The Apparent Lack of Actual Avengers in Doomsday May Give Us Big Secret Wars (and X-Men) Hints

It's happening, Marvel fans: Avengers: Doomsday is officially in production. Marvel Studios recently conducted a live stream cast announcement for the new film, leaving fans buzzing with excitement and surprise. The announcement featured a diverse lineup, including several X-Men actors, yet left many wondering about the absence of key Avengers characters. The entire event stretched over an impressive five and a half hours! As fans process the extensive reveals, one burning question emerges: Where are all the Avengers in this new "Avengers" movie?

The video confirmed 27 characters, but the roster is notably light on official Avengers members. Instead, it's dominated by actors from the Fox X-Men franchise, along with members of the Thunderbolts and the Fantastic Four. This leaves us with only a handful of true Avengers. Delving into the in-universe and real-world implications of this casting choice may provide significant clues about the plots of both Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars. Let's dive in.

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

Among the characters revealed, only a few are traditionally associated with the Avengers in either the comics or the MCU: 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 be Avengers, even though Joaquin Torres and Shuri aren’t typically part of the team. Additionally, characters like Namor and the Fantastic Four have occasionally joined the Avengers in the comics but aren't considered core members.

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 intriguing asterisk in their title that fans have been speculating about. 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 traditionally 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 like the "Thunderbolts" name, while Bucky insists they "can’t call ourselves that." The lack of a team name could be a running gag throughout the film. Moreover, with team benefactor Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine purchasing Avengers Tower and commenting on the absence of Avengers in the trailer, 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 significant role and the anticipated appearance of his evil counterpart, the Void, as the film's main antagonist. The Sentry was first introduced in a self-titled miniseries in 2000 and later reincorporated into the Marvel universe in 2005 as part of Brian Michael Bendis’ New Avengers comic.

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, likely 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, putting them at a disadvantage in their initial confrontation with Robert Downey, Jr.’s Doctor Doom.

Are the X-Men Doomed in Avengers: Doomsday?

Speaking of Doom, one of Doomsday's primary goals is to establish Robert Downey, Jr.'s portrayal of the character 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 major characters fans thought were safe? Just as Thanos snapped away half of all life and many fan favorites in Infinity War, Doctor Doom may be poised to eliminate a significant portion of Doomsday's cast. The Fox X-Men seem most at risk.

Doctor Doom wiping out the Fox X-Men would not only create a shocking moment but also free up space and budget for the more traditional MCU cast to return in Secret Wars. Consider this: Secret Wars is on the horizon, and Incursions (multiple universes colliding, leading to widespread destruction), a key plot point in the 2015 Secret Wars comic storyline, have already been mentioned in Multiverse of Madness. Witnessing an Incursion firsthand is likely the best way to establish the stakes for Secret Wars, which means an entire universe will need to be destroyed by Doctor Doom. The Fox X-Men universe is the logical choice. This move would not only provide a dramatic "you bastard!" moment for Doom but also, similar to how Infinity War temporarily killed off newer characters to focus on the original six Avengers in Endgame, allow for the return of characters like Spider-Man, Hulk, Scarlet Witch, Captain Marvel, and others to take the fight directly to Doom and avenge the destroyed universe.

This setup could lead to a triumphant finale for the Multiverse Saga, potentially matching the excitement of Endgame's epic conclusion, which Marvel Studios has 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 be the most plausible explanation for the limited presence of Avengers in the Doomsday cast.

Do you think the X-Men are goners in Avengers: Doomsday? --------------------------------------------------------

They're doomed!They'll survive at least until Secret Wars!Let's discuss in the Danger Room... uh, in the comments!

AnswerSee ResultsWhat do you think will happen in Avengers: Doomsday? Let us know in the comments!