Avengers: Doomsday & Dune: Part 3's Release Date Watch Order Officially Recommended By Star Florence Pugh

Published Nov 10, 2026, 4:37 PM EST Jeff Dodge (he/him), a published author and graduate of Western Washington University, has been a TV news editor for many years and has had the chance to interview multiple reality show stars, including Randy Jackson, Nick Cannon, Heidi Klum, Mel B and John Cena. Fun Fact: he’s been to every single Idol Live! Tour. This December, Florence Pugh is starring in two blockbuster films that come out on the exact same day—Avengers: Doomsday and Dune: Part Three—and she's now revealing the order in which fans should watch them. Avengers: Doomsday is the latest crossover film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that will see the biggest team-up yet for the popular superhero franchise. Pugh will be back as Yelena Belova, a character that she debuted in Black Widow and most recently reprised in Spider-Man: Brand New Day this summer. Meanwhile, in Denis Villeneuve's Dune franchise, Pugh plays Princess Irulan. Even though she has starred in several MCU projects but only one Dune film so far, Pugh actually recommended that moviegoers go watch Dune: Part Three before Avengers: Doomsday, as revealed in a video for Elle. After seeing Dune, the actress believes fans should get some lunch to process what they just saw and "chat about it, dissect it, talk about it." Then they can go see Avengers: Doomsday either that night or the following day. Regardless of the order, Pugh just wants everyone to "go watch them both." Florence Pugh: "Do Dune first. Go have some lunch, process that, chat about it, dissect it, talk about it, maybe have the night off to talk about it. Following day, do Avengers, or in the evening, do Avengers. I don’t know. Just go watch them both. That would be great. And then tell me what you think." As Pugh's first MCU film, Black Widow is a semi-prequel that centers on Scarlett Johansson's Natasha Romanoff as she attempts to destroy the Red Room. She teams up with Pugh's Yelena, Red Guardian (David Harbour) and Melina Vostokoff (Rachel Weisz) to accomplish this massive and dangerous task. After Black Widow, Pugh then appeared in a few episodes of Disney+'s Hawkeye series before returning to the big screen in Thunderbolts*, which sees Yelena and her antihero team go on a mission, ordered by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, to prevent her operation from being caught. They eventually discover what Fontaine's real goal is and work as a team, eventually called the New Avengers, to defeat The Void. After voicing Yelena on Marvel Zombies, Pugh showed up in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which grossed $2.5 billion and became the highest-grossing movie of 2026 so far. In the film, Peter Parker leans on Yelena for help regarding the Department of Damage Control. Now there's just over a month left until Avengers: Doomsday arrives in theaters and brings together the Avengers, New Avengers, X-Men, Fantastic Four and Wakandans as they battle Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom. Last week, it was reported that the Joe and Anthony Russo-directed flick has already surpassed $125 million in ticket pre-sales. When it comes to the Dune franchise, Pugh first appeared in Dune: Part Two in 2024 as Shaddam Corrino IV's daughter, Princess Irulan. By the end of the movie, she accepts Paul Atreides' marriage offer, as long as he doesn't kill her father. Like with Doomsday, Pugh is part of a star-studded cast in Dune: Part Three that includes Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Jason Momoa, Rebecca Ferguson, Anya Taylor-Joy, Robert Pattinson, Javier Bardem and Josh Brolin. Despite being released on the same day, Dune: Part Three will have the distinction of being the only film screening in IMAX theaters, as Warner Bros. secured an exclusive three-week deal with the company. Only time will tell which of these two blockbusters will reign supreme, though early estimates suggest Marvel will win opening weekend in December. Pugh believes everyone should see Dune first, but no matter which order fans watch them in, it'll be a busy weekend at movie theaters. Avengers: Doomsday and Dune: Part Three will be released in theaters on Friday, December 18, 2026. Release Date December 18, 2026 Runtime 165 Minutes Director Anthony Russo, Joe Russo Cast Reed Richards / Mr. Fantastic Vanessa Kirby Sue Storm / Invisible Woman Avengers: Doomsday is the fifth Avengers film and kicks off Phase 6 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A stacked cast of heroes both new and old to the MCU — including members of the X-Men — will face off against Victor von Doom, revealed at San Diego Comic-Con in 2024 to be played by a returning Robert Downey Jr. Writers Stephen McFeely, Michael Waldron, Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers Producers Anthony Russo, Joe Russo, Kevin Feige, Louis D'Esposito, Jonathan Schwartz Prequel(s) Spider-Man: Brand New Day Sequel(s) Avengers: Secret Wars Franchise(s) Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers, Fantastic Four, Black Panther, Thor, X-Men Main Genre Superhero Executive Producer(s) Callum McDougall