Marvel Studios begins Avengers: Doomsday production

Marvel Studios is moving forward with production on Avengers: Doomsday, directed by Anthony and Joe Russo. The film, which features Robert Downey Jr. as the villain Doctor Doom, has reportedly begun filming without a completed script. Joe Russo described the script as a “living organism,” noting that the directors prefer an improvisation-based and rehearsal-based approach to allow actors to shape their characters.

Reports regarding the film's plot suggest a significant narrative twist involving Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange. Speculation indicates that Strange may appear under the alias “Boris,” acting as a right-hand wizard to Doctor Doom, before eventually revealing his identity. The story is expected to involve a cosmic collision and an incursion between different universes, including the Fantastic Four universe.

This production follows a pivot from the previously conceived Avengers: The Kang Dynasty after the departure of Jonathan Majors. While Marvel has utilized unfinished scripts in the past, such as with Iron Man, the decision to do so for a major franchise cornerstone comes amid varying box office performances for recent Marvel releases.