‘Prepare for DUNESDAY’ — Shang Chi Star Simu Liu Is Hyped for Dune: Part 3 and Avengers: Doomsday Hitting Theaters on the Same Day

As the hype train for Avengers: Doomsday picks up steam, the realization that Dune: Part 3 shares the same release date as Marvel’s behemoth is spreading across social media — and Shang Chi star Simu Liu has come up for the perfect name for this double bill: DUNESDAY.

At the time of this article’s publication, Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part 3 is still on track for release on December 18, 2026 — the same day as Avengers: Doomsday. This heavyweight science fiction blockbuster clash will be a bonanza for theaters and cinemagoers, you’d imagine. But can it prove to be 2026’s version of the ‘Barbenheimer’ phenomenon of the summer of 2023?

For now, it’s all hype. Simu Liu, who is set to reprise his role as Shang-Chi in Avengers: Doomsday, took to Twitter / X to declare: “Prepare for DUNESDAY.”

But will DUNESDAY actually come to pass? While Warner Bros. still has Dune: Part 3 down for December 18, 2026, it perhaps wouldn’t come as much of a surprise to see the company bring the film forward, even by a week or two, just to get out of the way of the actual Doomsday. As of now, though, a year from launch, we’re set for a clash.

We’re still waiting for the debut trailer for Dune: Part 3, which will see Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Florence Pugh, Jason Momoa, Josh Brolin, Rebecca Ferguson, and Anya Taylor-Joy all reprise their roles from the previous films. Meanwhile, we have our first teaser trailer for Avengers: Doomsday, which confirms the return of Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers, apparently with a baby in tow. A leaked Thor-themed second trailer is expected to hit theaters alongside Avatar: Fire and Ash later this week.

In a post on Instagram, the Russo brothers, who directed both Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, issued a statement on Steve Rogers’ return: “the character that changed our lives. The story that brought us all here together. It was always going to come back to this…”

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.