Marvel fans, brace yourselves: Avengers: Doomsday is officially in production. Marvel Studios stunned audiences with a marathon live stream cast announcement that clocked in at over five and a half hours. The reveal included a surprising number of X-Men actors, notable absences of key characters, and has left fans buzzing with excitement and questions. The most pressing among them: Where are the Avengers in this new "Avengers" movie?
Out of the 27 characters confirmed in the video, only a few are traditional Avengers members. The roster is dominated by actors from the Fox X-Men franchise, along with members of the Thunderbolts and the Fantastic Four. This unusual lineup has sparked intrigue and speculation about the plot of both Avengers: Doomsday and the upcoming Secret Wars. Let's delve deeper into the implications.
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 traditionally linked to the Avengers in the announcement are Anthony Mackie’s Captain America, Chris Hemsworth’s Thor, and Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man. Additionally, Danny Ramirez’s Falcon and Letitia Wright’s Black Panther are likely to be Avengers, despite their characters not typically being part of the team in the comics. Some characters like Namor and the Fantastic Four have had brief stints with the Avengers but are not central to the team's narrative.
The absence of key Avengers like 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 raises questions. The answer may lie with the Thunderbolts* and the mysterious asterisk that has been a subject of fan theories. While some international posters suggest the asterisk indicates that the "Avengers are not available," it might be more than just a marketing gimmick.
Bucky Barnes, Yelena Belova, Red Guardian, Ghost, U.S. Agent, and the Sentry are confirmed for Avengers: Doomsday. The focus on these characters, who are generally less powerful than traditional Avengers (with the notable exception of the Sentry), suggests a significant shift in the MCU. The Thunderbolts might be poised to become the New Avengers by the film's end, especially with Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine's purchase of Avengers Tower and her comments about the lack of Avengers in the trailers. Red Guardian's enthusiasm for the "Thunderbolts" name contrasts with Bucky's reluctance, hinting at a potential running gag about their team identity throughout the movie.
The Sentry's prominent role, alongside his evil counterpart the Void as the main antagonist, aligns with the character's introduction in Brian Michael Bendis' New Avengers comic. This could signify the Thunderbolts' transition into the MCU's new primary superhero team, setting the stage for their recruitment into a revitalized Avengers roster led by Sam Wilson’s Captain America. This plot point ties into Captain America: Brave New World, where President Ross asks Sam to help rebuild the team, potentially using the less powerful Thunderbolts in their initial confrontation with Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom.
The Thunderbolts: The Tumultuous History of Marvel's Twisted Super-Team
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Are the X-Men Doomed in Avengers: Doomsday?
One of the biggest challenges for Avengers: Doomsday is establishing Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom as a formidable threat. With Doom absent from the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot, where Galactus will be the primary villain, Avengers: Doomsday must set the stage for Doom as the ultimate antagonist of the Multiverse Saga. Just as Thanos eliminated half of all life in Infinity War, Doctor Doom could wipe out several major characters, particularly the Fox X-Men, to establish his dominance.
Eliminating the Fox X-Men would not only create a shocking moment for Doom but also clear space and budget for the return of traditional MCU characters in Secret Wars. The concept of Incursions, where multiple universes collide, has already been introduced in Multiverse of Madness, setting the stage for the destruction of an entire universe at Doom's hands. The Fox X-Men universe seems a likely candidate for this catastrophic event, paving the way for characters like Spider-Man, Hulk, Scarlet Witch, and Captain Marvel to return and confront Doom in a climactic battle to avenge the lost universe.
This strategy could potentially recapture the excitement of Endgame's epic conclusion, which Marvel Studios has struggled to replicate in Phases 4 and 5. While we won't know for certain until Avengers: Doomsday premieres on May 1, 2026, this scenario offers a compelling explanation for the sparse presence of traditional Avengers in the film's cast.
AnswerSee ResultsWhat do you think will happen in Avengers: Doomsday? Let us know in the comments!
