Marvel 2026: Brand New Day, Then Avengers: Doomsday
By Maddox Hale · Published
Maddox Hale writes about story-driven games and the details most players miss, delivering narrative reviews, lore breakdowns, and opinion pieces.
Marvel’s 2026 theatrical year is oddly simple: Spider-Man: Brand New Day in July, then Avengers: Doomsday in December. No pile-up of releases. No constant catch-up homework. Just two movies that have to carry the whole vibe.
Two movies, one huge bet
I’m into the restraint. After years where the MCU felt like a conveyor belt, a wide-open calendar feels like Marvel saying, “We’re going to make you care again, one clean swing at a time.”
But that calm schedule comes with a brutal trade. If Brand New Day disappoints, it hangs over the whole year. If Doomsday turns into loud chaos, there’s nothing else in 2026 to change the conversation.
The pairing makes sense, though. Spider-Man is the emotional reset. Avengers is the scoreboard game.
Brand New Day has to honor No Way Home’s fallout
No Way Home ended with Peter Parker choosing the hardest version of his life. No one remembers him. No support system. No easy way back.
The biggest thing I want from Brand New Day is simple: don’t undo that. Let the consequences stick long enough to mean something.
A lot of fan chatter keeps circling the same wish list. More street-level problems. More everyday pressure. Peter scraping by, making mistakes, winning fights that feel earned. Less “surprise guest star” energy.
Destin Daniel Cretton directing is a good sign for that kind of movie. When Marvel is at its best, the action is clear, the emotions are readable, and the story doesn’t feel like a trailer for the next ten things. Brand New Day should be allowed to stand on its own.
Doomsday has to make Doctor Doom feel like Doom
Doomsday is where Marvel goes big again. The Russo Brothers returning tells you they want that tight, juggling-a-huge-cast confidence back.
Then there’s the headline swing: Robert Downey Jr. playing Doctor Doom.
This can work. It can also go sideways fast.
The line Marvel can’t cross is treating Doom like a clever trick. If the movie leans too hard on familiar echoes, it risks feeling like nostalgia in a villain costume. The only version that really hits is the one where Doom feels like his own person: intimidating, controlled, and terrifying even when you stop thinking about who’s under the mask.
If 2026 nails both movies, it’s a perfect one-two. Brand New Day makes you care again. Doomsday makes you feel like you can’t miss what happens next.
If not, the year is going to feel very long for a slate this short.