Civil War Is Officially Getting Another Sequel After 10 Years

10 years after it shook the foundations of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Captain America: Civil War is getting an official sequel. The 2016 movie is one of the best-ranked Marvel movies for several reasons, chief among them the way it shaped the franchise after it. Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame explored how the fracture of the Avengers played a crucial role in Thanos’ attack, with Captain America: Civil War being the key to the final stretch of the Infinity Saga.

After Avengers: Endgame, though, many would be forgiven for assuming that the ramifications of Captain America: Civil War have been left behind. After all, the upcoming Marvel movies are either focused on individual characters, like Spider-Man: Brand New Day, or big multiversal events, such as Avengers: Secret Wars. That being said, it has been confirmed that, after a decade, Captain America: Civil War is getting a thematic sequel.

In an interview with AGBO Films, Captain America: Civil War‘s directing team, Anthony and Joe Russo, teased how the story is still impacting the MCU to this day:

Tony Stark and Steve Rogers remain very empathetic and rootable and you’ll see to this day people are divided over who was more relatable in [Civil War]. It’s very much this sort of unresolved aspirations of those characters and flaws of those characters. It continues to unfold as we move into Doomsday.”

Evidently, the upcoming story of Avengers: Doomsday will still incorporate elements from Captain America: Civil War. Both Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. will return to the MCU via the film, the former reprising his role as Captain America and the latter in a new form as Doctor Doom himself. Yes, Captain America: Civil War remains one of the most impactful MCU movies in the entire franchise, but there are not many who would have expected it to still be part of Evans and RDJ’s journey in 2026.

Intriguingly, the Russos seem to view Avengers: Doomsday as a continuation of the elements that made Captain America: Civil War so impactful. Aside from the massive cast, the multiversal stakes, and the set-up of Avengers: Secret Wars, an RDJ vs Evans or, more aptly, “Tony Stark” vs Steve Rogers, plotline is going to be a big part of the 2026 movie. The question then becomes, should it be?

Should Avengers: Doomsday Rely On Themes From The Infinity Saga?

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Although Avengers: Doomsday has gone through some significant changes after being created out of the bones of Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, it still remains the beginning of the end of the Multiverse Saga. Admittedly, this means it should conclude the themes of, well, the Multiverse Saga. Seemingly, though, the Infinity Saga, its characters, actors, and thematic elements are playing more of a role than first thought.

However, whether this is the right move is a valid question; the Infinity Saga is done now, and its conclusion was so effective due to the well-oiled MCU machine wrapping up character arcs, retiring legacy characters, and moving into a new era. Now, these endings are being reversed, especially in Steve Rogers’ case. Of course, Evans’ return as Captain America is endlessly exciting, but the Russos’ comments raise some worries that Avengers: Doomsday will not provide an adequate reason for this, outside of Infinity Saga plots being revisited.

Beyond the ramifications of Captain America: Civil War and RDJ vs Evans happening once more in the MCU, Avengers: Doomsday must provide a story that takes both actors and their respective characters in new directions.

Avengers: Doomsday Has Already Teased A Compelling Story

Chris Evans as Steve Rogers looking at his child in Avengers: Doomsday

All that being said, Avengers: Doomsday has provided some hints that it will do exactly that. The return of Evans was announced in a trailer, which ended with Steve looking down lovingly at his child. Similarly, the Thor-focused trailer for Avengers: Doomsday centered on the God of Thunder’s desire to be a warm father to Love and offer her a life beyond war and bloodshed. To reflect these elements, The Fantastic Four: First Steps ended with Doctor Doom arriving at the titular team’s building with a specific interest in the young Franklin Richards.

All of these aspects point toward Avengers: Doomsday having a focus on legacy and the next generation. Clearly, Franklin will be important to whatever Doom’s plan is in Avengers: Doomsday. With the trailers then putting a focus on the son of Captain America and the daughter of Thor, it is not a leap to assume that the film’s thematic throughline will revolve around the next era of Marvel heroes.

How exactly this plays out remains to be seen when the film hits theaters in December 2026, but it at least offers hope that Avengers: Doomsday will not simply rehash Captain America: Civil War for the sole purpose of capitalizing on Infinity Saga nostalgia. Hopefully, this means that the central conflict of the movie will not only be linked to Evans vs RDJ or Cap vs Doom. The rest of Avengers: Doomsday‘s cast supports this.

With the X-Men and the Wakandans being involved, too, this perceived focus on legacy seems more solid. The trailer for the former team showcased Scott Summers, whose son, Nathaniel, is a big part of his comic book story. Also, the Wakandans’ last appearance was in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, a film that focused heavily on how to move on after the loss of King T’Challa, even going as far as to introduce his child at the end of the story. Legacy is important, and Avengers: Doomsday, hopefully, realises that when handling Evans and RDJ.

The MCU Needs To Move Beyond Its Main Infinity Saga Characters Eventually

Captain America in The Avengers: Age of Ultron

Another worry that the Captain America: Civil War comments raise for Avengers: Doomsday is that the MCU is still refusing to move beyond its Infinity Saga characters. Evans’ return is somewhat of a blow to Anthony Mackie, who has still not been given the chance to properly shine as the MCU’s new Captain America. Moreover, no one thought RDJ would return, and Chris Hemsworth is one of the few still-active characters from the franchise’s inception.

At some point, the MCU needs fresh blood. Avengers: The Kang Dynasty seemed to be promising exactly that before the more mixed reaction to the Multiverse Saga saw the franchise pivot back towards more familiar characters and themes. Still, though, there is a way Avengers: Doomsday could establish a new era for the MCU that is sure to be more exciting to general audiences than the Multiverse Saga’s initial teases were.

Seemingly, the franchise beyond Avengers: Secret Wars will have a focus on the X-Men and The Fantastic Four. For both Marvel diehards and the general audiences, these characters offer a more stable, exciting future for the MCU than the unknowns like the Eternals, Moon Knight, She-Hulk, or the Skrulls that were introduced in Phase 4. If this is set up in Avengers: Doomsday by teasing another definitive ending to Steve Rogers’ story and the lingering effects of Captain America: Civil War, the future still looks bright.