With Marvel Studios trying to refocus on quality over quantity, it has announced that it is going to be delaying the release of two “Avengers” movies again.

“Avengers: Doomsday” was originally supposed to be coming out this month, but got bumped back until 1st May 2026, but now it’s been pushed to December 18th 2026. With that delay, “Avengers: Secret Wars” is also being pushed back from May 2027, until December 17th 2027.

Production is currently underway in London on the next instalment in the “Avengers” franchise, with a huge cast including Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Paul Rudd, Letitia Wright, Florence Pugh, Simu Liu, Tom Hiddleston, Wyatt Russell, David Harbour, Winston Duke, Danny Ramirez, Hannah John-Kamen, Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn, James Marsden, Kelsey Grammer, Channing Tatum, Tenoch Huerta Mejía, and Lewis Pullman. Also returning is Robert Downey Jr, though he will be playing the role of Doctor Doom, instead of Iron Man.

The delay shouldn’t come as a huge surprise, as trying to film and turn around a massive “Avengers” film within under a year was going to be extremely difficult, with many speculating that the film would get delayed.

The film’s post-production was also going to be pushed to get all the visual effects in place, especially as the artists are now unionised. So its less likely the team will be forced to crunch, in order to rush production.

Ultimately, this move does mean that next May, Disney can put all of its promotional efforts behind the Star Wars film, “The Mandalorian & Grogu”, but it also gets out of the way of the release of “Grand Theft Auto 6” video game, which is going to be a massive juggernaut that will suck up lots of people’s time during the summer of 2026. It will also mean the Disney+ release of these movies is also bumped back, with them likely hitting the streaming service over 100 days after they are released in cinemas.

The additional six months will allow Marvel to make more adjustments to the script, making “Doomsday” and “Secret Wars” even better. It also means we’ve got a drastic reduction in the amount of Marvel content hitting the screens. Currently, “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” is scheduled to release in cinemas in July 2026, which will now take place before the events of the “Avengers” movies. It also means in 2027, there will be a one-year gap between major releases.

Not only that, but we are going to see fewer Marvel shows being released on Disney+, which will hopefully help reduce superhero fatigue, as fewer titles mean people are more interested in what’s coming out.

Bumping both “Avengers” movies into the holidays in 2026 and 2027 will likely impact some other films releasing around the same time. Disney has had lots of box office success with holiday releases for the “Avatar” and “Star Wars” films, plus “Spider-Man: No Way Home” was also massively successful during that period. 

What do you think of these delays? Let me know on social media!

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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