The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has come a long way since 2008’s Iron Man, and it will soon welcome its 36th film with Thunderbolts*. Still, there’s a sense of longing to relive its golden days, and Anthony Mackie believes Avengers: Doomsday is going to recapture the “old Marvel” feeling.
Speaking to IGN, he teased a return to form for the franchise: “We’re supposed to go out this week, and we’ll out there doing it. Everyone’s excited. I feel with the script and having the Russo brothers back, it’s going to be great.”
“I’m really excited for what this project is going to be. It’s going to give the audience that old Marvel feeling that they always had,” added the Captain America star, who most recently played the titular superhero in Brave New World.
It’s the much-needed consolation that fans are hoping for, especially with the lukewarm response to Phase Five of the MCU. While Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Deadpool & Wolverine performed decently at the box office, the rest of the lineup, which includes Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, The Marvels, and Mackie’s very own outing failed to meet expectations.
All eyes will be on Thunderbolts* as it looks to close out Phase Five on a strong note, with The Fantastic Four: First Steps kicking off the next stage. Avengers: Doomsday serves as the conclusion to Phase Six and is slated for release on 1 May 2026, featuring a star-studded cast that assembles legacy characters from X-Men, Fantastic Four, and more. A total of 26 names have been confirmed so far, joining Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom:
- Chris Hemsworth (Thor)
- Vanessa Kirby (Invisible Woman)
- Anthony Mackie (Captain America)
- Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes)
- Letitia Wright (Shuri/Black Panther)
- Paul Rudd (Ant-Man)
- Wyatt Russell (John Walker/U.S. Agent)
- Tenoch Huerta Mejía (Namor)
- Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Thing)
- Simu Liu (Shang-Chi)
- Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova)
- Kelsey Grammer (Beast)
- Lewis Pullman (Robert Reynolds/Sentry)
- Danny Ramirez (Joaquin Torres/Falcon)
- Joseph Quinn (Human Torch)
- David Harbour (Red Guardian)
- Winston Duke (M’Baku)
- Hannah John-Kamen (Ghost)
- Tom Hiddleston (Loki)
- Patrick Stewart (Charles Xavier/Professor X)
- Ian McKellen (Magneto)
- Alan Cumming (Nightcrawler)
- Rebecca Romijn (Mystique)
- James Marsden (Cyclops)
- Channing Tatum (Gambit)
- Pedro Pascal (Mister Fantastic)
More additions are expected leading up to the theatrical debut of Avengers: Doomsday on 1 May 2026, and there seems to be a promising level of hype — the partial cast reveal held earlier in March made history as Marvel’s biggest livestream with a whopping 275 million views.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
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