Will the Upcoming AVENGERS Movies Focus on Family?

Published: July 22, 2025

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 10: (L-R) Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby and Joseph Quinn attend "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" UK Launch Event at the BFI IMAX Waterloo on July 10, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Joe Maher/Getty Images)

By Kayla DeKraker

Director Matt Shakman will take a more family-focused approach when it comes to the upcoming AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY and SECRET WARS movies, thanks to the Avengers’ new leader, Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic.

“Reed was the most challenging role to cast. He goes from being the nerdy scientist who’s locked away in the lab, to the husband and the father who’d do anything to protect his family, to the guy who’s leading the Avengers,” Shakman told Variety. “I realized that the version we were building had to have all of those elements.”

He ended up casting Pedro Pascal in the role.

Pascal said of the director, “We had the same talent manager at the beginning of our careers. We even almost became roommates. Matt has always been a theater animal and would include me in various things he was assembling in the theater community in Los Angeles.” He added, “Coming together for FANTASTIC FOUR felt absolutely fated in the stars.”

FANTASTIC FOUR will release on July 25, 2025.

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“Set against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, Marvel Studios’ THE FANTASTIC FOURL FIRST STEPS introduces Marvel’s First Family — Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Johnny Storm/Human Torch and Ben Grimm/The Thing as they face their most daunting challenge yet,” a synopsis of the upcoming superhero flick reads.

Previously, Steve Rogers, AKA Captain America, led the Avengers to victory as they fought against the villain Thanos in 2019’s AVENGERS: ENDGAME. Mister Fantastic as the new leader may seem surprising to some, but with a director who is a family man himself, the choice makes sense.

Shakman told Variety how important his family is to him and spoke about the awakening they had after losing everything in the devastating Palisades fires early this year.

“I mean, there’s very little free time, so my time with my family is precious,” he told the outlet. “We’ve had an incredibly tough year. We lost everything in the fires…It’s unfortunately a very common story this year.”

Shakman added, “But we have each other, and we’re together, and we’re getting through it. That’s where I find my joy — which I think is where these characters do too.”

AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY is set to release Dec. 18, 2026. The film will star Robert Downey Jr. as Dr. Doom.