• Marvel Studios' next Avengers film, "Avengers: Doomsday," is in production.
• The cast includes Robert Downey Jr., James Marsden, Channing Tatum, and more.
• "Avengers: Doomsday" is set for release in theaters on May 1, 2026.

Filming for "Avengers: Doomsday" is underway, and Marvel Studios' latest film, "Thunderbolts*," offers a taste of what's to come.

"Thunderbolts*," which centers on a dysfunctional group of antiheroes, features one key end-credits scene that was filmed on the set of "Doomsday."

It's the latest breadcrumb the studio has given fans, after keeping audiences on their toes in March as they slowly revealed the partial cast of "Doomsday" over a five-hour livestream on multiple social media platforms.

The tactic, which involved a video feed slowly revealing a line of director's chairs with cast members' names on the back, was intended to drive anticipation for Marvel's next big crossover event amid the franchise's recent superhero slump.

Now, Marvel is bringing back many fan favorites, including Robert Downey Jr., for the next "Avengers" movie.

Here's what to know about "Avengers: Doomsday," which premieres on May 1, 2026 and is currently in production.

Robert Downey Jr. is returning as Doctor Doom.

Initially, Kang was set to be the next major villain for the Avengers, but Kang actor Jonathan Majors was fired by Marvel in November 2023 after he was convicted of assaulting his ex-girlfriend.

That same month, the "Loki" season two finale seemingly diminished Kang's role in the MCU when Tom Hiddleston's titular antihero rewrote the timeline, providing an easy route to eliminate Kang from the story.

Then, in July 2024, Marvel announced at the San Diego Comic-Con that Downey Jr., known for playing the beloved hero Iron Man for over a decade, had been cast as Doctor Doom.

While there had been speculation that Downey Jr. might return to the MCU at some point, the announcement was a surprise to many fans. The actor only left the franchise a few years prior, when Iron Man sacrificed his life at the end of "Avengers: Endgame" to save the universe.

The answer to how this is possible lies in the multiverse — the various dimensions/timelines that are connected together.

Recent Marvel projects have introduced fans to alternate versions of heroes from other universes, including Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds), Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), and more.

So Downey Jr.'s Doom could easily come from another universe to distinguish himself from Iron Man. And the villain wears a metal mask, after all.

Doom is the Fantastic Four's main enemy in the comics, and Marvel Studios head honcho, Kevin Feige, already confirmed that the team's movie, "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" takes place in another universe. Perhaps Tony Stark never got the chance to step up as a hero and chose a darker path in that world.

There have also been versions of Iron Man in the comics that have turned into Doom. Most notably, a young Victor Von Doom body-swapped with Stark as a young man in 2010's "What If? Iron Man: Demon in an Armor #1."

Doom himself even took up the Iron Man mantle in "The Infamous Iron Man" series in 2016. So, there is some precedent for blending their identities.

If the villain does come from another universe, Marvel Studios could still cast another version of Doom for the main MCU on Earth-616 if they wanted someone else to take over the role in the future.

The Russo Brothers are returning, too.

Marvel Studios announced at the 2024 San Diego Comic-Con that siblings Joe and Anthony Russo will direct "Avengers: Doomsday" and the film that follows it, "Avengers: Secret Wars."

Joe and Anthony Russo directed the last two "Avengers" movies, which made over $4 billion in total and are the current second and sixth-highest-grossing movies of all time.

Since leaving Marvel, the Russos have attempted to create their own streaming franchises at Amazon Prime Video and Netflix, but they have not released anything as successful as their Marvel films.

Fans are split on Downey Jr.'s return, but an analyst says it's a smart move for Marvel.

The internet was divided about Downey Jr.'s return, with many criticizing Marvel Studios for playing the nostalgia card and being too safe with their casting choice.

Some fans also said this move would ruin Downey Jr.'s final performance in "Avengers: Endgame" and the legacy of Doctor Doom, one of the most popular Marvel comic villains.

But Rob Mitchell, the director of theatrical insights at Gower Street Analytics, told Business Insider in July 2024 that bringing him and the Russo brothers back is a logical decision.

"The chances are people are going to go, 'This is interesting. What are they doing? I've got to see this. Even if I just want to be able to have an opinion on why.' I get it from a business perspective, I can't really see the downside," he said.

"Fans would've expected big things from an 'Avengers' movie anyway," he added. "And of course, this is the 'Avengers' movie prior to 'Secret Wars.'"

Mitchell said that people's curiosity about Downey's role in "Doomsday" and "Secret Wars" will draw them in, especially to see if the actor changes his appearance.

