Avengers: Doomsday started shooting before its script was finished. That sentence sounds like a warning, especially for a movie carrying this many heroes. Joe Russo says it describes the Russo brothers’ process more than a production without a plan: they rehearse, see what performers bring to a scene, and keep shaping the screenplay while filming.
The movie had already gone through a major change. Marvel first announced this fifth Avengers film as The Kang Dynasty. After Jonathan Majors left the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the project was reworked around Doctor Doom and Joe and Anthony Russo returned to direct. The revised production then moved into shooting with an unfinished script.
What Does “Unfinished Script” Mean?
Russo’s explanation was about a changing draft, not actors being sent onto a set with no story. He called the screenplay a “living organism” and described a method built around rehearsals and improvisation. A line can change, a pause can reveal more about a character, or two actors can find a better rhythm than the page predicted. Those changes are part of the process he was describing; they are not proof that the final movie lacks a clear plot.
That distinction matters when a headline turns “unfinished” into “unprepared.” The interview confirms the script was not locked when shooting began. It does not say the Russos were inventing the entire film one day at a time, and it does not promise that every improvised idea will survive the edit.
Why Would Marvel Shoot This Way?
Doomsday has to bring several corners of Marvel into the same story: the Avengers, Wakandans, New Avengers, Fantastic Four, and the original X-Men. A page can suggest how those groups should interact, but it cannot fully predict the chemistry between the actors who play them.
Russo also said some actors may only arrive a few days or weeks before their scenes. Rehearsal gives the directors a chance to hear the group together before they commit to the final version of a moment. In a crossover this crowded, a small adjustment to a joke or reaction can decide whether a scene feels like a meeting of characters or a parade of cameos.
The Upside Is Easy to Understand
A finished page gives a cast a road map. Rehearsal shows whether the road actually works. An actor’s timing can make a tense exchange funnier, colder, or more personal without changing the basic scene. The Russos are leaving space for those discoveries instead of treating the first draft as untouchable.
That approach fits directors who have spent much of their careers balancing large ensembles. It also explains why Joe Russo focused on what actors bring to their roles, rather than presenting the unfinished draft as a production crisis. The useful version of this process is not random improvisation; it is changing a scene when the people in it reveal a sharper way to play it.
Advertisement
What Could Go Wrong?
The risk is scale. On a small movie, rewriting a line during rehearsal may affect one scene. On Doomsday, a late change can touch visual effects, stunt planning, continuity, and the way another team’s storyline connects to it. The more characters and locations the film has, the more expensive a small adjustment can become.
There is also a creative limit. Improvisation can make an exchange feel alive, but it cannot replace decisions about whose story the movie is telling or why these heroes need to collide. If the revisions only add more jokes and references, the film could become busier without becoming clearer.
What Has Marvel Confirmed?
Marvel’s official movie page lists Joe and Anthony Russo as the directors and sets Avengers: Doomsday for theaters on December 18, 2026. Robert Downey Jr. is returning to the MCU as Victor von Doom, a different character from Tony Stark. Marvel has not published a final screenplay or explained which scenes changed during rehearsals.
The film’s story details are still limited. For the main theory about who could challenge Doom, read our Who Will Defeat Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday?.
Should Fans Be Worried?
Not automatically. “Unfinished script” is alarming shorthand, but Russo’s comments point to an actor-led process that the brothers believe improves scenes. The same method also puts more pressure on a movie with a huge cast and a lot of moving parts.
The real test is simple: do the changes make the characters feel more connected, or do they leave the story trying to hold too many ideas at once? Doomsday began shooting with a draft that could still move. The finished movie will show whether that flexibility gave the crossover better conversations—or just a longer list of things to organize.
