How Marvel’s Nostalgia Overload Could Ruin Avengers: Doomsday

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Summary

  • Marvel Studios generated buzz with a live stream unveiling stars for Avengers: Doomsday.
  • Post-Endgame years have been rocky for Marvel, with a dilution of quality content and fan interest.
  • Doomsday’s star-studded cast aims to replicate Endgame’s success with nostalgia-bait.

Earlier this week, Marvel Studios sent the internet into a frenzy with a prolonged live stream that unveiled the cast for the 2026 film, “Avengers: Doomsday.” As each actor’s name was slowly revealed, fans and critics couldn’t help but guess who would appear next. Some speculated it could be Chris Evans or Elizabeth Olsen. In essence, Marvel Studios has resorted to a tactic in 2025 of gradually announcing famous actors to build anticipation for the next “Avengers” movie.

It’s not surprising that Marvel is putting in maximum effort for “Avengers: Doomsday.” This is their first Avengers project since 2019’s “Endgame,” and they are eager to make this one successful. Robert Downey Jr. will be reprising his role (in a somewhat strange and contentious decision), playing Victor Von Doom. The Russo Brothers, who have been associated with the MCU, are also involved (following the failure of “The Electric State” earlier this year). Marvel Studios CEO Kevin Feige appears to be going all-out for “Doomsday.” However, a movie filled with nostalgic appearances might not be what the Marvel fanbase is hoping for.

The Post-Endgame Years Have Not Been Kind To Marvel Studios

The Sheen Has Officially Worn Off

For over a decade, Marvel Studios enjoyed unprecedented success, with hits like 2008’s Iron Man and later films such as Captain Marvel (2019), Avengers: Endgame, and Spider-Man: Far From Home dominating the box office. It appeared that Marvel’s superhero productions would continue indefinitely. However, this run of success came to a halt, marking an end to their unstoppable streak at the box office.

Marvel Studios started spreading its offerings by launching multiple original shows on Disney+ annually, even as it grappled with finding a solid footing in cinemas without Iron Man and Captain America to anchor the storyline post-Endgame. Tragically, Chadwick Boseman, who played Black Panther and was set to inherit the Marvel kingdom, passed away from colon cancer in 2020. In a subsequent turn of events, Jonathan Majors, cast as Kang the Conqueror, a character comparable to Thanos in Marvel’s post-Endgame era, was removed from any future MCU projects due to personal issues in 2023.

Combining underperforming movies such as “Eternals” and “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” with box office failures like “The Marvels,” creates a situation that could potentially lead to trouble. As the overall quality of their productions seems to be declining, and audience interest appears to be decreasing, Marvel Studios has decided to pull out all the stops for “Avengers: Doomsday” (originally titled “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty,” but renamed after Majors’ exit from the franchise). Unfortunately, giving it everything doesn’t guarantee that everything will turn out okay.

Will A Glut Of Familiar Faces Really Bring Marvel Back To The Top?

DC Studios Is Doing The Exact Opposite At The Moment

In the course of the live broadcast, Marvel Studios disclosed that Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, Kelsey Grammer, Rebecca Romijn, and James Marsden would be returning to their mutant characters from the initial X-Men movie series. To add to this, a long roster of actors typically associated with the MCU in such a grand crossover film were also featured. The full lineup for the Fantastic Four was presented, as well as many stars who will appear in Thunderbolts. Furthermore, other notable MCU personalities such as Simu Liu, Anthony Mackie, and Letitia Wright were showcased to the audience.

In summary, over twenty names appeared during the lengthy live stream, but there are likely to be more, given that several well-known Marvel Cinematic Universe actors were not featured in this grand compilation. Notably absent were Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange, any characters from the Guardians of the Galaxy, Hulk, Hawkeye, Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk, Captain Marvel, and Scarlet Witch. The list of popular Marvel characters missing is nearly as extensive as those who were included.

Among these faces, quite a number might appear (though not all may stay long), perhaps just for brief moments on-screen. This raises an intriguing query: Can the Russo Brothers successfully weave a unified narrative with such a vast array of characters? Will they attempt it at all?

Blame Deadpool & Wolverine, No Way Home, And Endgame Itself For This Mess

As The Old Saying Goes, Money Talks

Frankly speaking, the lineup for the upcoming movie “Avengers: Doomsday” bears a striking resemblance to that of “Avengers: Endgame“. However, it’s important to understand that while both movies share similar characters, the success of “Endgame” might not be easily replicated in “Doomsday“. This is because the films leading up to “Endgame” formed a consistent narrative thread that was relatively easy to follow from one film to another. Unfortunately, this cohesive storytelling is less prevalent across the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole nowadays. It’s challenging to gauge how many viewers have kept pace with every single Marvel project over the past five years. How many of them watched shows like “Agatha All Along“, “Echo“, “She-Hulk: Attorney At Law“, “Captain America: Brave New World“, “Eternals“, “What If…?“, and “The Marvels“? It’s safe to say that it’s hard to determine.

Marvel appears to be aiming for “Doomsday” to become a cultural phenomenon as significant as “Endgame”. To achieve this, they’re borrowing strategies from the playbooks of their recent blockbuster hits: “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and the pairing of “Deadpool” and “Wolverine”. These movies utilized multiversal elements to resurrect heroes from past years, which evoked nostalgia and tugged at heartstrings. While these films may not have been the best in their respective series, it’s unlikely to find a Marvel fan who didn’t delight in seeing multiple Spider-Men together or appreciate the reunion of Wolverine and X-23. It’s easier to provoke emotion through casting stunts rather than crafting a compelling narrative.

If Marvel intends to prove that their substantial investment in bringing the Russos and RDJ back is worthwhile, they need to earn a massive amount at the global box office. They’re wagering that an abundance of well-known talents will entice audiences to buy tickets. We’ll see if this strategy pays off.

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2025-03-27 21:37