Avengers: Doomsday is only a little over a year away from landing in theaters, kicking off the long-awaited two-part finale of the Multiverse Saga. The fifth Avengers movie wrapped filming a few weeks ago, keeping the film on track for its release date next December. As exciting as the film is, many MCU fans are concerned for Doomsday. Some aren’t fans of Robert Downey Jr.’s casting as Doctor Doom, while others worry that the Multiverse Saga’s final chapter was overly rushed.
While there are plenty of reasons to doubt that Avengers: Doomsday will live up to the hype, some recent developments bode well for the extremely important MCU crossover. Shang-Chi actor Simu Liu, who has been confirmed to finally return in the film, recently opened up about his experience working with the Russo Brothers and Downey. Not only did Liu have incredibly positive things to say about his time on set, but he also has high praise for Doomsday’s story. While there’s still a long way to go, the actor’s comments have me feeling optimistic about the film for the first time in a while.
Simu Liu Has High Praise for Avengers: Doomsday
Simu Liu stars in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten RingsImage via Marvel Studios/Everett Collection
In a recent interview with ScreenRant promoting his new film, In Your Dreams, Simu Liu shared his thoughts on Avengers: Doomsday. Though the actor is under strict orders not to spoil anything from the upcoming Marvel movie, he was at least able to offer some substantive comments about his experience on set. Liu called working on a major Avengers crossover “a dream come true,” and later described Doomsday as “a love letter to the entire genre of superhero movies.” While these initial comments may sound like generic praise for a cast and crew whom Liu generally loved working with, his later thoughts expound on his opinions about Doomsday itself. In a heartfelt moment, Liu described what he hoped audiences would take away from the upcoming movie:
[Avengers: Doomsday] 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… 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.
Simu Liu represents a new generation of MCU heroes who will hopefully carry the franchise forward for many years to come. The actor joined the franchise with 2021’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, the second film of the Multiverse Saga. He is just one of several heroes in Avengers: Doomsday who will join up with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes for the first time. Other major new stars include Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova, Wyatt Russell’s U.S. Agent, Lewis Pullman’s Sentry, Tenoch Huerta’s Namor, and the entire cast of The Fantastic Four: First Steps. It is terrific to see a new generation of heroes join up with the core Avengers cast, especially when some of them grew up with the original films in the Infinity Saga. Liu’s comments recognize the important role that films like Doomsday can play in a young fan’s life. If the film really does measure up to his praise, it may inspire a whole new generation of superhero movie fans in much the same way that the Infinity Saga did in the 2000s and 2010s.
Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark from Avengers EndgameImage via Marvel Studios
Naturally, the Shang-Chi star didn’t give away any major information about the plot of Avengers: Doomsday. His comments don’t reveal any new details about the Multiverse Saga’s big bad, Doctor Doom, the return of Fox’s X-Men, or any cameos audiences should expect to see in the film. However, Simu Liu does offer a sneak peek at the film’s potential tone and messaging. Describing Doomsday as “a love letter to the entire genre of superhero movies” is extremely telling. This suggests that the Avengers sequel will include nods to the films that came before it, perhaps in a very emotional way. The Russo Brothers, who are directing Doomsday and Secret Wars, played a pivotal role in building the superhero genre into what it is today. Their work on films like Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Endgame turned the Marvel Cinematic Universe into a box office juggernaut with interconnected stories that are unparalleled by the many copycat franchises that have come out in the years since. As what is most likely one of their last superhero projects, the Russo Brothers are the perfect directors to bring out the emotionality of Avengers: Doomsday, turning the film into the tragic finale that it needs to be. Newcomers like Liu then get to witness the curtain close on one era of the MCU, even as they anticipate taking over the spotlight in whatever chapter comes next.
Liu’s comments also add credence to the idea that Avengers: Doomsday will be a finale of sorts to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as it is today. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has suggested in the past that its follow-up, Avengers: Secret Wars, is about “new beginnings,” and will potentially reboot parts of the franchise to kick off a fresh start in 2028 and beyond. If Secret Wars is about new beginnings, then it stands to reason that Doomsday will be about endings. Doctor Doom’s arrival will usher in the end for many of the MCU’s most beloved heroes, potentially including iconic characters like Chris Hemsworth’s Thor, Sebastian Stan’s Winter Soldier, and Tom Hiddleston’s Loki. The “love letter” that Liu refers to likely includes a retrospective on these characters and their contributions to the genre over the last several decades. It sounds as though Doomsday will be especially rewarding to longtime fans of the franchise who have shared this journey with their favorite characters.
Avengers: Doomsday Can Set the MCU Back on Track
Julian McMahon as Doctor Doom from Fantastic FourImage via 20th Century Fox
Many fans aren’t convinced that Avengers: Doomsday will live up to the hype. Unfortunately, the Multiverse Saga has failed to conjure the same excitement and anticipation that the Infinity Saga did in its finale. Phases 4 and 5 have been home to several lackluster projects, including some that were meant to be major turning points in the saga’s overarching narrative (e.g., Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and The Marvels). Even some of the Multiverse Saga’s more popular projects, namely Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, have failed to connect to the larger MCU in the years since their release. This has left fans in the dark about how the Multiverse Saga works together, building up toward Doctor Doom’s arrival. While there is no chance for Marvel to go back and fix its build-up to Avengers: Doomsday, the upcoming film can at least put the franchise back on track by sticking the landing.
To its credit, it sounds as though Marvel Studios is doing all the right things to make Avengers: Doomsday a hit. Bringing back the Russo Brothers was labelled by some as an act of desperation on Marvel’s part, but the decision makes a lot of sense when one considers that the directing duo has already proven more than capable of balancing crossover event films with massive ensemble casts. Furthermore, the film’s cast seems genuinely excited for its release, with Simu Liu, Channing Tatum, and Alan Cumming all singing Doomsday’s praises since production wrapped earlier this year. If they can stick the landing with Avengers: Doomsday, Marvel could finally win fans back just in time for the finale of the Multiverse Saga and the fresh start that will follow.
Avengers: Doomsday will open in theaters on December 18, 2026.
Release Date
December 18, 2026
Director
Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Writers
Stephen McFeely, Michael Waldron, Jack Kirby, Stan Lee
Vanessa Kirby
Sue Storm / Invisible Woman
Joseph Quinn
Johnny Storm / Human Torch
Ebon Moss-Bachrach
Ben Grimm / The Thing