As work continues on Avengers: Doomsday, the Russo Brothers have just taken to Instagram to share another cryptic tease. Accompanied by the hashtag #DoomsdayIsComing, this blurry photo has left fans scratching their heads.
Upon closer inspection, we believe that this is Reed Richards' chalkboard from The Fantastic Four: First Steps. The white etchings on a black background were our first clue, though the yellow line appears to be the giveaway.
In the reboot, we learned that Mister Fantastic had been researching parallel dimensions, and that's likely what Joe and Anthony are teasing here. Remember, Thunderbolts*'s post-credits scene—helmed by the duo—featured the Excelsior spaceship arriving in Earth 616's atmosphere.
We're still waiting for a follow-up to March's Avengers: Doomsday casting reveal, and can't help but wonder whether the next set of names could be revealed on this elongated chalkboard.
Time will tell on that front, but with the movie still over a year away, it could be a while before we see anything official from the blockbuster.
Over the summer, The Fantastic Four: First Steps director Matt Shakman talked about Reed leading The Avengers (he was referring to the comics, but many took it as an indication of it being the plan for Avengers: Doomsday). Pedro Pascal later weighed in on that by saying, "It’s big news to me, that’s for one. I think Matt Shakman was doing an interview and when he was speaking about Reed."
"There is something that happens in the comics where he is sort of drawn in by the Avengers family and asked to be put into a leadership position. That is something that happens in the comics. It isn’t necessarily something that my character’s future entails," he continued. "I am being honest in that. I am not even trying to avoid spoilers. It’s a little bit of a mislead."
Take a closer look at this Avengers: Doomsday tease from the Russo Brothers below.
Avengers: Doomsday stars Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Mackie, Winston Duke, Tom Hiddleston, Sebastian Stan, Letitia Wright, Paul Rudd, and Robert Downey Jr. Wyatt Russell, Simu Liu, Tenoch Huerta Mejia, Florence Pugh, Danny Ramirez, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, and Lewis Pullman all make their Avengers franchise debuts in the movie.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps leads Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn join them, as do X-Men franchise stars Kelsey Grammer, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn, James Marsden, and Deadpool & Wolverine star Channing Tatum.
Chris Evans, Hayley Atwell, and Ryan Reynolds are also set to appear, according to recent reports from the trades.
The Russo Brothers direct the movie from a screenplay by Stephen McFeely, with whom they previously collaborated on the Avengers and Captain America franchises. Loki and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness's Michael Waldron is also working on the script.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released on December 18, 2026, with Avengers: Secret Wars scheduled to arrive on December 17, 2027.