Credit: Marvel StudiosThe Marvel Cinematic Universe is speeding towards both a climax and a new beginning, but who will be left standing when all is said and done?
Where the MCU Stands Right Now
Marvel Studios closed out July by officially launching Phase Six of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025). Directed by Matt Shakman, the highly anticipated reboot brought Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach into the MCU as Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm. The debut of Marvel’s “First Family” had long been a fan request, setting the stage for high expectations.
The film delivered a major splash in its first weekend. The Fantastic Four: First Steps opened to an estimated $118 million domestically—the first Marvel release of 2025 to cross the $100 million mark. Globally, it took in around $218 million, giving the studio a strong start for its new iteration of the team.
That early success didn’t last. In its second weekend, the movie dropped 66% domestically, earning just under $40 million. Box Office Mojo currently lists its worldwide total at $514.9 million. For Marvel, the results highlight a recurring hurdle: opening big, then sustaining momentum as competition and audience interest quickly shift. Whether this is a case of wider superhero fatigue or simply today’s front-loaded box office model is still up for debate.
Pedro Pascal Wraps on Avengers: Doomsday
It has been confirmed that Pascal has finished filming his part for Avengers: Doomsday (2026), even as his name is tied to Behemoth!, the latest project from Star Wars: Andor creator Tony Gilroy.
“Fantastic Four kicked off the next phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Pascal recently wrapped production on the next Avengers movie, Avengers: Doomsday, which will premiere in 2026,” Deadline wrote. “Also in 2026, Pedro will reprise his role as Din Djarin in Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu.”
Avengers: Doomsday began shooting in April 2025, so certain cast members completing their scenes early isn’t unusual. Still, Pascal’s early wrap has drawn attention, given Reed Richards’ expected prominence in Marvel’s next Avengers lineup.
For now, the makeup of Earth-616’s Avengers remains uncertain. Captain America: Brave New World (2025) and Thunderbolts* (2025) both teased fractured alliances earlier this year, and those tensions may spill over into the bigger ensemble storylines.
Kevin Feige has already hinted that the Avengers team formed in Doomsday—and even in Avengers: Secret Wars (2027)—may not stick together. The Marvel chief recently confirmed that a franchise reset is in motion, seemingly tied in part to Franklin Richards’ MCU debut in The Fantastic Four: First Steps and the upcoming events of Secret Wars. After that reset, the X-Men are set to headline Marvel’s next era.
X-Men Marvel Star Exits Doomsday Filming
On the heels of Pedro Pascal, another Marvel star has announced that he has wrapped filming the upcoming 2026 Avengers movie.
As revealed during the cast announcement earlier this year, several X-Men characters from the 20th Century Studios movies will officially join the MCU in Doomsday. James Marsden as Cyclops, Ian McKellan as Magneto, Rebecca Romijn as Mystique, Patrick Stewart as Professor X, and Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler will all appear in the Russo Brothers’ movie. Others, like Famke Janssen’s Jean Grey and Halle Berry’s Storm, are also rumored to be involved.
Alan Cumming, who first appeared as Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler in X2 (2003), confirmed that he has exited the Doomsday filming process, having completed his scenes. Speaking to the press after his Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality Competition Program win on night two of the Primetime Creative Emmy Awards, Cumming said that he’d already done his part in Doomsday and that he’s “finished it.”
“I did a lot of stunt work and training. That was amazing,” he said of his preparation for this long-awaited return (via Comic Book Movie). “The stunt people couldn’t believe that I could get up, let alone jump around and do this boxing and training.”
Doomsday looks set to mimic Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019) in having both an A-list stacked and voluminous casts. One rumored storyline is that Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and Peggy Carter’s (Hayley Atwell) reunion in Endgame caused an incursion that tragically affected Victor Von Doom (Downey Jr.), so now the character is out for justice.
Only time will tell just what direction the Russo Brothers will take audiences on in 2026, but the future of the Avengers franchise is shaping up to be explosive.
How do you feel about how big the cast is for Avengers: Doomsday? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!