Summary

  • Official Avengers: Doomsday cast revealed, including Robert Downey Jr. As Doctor Doom.
  • Some original X-Men actors joining MCU for first time, leaving others speculating.
  • Marvel kept some actors unannounced for a bigger reveal closer to production start.

Marvel blew fans away recently by unveiling the official Avengers: Doomsday cast, led by the return of Robert Downey Jr. In the role of Doctor Doom. The announcement got everyone talking about the Marvel Cinematic Universe once again, as people speculated about who they will see and what role they might play in Avengers: Doomsday when the film is released on May 1, 2026.

Avengers: Doomsday features many significant characters who are well known to fans, such as Thor and Loki, while there are also opportunities for newer characters in the Fantastic Four and various Thunderbolts* members. Marvel also added a lot of surprises, as many of the original X-Men actors, such as Ian McKellen, are being brought into the MCU for the first time. However, there were also a lot of notably absent names, which led to question marks about whether more announcements would come in the future.

Marvel's TV characters
Avengers: Doomsday Proves Marvel Doesn’t Care About The TV Characters

Marvel Studios doesn't appear to care about its television characters after the Avengers: Doomsday cast reveal.

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Marvel fans were shocked to see the likes of Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, and Captain Marvel all not involved in the announcement despite their prominence in the franchise. However, industry insider Daniel Richtman has revealed that Marvel Studios has only announced some names for Avengers: Doomsday as they want an even bigger reveal when production begins. Another factor is that not all of the deals have been finalized yet. Therefore, Marvel opted to only reveal the actors who were officially signed on to be part of the movie. Downey Jr teased on Instagram that more announcements could be coming, and it appears that all the signs are pointing toward that.

Actors not being signed on this close to production is a slightly concerning situation, given that the script should have been worked on. However, having more names dropped down the line would make sense, considering how many significant characters haven't been involved at this juncture. Obviously, not every single MCU character can be involved in Avengers: Doomsday, even though Marvel Studios pulled it off in the previous Avengers film.

It's important for the cast to be slightly stripped back in comparison to Avengers: Endgame, especially when Marvel has another Avengers movie just one year later. Marvel could end up adding more characters into Avengers: Secret Wars in a bid to make that film even more enjoyable and to raise the stakes of it for people. However, it appears that there are going to be more names cast in Avengers: Doomsday as well, which is something that will excite fans.

If Marvel Studios has more prominent names up its sleeve, then splitting the announcement does make sense. While people might not want to sit and watch another live stream of chairs for over five hours, having a major announcement drop is something that instantly adds a lot of buzz. Marvel always wants to have people talking about their upcoming projects, especially a movie as important as Avengers: Doomsday. Revealing more names who are going to be involved will do just that, as fans will always react to huge cast announcements for a movie as important as Avengers: Doomsday.

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Avengers: Doomsday
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Superhero
Action
Sci-Fi
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Release Date
December 18, 2026
Director
Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Writers
Stephen McFeely, Michael Waldron, Jack Kirby, Stan Lee
Producers
Anthony Russo, Joe Russo, Kevin Feige
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  • instar53754444.jpg
    Chris Hemsworth
    Thor
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    Vanessa Kirby
    Sue Storm / Invisible Woman
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    Joseph Quinn
    Johnny Storm / Human Torch
  • instar51706718.jpg
    Ebon Moss-Bachrach
    Ben Grimm / The Thing
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