Marvel fans hoping to mark their calendars for the next two Avengers blockbusters will need to be patient. Disney has officially delayed Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, pushing both highly anticipated films further into the future. With shifting release dates and surprises in the cast, the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is entering yet another period of uncertainty—and reinvention.
New release dates revealed
According to a recent announcement from Disney, Avengers: Doomsday is now scheduled to premiere on December 18, 2026, while Avengers: Secret Wars is moving to December 17, 2027. The latter was originally planned for a May 2027 release, but was shifted to accommodate the delays triggered by Doomsday’s production.
While delays have become commonplace in the post-pandemic entertainment industry, the postponement of these cornerstone Marvel films still comes as a blow to fans eagerly awaiting the next evolution of the franchise’s multiverse saga. These two films are expected to serve as the grand finale of Marvel’s Multiverse Saga, following in the narrative footsteps of Infinity War and Endgame.
A leaner marvel release calendar
The ripple effects of these delays are already being felt across the broader Marvel Cinematic Universe schedule. Several untitled Marvel projects previously set for 2026 and 2027 have been quietly removed or reclassified. A previously scheduled film for February 13, 2026, has been entirely scrapped, while other placeholders—slated for November 6, 2026, and November 5, 2027—have been changed to general “Untitled Disney” releases.
As it stands now, only Avengers: Doomsday and Spider-Man: Brand New Day remain firmly positioned on Marvel’s 2026 release calendar. This marks a significant scaling back for a studio that once dominated each cinematic season with multiple blockbusters per year. The slowdown could be strategic—a chance to recalibrate storylines, tighten creative direction, and possibly regain audience trust after a few lukewarm receptions in recent years.
Nightcrawler returns—with a twist
Despite the delay, the buzz surrounding Avengers: Doomsday continues to build, thanks in part to intriguing casting developments. Actor Alan Cumming—best known to Marvel fans for playing Nightcrawler in X2: X-Men United (2003)—confirmed that he’s returning to the role in Doomsday. The news came via a video interview with Buzzfeed UK, in which the 60-year-old actor shared humorous anecdotes about training for a fight scene.
“I was learning stunts yesterday for some fight scene and I just think, I’m 60 years old,” Cumming said. “Twenty-three years ago, I played that superhero. I was kind of old for a superhero even then. And now I’m back doing it. And that, to me, is hilarious.”
He also casually revealed that his character might be facing off against Pedro Pascal, who is reportedly playing Mr. Fantastic in the new Avengers film. “They said, ‘You’re hitting Pedro Pascal against the head,’ or something,” he joked. The comment, while lighthearted, hints at potential crossover chaos involving legacy X-Men characters and the Fantastic Four—an ambitious collision of Marvel timelines.
The stakes of multiversal storytelling
The idea of merging characters from Fox’s X-Men universe with the MCU’s core roster is nothing new, but it’s rarely been executed on this scale. With films like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Spider-Man: No Way Home already introducing audiences to the concept of alternate realities and timelines, Doomsday and Secret Wars are expected to push that concept to its breaking point.
Marvel fans know that Secret Wars—especially the version rooted in the 2015 comics reboot—is a story of universal collapse and rebirth. With the arrival of characters like Kang the Conqueror and now Nightcrawler, it’s clear that the studio is assembling a multiversal ensemble that could rival even the most crowded battles of the Endgame era.
Whether or not that ambition will be matched by strong storytelling remains to be seen. Marvel’s recent offerings have seen mixed critical and fan reception, prompting the studio to take more time between films, reconsider casting decisions, and return to proven fan-favorite characters.
A new phase of patience
For now, fans must exercise patience. Disney’s reshuffling of the MCU timeline reflects broader industry trends: tighter budgets, more scrutiny on quality, and a demand for smarter, more character-driven storytelling. The delay of two of Marvel’s most important upcoming films suggests that the studio is playing the long game.
As Alan Cumming noted in his recent interview with Collider, “It’s been 23 years since I was a superhero… I’m excited and amazed.” That sense of wonder is likely shared by fans who grew up with Marvel and are now watching the franchise mature, recalibrate, and reimagine itself for a new generation. The road to Secret Wars may be longer than expected, but if Marvel delivers on its promise, the destination could be worth the wait.
