Avengers: Doomsday, The MCU Reboot That Isn't Really a Reboot (But Maybe Is)
When it comes to the MCU, all eyes are now firmly fixed on Avengers: Doomsday, but things will look very different once the credits roll.
The Multiverse Saga has all been leading to this epic confrontation with Doctor Doom (via a slight change of direction after Jonathan Majors' Kang was shelved). Due to the nature of the reality-bending stories that have played out so far, Marvel has really been given carte blanche to introduce variants of our favourite characters, and even bring heroes out of retirement.
So, with everything at stake and very few rules to play by, could Kevin Feige and Co. be using Avengers: Doomsday as the perfect chance to hit the big, red reset button... sort of? Here’s why they might be tempted, and what that would mean for the MCU in the future.
Why Avengers: Doomsday Might Be an MCU Reboot
It’s no secret that Marvel movies post-Endgame have been, on the whole, a little disappointing. The likes of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Captain America: Brave New World, and The Marvels were box office disappointments and not generally critically well-received. Many characters have been introduced and then seemingly forgotten about (like the Eternals), and circumstances off-screen, like Majors’ legal issues and the tragic death of Chadwick Boseman, have forced Marvel bosses to make big changes to their overarching plans.
It’s perhaps no coincidence, then, that the Russo Brothers were brought back to direct Doomsday and that the pair have quite openly told fans that this upcoming movie will essentially pick up where Endgame left off, acting as a “Phase Zero” that allows viewers to jump in even if they haven’t been following the films and TV shows included in Marvel’s Phase Five and Six. We’re even getting a re-release of the 2019 smash hit, which will serve as a narrative bridge between that story and the events of Doomsday.
All of this, twinned with the fact that Robert Downey Jr. is back – albeit playing the bad guy this time – and Chris Evans will reprise his role as Steve Rogers, absolutely points to the theory that Marvel Studios is going back to the drawing board, sticking to a tried and tested formula from the past, and possibly even glossing over the failed efforts of the past seven years.
Narratively speaking, it works, too. Doom is, we assume, going to strip back the timelines across the multiverse and reverse all the acts he deems to have been 'unjust' and that have meddled with the pre-determined fate of characters and their worlds. In the Doomsday trailer, the Latverian despot speaks of “stolen lives”, and it’s implied that Steve going back in time to be with Peggy, Thor using Gorr’s wish to save Love, and even Franklin Richards bringing his mother, Sue, back from the brink of death, are all moments that simply shouldn’t have happened. If Doom wants to put all of that right, it means everything we’ve seen since Thanos was defeated is essentially going to be undone, and the MCU will be handed a clean slate.
Who Will Be Recast After Doomsday?
Despite some of the original X-Men characters from the 2000s trilogy being in the Doomsday cast, we already know that a new group of mutants will make up the X-Men cast for Jake Schreier’s 2028 movie. The likes of Sir Ian McKellen, Sir Patrick Stewart, James Marsden, and Rebecca Romijn will give way to newcomers Inde Navarrette, Kit Connor, Sadie Sink, Christopher Abbott, and more.
It’s also been revealed that David Jonsson is taking on the mantle of Black Panther for Ryan Coogler’s 2028 movie. He’ll almost certainly play T’Challa’s son, and while he’s not among the cast list for Doomsday (yet), his casting does open up a new era for the iconic hero of Wakanda.
Whether the likes of Steve Rogers, Thor, Loki, and Ant-Man make it out alive after facing Doom remains to be seen, but you’d imagine they’re all characters (and actors) that are heading for the final curtain. They may survive Doomsday, but there’s surely no chance they’ll exist beyond Secret Wars.
Which Marvel Characters Are (Almost) Certain to Survive?
On the flip side, Marvel definitely needs to keep Reed Richards and Sue Storm around for Secret Wars, as their relationship with Victor Von Doom is pivotal to that storyline. So is their son, Franklin.
We still don’t know if Tom Holland’s Spider-Man will pop up in Doomsday, but if he does, there’s absolutely no way he will be killed off. Not only is he widely expected to be a really important character in the Secret Wars arc, but there’s also the small matter of Spider-Man: Brand New Day making bucket loads at the box-office. Simply put, Holland and the wallcrawler are just too valuable.
Another character we’re not sure about is Doctor Strange. Benedict Cumberbatch has not been listed in the cast so far, but the last time we saw his character he was being warned about multiversal incursions, a concept central to Doom’s motives here. In the comics, Strange becomes an unlikely ally for Doom, and there are rumours he could do the same in the MCU. If that’s the case, he will very likely be in Secret Wars, too.
And, of course, Doctor Doom will be untouchable. The big bad is making his first fully-fledged appearance in the MCU with this film outside of his First Steps cameo. Whether he wins or loses, he will have unfinished business to pick up in Secret Wars, where he’s likely to oversee a Battleworld-style conflict. The only question we need to consider is whether it will be Downey Jr. returning, or if we’ve been fed a red herring.
What’s Next For the MCU?
As you may have guessed by us mentioning it multiple times already, Secret Wars will be the next movie released by Marvel post-Doomsday. That film is out exactly a year later, in December 2027. While we don’t quite know yet which approach Marvel will take with Secret Wars – replicating the 1984 Battleworld storyline, the 2015 arc by Jonathan Hickman, or something entirely new – it will leave the MCU in a totally different place. Old characters will be gone, new heroes will emerge, mutants will be here to stay, and we can’t wait to see how it all plays out.
Beyond that, there’s the aforementioned X-Men reboot planned for May 2028, Ryan Gosling’s Ghost Rider movie aiming for July 2028, and the previously touched-upon Black Panther 3 lined up for December of that year.
Marvel Studios also has three release dates reserved for 2029 – May, July, and November – but the titles of those movies have not been revealed yet. Rumours for those projects include Spider-Man 5, Doctor Strange 3, a Fantastic Four sequel, and even Shang-Chi 2, which appears to be back in development now. All of that will largely depend on just how ruthless the company decides to be with Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars.
