Marvel Studios’Â Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars will hit the big screens later than expected. Marvel announced the shocking but surprising news that both films would be pushed back six months each. However, the films will remain a year apart. Fans can look forward to a new assembly of the Avengers team in both movies.
Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars Pushed Back
The delays now have Doomsday from May 1, 2026, to December 18, 2026, and Secret Wars going from May 7, 2027, to December 17, 2027. The films are still a year apart, but now Doomsday is a full year and a half away from hitting theatres. The moves mean that Spider-Man: Brand New Day takes place before both Avengers movies instead of in between them.
The question is, why did Disney/Marvel push back the films? There are two main reasons per Deadline: “Insiders noted that these two films are among the biggest ever made, and the delays simply allow more time to execute on a gargantuan vision. Disney/Marvel elected for December dates, given the success they’ve had in the holiday corridor with titles like Spider-Man: No Way Home. Avengers: Doomsday is in production now.”
“Executing” the vision could mean many things, like shooting or modifying the script. However, it likely means more time to work on VFX. Marvel has been criticized for rushing and skimping on many recent projects. Films like Thor: Love and Thunder and Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania have faced criticism for this, as well as She-Hulk, which had rushed VFX.
Fans will wonder what will happen with Spider-Man: Brand New Day, as Marvel loves its timelines and continuity. It’s a big deal that the forthcoming Spider-Man film will be set before both Avengers films rather than in between them. It remains to be seen if the movie will be connected to the Avengers films. Notably, Tom Holland wasn’t shown on the viral “chair reveal” of the Doomsday cast member, and he was the most significant character not named on the chairs.
Marvel also has competition from the rebooted DCU, which started with anime, and will now introduce Superman this summer, and marketing has already ramped up for that film. Marvel’s big movie this year for the big screens will be the introduction of the Fantastic Four, titled Fantastic Four: First Steps. This is huge because the family will have an enormous role and be a big part of Doomsday.Â
Final Thoughts
The move does make sense in terms of getting things done for VFX. However, fans of Marvel will have to wait a bit longer to see all the heroes together on screen as they did for Avengers: Infinity War & Avengers: Endgame. Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts/The New Avengers is now playing in theatres. Fantastic Four: First Steps will hit the big screens on July 25. In other news, there have been some horrific mass shootings in the country, such as Parkland and Sandy Hook. Microsoft and Walmart have also recently faced a series of layoffs.