"Will he look like Tony Stark or will they do something to make him look different? It's Hollywood, there's plenty of makeup. There's lots of Ryan Reynolds in 'Deadpool & Wolverine' but they don't all look the same."

Downey Jr.'s casting comes amid conversations about whether audiences are tired of the superhero genre. While it's not a new concern, Mitchell said that MCU fatigue hasn't deterred fans.

"Can we really have a conversation about MCU fatigue when 'Deadpool' just made $430 million in four days? This is a film that we are anticipating being only the second R-rated film to do a billion dollars. And clearly, that's where it's heading. So you can talk MCU fatigue after that," he said.

'Avengers: Doomsday' and 'Avengers: Secret Wars' will likely focus on a multiversal war.

Michael Waldron, who wrote "Loki," will be writing the script for the two Avengers movies, which means the film will likely be related to that series.

"Loki," "What If," "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," and "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" warned that multiversal interactions could lead to a war between universes or the universes colliding into each other.

Though Kang is no longer Marvel's big-picture villain, a collision between different worlds still seems to be the Avengers-level threat that will be faced in the next two films.

Marvel Studios seems to be adapting two major events from its 2015 and 2016 comics, "Time Runs out" and "Secret Wars. In this run of comics, both written by Jonathan Hickman, the multiverse is dying because an alien race called the Beyonders has created living bombs to wipe out everything.

Attempts to kill living bombs lead to multiple earths from these universes colliding, wiping out both universes. The Beyonders' plan succeeds, but Doctor Doom, Doctor Strange, and Molecule Man kill the alien race, steal their power, and create a new world with Doom as the world's god.

Other heroes also survive the decimation using special life raft machines. When they escape, they defeat Doom and restore the universe.

Incursions have already been alluded to in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness." While they have the same effect as the comic book, the cause is prolonged multiversal traveling.

It is likely that something before or during "Avengers: Doomsday" kicks off that incursion in the main MCU universe, leading to a battle between multiple worlds. So fans may see even more cameos in the movie outside Downey Jr.'s Doom from one of the other worlds.

The Avengers team will look very different.

Since "Avengers: Endgame," many of the main heroes from previous films have retired or died, and new characters have been introduced to the MCU through various films and Disney+ shows.

In March 2025, Marvel confirmed that "Avengers: Doomsday" is now in production. The studio also announced a slew of "Avengers: Doomsday" cast members via an hourslong livestream.

In addition to Downey Jr., many other major MCU stars will be back: Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Paul Rudd (Scott Lang/Ant-Man), and Simu Liu (Shaun/Shang-Chi).

Anthony Mackie (Sam Wilson/Captain America) and Danny Ramirez (Joaquin Torres/Falcon), who most recently reprised their Marvel roles in "Captain America: Brave New World," will return in "Doomsday."

Additionally, the movie will include actors who will star in Marvel's next two films releasing this year, "Thunderbolts*" and "The Fantastic Four: First Steps."

"Thunderbolts*," released on May 2, centers on a ragtag group of assassins and spies who've already appeared in previous MCU projects and must work together on a mission.

Cast members Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier), Wyatt Russell (John Walker/US Agent), Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova), David Harbour (Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian), Hannah John-Kamen (Ava Starr/Ghost), and Lewis Pullman (Bob/Sentry) will return in "Doomsday."

After making their MCU debuts this summer in "Fantastic Four," Pedro Pascal (Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby (Sue Storm/Invisible Woman), Joseph Quinn (Johnny Storm/Human Torch), and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Ben Grimm/The Thing) will reprise their roles for "Doomsday."

The "Avengers" movie will feature "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" stars Letitia Wright (Shuri/Black Panther), Tenoch Huerta Mejía (Namor), and Winston Duke (M'Baku).

"X-Men" actor Kelsey Grammer will also appear in the film, likely reprising his role as Hank McCoy/Beast after his appearance in the end-credits scene of "The Marvels."

He's not the only "X-Men" alum who will be part of "Doomsday." The cast list includes Patrick Stewart (Charles Xavier/Professor X), Ian McKellen (Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto), Alan Cumming (Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler), Rebecca Romijn (Raven Darkholme/Mystique), and James Marsden (Scott Summers/Cyclops).

Fans of Channing Tatum's performance as Gambit in "Deadpool & Wolverine" will also rejoice in the news that he'll appear in "Doomsday."

The list of 27 cast members noticeably excludes major MCU stars like Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner/Hulk), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye), Benedict Cumberbatch (Stephen Strange/Doctor Strange), Tom Holland (Peter Parker/Spider-Man), Brie Larson (Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel), and Elizabeth Olsen (Wanda Maximoff/Scarlett Witch).

