Disney Execs Have Seen Avengers: Doomsday (And Their Reaction is Telling)

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In a Variety report detailing the current state of Disney as Josh D’Amaro prepares to take over as CEO, it’s mentioned that Disney executives have seen footage from Doomsday. Check out the relevant passage in the space below, which also includes Marvel’s feelings on the long-term health of the MCU moving forward:

“Some pundits argue the future of the superhero franchise may ride on the hotly anticipated Avengers: Doomsday, although sources inside the company’s film division believe the health of the MCU does not hinge on an individual title. Executives are pleased with what they’ve seen for the December release, and rival studio heads privately predict Doomsday will be the year’s highest-grossing film.”

Will Avengers: Doomsday Be the MCU’s Big Comeback?

It’s worth pointing out that this far out from release, Disney executives are unlikely to say anything negative about Avengers: Doomsday. The last thing the studio wants is for any kind of negative buzz to swirl, impacting outside perception of the film. That said, it’s still encouraging to hear executives are “pleased” with what they’ve seen so far. It also appears as if the film industry in general thinks highly of the project, believing it will top the 2026 box office charts. This year includes a bevy of anticipated releases like The Odyssey, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Toy Story 5, and more, so it would be a great sign for the MCU if Doomsday was able to beat all those out.

While the outlook on Doomsday is positive right now, there are still significant question marks surrounding the film. Unlike the Infinity Saga, which steadily built to a climactic showdown against Thanos, the Multiverse Saga has been a much bumpier ride defined by underwhelming projects and a late pivot away from Kang the Conqueror as the overarching villain. Directors Joe and Anthony Russo have plenty of experience juggling numerous Marvel characters and storylines in superhero epics, but it remains to be seen how they pull things off this time when there hasn’t been nearly as much setup. Some people are concerned Marvel is leaning too heavily into nostalgia (Chris Evans’ return) to spark fan excitement.

Similar to Disney being “pleased” by the Doomsday footage, Marvel would never say the entire future of the MCU is dependent on a single movie. The Russos are already under a tremendous amount of pressure to end the Multiverse Saga on a high note; there’s nothing to gain by applying even higher stakes to the film’s performance. That bit from the report could be interpreted that Marvel is confident in the future direction of the MCU and trust fans will respond positively to the upcoming Avengers films. Kevin Feige has made it clear that Marvel intends to scale back on output as the MCU looks forward to a new era, favoring quality over quantity.

Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars disappointing (critically, commercially, or a combination of both) would undoubtedly set the MCU back, but it’s also difficult to see that being a death knell for the franchise at a whole. At this point, the IP is too massive to become completely undone by a single film — even one as substantial as Avengers: Doomsday. In typical fashion, Marvel is already looking ahead to what comes next, developing an X-Men reboot and Black Panther 3 amongst other projects. Even if the Multiverse Saga ends on a sour note, those individual films would still be anticipated and have the potential to be massive hits. Plus, Secret Wars is designed to be a soft reset for the MCU, streamlining the continuity for the next saga. Obviously, it would be better for everyone involved if Doomsday breaks box office records, but the future of the MCU is not hanging in the balance.

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