‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Runtime Could Be Even Longer than Previously Reported

Marvel has spent the better part of this year building ‘Avengers: Doomsday‘ up as the franchise’s biggest team-up event since ‘Avengers: Endgame,’ and everything about its scale so far has backed that up. Between its sprawling ensemble cast and the sheer number of storylines it needs to service, fans have long expected this movie to run on the longer side.

That expectation got its first real confirmation back in mid-July, when The Hollywood Reporter revealed the film’s working runtime sat at 165 minutes, or two hours and 45 minutes. At the time, that figure made ‘Doomsday’ the second-longest Avengers movie in franchise history, trailing only ‘Endgame’s’ three hours and one minute, while surpassing ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ and the first two team-up films.

Now, that number appears to be climbing even further. According to a new report, the runtime for ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ could end up being longer than what was initially disclosed back in July, reigniting speculation that the film might ultimately surpass ‘Endgame’ to become the longest movie in Marvel Cinematic Universe history.

That speculation isn’t coming out of nowhere. Speaking at San Diego Comic-Con this year, co-director Anthony Russo described the film’s runtime as substantial, though he stopped short of confirming an exact number. When pressed on whether the film could clock in at over three hours, he offered a coy response suggesting fans would ultimately be happy with what they get, without directly confirming or denying the possibility.

Given that the July runtime figure was explicitly described as not yet locked, largely due to how far out the film’s December release still was at the time, it’s not entirely surprising that the number has continued to shift as post-production work continues. Still, any further increase would push ‘Doomsday’ closer to genuinely rivaling ‘Endgame’s’ status as the franchise’s longest and most sprawling entry.

Part of what’s driving those runtime concerns is the sheer size of the ensemble Marvel is working with here. ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ brings together original Avengers, the newer generation of MCU heroes, several X-Men actors from the Fox era, the cast of the Fantastic Four, and Robert Downey Jr. returning to the franchise as Doctor Doom after spending over a decade playing Tony Stark.

That scale marks a reunion for directors Joe and Anthony Russo, who previously helmed ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ and ‘Avengers: Endgame’ before stepping away from the MCU following that film’s massive success. Their return alongside such an expansive cast list has only fueled expectations that ‘Doomsday’ needs every extra minute it can get to properly service its characters and storylines.

With ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ still months away from its December 18 release, it’s likely the film’s final runtime won’t be locked in until much closer to launch. Given how much ground this movie reportedly needs to cover, don’t be surprised if the number continues to grow before Marvel makes anything official.

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