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

Exciting news for Marvel enthusiasts: Avengers: Doomsday is now officially in production. Marvel Studios thrilled fans with a live stream cast announcement that lasted a whopping five and a half hours, featuring an unexpected lineup including several X-Men actors. The absence of some key characters was also striking, with many notable Avengers missing entirely. As the fan community buzzes with excitement and theories, one burning question emerges: Where are the Avengers in this new "Avengers" film?

The announcement confirmed 27 characters, but the list was notably light on traditional Avengers members. Instead, it was filled with actors from the Fox X-Men franchise, the Thunderbolts, and the Fantastic Four. This has left fans puzzled about the direction of the film and its implications for the broader Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Delving into both the in-universe and real-world aspects of this casting choice might offer significant clues about the plots of Avengers: Doomsday and the upcoming Secret Wars.

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12 ImagesWhy the Thunderbolts Are More Important to Doomsday Than We Thought

Among the announced characters, only a few are traditionally linked with the Avengers. Anthony Mackie's Captain America, Chris Hemsworth's Thor, and Paul Rudd's Ant-Man are the notable exceptions. Danny Ramirez's Falcon and Letitia Wright's Black Panther are also likely to join the Avengers, though their comic counterparts, Joaquin Torres and Shuri, aren't typically part of the team. Other characters like Namor or the Fantastic Four have occasionally been Avengers in the comics but aren't central to the team's history.

So, where are fan-favorites 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 be tied to the Thunderbolts*, with the asterisk sparking months of fan speculation. While some international posters suggest the asterisk means "Avengers are not available," this might just be a clever marketing tactic.

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 less powerful group, excluding the Sentry, raises questions about their role. It seems the MCU is setting the stage for a significant shift, hinting that the Thunderbolts may be rebranded as the New Avengers by the film's end. In the trailers, Red Guardian is the only one who seems to embrace the "Thunderbolts" moniker, while Bucky insists they "can't call ourselves that." Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine's purchase of Avengers Tower and her comments on the absence of Avengers in the trailer further suggest that the Thunderbolts might assume the Avengers' mantle.

This rebranding aligns with the Sentry's pivotal role and the likely introduction of his dark counterpart, the Void, as the film's primary antagonist. The Sentry's integration into the Marvel universe in 2005's New Avengers comic by Brian Michael Bendis supports this narrative direction. Once established, the Thunderbolts could be recruited to form a new Avengers roster, possibly led by Sam Wilson's Captain America. This setup could be a plot point from Captain America: Brave New World, where President Ross asks Sam to rebuild the team. With traditional Avengers unavailable, Sam might have to rely on the less powerful Thunderbolts, setting the stage for a challenging initial confrontation with Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom.

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11 ImagesAre the X-Men Doomed in Avengers: Doomsday?

One of the central challenges for Avengers: Doomsday is to establish Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom as a formidable threat. With Doom seemingly absent from the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot, where Galactus will serve as the main villain, Avengers: Doomsday must lay the groundwork for Doom's role as the ultimate antagonist of the Multiverse Saga. What better way than to have Doom eliminate several major characters, similar to Thanos' snap in Infinity War?

Given the confirmed cast, the Fox X-Men appear to be the most likely targets for Doom's wrath. This move would not only solidify Doom's menacing reputation but also free up space and budget for the return of more traditional MCU characters in Secret Wars. With Incursions, a key plot element from the 2015 Secret Wars comic, already mentioned in Multiverse of Madness, an Incursion event could be the perfect way to introduce the high stakes of Secret Wars. The destruction of the Fox X-Men universe by Doctor Doom would serve as a dramatic prelude, setting the stage for characters like Spider-Man, Hulk, Scarlet Witch, Captain Marvel, and others to return and confront Doom in a thrilling finale to the Multiverse Saga.

This strategy could help Marvel Studios replicate the excitement of Endgame, which they have been trying and failing to match in Phases 4 and 5. While we won't know for certain until the film's release on May 1, 2026, this theory provides a compelling explanation for the absence of many Avengers in the Avengers: Doomsday cast.