Avengers: Doomsday looks set to be the biggest movie of 2026, no great shock when it will see the Avengers, New Avengers, Fantastic Four, and X-Men share the screen.
Much to the chagrin of Sam Wilson, Bucky Barnes is leading the MCU's New Avengers alongside Yelena Belova. There have been rumours about Sebastian Stan suiting up as Captain America—likely as one of The Void's Variants—in Avengers: Doomsday, but the actor wasn't willing to give too much away while appearing at the Tokyo Comic-Con.
"I don't know if I can say very much about that," Stan started. "I don't know what's going to happen. We'll see who makes it or who doesn't. I think the most exciting thing is Robert Downey Jr., one of the greatest, coming back. He's definitely going to have something in store for everybody."
Many fans believe the Thunderbolts* star is hinting at some big character deaths. If Avengers: Doomsday ends with an Incursion, then we'll almost certainly say goodbye to many characters. In 2015's Secret Wars, only a few heroes and villains made it out alive, reaching Doctor Doom's "Battleworld" on a liferaft, of sorts.
Elsewhere during the panel, Stan reflected on the experience of making Thunderbolts*. "We had a lot of fun. It was a great group of people, and everybody was very funny. David Harbour and Wyatt Russell, and Florence Pugh, [who is] really very talented. It was just a good time. If you guys liked the movie, help us make another one. We could film it here!"
In other MCU news, Jeremy Renner recently appeared on The Playlist's "Bingeworthy" podcast. Reflecting on the last time he played Clint Barton in 2021's Hawkeye on Disney+, he said, "I really enjoyed doing the series version because it was a bit more intimate and had family dynamic, which is always a huge part of which I think sort of Clint’s kind of superpower is."
"He is such a human side of being a superhero. He’s one of the few," Renner continued. "But I think his superpower is that sort of grit of the human condition, that is, loyalty and family. Otherwise, what are you fighting for?" He'd go on to confirm that, despite it previously looking like Hawkeye Season 2 had stalled, there have been some positive movements recently.
"We were trying to do a second season," the actor noted. "I think I will get strong enough to be able to do it. We will work it out. It’s going to be great."
At this rate, Hawkeye Season 2 won't happen until after Avengers: Secret Wars, though Marvel Studios doesn't have much on the way in 2027 and could squeeze it in then if production begins next year (that may hinge on how Avengers: Doomsday ends).
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.
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.