Overview

• Marvel Studios has publicly acknowledged audience fatigue after post-Endgame Phase 4 and 5 films delivered mixed reviews and underperformed at the global box office.
• Executives have signaled a strategic slowdown by committing to fewer annual MCU releases and a renewed focus on higher-profile projects.
• Industry reports indicate Robert Downey Jr. is set to return to the franchise as Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday, underscoring a nostalgia-driven casting approach.
• The studio is also eyeing potential Deadpool crossovers in its next Avengers slate as part of its effort to reignite broad audience appeal.
• Avengers: Doomsday is being cast internally as a make-or-break event that will test whether the MCU’s rebuild can restore its box office dominance.