It's official, Marvel fans: Avengers: Doomsday is now in production. Marvel Studios has kicked things off with a live stream cast announcement that left fans buzzing. The reveal was packed with X-Men actors, some major characters noticeably missing entirely, and stretched on for a whopping five and a half hours. Amid the excitement, one burning question stands out: Where are all the Avengers in this new "Avengers" movie?
The announcement confirmed 27 characters, but only a few are traditional Avengers members. The roster is dominated by actors from the Fox X-Men franchise, the Thunderbolts, and the Fantastic Four, leaving fans puzzled about the absence of key Avengers. Delving into the in-universe and real-world implications of this casting choice might offer 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 from the announcement traditionally linked to 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 had brief stints with the Avengers in the comics but 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 be tied to 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," it could be a clever marketing tactic.
Bucky Barnes, Yelena Belova, Red Guardian, Ghost, U.S. Agent, and the Sentry are all set to appear in Avengers: Doomsday. Why the focus on a team of less powerful characters (except for the Sentry) who aren't typically Avengers? It seems the MCU is setting up a significant shift. With the Thunderbolts playing a key role in Doomsday, the asterisk might indicate they'll be dubbed the New Avengers by the film's end. In the trailers, Red Guardian is the only one who seems to like the "Thunderbolts" name, while Bucky insists they "can't call ourselves that." The lack of a team name could be a running gag, but with Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine buying Avengers Tower and commenting on the absence of Avengers, it's clear 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, possibly 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 many traditional Avengers unavailable, Sam might have to rely on the less powerful Thunderbolts, setting the stage for a challenging initial confrontation with Robert Downey, Jr.’s Doctor Doom.
Are the X-Men Doomed in Avengers: Doomsday?
One of the major concerns for Avengers: Doomsday is establishing 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), 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 beloved characters fans thought were safe? Just as Thanos decimated half of all life in Infinity War, Doctor Doom might be poised to wipe out a significant portion of Doomsday's cast, with the Fox X-Men appearing to be the most vulnerable.
Eliminating the Fox X-Men would not only create a dramatic "you bastard!" moment for Doom but also free up space and budget for the return of more traditional MCU characters in Secret Wars. We know that Secret Wars is on the horizon, and Incursions—a key plot point from the 2015 comic storyline—have already been mentioned in Multiverse of Madness. Witnessing an Incursion firsthand would effectively set the stakes for Secret Wars, requiring an entire universe to be destroyed by Doctor Doom. Destroying the Fox X-Men universe makes the most sense, allowing characters like Spider-Man, Hulk, Scarlet Witch, Captain Marvel, and others to return and confront Doom, avenging the lost universe in 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 seems to explain the absence of many Avengers in the current cast.
AnswerSee ResultsWhat do you think will happen in Avengers: Doomsday? Let us know in the comments!
