Avengers: Doomsday Cast Shifts Focus to X-Men, Thunderbolts for Secret Wars Setup

Marvel fans, brace yourselves: Avengers: Doomsday is now in production. Marvel Studios dropped a live stream cast reveal for the upcoming film, stunning audiences with a heavy dose of X-Men actors, several key characters notably absent, and an epic five-and-a-half-hour presentation. As fans digest the bombshells, one question looms large: Where are the Avengers in this so-called “Avengers” movie?

The announcement confirmed 27 characters, but only a few are core Avengers. The lineup leans heavily on actors from the Fox X-Men universe, Thunderbolts, and Fantastic Four, leaving just a small group of traditional Avengers. Digging into the in-universe and real-world clues, this casting choice may drop major hints about the storylines for both Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars. Let’s dive in.

Key Avengers and Marvel Heroes Missing from Doomsday’s Lineup

Thunderbolts Take Center Stage in Doomsday’s Narrative

The reveal highlighted only a few classic Avengers: 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 join the team, though Joaquin Torres and Shuri aren’t the usual Avengers in comics or the MCU. Others, like Namor or the Fantastic Four, have occasionally crossed paths with the Avengers in comics but aren’t central to the team’s legacy.

So, what’s going on? 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, or Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange? The answer might lie with the Thunderbolts* and the curious asterisk in their title, which fans have speculated about for months. (Sure, some global posters suggest the asterisk signals an “Avengers unavailable” vibe, but that could just be clever marketing.)

Bucky Barnes, Yelena Belova, Red Guardian, Ghost, U.S. Agent, and the Sentry are all set to appear in Avengers: Doomsday. Why the spotlight on a team that’s relatively low-powered (except for the Sentry) and not typically tied to the Avengers? The MCU seems to be shaking things up. With the Thunderbolts confirmed as key players in Doomsday, the asterisk might hint that they’ll be rebranded as the New Avengers by the film’s end. In the trailers, Red Guardian is the only one fond of the “Thunderbolts” name, while Bucky pushes back, saying they “can’t call ourselves that.” Could the lack of a team name be a recurring joke? With Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine buying Avengers Tower and noting the Avengers’ absence in the trailer, it’s clear the Thunderbolts are poised to step into the MCU’s leading superhero role.

The Thunderbolts earning a New Avengers title would align with the Sentry’s prominence and his dark alter ego, the Void, likely serving as the film’s primary villain. The Sentry debuted in a 2000 miniseries but was fully integrated into the Marvel universe in 2005 via Brian Michael Bendis’ New Avengers comic.

Thunderbolts: Marvel’s Chaotic Super-Team Through the Years

Once solidified in the MCU, the Thunderbolts could be recruited to form a full Avengers roster, likely under Sam Wilson’s Captain America. In Captain America: Brave New World, President Ross tasked Sam with rebuilding the team. With many traditional Avengers unavailable, Sam might turn to the less conventional Thunderbolts, setting them up for a tough battle against Robert Downey, Jr.’s Doctor Doom.

Will the X-Men Face Their End in Avengers: Doomsday?

Doctor Doom’s introduction as a formidable threat is a major focus of Doomsday. With Galactus taking the villain role in the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot (though Doom might still cameo in a post-credits scene), Doomsday must establish Doom as the Multiverse Saga’s ultimate foe. What better way than having Doom eliminate several fan-favorite characters? Given the confirmed cast, the Fox X-Men seem most at risk.

Doctor Doom wiping out the Fox X-Men would also streamline the MCU’s roster and budget for Secret Wars. We know Secret Wars is on the horizon, and Incursions—universes colliding with catastrophic results, a key element of the 2015 Secret Wars comic—were mentioned in Multiverse of Madness. Witnessing an Incursion firsthand would set high stakes for Secret Wars, requiring an entire universe’s destruction at Doom’s hands. The Fox X-Men universe is a prime candidate. This move would cement Doom’s villainy with a shocking twist and, like Infinity War’s snap paving the way for Endgame’s focus on the original Avengers, allow the MCU’s core cast to return in Secret Wars.

The return of heroes like Spider-Man, Hulk, Scarlet Witch, and Captain Marvel to confront Doom and avenge a lost universe would deliver a thrilling close to the Multiverse Saga. It’s also Marvel Studios’ best shot at recapturing the emotional peak of Endgame, which Phases 4 and 5 have struggled to match. We’ll find out if this is Marvel’s plan when Doomsday hits theaters on May 1, 2026, but for now, this theory explains the Avengers’ sparse presence in the cast.

What’s your take on Avengers: Doomsday’s direction? Share your thoughts in the comments!