"Doomsday's Missing Avengers Hint at Secret Wars and X-Men Revelations"

Marvel fans, get ready: Avengers: Doomsday is now officially in the works. Marvel Studios kicked things off with a live stream cast announcement that left fans buzzing with excitement and questions. The event introduced a surprising lineup, including numerous X-Men actors, but also left many fans puzzled by the absence of key Avengers. The marathon announcement lasted over five and a half hours, and as the dust settles, one pressing question stands out: Where are all the Avengers in this new "Avengers" movie?

The announcement revealed 27 characters, yet only a few were traditional Avengers members. Instead, the roster was dominated by actors from the Fox X-Men franchise, the Thunderbolts, and the Fantastic Four. This unusual mix has sparked speculation about the plotlines of 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 confirmed in the announcement traditionally linked to the Avengers 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 be Avengers, despite their characters, Joaquin Torres and Shuri, not being typical team members. Additionally, characters like Namor and the Fantastic Four have occasionally joined the Avengers in the comics, but they aren't central to the team's history.

So, where are the likes of 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 tied to the Thunderbolts* and the mysterious asterisk in their title, which fans have been theorizing about for months. Some international posters suggest the asterisk indicates “Avengers are not available,” but this could be a clever marketing ploy.

Bucky Barnes, Yelena Belova, Red Guardian, Ghost, U.S. Agent, and the Sentry are all set to appear in Avengers: Doomsday. This focus on a team not traditionally considered powerful (with the exception of the Sentry) raises questions about their role. The MCU seems to be reshaping their significance. With the Thunderbolts playing a major part in Doomsday, the asterisk might hint at them becoming the New Avengers by the film's end. In the trailers, Red Guardian appears to be the only one fond of the "Thunderbolts" name, while Bucky suggests they need a new identity. Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine's purchase of Avengers Tower and her comments on the Avengers' absence in the trailer further suggest the Thunderbolts are poised to take on the Avengers' mantle.

The Thunderbolts transforming into the New Avengers would align with the Sentry's prominent role and his evil counterpart, the Void, likely being the main antagonist. The Sentry was introduced in a 2000 miniseries and later integrated into the Marvel universe in Brian Michael Bendis' 2005 New Avengers comic. Once established in the MCU, the Thunderbolts could be recruited to form a new Avengers roster, potentially 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 help rebuild the team. With many traditional Avengers unavailable, Sam might have to rely on the less powerful Thunderbolts, setting up a challenging initial confrontation with Robert Downey, Jr.’s Doctor Doom.

The Thunderbolts: The Tumultuous History of Marvel's Twisted Super-Team

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Are the X-Men Doomed in Avengers: Doomsday?

Speaking of Doctor Doom, Avengers: Doomsday aims to establish Robert Downey, Jr.'s portrayal as a formidable threat. Since Doom won't feature in the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot, where Galactus takes the villain role, Doomsday will be crucial in setting Doom up as the Multiverse Saga's ultimate antagonist. Just as Thanos wiped out half of life in Infinity War, Doom might eliminate a significant portion of the Doomsday cast, particularly the Fox X-Men.

This move would not only create a shocking moment for Doom but also clear space and budget for the return of traditional MCU characters in Secret Wars. With Incursions—a key plot point in the 2015 Secret Wars comic—already mentioned in Multiverse of Madness, witnessing an Incursion firsthand could set the stakes for Secret Wars. The destruction of the Fox X-Men universe by Doctor Doom would be a dramatic way to introduce this concept. This approach would mirror how Infinity War temporarily removed newer characters to focus on the original Avengers in Endgame.

The return of characters like Spider-Man, Hulk, Scarlet Witch, and Captain Marvel to confront Doom and avenge the destroyed universe could serve as a triumphant conclusion to the Multiverse Saga. It might also be Marvel Studios' best chance to recapture the epic finale of Endgame, which they've been trying and failing to replicate in Phases 4 and 5. We'll have to wait until May 1, 2026, to see if this theory holds, but it currently seems like the most plausible explanation for the sparse presence of Avengers in the Doomsday cast.