It's likely that additional "Doomsday" actors will be announced at a later date.

The Russo Brothers directed the second end-credits scene of 'Thunderbolts*,' which was taken from the set of 'Doomsday.'

"Thunderbolts*" includes two post-credits scenes, but the second one is far more significant. (Spoilers ahead.)

The scene is set 14 months later, showing the Thunderbolts, who have now been rebranded to the New Avengers, in the Watchtower. They're all wearing slightly different wardrobes and have undergone other small changes in their appearances since the last scene in the movie.

As the team, comprised of Bucky, Yelena, Alexei, John, Ava, and Bob, is discussing Sam Wilson/Captain America filing for a copyright for the Avengers, they're interrupted by the Fantastic Four spacecraft entering orbit.

If that scene feels separate from the tone of "Thunderbolts*," it's because it was filmed on an entirely different movie set.

In spoiler interviews with various outlets published after the release of "Thunderbolts*," director Jake Schreier said that the scene is from "Doomsday" and was recently filmed on the set of the ensemble film.

Schreier told Variety that he got to see the drafts and contribute to make sure it felt like an accurate and honest depiction of the characters. He was also present when the scene was filmed, but the Russo Brothers directed it.

"I was very happy to be there and lucky to be there," Schreier told Entertainment Weekly. "It was so fun to see your characters go off into this bigger context. We've been living in our own contained world, but it was really fun to see them there."

• "Barbie" director Greta Gerwig said she was at "totally zero" regarding ideas for a sequel.
• THR reported in December 2024 that "Barbie 2" is in "early stages" based on a concept from Gerwig and Noah Baumbach.
• However, reps for Gerwig, Baumbach, and Warner Bros. denied THR's report, calling it inaccurate.

It looks like everyone is living in a "Barbie" world, and the party might not be over yet.

The 2023 Greta Gerwig-directed movie starring Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken raked in $1.4 billion globally, winning the box office battle against Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer." 

"Barbie" wasn't just a box office sensation. The movie earned an 88% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, landed eight Oscar nominations, and became a pop culture phenomenon. 

Given its critical and commercial success, it's only natural to wonder whether the studio is planning "Barbie 2" with Mattel, the toy company behind Barbie.

Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz previously told Time magazine that the company is keen to make "more 'Barbie' movies."

"We're looking to create movies that become cultural events. If you can excite filmmakers like Greta and Noah to embrace the opportunity and have creative freedom, you can have a real impact," he said.

At the time, Gerwig said she was unsure about taking on a sequel, but a new report suggests that she might be back for more. 

Greta Gerwig addressed 'Barbie 2' in a 2023 interview with The New York Times

In an interview published in July 2023, the director told The New York Times that she exhausted all her ideas for "Barbie."

"I feel like that at the end of every movie, like I'll never have another idea, and everything I've ever wanted to do, I did," Gerwig said.

She added, "I wouldn't want to squash anybody else's dream but for me, at this moment, I'm at totally zero."

However, speaking to Uproxx about Ken's obsession with Sylvester Stallone in the movie, Gerwig joked that the "Rocky" star could show up in "Barbie 2," or even direct it himself.

"You never know!" she said. "Or that he's going to direct it. I mean, he's welcome to it. It would be an honor. It would be such an honor."

While Gerwig wasn't sold on the idea of returning, star and producer Robbie told Time in June 2023 that conversations about a sequel had yet to happen.

"It could go a million different directions from this point," she said. 

But Robbie also said that "you fall into a bit of a trap if you try and set up a first movie whilst also planning for sequels." 

Mattel is also looking to make movies based on its other properties, like a Hot Wheels movie being developed by J.J. Abrams. 

A new report suggested a 'Barbie' sequel could be in the works, but it's unclear

On December 13, 2024, The Hollywood Reporter published a story reporting that Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, who cowrote the "Barbie" screenplay, presented Warner Bros. with an idea for a sequel that was in the "early stages." The publication also said that talks about a deal were in similarly early stages.

Don't get excited yet, though: Gerwig and Baumbach's rep denied THR's report, telling the publication, "There is no legitimacy to this reporting."

And a rep for Warner Bros. said, "THR's reporting is inaccurate."

• The "Wicked" movie covers act one of the original musical's plot.
• The film is part of a two-part franchise, with the sequel set for release on November 21, 2025.
• Here's what we know about "Wicked: For Good," including the cast and potential plot.

The first "Wicked" film is already as long as the Broadway original, but only covers half of the show's plot. The second movie, "Wicked: For Good," scheduled for November, 21, 2025 will complete the story.

