Marvel Studios is ringing in the new year with an incredible 2026 Avengers poster in anticipation of Avengers: Doomsday. Earth’s Mightiest Heroes are set for a big year. Not only will the deal with the epic fallout of the ongoing Ultimate Endgame comic book event, but they are also set to return to the big screen to take on the terrifying Doctor Doom (played by Robert Downey Jr.).
As the MCU marches toward its mega-team-up film, the super-powered franchise has begun laying the groundwork for what is sure to be a comic book blockbuster for the ages. This has included plans for an Avengers: Endgame re-release in September, four teaser trailers that are all now online, and so much more.
During a public event in Tokyo, Japan, Marvel Studios debuted the 2026 Avengers art piece, showcasing the franchise’s biggest and best heroes. While the poster is not expressly connected to Avengers: Doomsday, it features many of the movie’s starring cast and gives a taste of how the MCU’s biggest heroes will come together once more in Doomsday and its follow-up, Avengers: Secret Wars.
The new poster was rolled out as part of Japan’s “Hero’s Day Avengers Major News Announcement Event,” which included news that Avengers: Endgame would also return to theaters in the Asian nation in anticipation of Avengers: Doomsday and that Iron Man voice actor Yuki Yamada would return to play Doctor Doom in the Japanese dub of the film.
During the presentation, it was made clear that the new art “has nothing to do with Avengers: Doomsday,” but that has not stopped fans from speculating on the poster’s potential implications for the December 2026 blockbuster:
“To dispel your speculation, this has nothing to do with ‘Avengers: Doomsday.'”
The Avengers rendering features heroes from across the MCU canon, all charging toward the viewers. Names like Black Panther, Captain America, and The Fantastic Four (all characters confirmed to have significant roles in Doomsday) are placed front and center, alongside other names like Iron Man, Deadpool, and Loki, on the periphery.
No artist was attributed to the poster at the event, but eagle-eyed fans seem to think they have deduced who may be behind it. The new Avengers art shares a striking resemblance to the works of longtime Marvel artist Ryan Meinerding.
Meinerding notably created two similar celebratory Marvel Studios Avengers pieces, branded “The Road to Infinity War – 10 Years of the Marvel Cinematic Universe,” that were released in Spring 2018 in the weeks leading up to Avengers: Infinity War’s debut.
Those posters (above and below) featured characters and character designs not actually featured in Infinity War.
Avengers: Doomsday arrives in theaters on December 18. The new Multiversal Marvel adventure from Avengers: Endgame filmmakers Joe and Anthony Russo will see its titular team of superheroes traversing multiple realities to thwart the evil plans of one Doctor Doom.
The movie will not only be a celebration of the last 18 years of MCU storytelling, but Marvel movie-making as a whole, with legacy Marvel characters like Fox’s X-Men returning to the big screen for one last adventure (that is, unless they also come back for 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars).
Breaking Down the New Avengers Art
Even though Marvel has made it clear that this new Avengers poster has nothing to do with Avengers: Doomsday, that has not stopped some devoted MCU fans from starting up the speculation machine.
Some have posited that, if anything, this new high-flying art piece shows who Marvel values as key players heading into Doomsday. Yes, the poster features dozens of heroes, but a few key figures stand out among the rest. Black Panther, Captain America, the Fantastic Four, and Yelena Belova all have headliner placements.
This could mean that Marvel Studios sees these heroes as the cornerstones of the MCU right now and potential A-list talents for the Doomsday experience. Each of these characters has been said to lead their own team in the new movie, taking on Doctor Doom, so it would make sense that they are put front and center.
It is also notable to see other Multiverse Saga heavyweights appear on the new art piece. Tom Hiddleston’s Loki and Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool have been key to the post-Endgame era of Marvel storytelling, placing them alongside the likes of Iron Man, Thor, and Doctor Strange in the hallowed halls of Marvel Studios.
There are more than 11 months left until Avengers: Doomsday comes to theaters. Surely, by the time the movie hits the big screen, this poster will just be one of many Avengers-themed images making up the movie’s vast promotional tapestry (whether Marvel wants it to be a part of it or not).
