It's happening, Marvel fans: Avengers: Doomsday is officially in production. Marvel Studios delighted fans with a live stream cast announcement for the new film, featuring an unexpected ensemble of X-Men actors, with several beloved characters missing entirely. The marathon announcement lasted an impressive five and a half hours! As fans process these reveals, one burning question emerges: Where are all the Avengers in this new “Avengers” movie?

The video confirmed 27 characters, yet the list boasts very few official Avengers members. Instead, it's dominated by actors from the Fox X-Men franchise, the Thunderbolts, and the Fantastic Four, leaving fans puzzled about the whereabouts of the traditional Avengers. However, a closer look at both in-universe and real-world implications could provide significant clues about the narratives of both Avengers: Doomsday and the upcoming Secret Wars. Let's delve deeper.

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 revealed who are traditionally linked to the Avengers in either the comics or the MCU 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, despite Joaquin Torres and Shuri not typically being part of the team. Additionally, characters like Namor and the Fantastic Four have had fleeting associations with the Avengers in the comics but aren't central figures in 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 be found in the Thunderbolts*, with the asterisk sparking fan theories for months. Some international posters hint that the asterisk means "Avengers are not available," though this might just be a marketing gimmick.

Bucky Barnes, Yelena Belova, Red Guardian, Ghost, U.S. Agent, and the Sentry are all confirmed for Avengers: Doomsday. Why such emphasis on a group of characters who aren't traditionally powerful (except for the Sentry) and aren't typically considered Avengers? The MCU might be reshaping their roles significantly. With the Thunderbolts set to play a crucial part in Doomsday, the asterisk could indicate they'll be dubbed the New Avengers by the film's end. In the trailers, Red Guardian seems to favor the "Thunderbolts" name, while Bucky argues they "can't call ourselves that." The ongoing debate over the team name could be a humorous thread throughout the movie. Moreover, with team benefactor Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine purchasing Avengers Tower and commenting on the Avengers' absence in the trailer, it seems the Thunderbolts are poised to take on the Avengers' mantle as the MCU's primary superhero team.

The Thunderbolts becoming the New Avengers by the film's conclusion aligns with the Sentry's significant role and his evil counterpart, the Void, likely being the main antagonist. Introduced in a 2000 miniseries, the Sentry was reintroduced into the Marvel universe in 2005 as part of Brian Michael Bendis' New Avengers comic.

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 proper Avengers roster, likely led by Sam Wilson's Captain America. Recall the plot point in Captain America: Brave New World where President Ross enlists Sam to rebuild the team. With many traditional Avengers unavailable, Sam might have to rely on the less powerful Thunderbolts, 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 central tasks is to establish Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom as a credible threat. Given Doom's absence from the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot, where Galactus assumes the role of the villain (though a cameo in a post-credits scene remains possible), Doomsday must set the stage for Doom as the Multiverse Saga's ultimate antagonist. What better way than to have Doom eliminate several major characters that fans believed were safe? Similar to Thanos's snap in Infinity War, Doom might eliminate a significant portion of Doomsday's cast, with the Fox X-Men being prime targets.

Eliminating the Fox X-Men would not only create a dramatic moment for Doom but also free up resources for the more traditional MCU characters to return in Secret Wars. We know Secret Wars is on the horizon, and Incursions—a key plot element from the 2015 comic storyline—have already been mentioned in Multiverse of Madness. Witnessing an Incursion firsthand would set the stakes for Secret Wars, requiring an entire universe to be destroyed at Doom's hands. The destruction of the Fox X-Men universe aligns perfectly with this narrative need.

Having characters like Spider-Man, Hulk, Scarlet Witch, Captain Marvel, and others return to confront Doom and avenge the destroyed universe could provide a triumphant finale to the Multiverse Saga. This approach might be Marvel Studios' best chance to replicate the excitement of Endgame's epic conclusion, which they have been trying and failing to match in Phases 4 and 5. We'll have to wait until May 1, 2026, to see if this is indeed the direction Marvel takes, but for now, it offers the most plausible explanation for the limited presence of Avengers in the Doomsday cast.