Avengers: Doomsday Directors Tease Surprise Ending

Movies

by Shawn Kirk
September 30, 2026

Marvel fans may want to brace themselves for the unexpected when Avengers: Doomsday finally hits theaters.

Directors Joe and Anthony Russo have teased that the upcoming Marvel epic will feature a �very surprising ending,� while also revealing that the film is shaping up to run around two and a half hours.

Speaking with Fandango, Anthony Russo described Avengers: Doomsday as a �focused propulsive narrative� despite its massive ensemble cast and sprawling storyline.

The movie is expected to land at roughly the two-and-a-half-hour mark, although its final runtime may not yet be locked in. With reshoots reportedly adding additional material, the finished theatrical cut could still change before its release.

If the current estimate holds, Doomsday would rank among Marvel Studios� longest films. Only three Marvel movies have surpassed the two-and-a-half-hour mark so far: Eternals at 157 minutes, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever at 161 minutes and Avengers: Endgame at 181 minutes.

Despite the lengthy runtime, Anthony Russo believes audiences won't be left watching a bloated superhero spectacle.

�It�s a two-and-a-half hour movie or so, and you�re sitting through it, and it�s a focused propulsive narrative that has an organizing principle at its center, and everything has to orbit around that,� he explained.

He added that finding that central structure has been one of the biggest creative challenges for the filmmaking duo.

But it's the ending that could leave Marvel fans talking.

When asked about how Doomsday will conclude and potentially set the stage for Avengers: Secret Wars, Joe Russo offered a cryptic tease.

�I think people are going to be surprised,� Russo said. �It�s a very surprising ending. It�s a very surprising movie and that�s all we�ll say about it.�

The comments naturally invite comparisons to Avengers: Infinity War, another Russo-directed Avengers movie that ended on a major cliffhanger. That film famously saw Thanos emerge victorious, with several heroes disappearing after his devastating snap, setting up the events of Avengers: Endgame.

Could Doomsday deliver another devastating defeat for Earth's mightiest heroes at the hands of Doctor Doom? Marvel has yet to reveal what happens, and the directors' comments leave plenty of room for speculation.

Avengers: Doomsday is scheduled to arrive in theaters on December 18.

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Comments...

Last 10 comments - ( Read All Posts )

leokearon - 2026-10-01 @ 6:52 am

It would be a surprise if the heroes defeat Doom and Secret Wars is nothing to do with him

Lord_Scareglow - 2026-09-30 @ 8:24 pm

That's like the bait-est article heading.

I mean are you guys dumb as a door knob, of course every and any ending is a surprise ending because we've never seen the movie.

I really feel like this is movie just needs to come and go already, it's nothing but droing on, with the manufactured hype train, it feels like we are in the MCU endzone, and the dire necessity to live up to the sales of previous films stench is strong, just stop, everyone is going to see the movie. Stop acting desperate, it's a sad look.

since83 - 2026-08-17 @ 1:46 pm

On 8/15/2026 at 10:18 PM, Hordak Rules said:
I very much like the idea of the witches being revealed to be characters like Clea and Wanda but also to find out that like the comics, Dr. Strange has been helping Doom.

One of my favorite conversations in my entire comic reading history is Strange being grilled by the surviving heroes about how he could do such a thing as help Doom, and his response is "It turns out Doom is very good at being God" Paraphrasing but yeah, it was amazing. It just blew me away that he wasn't mind controlled, or an alternate version or whatever. It was our Dr Strange, and he was onboard with the plan. It makes sense in the MCU too, because Strange better have some guilt over his major part in weakening the Multiverse in MOM and NWH.

MeGrimlock78 - 2026-08-17 @ 12:58 pm

I would like to get a beer with those two.

I feel like there would be a LOT of laughs.

Hordak Rules - 2026-08-16 @ 3:18 am

On 7/27/2026 at 7:32 AM, since83 said:
I wonder if maybe these witches will play a role similar to the Swans in Hickmans build up to Secret Wars.

I very much like the idea of the witches being revealed to be characters like Clea and Wanda but also to find out that like the comics, Dr. Strange has been helping Doom. Great way to bring Cumberbatch back into things.

RobertD - 2026-07-28 @ 6:23 pm

On 7/27/2026 at 6:32 AM, since83 said:
I wonder if maybe these witches will play a role similar to the Swans in Hickmans build up to Secret Wars.

That was my thought as well.

since83 - 2026-07-27 @ 11:32 am

I wonder if maybe these witches will play a role similar to the Swans in Hickmans build up to Secret Wars.

SpiderS - 2026-07-27 @ 12:39 am

On 7/27/2026 at 4:06 AM, Cyke82 said:
could even be a version of the Invisible Woman as well...

Jessica Alba or Kare Mara could be cool but I think it's probably alt version of Scarlet Witch.

Cyke82 - 2026-07-27 @ 12:06 am

As they gave us Sue Storm's Malice in Legends form at this SDCC, this Latverian Witch (or one of the witches), could even be a version of the Invisible Woman as well...

jscottt991 - 2026-07-23 @ 2:38 pm

I don't watch the MCU anymore, but that witch will make a nice figure.

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