Marvel fans just got a fresh hit of multiverse mayhem. Empire Magazine has dropped a world-exclusive first look at Avengers: Doomsday, and the new still is pure chaos in the best way.
Pedro Pascal’s Reed Richards stretches his arm across a dimly lit room toward the vibranium shield gripped by Anthony Mackie’s Captain America. Simu Liu’s Shang-Chi and Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova stand right there with them, all looking like the situation just went sideways. The image carries Empire’s official exclusive badge and landed as part of the magazine’s January 2027 issue coverage.
Empire revealed the goods around November 12-13, 2026. The issue packs a 22-page feature with interviews from Kevin Feige, the Russo brothers, Robert Downey Jr., Pascal, Mackie, and a long list of cast members. Four collectible covers hit newsstands starting November 19. One puts Cyclops front and center with Magneto, Shuri, and Cap. Another lines up Steve Rogers with Loki, Sue Storm, Gambit, and Shang-Chi. A third teams Thor, Reed, Yelena, and Bucky. The fourth belongs entirely to Downey’s Doctor Doom, because of course it does. A subscriber-only cover also tributes the late Patrick Stewart as Professor X.
Feige puts the stakes plainly:
“We’re coming out of years of seemingly no organised Avengers team, and that’s exactly when they face these incursions. That’s always fun, to put your heroes on the back foot.”
The film throws together Sam Wilson’s Avengers, the Thunderbolts crew, the Fantastic Four, and original Fox-era X-Men against multiversal threats. Downey’s shift from Tony Stark to Victor von Doom remains the biggest talking point. Joe Russo calls Doom “a Gothic character” with dark magic who’s “worth being scared of.”
Pascal describes Reed and Doom as
“science bros.”
“They’re very bonded in a lot of different ways,”
He told Empire.
“They’re bonded as scientists. They think together through the lens of science and math… You can’t help but create a bond of friendship and kinship… because there is a mind that is equal, if not superior, to your own.”
Online, fans zeroed in on the stretch effect and the sheer size of the ensemble. Some questioned whether the massive crossover can hold together. Others just celebrated seeing these characters share the same frame. The images are official promotional material, not leaks or AI fakes. Multiple outlets confirmed the same stills and covers straight from Empire.
Doomsday lands in U.S. theaters December 18, 2026. Empire’s January issue goes on sale November 19. This reveal matters because it finally shows the fractured teams forced into the same fight. After years of scattered heroes, the multiverse is about to make them deal with each other and with Doom.
