Chris Evans admits that watching the Marvel Cinematic Universe march on without him “feels like you weren’t invited to the party,” a sentiment he shared while promoting his upcoming indie romance The Materialists. The actor, who hung up the Captain America shield after Avengers: Endgame and has repeatedly said he is “happily retired” from the MCU, added that the feeling will likely “hit harder” once Avengers: Doomsday reaches theaters in late 2026.
Marvel’s next ensemble film is scheduled for 18 December 2026, with Joe and Anthony Russo returning to direct after their record-breaking run on Infinity War and Endgame. A live-streamed cast reveal in March confirmed a line-up that stretches from Thor and Ant-Man to the original X-Men and the newly introduced Fantastic Four. Robert Downey Jr. will headline the project, this time as Victor von Doom, a role he is shaping personally by “writing backstory [and] costume ideas,” according to the Russos.
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has already started the guessing game. Asked whether the “4”-emblazoned spacecraft glimpsed after Thunderbolts is the Fantasti-car, he replied, “Their ship is the Excelsior … I’m not sure they’re the same ship,” a remark that has reignited multiverse speculation. Feige’s coyness echoes an earlier ComicBookMovie interview in which he suggested the Thunderbolts stinger might hide a Doctor Doom twist.
Behind the camera, the Russos say they have “strategized to shut down spies” while shooting on U.K. locations and expect each of the back-to-back Avengers installments to film for roughly six months. Writer Stephen McFeely re-teams with the directors after initially turning the offer down, then calling back the next morning “with an idea,” Anthony Russo told Empire.
For Evans, the scale of Doomsday—which Fandom notes will unite Avengers, Wakandans, Thunderbolts and Fantastic Four against Doom—may amplify his MCU nostalgia. Yet he remains focused on smaller projects, telling ScreenRant he still speaks to Downey and the Russos “all the time” though “from the sidelines”. With cameras rolling and Downey crafting a new nemesis, Avengers: Doomsday is poised to test Marvel’s ability to top its past while leaving at least one veteran star cheering from afar.
