Marvel | Russo Brothers officially directing Avengers; Fantastic Four title and Doctor Doom casting confirmed

by Jake Godfrey |
The Russo Brothers
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Marvel revealed lots of news about upcoming films at the San Diego Comic Con, including Avengers and Fantastic Four.

At the San Diego Comic Con over the weekend, lots of new projects were unveiled, from Doctor Who spin-off The War Between The Land And The Sea to Michael C Hall returning as serial killer Dexter Morgan for sequel series Dexter: Resurrection. But the biggest news came from Marvel, as it revealed lots of information about future projects.

The studio confirmed that Joe and Anthony Russo are definitely back to direct the next two Avengers films, and we now know the titles of both films. The first will be called Avengers: Doomsday, which replaces Avengers: Kang Dynasty after the conviction of actor Jonathan Majors; the second is Avengers: Secret Wars.

Marvel then revealed that The Fantastic Four: First Steps will be the title of the first film of Phase Six of the Marvel Cinematic Universe; it will be directed by Matt Shakman and written by Peter Cameron, Josh Friedman and Jeff Kaplan.

The studio then brought out the new cast – Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards (aka Mr Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm (aka the Invisible Woman), Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm (aka the Human Torch) and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm (aka the Thing). Julia Garner will play Shalla-Bal, a version of Silver Surfer, and Ralph Ineson will play villain Galactus. Paul Walter Hauser and Natasha Lyonne are also in the cast.

But the biggest shock came when they brought out a cloaked, masked actor, who Marvel said was going to play Viktor Von Doom. The figure stepped forward and ripped of his mask, revealing himself as Robert Downey Jr, returning to the MCU for the first time since 2019’s Avengers: Endgame.

Production on The Fantastic Four: First Steps kicks off in the UK on Monday and the film will be released on the 25th July 2025. Phase Six will then continue with Blade on the 7th November 2025, though expect that to change as production is still yet to begin. 

Avengers: Doomsday is due out on the 1st May 2026 and Avengers: Secret Wars will follow on the 7th May 2027.

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