Russo Brothers Comment on 'Avengers: Doomsday' Runtime Rumor

After The Hollywood Reporter reported that Avengers: Doomsday will run about 2 hours and 45 minutes, the Russo brothers commented on the rumors for the first time and revealed that the film has not been finalized yet. In an interview with Collider, Anthony Russo explained that the movie is still in post-production:

"It's too early for us to say what the running time is, but it's substantial" the director said.

According to him, the editing work is still ongoing: "We’re still kneading the dough, and we continue to as long as we can because, look, the movie is so complex. It's so layered. There are so many amazing characters in the film. Joe and I love the editing process that we just continue to find new things as we continue to work on the film".

Everything you need to know about Avengers: Doomsday

The villain of the story in the fifth Avengers film will be Doctor Doom, played by Robert Downey Jr., the actor who portrayed the legendary Iron Man in the MCU's Infinity Saga and now takes on the role of antagonist. Avengers: Doomsday will be directed by brothers Anthony and Joe Russo (Endgame), with a script by Michael Waldron (Loki) and Stephen McFreely (Endgame).

Marvel has already confirmed the main cast members for the new film, in one of the biggest MCU star gatherings ever assembled. Returning from previous Avengers films are: Chris Evans as Steve Rogers, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Anthony Mackie as Captain America, Sebastian Stan as the Winter Soldier, Paul Rudd as Ant-Man, Winston Duke as M'Baku, and Letitia Wright as Shuri/Black Panther.

From characters introduced after Avengers: Endgame — in Phases 4 and 5 of the MCU — we have Simu Liu as Shang-Chi, Danny Ramirez as Falcon, the entire new Fantastic Four (Pedro Pascal as Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as the Thing), almost the entire cast of Thunderbolts* (Florence Pugh as Yelena, Wyatt Russell as U.S. Agent, David Harbour as Red Guardian, Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost, and Lewis Pullman as Bob, the Sentry), and Tenoch Huerta as Namor.

In a livestream announcing the cast, there was also the film's biggest surprise so far: the return of the classic X-Men from the old Fox movies, including Patrick Stewart as Professor X, Ian McKellen as Magneto, James Marsden as Cyclops, Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler, Kelsey Grammer as Beast, Rebecca Romijn as Mystique, and, introduced in Deadpool & Wolverine, Channing Tatum as Gambit.

Avengers: Doomsday opens in theaters on December 18, 2026.