Marvel fans, brace yourselves: Avengers: Doomsday is officially underway. Marvel Studios unveiled a live stream cast announcement that not only included a surprising number of X-Men actors but also left many fans puzzled by the absence of several key characters. The marathon announcement lasted a whopping five and a half hours, leaving fans to sift through the reveals and ponder one burning question: Where are all the Avengers in this new "Avengers" movie?
Out of the 27 characters confirmed, only a scant few are traditional Avengers. The lineup is dominated by actors from the Fox X-Men franchise, the Thunderbolts, and the Fantastic Four, leaving fans to wonder about the fate of beloved heroes like Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk, Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch, and others. This unusual roster has sparked speculation about the plot implications for both Avengers: Doomsday and the upcoming Secret Wars. Let's delve deeper into what this might mean.
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 associated with the Avengers in the announcement 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 expected to join the ranks, though their comic counterparts are not typically 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.
The absence of major Avengers like Spider-Man, Hulk, Scarlet Witch, Captain Marvel, War Machine, and Doctor Strange raises questions. The answer might be tied to the Thunderbolts* and the mysterious asterisk that has fueled fan theories. While some international posters suggest the asterisk means "Avengers are not available," it could be a playful marketing tactic.
Bucky Barnes, Yelena Belova, Red Guardian, Ghost, U.S. Agent, and the Sentry are confirmed for Avengers: Doomsday. The inclusion of these less traditionally powerful characters hints at a significant shift in the MCU. The focus on the Thunderbolts suggests that the asterisk might signify their transformation into the New Avengers by the film's end. In the trailers, Red Guardian seems to be the only one fond of the "Thunderbolts" moniker, with Bucky expressing his disapproval. This could be a recurring theme throughout the film, especially with Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine, the team’s benefactor, acquiring Avengers Tower and commenting on the absence of Avengers in the trailers.
The Thunderbolts becoming the New Avengers aligns well with the Sentry's role, given his evil counterpart, the Void, likely being the main antagonist. The Sentry, introduced in a 2000 miniseries and later integrated into the Marvel universe in 2005's New Avengers, could be pivotal to this new team's formation.
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. This move aligns with a plot point in Captain America: Brave New World where President Ross asks Sam to help rebuild the team. Given the limited access to traditional Avengers, Sam might have to rely on the Thunderbolts, setting the stage for an initial disadvantage against Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom.
Are the X-Men Doomed in Avengers: Doomsday?
One of Doomsday's primary objectives is to establish Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom as a formidable threat. With Doom absent from the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot, where Galactus takes the villain role, Doomsday must set the stage for Doom's rise as the Multiverse Saga's ultimate antagonist. Similar to Thanos' snap in Infinity War, Doom might eliminate a significant portion of the cast, with the Fox X-Men being the most vulnerable.
Eliminating the Fox X-Men would not only create a dramatic "you bastard!" moment for Doom but also clear the way for the traditional MCU cast to return in Secret Wars. With Incursions, a key element from the 2015 Secret Wars comic, already mentioned in Multiverse of Madness, witnessing an Incursion firsthand could establish the stakes for Secret Wars. Destroying the Fox X-Men universe fits this narrative, freeing up resources for the return of characters like Spider-Man, Hulk, Scarlet Witch, and Captain Marvel to confront Doom and avenge the lost universe.
This setup could lead to a triumphant finale for the Multiverse Saga, potentially matching the excitement of Endgame, which Marvel has been trying and failing to replicate in Phases 4 and 5. While we won't know the full story until Avengers: Doomsday premieres on May 1, 2026, this theory provides 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!
