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

Marvel enthusiasts, get ready: Avengers: Doomsday is now officially in the works. Marvel Studios thrilled fans with a live stream cast announcement for the upcoming blockbuster, featuring a surprising lineup of X-Men actors. Notably, some major characters were conspicuously missing entirely, and the entire event lasted an impressive five and a half hours. As fans process the news, one burning question emerges: Where are all the Avengers in this new "Avengers" movie?

The announcement confirmed 27 characters, yet the list includes 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 absence of key Avengers. This shift in focus could hint at significant plot developments for both Avengers: Doomsday and the upcoming Secret Wars. Let's dive deeper into what this 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 announcement revealed only a few characters traditionally associated with the Avengers, including 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 also likely to join the ranks, despite their characters not typically being part of the team. Additionally, characters like Namor and 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* and the mysterious asterisk that has sparked fan theories. While some international posters suggest the asterisk means "Avengers are not available," it could be a clever marketing move.

The confirmed inclusion of Bucky Barnes, Yelena Belova, Red Guardian, Ghost, U.S. Agent, and the Sentry in Avengers: Doomsday suggests a significant shift. Despite their relatively lower power levels (with the exception of the Sentry), these characters are set to play major roles. The MCU seems poised to transform the Thunderbolts into a new iteration of the Avengers. In the trailers, Red Guardian shows enthusiasm for the "Thunderbolts" name, while Bucky argues against it. Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine's purchase of Avengers Tower and her comments about the absence of Avengers in the trailer further suggest that the Thunderbolts might step into the Avengers' shoes as the MCU's primary superhero team.

If the Thunderbolts are rebranded as the New Avengers by the end of the film, it aligns perfectly with the Sentry's role and the looming threat of his evil counterpart, the Void. The Sentry's reintroduction into the Marvel universe in 2005 was part of the New Avengers storyline, which could be mirrored in the MCU.

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. In Captain America: Brave New World, President Ross asks Sam to help rebuild the team, hinting at the necessity of using less powerful characters like the Thunderbolts, setting the stage for a challenging confrontation with Robert Downey, Jr.’s Doctor Doom.

Are the X-Men Doomed in Avengers: Doomsday?

One of the major challenges for Avengers: Doomsday is establishing Robert Downey, Jr.'s Doctor Doom as a formidable threat. Since Doom is absent from the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot, where Galactus takes the villain role, Avengers: Doomsday must lay the groundwork for Doom as the ultimate antagonist of the Multiverse Saga. Just as Thanos decimated half of all life in Infinity War, Doom might eliminate significant characters, particularly the Fox X-Men, to cement his threat level.

Wiping out the Fox X-Men would not only create a dramatic moment for Doom but also clear the way for the traditional MCU cast to return in Secret Wars. Incursions, a key plot element from the 2015 Secret Wars comics, have already been mentioned in Multiverse of Madness. An Incursion could be the perfect way to introduce the high stakes of Secret Wars, potentially leading to the destruction of the Fox X-Men universe by Doom's hand.

This scenario would allow characters like Spider-Man, Hulk, Scarlet Witch, Captain Marvel, and others to return and confront Doom, avenging the fallen universe. Such a narrative could provide a thrilling conclusion to the Multiverse Saga, potentially matching the excitement of Endgame, which Marvel has been trying and failing to replicate in Phases 4 and 5. While we won't know for sure until Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters on May 1, 2026, this seems the most plausible explanation for the absence of many Avengers in the current cast.