang the Conqueror, Feige had announced an Avengers movie subtitled, Kang Dynasty, and had seemingly built the next five years for the MCU after Majors first appearance on the Disney+ show, Loki, in 2021. Hypothetically, that movie would have come out May 2025, but after careful consideration, Marvel studios ultimately parted ways with Majors.
In what seemed like almost a power play by Marvel, the Russo brothers announced that Robert Downy Jr. (RDJ) would not be reprising his role as Iron Man, but instead playing the titular character, Doctor Doom. Many fans raised an eyebrow at this, with doubt clouding the anticipation for the movie. Theories surfaced that maybe RDJ would be playing a different version, or variant of Iron Man, some referring to the “Infamous Iron Man” comics. Feige has stated that he will be working closely with the Russo brothers to assure the quality meets his and the fans’ expectations.
On Mar 26, Marvel Entertainment started their boldest live stream in years. With the eyes of over 275 million people watching, a director’s chair was brought out with the name, Chris Hemsworth. After giving some time for speculation, another chair was brought out with the name, Vanessa Kirby on the back. Having the actors for Thor and Sue Storm, the Invisible Woman, from the upcoming movie, Fantastic Four: first steps, it was pretty obvious they were revealing the cast for Doomsday. After 25 more chairs, the internet was scrambling seeing the announcement that the original Fox X-Men cast members would be returning. Marvel will seemingly pull of the legendary, and highly anticipated, Avengers vs X-Men.
The fanbase is seemingly torn in half, with some worrying about the fate of the MCU, and others showing support and excitement. Regardless, the pressure is on for Marvel studios to release a banger, as their previous Avengers movies are both in the top ten box office hits, with Infinity War at six, and Endgame at two. Hopefully Marvel delivers a top shelf movie, I’m rooting for you!
