The Russo Brothers Explain the Universe-Ending Stakes of ‘Avengers: Doomsday’
Marvel has spent the last few months building toward a multiverse disaster, and a clearer picture of the ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ incursions is starting to emerge. Much of the setup came from ‘Avengers: Endgame Encore’, the theatrical re-release whose new footage tied directly into the next film. Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, ‘Avengers: Endgame Encore’ also featured an exclusive extended look at ‘Avengers: Doomsday’, in which heroes from three distinct universes face a shared threat.
The most important of those scenes took place at the TVA. It shows thousands of incursions wiping out worlds within seconds, prompting Ke Huy Quan’s engineer Ouroboros to declare that the multiverse is collapsing. In the scene, entire worlds desperately launch missiles at one another before they can collide.
Now Empire’s new ‘Doomsday’ primer has explained what that collapse means for the film’s heroes. As MCU Film News highlighted, the feature explains that the Fantastic Four come from one universe and the X-Men from another, and for reasons still unexplained, those worlds and the main MCU reality are collapsing into one another. It seems only one of them can survive.
The directors aren’t downplaying the stakes. Speaking to Empire, Joe Russo called the collapse “the most profound thing that’s ever happened to the MCU. It is the perceived end of times. Everything the TVA was set up to do is to protect the timelines from collapsing, and now they’re in a catastrophic collapse.”
The Russo Brothers teases the incursions in ‘AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY’: “The Fantastic Four are from one multiverse, and the X-Men from another. And for some reason, those universes and the main MCU universe of are collapsing in on one another, and only one, it seems, can survive.” (via: @empiremagazine)
— MCU Film News (@MCUFilmNews) November 7, 2026
He also said fans should pay attention to every frame. He added that each new scene in ‘Endgame Encore’ has some relevance to ‘Doomsday’, saying, “There are clues in every piece of that new footage that can lead you to a greater story in ‘Doomsday’.” Fans have speculated that the two worlds seen colliding may be Earth-10005, home to the X-Men, and Earth-1127.
That explains why the film brings together so many heroes. The Fantastic Four, 20th Century Fox-era X-Men characters, and longtime MCU heroes will all band together in ‘Doomsday’, and the incursions seem to be the catalyst. The Fantastic Four are expected to arrive on an Earth that isn’t theirs.
Stand together. Avengers: Doomsday arrives in theaters everywhere December 18. Get your tickets now: https://t.co/gA9Cd3iqUk https://t.co/XVQHe7sEoE
— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) October 25, 2026
The X-Men side brings plenty of familiar faces. The trailer highlighted Patrick Stewart as Professor Charles Xavier, Ian McKellen as Magneto, James Marsden as Cyclops, Kelsey Grammer as Beast, Rebecca Romijn as Mystique, Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler, and Channing Tatum as Gambit. If only one universe can survive, their alliance with the Avengers could become complicated.
Robert Downey Jr.’s villain seems to be taking advantage of the chaos. In another ‘Encore’ post-credits scene, Doom appears to kidnap Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner, who is held in an underground bunker, telling him, “I have come to collect you.” Joe Russo told Empire that Doom’s interest may extend beyond just Banner, hinting at a much wider collection effort.
Worlds collide ⚾ An exclusive preview of Marvel’s new Avengers movie assembles Bryce Harper, Freddie Freeman, Jacob Misiorowski, Junior Caminero and Randy Arozarena 👀 Avengers: Doomsday arrives in theaters everywhere December 18 https://t.co/WX1YtKjAKt
— MLB (@MLB) October 24, 2026
The directors are still being careful about Banner. Joe Russo would only say that Banner is certainly involved in the story that revolves around Doom, and that they will neither confirm nor deny his appearance in ‘Doomsday’. Fans have also noticed that the scene’s count of 3000 incursions may be a nod to Tony Stark’s “I love you 3000” line, though Joe Russo would only say it could be.
New trailer for ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ In theaters December 18 https://t.co/1wsiTk1Nnv
— Culture Crave 🍿 (@CultureCrave) August 15, 2026
Fans won’t have to wait much longer. ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ is set to be released in the United States on December 18, 2026, as part of Phase Six of the MCU. The UK release has been confirmed for December 16. With 3 universes facing each other and only one apparently able to survive, ‘Doomsday’ looks like it will force its heroes into hard choices.
Which universe do you think will survive the incursions in Avengers: Doomsday?
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