Overview
- Marvel released a new Avengers: Doomsday trailer Thursday as directors Joe and Anthony Russo used SXSW London appearances to call the film a return to 'phase zero' and a fresh starting point for the franchise.
- Robert Downey Jr. is confirmed to play Victor Von Doom and told audiences the filmmakers are 'zeroing out the board' and aiming to earn viewers' trust rather than try to top Infinity War and Endgame.
- The film assembles a very large ensemble that mixes legacy MCU figures, members of the Fantastic Four and returning Fox-era X-Men actors, with Kevin Feige saying Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man will act more as an elder mentor.
- The Russo brothers said Avengers: Secret Wars is deep in pre-production and that principal photography is expected to begin later this summer as the two films are being shaped as linked chapters.
- Marvel Comics is coordinating a related publishing event, Avengers: Armageddon, which launches June 10 and is being tied to Doomsday-era consequences to amplify the company-wide reset and its stakes.