On Thursday, Disney announced it has delayed the releases of several features from Marvel Studios, including the highly anticipated Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.

According to Variety, Disney has completely revamped its Marvel Studios’ release schedule for 2026 and 2027.

How far back did ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ and ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ get delayed?

Disney originally slated Doomsday for release on May 1, 2026, but it has now been pushed to Dec. 18, 2026. Disney/20th Century’s The Devil Wears Prada 2 will take the May 1 slot next year. Similar to Doomsday, fans expected to watch Secret Wars on May 7, 2027, but they’ll now have to wait until Dec. 17, 2027, to see the film.

As for why Disney is shifting Marvel Studios’ slate, Doomsday and Secret Wars are some of the studio’s biggest films to date, according to insiders, and pushing their dates will help ease production schedules. Disney has also profited significantly from positioning its Marvel projects to release in December following the success of Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Other Marvel schedule changes from Disney

Additionally, Variety reported that Disney shared updates to unannounced Marvel projects. An “Untitled Marvel” title, which was slotted for a release date of Feb. 13, 2026, has been kicked off the schedule. Two other “Untitled Marvel” projects, which were supposed to come out on Nov. 6, 2026, and Nov. 5, 2027, have been changed to “Untitled Disney” films.

These changes mean Avengers: Doomsday and Sony’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day will be the only Marvel Cinematic Universe films released in theaters next year.

Marvel Studios’ 2028 slate hasn’t seen as many changes, with “Untitled Marvel” features still coming out on Feb. 18, May 5 and Nov. 10 of that year. Marvel Studios’ projects that the studio has announced, like Armor Wars and Blade, still appear to be coming, though neither film has received a release date.

The changes mark the largest release gap in Marvel history since COVID

There will be no theatrical Marvel feature released between The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which comes out on June 25, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which is set for release on July 31, 2026. It’s the biggest gap for the studio since the COVID-inspired break between 2019’s Spider-Man: Far From Home and 2021’s Black Widow.

The shifts to Marvel Studios’ slate hint at Disney’s desire to refocus the studio’s superhero titles.

According to Variety, Disney CEO Bob Iger said on an investor call that Marvel Studios had “lost a little focus by making too much” between its films and Disney+ series. Iger added, “By consolidating a bit and having Marvel focus much more on their films, we believe that will result in better quality.”

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Tom Holland not in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’?

Right now, it is believed that Tom Holland won’t play Spider-Man in Avengers: Doomsday. The actor is currently filming Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey, and that production reportedly overlaps with Marvel’s shooting schedule for Doomsday. There’s also speculation that Spider-Man 4 might take place around the same timeline as Doomsday, which could offer a storyline reason for his absence. Still, there’s a chance that Holland may actually be in the film and all of this is a smokescreen.

Who is Robert Downey Jr. playing in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’?

In his Marvel Cinematic Universe return, Robert Downey Jr. is playing Victor Von Doom / Doctor Doom. He originally played the MCU’s Tony Stark / Iron Man.

Is ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ in production?

Yes, Avengers: Doomsday is still in production. The project began filming in March 2025.

Avengers: Secret Wars

Get relevant content delivered to you once a week