It's been far too long since the Avengers assembled in the MCU. While Thunderbolts* introduced the New Avengers, the team hasn't really been seen in action since 2019's Avengers: Endgame.
COVID-19 and 2023's Hollywood strikes certainly didn't help. Now, though, all eyes are on Marvel Studios to once again bring together its most iconic characters—alongside plenty of new additions—in next December's Avengers: Doomsday.
There are some concerns among fans about the movie's leads primarily being from blockbusters that have underperformed at the box office. At the height of the pandemic, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings exceeded expectations, grossing $432.2 million worldwide. A sequel hasn't materialised since 2021, and outside of animation, Shang-Chi has been sidelined.
Simu Liu will reprise the role in Avengers: Doomsday and recently spoke with Screen Rant about what fans can expect from the Russo Brothers-helmed movie.
"Yeah, three: dream come true," the actor said after being asked to describe the movie in three words. "I mean, there are just so many actors in it, and getting to work with those people as peers is really incredible because I grew up watching so many of them."
He added, "It feels, in a lot of ways, like a love letter to the entire genre of superhero movies. And I think there’s something really fun about that."
Liu wrapped up by saying that Avengers: Doomsday is "for all the misfits and the weirdos and the underdogs that grew up reading comic books and feeling like there was hope for them somehow – that it didn’t matter if they didn’t fit in – I think there’s just always a special place in my heart for that entire genre."
Shang-Chi is expected to be a member of Sam Wilson's Avengers, and if his Ten Rings are as crucial to this story as they were expected to be in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, then we'll likely see a lot from the hero. There are already indications that Doom will target the mysterious artefacts.
The movie's first trailer is expected to be released next month. You can learn more about what we'll see from Doom the teaser by clicking here.
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.