Report: Tom Holland’s MCU Avengers Return Delayed to 2027

Marvel Studios is charting a bold new path for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which has been a pop culture force for nearly 20 years.

As Phase Five nears its conclusion, a clear pivot is taking shape. Captain America: Brave New World (2025) recently crossed the $400 million mark at the global box office, and Thunderbolts* (2025) is poised to close out the current phase. All signs point to Marvel restructuring its long-running franchise with major creative resets ahead.

The road here hasn’t been smooth. Phase Four, launched in the midst of the pandemic, included standout moments like the $1.953 billion juggernaut Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) and the debut of Disney+ series such as WandaVision. Still, the influx of content left many fans nostalgic for the more focused storytelling that led up to 2019’s Avengers: Endgame.

Phase Five brought more mixed results. While Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) became one of the MCU’s top-grossing titles, thanks in part to the return of Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds’ unrelenting momentum, other releases stumbled. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) and The Marvels (2023) delivered some of the franchise’s lowest box office returns.

Captain America: Brave New World was hampered by a turbulent production and off-screen controversy, making it difficult for the film to meet profitability benchmarks.

Meanwhile, Thunderbolts* was tracking quietly until Marvel dropped an unexpected A24-style trailer that immediately reignited conversation around the project, and followed it up with two more exciting trailers focusing on the misfit squad. But it’s what’s coming in Phase Six that’s turning the tide.

That phase will kick off with The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025), which introduces the iconic team to the MCU and reportedly marks the return of Robert Downey Jr.—this time as Victor Von Doom/Doctor Doom–in the post-credits scene.

Helmed by WandaVision director Matt Shakman, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is set to debut in July 2025. The film stars Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing, and Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch.

The group’s introduction will set the stage for Avengers: Doomsday (2026), which unites Earth’s Mightiest Heroes for a new, universe-shaking threat.

Downey Jr.’s return was confirmed during San Diego Comic-Con last year, alongside the announcement that Anthony and Joe Russo—directors of Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame—would return to the MCU.

“What’s compelling about these two new Avengers movies is they’re a beginning. It’s a new beginning,” the Russo brothers shared with Omelete.

“So we told an ending story, now we’re going to tell a beginning story, and then who knows where we’ll go from there. Maybe there’ll be another five years, but I think we just needed that time and perspective to figure out where it needed to go next, and the only thing that brought us back was the right story.”

This fresh start is especially striking because Avengers: Doomsday and its sequel, Avengers: Secret Wars (2027), aren’t wrapping up a saga—they’re initiating a new one. Marvel appears to be using Phase Six as a reset point for the overarching MCU narrative.

Just last month, Marvel Studios unveiled an extensive ensemble cast for Avengers: Doomsday during a marathon live-stream event.

While more casting reveals are expected, the current lineup includes Robert Downey Jr. as Victor Von Doom/Doctor Doom, Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man, Simu Liu as Shang-Chi, Kelsey Grammer as Hank McCoy/Beast, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, James Marsden as Scott Summers/Cyclops, and Chris Hemsworth as Thor.

The roster also features Channing Tatum as Remy LeBeau/Gambit, Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres/Falcon, Ian McKellen as Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Rebecca Romijn as Raven Darkhölme/Mystique, Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier/Professor X, Alan Cumming as Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler, Letitia Wright as Shuri/Black Panther, Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Captain America, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch, Tenoch Huerta Mejia as Namor, Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/Thing.

Also stepping into the fray is the eclectic lineup from Jake Schreier’s Thunderbolts*: Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian, Hannah John-Kamen as Ava Starr/Ghost, Wyatt Russell as John Walker/U.S. Agent, and Lewis Pullman as the mysterious “Bob”/Sentry.

The Phase Six blueprint doesn’t stop with the Avengers. The next Spider-Man film is on deck following Avengers: Doomsday. Officially titled Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the film stars Tom Holland returning as Peter Parker and is directed by Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) filmmaker Destin Daniel Cretton.

This installment follows Peter after the events of No Way Home, as he navigates a world that no longer remembers his identity—a development that fits with trilogy director Jon Watts’ view of the saga as an extended origin story.

Interestingly, though, while it may have been presumed that Tom Holland would show up in Avengers: Doomsday, to face Downey Jr.’s Doom in a reunion many are anticipating, reports are now claiming Holland will be absent from this next Avengers movie.

“According to insider Jeff Sneider, Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures’ Spider-Man: Brand New Day will take place at the same time on the MCU timeline as Avengers: Doomsday,” explains The Direct. “This marks the first time in MCU history that events in two movies have occurred concurrently.”

This would delay Holland’s return to the Avengers until 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars, which comes to theaters on May 7. The report added, “Sneider also told fans not to expect Tom Holland to appear in Doomsday as Spider-Man. This is partially due to Holland being busy filming Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, which could also keep multiple other MCU stars out of Doomsday.”

Holland, currently shooting Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey (2026) with fellow MCU star Zendaya (MJ), addressed CinemaCon 2025 attendees in a video message: “I am so sorry I can’t be with you. I am halfway around the world shooting a movie,” he said via Variety. “I know we left you with a massive clip hanger at the end of No Way Home, so Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a fresh start. It is exactly that. That’s all I can say.”

Adding to the intrigue, Stranger Things star Sadie Sink is rumored to be joining the cast as a Multiversal version of Mary Jane Watson. Given MJ’s prominent role in the “Brand New Day” comic arc (2008), the casting seems aligned with the franchise’s forward-looking direction.

With Phase Six stacking up to be one of Marvel’s most transformative efforts yet, it’s clear the studio isn’t just closing one chapter—it’s rewriting the franchise. By turning to its tentpole heroes—the Avengers and Spider-Man—Marvel Studios is setting the stage for a sweeping narrative overhaul.

How do you feel about this concurrent timeline of Avengers: Doomsday and Spider-Man: Brand New Day? Let us know in the comments down below!