"Wicked," the musical, is the second-highest-grossing Broadway show ever. The plot follows the origin story of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, a character from the 1939 movie, "The Wizard of Oz."

The movie version of "Wicked" stars Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, and Michelle Yeoh. Although recent cinema adaptions of stage musicals like "Cats" and Steven Spielberg's "West Side Story" haven't had box-office success, "Wicked" defied gravity and earned $744 million worldwide, per Box Office Mojo.

Marc Platt, who produced the "Wicked" movie and stage production, said he initially intended for the story to be a film but changed his mind after speaking to Stephen Schwartz, who composed the music and lyrics for the stage musical.

"I waited a very long time to make the movie," Platt said at the movie's London premiere where Business Insider was in attendance.

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande revealed the first 'Wicked: For Good' trailer at CinemaCon

On April 2, Erivo and Grande took to the stage at CinemaCon in Las Vegas to present the "Wicked: For Good" trailer, giving a glimpse of what to expect from the story after the cliffhanger of the first film.

USA Today reported that the footage, which has not been released outside of CinemaCon, shows Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) hunting Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), who's on the run. Meanwhile, the green witch sows dissent against the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) by writing "Our Wizard lies" in the skies above Oz.

Glinda (Ariana Grande) and Fieryo are also seen getting married, and Elphaba leading a revolution with animals.

There is also a shot of Dorothy, who is the focus of the original "The Wizard of Oz" story, but the footage does not show her face.

Both parts of 'Wicked' were filmed at the same time

The cast, director, and crew have all shared reasons for splitting "Wicked" into two films.

Both the film's director Jon Chu and its producer March Platt have said in interviews that they didn't want to cram or cut songs or characters to fit the story into one movie.

Erivo told Entertainment Weekly in February 2024 that the split allowed more space to develop her character's friendship and rivalry with Glinda the Good Witch, played by Grande.

A fan newsletter, "The Schwartz Scene," reported that the composer said there had to be a break after "Defying Gravity," the final song in the musical's first act.

"We found it very difficult to get past 'Defying Gravity' without a break," he said. "That song is written specifically to bring a curtain down, and whatever scene to follow it without a break just seemed hugely anti-climactic."

In 2023, Schwartz told the now-defunct site, The Messenger, that the second part will include new original songs written for the film.

"The storytelling required it, and therefore they were created—the intention was that they were organic and not imposed on the movie," he said.

Both parts of "Wicked" were filmed simultaneously and all the stars from the first film will return in the sequel. This also makes it unlikely the sequel could be delayed by production issues and should arrive on schedule next November.

'Wicked: For Good' will likely cover the second act of the Broadway musical

Spoilers ahead for "Wicked," the Broadway musical and the film.

The sequel's title is named after the act two song "For Good," performed by Elphaba and Glinda.

The first movie adapts the first act of the Broadway musical, explaining how Elphaba became the Wicked Witch.

Though Elphaba grew up being bullied and mistreated for her green skin and magical powers, she is desperate to prove she is as valuable as anyone else.

She and her younger sister Nessarose end up at Shiz University, a magical school in the world of Oz, but Elphaba is forced to share a room with a self-absorbed student called Glinda.

The pair bicker until they become friends. At the same time, both women fall for Prince Fiyero Tiggular, and Elphaba learns that someone is trying to cage Oz's animals and stop them from speaking.

Later in the film, Elphaba is invited to meet the ruler of The Wizard of Oz and brings along Galinda, who now goes by Glinda.

They learn that the wizard is a con man and that he and Madame Morrible, a magic professor at Shiz, are behind the conspiracy against the talking animals.

They want to use Elphaba's powers to help their plot because she is Oz's chosen one, not the Wizard — she can read a special book of spells called the Grimmerie.

But Elphaba steals the book instead and leaves Emerald City, leaving behind Glinda, who still believes in the Wizard.

The second film will cover the second act, set a few years after the first. In this act, the story connects back to the plot of "The Wizard of Oz," which viewers might be more familiar with from the 1939 film.

Glinda and Madame Morrible are part of the Wizard's administration, and Fiyero is head of a hunting squad for Elphaba.

Nessarose has become a cruel governor of Munchkinland and earned the title of the Wicked Witch of the East.

Elphaba, now known as the Wicked Witch of the West, tries to do good for the animals and people of Oz, but her magic and actions continue to harm her loved ones.

When her sister is crushed and killed by Dorothy's house, she vows to become truly wicked. This establishes her character as the witch depicted in "The Wizard of Oz" book and film.

There are no new characters in Act Two, except Dorothy, who is normally not played by a character onstage.