Avengers: Doomsday to Feature Epic Avengers vs. X-Men Showdown?

Marvel Studios unveiled major updates at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, with a stunning reveal that Robert Downey, Jr. will return to the MCU as Doctor Doom. Doom will play a pivotal role in the Multiverse Saga’s culmination, starring in both 2026’s Avengers: Doomsday and 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars. In another surprise, Kelsey Grammer will reprise his role as Beast in Doomsday, following his cameo in 2023’s The Marvels.

Could there be more to this story than meets the eye? Is Avengers: Doomsday secretly setting up an Avengers vs. X-Men clash? Evidence is mounting to suggest it might.

Why would the Avengers and X-Men come to blows? Haven’t they learned from past superhero rivalries like Batman v Superman? Let’s explore the Avengers vs. X-Men comic storyline and how it could shape the MCU’s next big crossover.

Marvel Cinematic Universe: Upcoming Films and Series

What Is Avengers vs. X-Men?

The Avengers and X-Men have crossed paths since their debut in the 1960s, often uniting to save the world in stories like 1984’s Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars and 2008’s Secret Invasion. However, 2012’s Avengers vs. X-Men stands apart as a tale of conflict, with the two teams locked in fierce opposition.

What sparks this rivalry? The story unfolds during a grim era for the X-Men. After Scarlet Witch’s actions in 2005’s House of M, the mutant population dwindles to a few hundred, teetering on extinction. A rift between Wolverine and Cyclops further divides the X-Men, with each leading rival factions. The arrival of the Phoenix Force, hurtling toward Earth, ignites the central conflict.

The Avengers view the Phoenix as a catastrophic threat capable of obliterating Earth. Cyclops, however, sees it as the mutants’ last hope for survival. When the Avengers plan to neutralize the Phoenix before it reaches Earth, the X-Men interpret it as an act of war.

The drama of AvX lies in its unexpected alliances. Wolverine, a longtime Avenger, sides with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, while Storm grapples with her dual roles as an Avenger and a teacher at Wolverine’s mutant school. Even Professor X shows surprising reluctance to back Cyclops’ cause.

AvX unfolds in three acts. In Act 1, the X-Men fight as underdogs to protect the Phoenix Force from the Avengers’ destruction. The tide turns when Iron Man’s Phoenix-killing weapon fractures the entity, empowering Cyclops, Emma Frost, Namor, Colossus, and Magik as the Phoenix Five.

In Act 2, these newly empowered mutants force the Avengers to retreat to Wakanda, only for Namor to flood the nation in a devastating attack. The Avengers pin their hopes on Hope Summers, the first mutant born after Scarlet Witch’s decimation, aiming to have her absorb the Phoenix Force and defeat the Phoenix Five.

The story climaxes in Act 3, with Cyclops consumed by the Phoenix Force, becoming the Dark Phoenix. The Avengers and X-Men unite to stop him, but not before Cyclops kills Professor X, his mentor and father figure.

Despite the tragedy, AvX ends on a hopeful note. Hope, with Scarlet Witch’s aid, harnesses the Phoenix to restore the mutant gene before banishing the cosmic entity. Even Cyclops, imprisoned, views this as a victory for mutantkind.

How the MCU Is Adapting Avengers vs. X-Men

Little is known about Avengers: Doomsday beyond its title and cast, both of which have shifted. Originally announced as Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, the film pivoted to focus on Doom after Marvel parted ways with Jonathan Majors. The MCU currently lacks a formal Avengers team, even post-Captain America: Brave New World.

The X-Men are even less established in the MCU. Only a few mutants, like Iman Vellani’s Kamala Khan and Tenoch Huerta’s Namor, have appeared on Earth-616. Classic X-Men, such as Patrick Stewart’s Professor X in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Kelsey Grammer’s Beast in The Marvels, and Hugh Jackman’s Wolverines in Deadpool & Wolverine, hail from other universes.

Why would Marvel stage an Avengers vs. X-Men film when the Avengers are disorganized and the X-Men barely exist in the MCU? The answer lies in the multiverse. Rather than introducing a new X-Men team, Doomsday may depict a clash between Earth-616’s Avengers and the X-Men of the Fox universe, building on the post-credits scene in The Marvels where Grammer’s Beast tends to Teyonah Parris’ Monica Rambeau, trapped in a Fox-like X-Men universe.

An Incursion—a rift between universes—could force Earth-616 and Earth-10005 into conflict, with each team fighting to save their world. Based on known Incursion mechanics, only one Earth can survive such a breach, setting the stage for a high-stakes showdown.

Avengers: Doomsday may draw inspiration from the 2015 Secret Wars comic, where the Marvel and Ultimate Universes face a similar Incursion. In the comics, the Avengers and Ultimates battle, knowing one Earth must perish. Similarly, Doomsday could pit the Avengers against the X-Men, with each side fighting for survival. Expect epic matchups: Captain America’s shield vs. Wolverine’s claws, Hulk vs. Colossus, or Thor vs. Storm. Even Deadpool might join the fray.

Loyalties could blur, with Ms. Marvel torn between her Earth-616 roots and her mutant kin, or Deadpool facing his former Avengers allies. The conflict promises to be chaotic and emotionally charged.

Doctor Doom’s Role in the Conflict

How does Doctor Doom fit into a potential Avengers vs. X-Men clash? With two teams already at odds, is a villain even necessary?

Doom thrives on exploiting chaos. Known for stealing powers, like those of Silver Surfer or the Beyonder, and manipulating heroes, as seen in his schemes against Black Panther or Scarlet Witch in House of M, Doom could orchestrate the Avengers-X-Men conflict to weaken Earth-616’s defenses, paving the way for his own ambitions.

In the comics, Doom’s war with the Beyonders triggers the multiverse’s collapse. Similarly, Doomsday may reveal Doom as the mastermind behind the MCU’s unraveling multiverse, using the Avengers-X-Men war as a stepping stone to ultimate power.

Setting the Stage for Secret Wars

Originally planned as Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, Avengers: Doomsday was always meant to lead into Avengers: Secret Wars, much like Avengers: Infinity War set up Endgame. Despite its reworking, Doomsday remains a critical precursor to Secret Wars.

Drawing from the 2015 Secret Wars comic, Doomsday may depict a multiversal collapse, with the Avengers and X-Men too consumed by their conflict to prevent disaster. In the comics, the multiverse dies as heroes fight, leaving only Battleworld—a reality cobbled from fragments of lost universes, ruled by Doom.

If Doomsday follows this path, the multiverse could collapse, with Doom emerging as Battleworld’s ruler. The Avengers’ failure, driven by disunity and wasted time battling the X-Men, would mirror Infinity War’s tragic defeat. Heroes like Shuri, Hulk, and Beast could have united their intellects, but instead, they fight.

Avengers: Doomsday may adapt Avengers vs. X-Men to establish a bleak new reality, setting up Secret Wars. In that film, expect a star-studded team—Anthony Mackie’s Captain America, Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man—uniting to restore the multiverse and topple Doom’s reign. Like Infinity War, Doomsday may plunge the MCU into darkness before a brighter future emerges.

For more on the MCU’s future, explore why Downey’s Doom is the perfect villain for Secret Wars and check out every Marvel film and series in development.

Note: This article was first published on September 2, 2024, and updated on March 26, 2025, with the latest Avengers: Doomsday news.