Anthony Russo Reveals How Long ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Really Runs, and It’s Shorter Than ‘Endgame’
The ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ runtime has been one of the biggest open questions hanging over Marvel’s next event film. Rumors have swung wildly, with one report suggesting the film could run as long as 3 hours and 45 minutes, and speculation about whether the Russo brothers would top their own record.
That record is significant. ‘Avengers: Endgame’ runs 3 hours and 1 minute, or 181 minutes, and its upcoming ‘Encore’ re-release adds 4 minutes of bonus scenes to reach 3 hours and 5 minutes. Beating it would make the film the longest in MCU history.
The Russos have been careful about the number. They told Collider in 2025 that nothing was set in stone, but ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ would likely be about 2 hours and 30 minutes and ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ about 3 hours. Now, director Anthony Russo has offered a new update, saying the current cut of ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ is a 2-and-a-half-hour movie or so.
Russo did not just give a number. He described the film as a focused, propulsive narrative with an organizing principle at its center, with everything having to orbit around it.
Joe Russo teased that people are going to be surprised, and the brothers have suggested the film has a very surprising ending. GamesRadar noted that if the runtime of around 150 minutes holds, it will be shorter than ‘Endgame’.
The new comments follow a long trail of reports. In January, scooper Daniel Richtman claimed that the film could have a runtime of about 3 hours, and another report suggested it might be up to 3 hours and 45 minutes.
Then, in July, The Hollywood Reporter said the working runtime was 165 minutes, or 2 hours and 45 minutes, while noting the Russos had not locked the final cut. At San Diego Comic-Con, Anthony Russo told Collider it was too early to say, but that the running time would be substantial.
For context, the earlier Avengers films had varied lengths. ‘The Avengers’ ran 2 hours and 23 minutes, ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ ran 2 hours and 21 minutes, and ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ ran 2 hours and 29 minutes.
A runtime of around 150 minutes would land close to ‘Infinity War’, while the reported 165 minutes would sit between that film and ‘Endgame’. Either way, it would not top the MCU ceiling.
He used to be different.
— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) August 15, 2026
Avengers: Doomsday arrives in theaters everywhere December 18. Get your tickets now: https://t.co/J5PUbxvAkc pic.twitter.com/OUutSMZneq
As of mid-August, Anthony Russo had confirmed that the final edit was not complete, and a runtime filed for ticketing is a scheduling figure rather than a locked creative decision. That means the number could still shift before December.
Separate rumors from scooper @MyTimeToShineH claimed internal test screenings scored much higher than ‘Endgame’. Those reports are unconfirmed, and Marvel Studios has not commented on them.
The film stars Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom, alongside Pedro Pascal, Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Mackie, Chris Evans, Letitia Wright, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Tom Hiddleston and Florence Pugh. The Russos direct, and Michael Waldron and Stephen McFeely wrote the screenplay.
‘Avengers: Doomsday’ opens on December 18 in the US, having moved from its original May 1 slot, and December 16 in the UK. It opens against ‘Dune: Part Three’, and ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ follows on December 17, 2027.
For a film juggling one of the largest ensembles in the MCU, a shorter cut suggests a tighter story with less room for cameo reels. Fans have long said the complaint about ‘Doomsday’ was never that it sounded too short, and reactions to the runtime have been divided.
What do you think of the reported 2½-hour runtime for Avengers: Doomsday?
Have something to add? Let us know in the comments.
