"Doomsday's Lack of Avengers Hints at Secret Wars, X-Men Involvement"

It’s official, Marvel fans: Avengers: Doomsday is in production. Marvel Studios announced the cast in a live stream that lasted an astonishing five and a half hours, unveiling a surprising lineup of X-Men actors while leaving out several key characters. This has left fans buzzing with one burning question: Where are all the Avengers in this new "Avengers" movie?

The announcement confirmed 27 characters, but only a few are traditional Avengers. The roster is dominated by actors from the Fox X-Men franchise, the Thunderbolts, and the Fantastic Four. This unusual mix has sparked speculation about the plot of Avengers: Doomsday and its connection to Secret Wars. Let’s dive into the details and see what they might mean.

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 traditionally linked to the Avengers in the announcement are 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 Avengers, though their comic counterparts are not typically part of the team. Some characters like Namor and the Fantastic Four have been Avengers in the comics but are not central to the team’s history.

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 asterisk that has intrigued fans for months. Some international posters suggest the asterisk indicates an “Avengers are not available” message, but this could be a playful marketing tactic.

Bucky Barnes, Yelena Belova, Red Guardian, Ghost, U.S. Agent, and the Sentry are confirmed for Avengers: Doomsday. Why focus on these less powerful characters, aside from the Sentry? The MCU seems to be redefining their roles significantly. The Thunderbolts' prominence in Doomsday suggests that the asterisk might signify them becoming 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 might be a running gag, but with Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine purchasing Avengers Tower and commenting on the absence of Avengers, it's clear the Thunderbolts are stepping into the Avengers' shoes.

This shift would make sense with the Sentry as a major player and his evil counterpart, the Void, likely being the main antagonist. The Sentry was reintroduced to the Marvel universe in 2005 as part of Brian Michael Bendis’ New Avengers comic, fitting perfectly with this narrative.

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, potentially led by Sam Wilson’s Captain America. A plot point in Captain America: Brave New World involves President Ross asking Sam to rebuild the team. With many traditional Avengers unavailable, Sam might have to rely on the Thunderbolts, putting them at a disadvantage when facing 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 formidable threat. Since Doom is absent from the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot, where Galactus takes center stage as the villain, 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, similar to how Thanos did in Infinity War? The confirmed characters suggest that the Fox X-Men are most at risk.

Wiping out the Fox X-Men would not only be a shocking move by Doom but also free up resources for the more traditional MCU characters to return in Secret Wars. Incursions, a key plot element from the 2015 Secret Wars comic, have already been mentioned in Multiverse of Madness. Witnessing an Incursion firsthand would heighten the stakes for Secret Wars, with an entire universe destroyed at Doom's hands. The Fox X-Men universe seems the most likely candidate for this destruction.

Characters like Spider-Man, Hulk, Scarlet Witch, Captain Marvel, and others could return to confront Doom and avenge the lost universe, culminating in a thrilling end to the Multiverse Saga. This could be Marvel Studios' way to recapture the excitement of Endgame, which they have 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 explains the absence of many Avengers in the cast.