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2026's Barbenheimer is Avengers 5 vs. Dune 3, and MCU star Simu Liu already has a witty name for it
Yes, he's starring in Avengers: Doomsday, and yes, he's starring in Peacock's The Copenhagen Test. But if the whole "Hollywood A-lister" thing doesn't work for Simu Liu, Popverse could really use his cultural tastemaking skills
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Ever since the high of 'Barbenheimer,' the cinematic milestone that saw Greta Gerwig's Barbie and Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer releasing on the same date, the pop culture world has been yearning for a big-budget double feature term to get folks seated in theaters for a very, very long movie-going experience. And now, thanks to Marvel star Simu Liu, we might've found one.
Liu, who stars as the MCU's Shang-Chi and can be seen speaking with Popverse's Grant DeArmitt (hey, it's me!) below, recently took to social media to mark what may be the most important cinematic release date of the upcoming year: December 18, 2026. As you almost certainly already know, that is the day that both The Russo Brothers' Avengers: Doomsday and Denis Villeneuve's Dune: Part 3 hit theaters, inspiring Liu to quip:
"Prepare for DUNESDAY"
Now to be fair - a big reason Barbenheimer worked was that the two films were both A.) big budget offerings featuring a host of Hollywood A-listers and B.) absolute polar opposites in tone. And while both Avengers: Doomsday and Dune: Part Three fit the first part of that criteria, they're not so different as to fit the second. Both are, after all, science fiction exploits of larger-than-life figures waging heavily CGI'd battles.
We also don't know whether or not both the next MCU tentpole film and the conclusion of Villeneuve's Frank Herbert adaptation will keep their current release dates. Remember, Doomsday already moved its release date once, and Marvel Studios have proven that they're willing to shuffle their calendars before. Besides, there's still a long way to go in the production of Dune: Part Three, and if the wildly successful director feels the movie needs more time to be its best self, we bet Warner Bros. will give it to him.
But hey - for the sake of hashtags everywhere (and because we love Simu), let's hope this one sticks.
DUNESDAY - that is, the double-bill of Avengers: Doomsday and Dune: Part Three - dominates theaters December 18, 2026.
Consider this a meta post-credits scene for Marvel fans - the four key articles you need to read next to continue the thrills:
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