Avengers: Doomsday got a frustrating script update that DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn would undeniably disapprove of under his regime. Marvel Studios is currently moving full steam ahead with Avengers 5, with principal photography recently wrapping up in the U.K. after starting in April and reshoots expected to take place next year. The studio will have ample time for reshoots and post-production as Doomsday suffered an unfortunate but likely necessary setback when it was delayed from May to December 2026, while its sequel, Secret Wars, made the same shift in 2027.
In July, scooper Daniel Richtman (via Cosmic Marvel) gave a concerning update for Avengers: Doomsday as he revealed that "they still don't have the third act figured out," two months into the movie's production. This decision may have gotten the green light at Marvel Studios, but DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn would undeniably disapprove, having commented in the past on how scripts should be completed and finalized before production begins.
Gunn has been open about how his DCU will avoid MCU mistakes, having explained that "nothing is greenlit before we have a finished script." As such, projects at DC Studios aren't allowed to move into pre-production until a final draft has been reached, ensuring all scripts are at their best first.
The DCU boss has gone as far as to point out "how unfinished most scripts are on big movies as they start shooting," naming this as the top reason why movies are getting worse in Hollywood, and with it, Marvel Studios.
However, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige recently pushed back on the notion of MCU movies starting production without a full script in a roundtable interview via Variety, saying, "We’ve never started a movie without a full script and I have never been satisfied with a script that we’ve had.”
Feige also discussed the studio's strategy of always wanting to build on ideas during production, leaning on actors to bring suggestions to their Marvel roles and improve upon the material:
“Actors, both the ones that are playing these characters for the first or second time and the characters playing them for the 10th or 12th time, are the best in the world at it and know these characters so well... If they have an idea, you want to listen to it and you want to adjust to it and you want to improve it. I wouldn’t want to change that.”
This process of incrementally improving a project during production is known as "plussing," and it's possible this is why Avengers: Doomsday's third act wasn't fully ironed out at first, leaving time for it to be refined.
While this decision certainly wouldn't fly at DC Studios, filming with an incomplete script is nothing new for a Marvel Studios ensemble. Thor actor Chris Hemsworth confirmed in 2019 at ACE Comic-Con (via Cinema Blend) that the script for Avengers: Endgame "wasn't even completed" during filming:
"We got a script, or parts of the script and it was a very odd version of the script. You could go and sit in a room and read the script but to be honest, it wasn't even completed. The second half of shooting that movie was completely in their hands and being guided by what they had in store for you.)"
Avengers: Doomsday eventually wrapped filming in September ahead of its December 18, 2026. While the MCU's Phase 6 blockbuster reportedly didn't have a finished script two months into filming in the U.K., it seems it got one eventually.
Returning Nightcrawler actor Alan Cumming told Entertainment Tonight (via GamesRadar) just days before production wrapped that the cast "eventually saw a script," but clarified it "took a while."
Of course, not much is known about what the third act will entail, but one star spoiled that Doomsday will have a "cliffhanger at the end," laying the groundwork for Secret Wars to pick up the story the next year.
Read more about Avengers 5's confirmed and rumored cast of 61 characters.
Should Fans Be Worried About Avengers 5's Unfinished Script?
James Gunn's philosophies of prioritizing script and storyline above all will only help the DCU to thrive, ensuring only the best movies and shows get the green light and, eventually, come to screens after an equally thorough production.
The MCU's public image has been somewhat in shambles over recent years as many recent projects have faced criticism and disinterest. Avengers: Doomsday will undeniably be the studio's biggest movie in years, and if it proves as divisive as other recent releases, it could be game over for Hollywood's biggest franchise.
Marvel Studios' decision to take Avengers 5 into production with an incomplete script is bold, but nothing unheard of, based on Chris Hemsworth's comments around Endgame doing something similar. Fans can only hope that lightning strikes twice and Doomsday can be as much of a win as its predecessor.
Regardless, Alan Cumming indicated that the script was finished by the end of principal photography, meaning the movie's earlier, completely written scenes were likely prioritized in the first months of filming.
Almost every MCU movie has had reshoots in the past, and Avengers 5 ought to be no exception. It's possible that Doomsday's reshoots will be among the franchise's most significant yet, with many theorizing it could add whole new characters due to some actors being busy during principal photography.
