It's happening, Marvel fans: Avengers: Doomsday is officially in production. Marvel Studios recently unveiled a live stream cast announcement for the new film, which left fans buzzing with excitement and questions. The announcement featured a surprising inclusion of X-Men actors, notable absences of key characters, and a marathon session that lasted over five and a half hours. As fans process these reveals, one burning question emerges: Where are all the Avengers in this new "Avengers" movie?
The video confirmed 27 characters, yet only a few are official Avengers members. The roster is heavily populated with actors from the Fox X-Men franchise, the Thunderbolts, and the Fantastic Four, leaving us with a sparse representation of the traditional Avengers. Delving into the in-universe and real-world implications of this casting choice could provide significant clues about the plots of both Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars. Let's dive deeper.
The Most Surprising Avengers and Marvel Characters Not Announced for Doomsday
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Why the Thunderbolts Are More Important to Doomsday Than We Thought
The only characters revealed in the announcement traditionally associated with the Avengers are Anthony Mackie’s Captain America, Chris Hemsworth’s Thor, and Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man. Danny Ramirez’s Falcon and Letitia Wright’s Black Panther are likely to join the Avengers, despite their characters not typically being part of the team. Additionally, characters like Namor and the Fantastic Four have occasionally been Avengers in the comics, but they aren't central to the team's history.
So, where are Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk, Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch, Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel, Don Cheadle’s War Machine, and Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange? The answer might lie with the Thunderbolts* and the mysterious asterisk that has sparked fan theories for months. While some international posters suggest the asterisk means "Avengers are not available," this could be a clever marketing tactic.
Bucky Barnes, Yelena Belova, Red Guardian, Ghost, U.S. Agent, and the Sentry are all confirmed for Avengers: Doomsday. Why the focus on a team of less powerful characters (except for the Sentry) who aren't typically Avengers? The MCU seems to be setting up a significant shift. With the Thunderbolts playing a key role in Doomsday, the asterisk might indicate that they will be dubbed the New Avengers by the film's end. In the trailers, Red Guardian is the only one who seems to embrace the "Thunderbolts" name, while Bucky insists they "can’t call ourselves that." This could be a running gag throughout the film, but with Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine purchasing Avengers Tower and commenting on the lack of Avengers, it appears the Thunderbolts are poised to take over as the MCU's primary superhero team.
The Thunderbolts becoming the New Avengers would align with the Sentry's prominence and his evil counterpart, the Void, likely being the film's main antagonist. The Sentry was reintroduced into the Marvel universe in 2005 as part of Brian Michael Bendis’ New Avengers comic, which supports this theory.
The Thunderbolts: The Tumultuous History of Marvel's Twisted Super-Team
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Once established in the MCU, the Thunderbolts could be recruited to form a new Avengers roster, potentially led by Sam Wilson’s Captain America. Recall that in Captain America: Brave New World, President Ross asked Sam to help rebuild the team. With limited access to traditional Avengers, Sam might have to rely on the Thunderbolts, putting them at a disadvantage in their initial confrontation with Robert Downey, Jr.’s Doctor Doom.
Are the X-Men Doomed in Avengers: Doomsday?
One of Doomsday's primary goals is to establish Robert Downey, Jr.'s Doctor Doom as a formidable threat. Since Doom is absent from the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot, where Galactus takes the villain role (though a cameo might appear in a post-credits scene), Avengers: Doomsday must set the stage for Doom as the ultimate antagonist of the Multiverse Saga. What better way to do this than by having Doom eliminate several major characters fans thought were safe? Just as Thanos snapped away half of all life in Infinity War, Doctor Doom might be poised to decimate a significant portion of Doomsday's cast, with the Fox X-Men appearing most vulnerable.
Doctor Doom wiping out the Fox X-Men would not only create a dramatic "you bastard!" moment but also free up space and budget for the more traditional MCU cast to return in Secret Wars. We know that Secret Wars is on the horizon, and Incursions (multiple universes colliding) have already been mentioned in Multiverse of Madness. Witnessing an Incursion firsthand would effectively establish the stakes for Secret Wars, necessitating the destruction of an entire universe at Doctor Doom’s hands. The Fox X-Men universe seems the most logical choice for this fate.
Having characters like Spider-Man, Hulk, Scarlet Witch, Captain Marvel, and others return to confront Doom and avenge the destroyed universe would create a triumphant finale to the Multiverse Saga. This approach could be Marvel Studios' best chance to match the excitement of Endgame's epic conclusion, which they've been trying and failing to replicate in Phases 4 and 5. We won't know for sure until Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters on May 1, 2026, but this theory offers a compelling explanation for the limited presence of Avengers in the film's cast.
