Avengers! Assemble. Marvel unveiled the cast of Avengers: Doomsday during a surprise five and a half hour-long live stream. The cast was announced via their actors’ chairs and included a host of familiar names from across the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There were some notable absences that already has fans scratching their heads.
We break down the cast announcement below.
The Fantastic Four leads Avengers: Doomsday
With the next Avengers film literally named after Robert Downey Jr’s Dr Doom, it isn’t surprising that the entire cast of Fantastic Four: First Steps will be appearing in Avengers: Doomsday. Pedro Pascal’s Mr Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby’s The Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn’s Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s The Thing, are all set to reprise their roles in the ensemble film, following their debut in July this year.
Original Avengers
Aside from Downey Jr, who is technically returning to the MCU, but not as Tony Stark, the only OG Avenger actor to return is Chris Hemsworth, who will reprise his role of Thor. Last seen in Thor: Love and Thunder (we still need clarification around that scene in Deadpool & Wolverine), the Asgardian god will be representing the original six on his own. Surprisingly, Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye is absent. Though Paul Rudd seems to be returning as Ant-Man, and if the Rogers: The Musical in Hawkeye is anything to go by, Ant-Man was an original Avenger in 2012. Interestingly, Evangeline Lilly’s Wasp has not been announced.
Fans will be excited at the prospect of Thor reuniting with his adopted brother, Loki. Tom Hiddleston was also named in the Avengers: Doomsday cast list. As far as Thor knows, his brother Loki was killed by Thanos in Avengers: Endgame, but a 2012 variant version of Loki had his own adventures in his self-titled show and is currently holding the threads of the multiverse together. He might very well be the key to how Avengers: Doomsday works because the cast is packed with characters from across the multiverse. However, it isn’t confirmed that the brothers will interact.
Thunderbolts
A little over a month ahead of the May 2 release of Thunderbolts, the Avengers: Doomsday cast announcement seemingly reveals which Thunderbolts are going to survive. Sebastian Stan will once again appear as Bucky Barnes.
Also returning is Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, former Widow and adopted sister of the late Natasha Romanoff. Yelena’s adoptive father, Red Guardian, played by David Harbour, will be joining her. Wyatt Russell is set to reprise his role as fake-Captain America, I mean, US Agent. He was introduced in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Disney+ show.
Rounding up the surviving Thunderbolts are Hannah John-Kamen’s Ghost, last seen in Ant-Man and the Wasp, and Lewis Pullman, who will be debuting as Sentry in Thunderbolts. What does that mean for Olga Kurylenko’s Taskmaster? We’ll find out on May 2.
New Avengers
A host of characters are likely to be announced as new Avengers in the upcoming film. Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson/Captain America had been tasked with building a new Avengers team in Captain America: Brave New World. Unsurprisingly, he will be returning as the star-spangled man for Avengers: Doomsday. Alongside him will be the new Falcon, Danny Ramirez. Letitia Wright’s new Black Panther, Shuri, has also been announced, as has Winston Duke’s M’Baku. Will they both be joining the Avengers? Or will we see M’Baku manning the Wakandan throne while Shuri saves the world?
Simu Liu’s Shang-Chi, not seen in live-action since his MCU debut in 2021, has also been announced in the cast, adding a magical component to the new Avengers in the absence of Doctor Strange, since Benedict Cumberbatch was not announced.
Is this the full cast for Avengers: Doomsday?
As extensive as this cast list is—and you can read about the surprise return of the X-Men here—aren’t there a lot of people missing from the next Avengers film? Nobody from the Spider-Man universe has been announced. None of the Peter Parkers are going to be joining the Avengers? Of course, at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange did erase everyone’s memory of Tom Holland’s Peter Parker, so that might be the reason.
Also missing in action are The Marvels. Brie Larson, Iman Veillani, and Teyonah Parris are conspicuously absent. As is Lashana Lynch, who’s Maria Rambeau was seen alongside a version of the X-Men’s Beast in the post-credits scene of The Marvels. Kelsey Grammar, who plays Beast, is among the cast for Avengers: Doomsday.
Other magical characters, such as Wiccan and the ghost of Agatha Harkness, as well as Moon Knight, have also not be named. Nor was America Chavez or Kate Bishop, the new Hawkeye. We did see Ms Marvel try to recruit Hawkeye for a team, so perhaps the Champions are going to appear in the own film?
It could very well be that this isn’t the only cast announcement for Avengers: Doomsday and that Marvel is holding out for another big announcement. It’s a long wait to find out but so far, there’s plenty to be excited about.
Avengers: Doomsday is slated for release on May 1, 2026