Avengers: Doomsday is quickly shaping up to be one of the most highly anticipated superhero movies ever. While fans have some concerns about Marvel Studios' plans for Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom, it's hard not to be intrigued by where the story is going.
Thunderbolts* star Florence Pugh is the latest cast member to reflect on the experience of being on set with a long list of A-List co-stars while speaking on The Louis Theroux Podcast.
"The other day, I was on set with the most incredible cast, and we’re all dressed in our superhero costumes, and we’re all playing," the actress revealed. "Like, just playing as if we’re saving the world. It’s just such a unique thing to do."
As the leader of the New Avengers alongside Bucky Barnes, Yelena Belova is expected to play a pivotal role in Avengers: Doomsday. Leaked concept art has also suggested that Yelena will be part of Doctor Doom's court when he reshapes the Multiverse into "Battleworld" in Avengers: Secret Wars.
Another Phase 4 hero who will make an impact in Avengers: Doomsday is Simu Liu's Shang-Chi. Talking to ComicBook.com about his MCU future, the actor recalled a similar experience to Pugh's.
"I was just in like quite a large Marvel movie with a lot of these actors, some of whom have been playing the same role for like over 20 years," he started. "And I’m stepping into their world. I’m stepping into their characters, who they’ve owned and honed and developed for so long. And it’s everything I can do just to like stop myself from shaking."
"But the thought that kind of powers me is this: you’ve still got to show up and you’ve got to try your best. Try your best to get something usable in there and get out of your own way. I feel like a lot of times we use impostor syndrome or insecurity as an excuse not to show up. If we can just not make it about ourselves for a second and just focus on the work that you have to do."
"What is the objective? What is my objective as this character?" Liu mused. "Then you just take it a step at a time, and then hopefully when you do it for 40 years, someone will be looking at you and being like 'Holy crap, what I would give to do work like that.'"
The first trailer for Avengers: Doomsday is expected to be released alongside Avatar: Fire and Ash next month. The expectation is that we'll get to see Earth's Mightiest Heroes in action, along with a long-awaited first look at Downey's Doom.
You can hear more from Pugh in the player below.
Avengers: Doomsday officially stars Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Mackie, Winston Duke, Tom Hiddleston, Sebastian Stan, Letitia Wright, Paul Rudd, and Robert Downey Jr. Wyatt Russell, Simu Liu, Tenoch Huerta Mejia, Florence Pugh, Danny Ramirez, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, and Lewis Pullman all make their Avengers franchise debuts in the movie.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps leads Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn join them, as do X-Men franchise stars Kelsey Grammer, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn, James Marsden, with Deadpool & Wolverine star Channing Tatum.
Chris Evans, Hayley Atwell, and Ryan Reynolds are also set to appear, according to reports from the trades (if we listed the rumoured cast members here, we'd run out of space).
The Russo Brothers direct the movie from a screenplay by Stephen McFeely, with whom they previously collaborated on the Avengers and Captain America franchises. Loki and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness's Michael Waldron is also working on the script.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released on December 18, 2026, with Avengers: Secret Wars scheduled to arrive on December 17, 2027.