Avengers: Doomsday officially finished filming on September 19 after five months of nonstop shooting. Recently, the Russo brothers shared a behind-the-scenes photo from the project on their personal Instagram, accompanied by a message to fans: “Look closely…”
This recalls 2018, when after Avengers: Infinity War premiered, the Russo brothers posted a black-and-white behind-the-scenes photo for fans to decipher. Many eagle-eyed viewers noticed the word “Endgame” hidden in the image and correctly guessed the title of the next film would be Avengers: Endgame.
Now, more than a year before Avengers: Doomsday’s December 18, 2026 release, the Marvel Studios directors are at it again. It’s very likely the black-and-white photo above contains clues related to the upcoming Avengers film.
Immediately, online detectives jumped into action, analyzing and speculating wildly. The most popular theory is that Doomsday will bring about a showdown between the Avengers and the X-Men.
This idea has solid grounding, as the MCU’s Multiverse Saga has been steadily building the foundation for battles across timelines for years. This is evident in projects like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Deadpool & Wolverine.
Moreover, a battle between the Avengers and X-Men could serve as a spectacular and meaningful farewell to the Fox mutants. After the Multiverse Saga concludes, Marvel Studios is expected to launch a new X-Men team featuring fresh faces.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to directly lead into Avengers: Secret Wars. In the comics, the Avengers versus X-Men conflict draws inspiration from the Time Runs Out storyline, which paved the way for the 2015 Secret Wars. In that arc, heroes from multiple worlds clashed, setting the stage for Doctor Doom to become the powerful God Emperor Doom.
With some fans worried that Avengers: Doomsday might struggle to live up to Avengers: Endgame’s legacy, pitting the Avengers against the X-Men could ease those concerns. This epic battle would elevate Doomsday into one of Marvel Studios’ most grand and ambitious projects yet.