Marvel Studios has officially pushed back the release dates for its next two Avengers tentpoles. Avengers: Doomsday will now hit theaters on December 18, 2026, while Avengers: Secret Wars has been bumped to December 17, 2027. Both films were previously slated for May releases.
The delay came as part of a bigger shake-up to Disney’s theatrical calendar announced Thursday, which also included removing several untitled Marvel projects entirely. Among the casualties are the previously dated February 13, 2026, November 6, 2026, and November 5, 2027 Marvel spots, which now either no longer exist or have been relabeled simply as “Untitled Disney.”
That leaves Doomsday and Sony’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day as the only confirmed MCU features for 2026, signaling a noticeable slowdown in Marvel’s release cadence.
The December date may be strategic as it mirrors the release window of Spider-Man: No Way Home, which became a global juggernaut in 2021, earning $1.9 billion worldwide. Marvel may be betting that year-end blockbuster energy will work the same magic again.
But with The Fantastic Four: First Steps set for July 25, 2025, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day not swinging in until July 31, 2026, fans are looking at a full year without a new MCU film, something we haven’t seen since the pandemic gap between Far From Home and Black Widow.
Also, it’s a safe bet that the release date for Spider-Man: Brand New Day may end up getting pushed back as well.
Marvel still has dates staked out in 2028 with February 18, May 5, and November 10, but no confirmed titles attached. Projects like Armor Wars and Blade are still hanging in limbo without official release dates.
The thinning schedule reflects Disney CEO Bob Iger’s new approach to Marvel’s content machine. “Marvel Studios had lost a little focus by making too much,” Iger explained during a recent investor call. “By consolidating a bit and having Marvel focus much more on their films, we believe that will result in better quality.”
Quality is key, especially with what they’ve got coming. These movies need to be big hits at the box office. Production on Doomsday is already underway, and fans are hoping to get a first look at Comic-Con.
So, while we’ll have to wait a little longer to see all these super hero teams come together to take on Doctor Doom, the MCU scaling back for bigger swings might make it worth the wait. I’m ok with the delays if it means were going to get great Marvel movies.
Source: Variety
