New Information Comes To Light on ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ Suspension Reports

Thomas HitchenAugust 28, 2026

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Marvel Studios’ road to Phase Six is proving eventful behind the scenes, as conflicting reports about production on Avengers: Doomsday (2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027) have created confusion over which film is actually in front of cameras right now — and the answer matters for a franchise leaning heavily on these two releases to close out its ongoing Multiverse Saga.

Credit: Marvel Studios

A Blockbuster Foundation

The stakes are high, but Marvel has recent proof that audiences are still willing to show up. Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026) has crossed the $2 billion mark globally, surpassing both Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019) on the list of all-time highest-grossing domestic releases. That result arrives after several years of public skepticism about franchise fatigue, giving Marvel some breathing room heading into its next two-part Avengers event.

To anchor that event, Marvel rehired Joe and Anthony Russo, the directing duo behind Infinity War and Endgame, with studio chief Kevin Feige describing their return as a calculated reset for the saga rather than a simple continuation.

Momentum From D23

Marvel used its D23 presence to keep fan interest high, debuting a second trailer for Doomsday and confirming the first round of X-Men casting for a separate, later project. Christopher Abbott will play Charles Xavier, Kit Connor is Scott Summers, Inde Navarrette takes on Rogue, Maya Boyd is Storm, Samara Weaving plays Emma Frost, and Adam Driver joins as Nathaniel Milbury. Jake Schreier, who directed 2025’s Thunderbolts*, is attached to helm that X-Men film, currently dated for May 2028.

Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom in the 'Avengers: Doomsday' trailer — Credit: Marvel Studios

Doomsday itself continues to expand in scope. Robert Downey Jr. is set to appear not as Tony Stark but as Victor Von Doom, a role first teased in the post-credits scene of The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025). Some reports point to a more morally layered version of the villain connected to the choices Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) made at the end of Endgame. Runtime estimates for the film have crept toward three hours, and there is unconfirmed talk that Secret Wars could be split into two installments, effectively making the finale a trilogy.

Russo Brothers Detail Where Things Stand

Speaking with Collider following San Diego Comic-Con, Anthony Russo offered a rare glimpse into the current stage of production: “We’re deep into finishing the movie, into finishing Doomsday. All of the grace notes, the music, working with Alan Silvestri, sound mix, creating Alan’s incredible original music. Wait until you experience what he’s cooked up for Doom. That, and then we’re prepping. We’re prepping Secret Wars. So, it’s a complicated time in our lives, but thrilling.”

Asked directly when Secret Wars would begin filming, Russo declined to give specifics: “Soon. So soon it makes us sweat a little bit.”

Credit: Marvel Studios

Clearing Up the Production Confusion

Earlier reporting from Filmbase indicated that UK-based filming had already begun on Secret Wars, only for that production to go on a five-week hiatus expected to resume near the end of September. But newer information suggests that the account conflated two separate productions.

Industry insiders Daniel Richtman and MTTSH have both said the UK activity belongs to Doomsday, not Secret Wars. Richtman wrote: “They’re still doing reshoots for Doomsday and filming for Secret Wars should start at the end of September.” MTTSH was more pointed in correcting the record: “What they’re currently filming is NOT for Avengers: Secret Wars. Despite reports, they haven’t started filming that yet. What they’re filming now is additional photography for Avengers: Doomsday.”

Taken together, the two accounts suggest the widely reported “hiatus” was really describing Doomsday‘s reshoot schedule, while Secret Wars has not yet begun principal photography and remains on its original late-September start.

What Might Be Coming In Secret Wars

Unverified leaks tied to Doomsday suggest its ending will introduce Battleworld, the world-building concept expected to drive Secret Wars, which has already been confirmed to reset the MCU onto a single unified timeline.

Alex Perez, writing for The Cosmic Circus (via Comic Book Movie), offered a description of the premise: “Aside from a literal handful of heroes and villains, practically everyone will be under Doom’s control, living in a more medieval version of what Wanda did in Westview. Literally think WandaVision meets ‘What If…? The Avengers Assembled in 1602,’ and that’s the introductory premise to Secret Wars.” Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch has not been officially confirmed for the film, though her popularity with fans makes her absence seem improbable.