Anthony Russo Hints at Runtime for Avengers: Doomsday

When Anthony Russo says the film is still being cut, pay attention. The hint carries weight coming from one half of the directing duo that reshaped modern superhero cinema.

How long will Avengers: Doomsday run? That’s the question floating around every fan forum and late-night speculation thread. Russo didn’t hand over an exact number in his Collider interview, but he didn’t dodge either: the edit is ongoing, and the final running time will be substantial. Simple as that. He stressed that the team is still refining scenes, tightening beats, and discovering new storytelling possibilities each time they sit at the editing bay.

Two weeks earlier, The Hollywood Reporter floated a figure—around two hours and forty-five minutes. Marvel and Disney stayed silent then. Now, with Russo confirming the movie’s dense, multi-layered nature and the extensive roster of characters it must balance, that runtime doesn’t sound far-fetched. Editors are acting like surgeons, trimming and stitching to make sure the film breathes while keeping its epic scope intact.

The stakes are clear. Marvel has billed Avengers: Doomsday as a multiversal collision, a climax that pulls heroes from three different worlds into a single, lethal crucible. It’s meant to be a turning point—the kind of cinematic event that lays groundwork for everything that follows. The studio is even urging viewers to experience the movie in Infinity Vision on the biggest, brightest screens available, which suggests a sensory push as well as a narrative one.

Extra photography scheduled for this year could shift the final length again. Those pick-ups often do more than add spectacle; they can clarify character choices or tighten the emotional spine of a sprawling plot. Russo made it clear: they’ll keep working as long as the calendar allows, chasing the version that satisfies them—and, they hope, the audience.

Expect a long, layered Marvel event that will reshape the MCU.

And the Russos aren’t slowing down. Once Doomsday wraps, Anthony and Joe are set to direct Avengers: Secret Wars, with principal photography slated to begin this summer. That next project is slated to close Phase Six and serve as the final act of the multiversal saga. Robert Downey Jr. returns as Victor von Doom. Key faces from The Fantastic Four: First Steps are onboard, and Simu Liu and Letitia Wright are slated to appear again as Shang-Chi and Black Panther, respectively.

Fans hungry for casting updates might get more news once Secret Wars cameras roll or at major conventions like San Diego Comic-Con. For now, even big panels such as Hall H haven’t offered additional reveals, which keeps speculation alive—and the pressure on the editing room to get Doomsday just right.

Mark your calendars: Avengers: Doomsday opens in theaters on December 18. Between the ongoing edit, possible pick-ups, and the promise of an expansive cinematic canvas, expect surprises—both in length and in the way the movie aims to rewire the Marvel landscape.