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

Get ready, Marvel fans: Avengers: Doomsday is officially in the works. Marvel Studios kicked off the excitement with a live stream cast announcement for the upcoming film, which lasted a whopping five and a half hours and included a surprising mix of X-Men actors. However, many fans noticed a significant absence of key Avengers characters, leaving many to wonder: Where are all the Avengers in this new "Avengers" movie?

The announcement confirmed 27 characters, but only a few were traditional Avengers members. The roster featured a heavy presence from the Fox X-Men franchise, the Thunderbolts, and the Fantastic Four, leaving us with a limited number of core Avengers. This intriguing mix of characters could hint at the broader narrative arcs for both Avengers: Doomsday and the upcoming Secret Wars. Let's dive deeper into what this could 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 were 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 expected to join the Avengers, despite their characters not typically being part of the team. Other characters like Namor and the Fantastic Four have had brief associations with the Avengers in the comics but aren't central to the team.

So, where are the big names 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 lie in the Thunderbolts*, with the asterisk sparking fan theories for months. Some international posters suggest the asterisk hints at "Avengers are not available," but it could be a clever marketing tactic.

The cast announcement confirmed Bucky Barnes, Yelena Belova, Red Guardian, Ghost, U.S. Agent, and the Sentry for Avengers: Doomsday. The emphasis on the Thunderbolts, a team not traditionally seen as powerful or Avengers-worthy (except for the Sentry), suggests a significant shift in the MCU. The asterisk might indicate that the Thunderbolts will be rebranded as the New Avengers by the film's end. In the trailers, Red Guardian seems fond of the "Thunderbolts" name, while Bucky argues against it. Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine's purchase of Avengers Tower and her comments on the lack of Avengers in the trailer reinforce this notion.

The Thunderbolts becoming the New Avengers aligns with the Sentry's prominent role, with his evil counterpart, the Void, likely serving as the film's main antagonist. The Sentry, introduced in a 2000 miniseries and reintroduced in the 2005 New Avengers comic by Brian Michael Bendis, fits seamlessly into 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, possibly led by Sam Wilson's Captain America. This aligns with a plot point in Captain America: Brave New World where President Ross asks Sam to rebuild the team. With limited access to traditional Avengers, Sam might have to rely on the Thunderbolts, putting them at a disadvantage against Robert Downey, Jr.'s Doctor Doom.

Are the X-Men Doomed in Avengers: Doomsday?

Speaking of Doom, one of the film's primary goals is to establish Robert Downey, Jr.'s portrayal as a credible threat. Since Doom is absent from the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot, where Galactus takes the villain role, Avengers: Doomsday must set the stage for Doom as the Multiverse Saga's ultimate antagonist. Just as Thanos decimated half of all life in Infinity War, Doom might eliminate a significant portion of Doomsday's cast, particularly the Fox X-Men.

Doom wiping out the Fox X-Men could clear the way for the traditional MCU cast to return in Secret Wars. With Incursions—a key plot point from the 2015 Secret Wars comic—already mentioned in Multiverse of Madness, an Incursion could be the perfect way to set the stakes for Secret Wars. Destroying the Fox X-Men universe would not only be a shocking moment for Doom but also free up resources for the return of characters like Spider-Man, Hulk, Scarlet Witch, and Captain Marvel in Secret Wars.

Their return to confront Doom and avenge the destroyed universe could provide a thrilling conclusion to the Multiverse Saga, possibly matching the excitement of Endgame's epic finale. While Marvel Studios has struggled to replicate Endgame's success in Phases 4 and 5, this approach might be their best chance yet. We'll have to wait until May 1, 2026, to see if this theory holds, but it's currently the most plausible explanation for the limited Avengers presence in Doomsday's cast.