Doomsday's Lack of Avengers Hints at Secret Wars and X-Men

Exciting news for Marvel fans: Avengers: Doomsday is officially in production. Marvel Studios unveiled a live stream cast announcement for the new film, which included a surprising mix of X-Men actors and a notable absence of key characters, stretching the event to an impressive five and a half hours. As fans process these reveals, the burning question remains: Where are 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, along with the Thunderbolts and the Fantastic Four. This leaves us pondering the in-universe and real-world implications for both Avengers: Doomsday and the upcoming Secret Wars. Let's delve deeper into this intriguing setup.

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 announced who have a traditional association with the Avengers 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. There are also characters like Namor and the Fantastic Four who have had brief stints with the Avengers in the comics but aren't central to the team's history.

So, where are the expected 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? The answer might be linked to the Thunderbolts* and the asterisk that has fueled fan theories for months. While some international posters suggest the asterisk means “Avengers are not available,” it might be a playful marketing tactic.

Bucky Barnes, Yelena Belova, Red Guardian, Ghost, U.S. Agent, and the Sentry are confirmed for Avengers: Doomsday. Why the focus on a team perceived as less powerful (except for the Sentry) and not traditionally Avengers? It seems the MCU is setting up a significant shift. The Thunderbolts are poised to become major players in Doomsday, hinting that the asterisk might indicate their transformation into the New Avengers by the film's end. In the trailers, Red Guardian is the only one who seems to embrace the "Thunderbolts" name, while Bucky insists they "can’t call ourselves that." Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine's purchase of Avengers Tower and her comments about the absence of Avengers in the trailer suggest the Thunderbolts might take over the Avengers' role as the MCU's primary superhero team.

The Thunderbolts being renamed as the New Avengers aligns well 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 could be a fitting precursor to this MCU storyline.

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. A key plot point in Captain America: Brave New World involves President Ross asking Sam to help rebuild the team. With many traditional Avengers unavailable, Sam might have to rely on the less powerful Thunderbolts, potentially putting them at a disadvantage in their initial clash with Robert Downey, Jr.’s Doctor Doom.

Are the X-Men Doomed in Avengers: Doomsday?

One of Doomsday's main objectives is to establish Robert Downey, Jr.’s Doctor Doom as a credible threat. Since Doom is absent from the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot, where Galactus takes the villain role (though a cameo might occur in a post-credits scene), Doomsday must set the stage for Doom as the ultimate antagonist of the Multiverse Saga. What better way than for Doom to eliminate several major characters thought to be safe? Much like Thanos's snap in Infinity War, Doom could eliminate a significant portion of Doomsday's cast, with the Fox X-Men appearing to be the most likely targets.

Doom wiping out the Fox X-Men would clear space and budget for the return of traditional MCU characters in Secret Wars. With Incursions (multiple universes colliding, causing widespread destruction) already mentioned in Multiverse of Madness, witnessing an Incursion firsthand would set the stakes for Secret Wars. The destruction of the Fox X-Men universe at Doom's hands would be a dramatic "you bastard!" moment and, like Infinity War's temporary character deaths, would pave the way for characters such as Spider-Man, Hulk, Scarlet Witch, Captain Marvel, and others to return and confront Doom, avenging the lost universe.

This setup could provide a triumphant finale to 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'll find out if this is Marvel's plan when Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters on May 1, 2026. Until then, this seems the most plausible explanation for the scarcity of Avengers in the Doomsday cast.