"Doomsday's Lack of Avengers Hints at Secret Wars and X-Men Secrets"

Get ready, Marvel aficionados, because Avengers: Doomsday is now officially in the works. Marvel Studios kicked off the excitement with a live stream cast announcement that lasted a whopping five and a half hours, leaving fans buzzing with revelations. The surprise inclusion of X-Men actors and notable omissions of key characters has left everyone asking: Where are all the Avengers in this new "Avengers" movie?

The announcement confirmed 27 characters, yet the list is notably light on traditional Avengers members. Instead, it's filled with actors from the Fox X-Men franchise, the Thunderbolts, and the Fantastic Four. This unexpected lineup raises questions about the direction of both Avengers: Doomsday and the upcoming Secret Wars. Let's delve 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 from 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, while not typically part of the team, are likely to join the Avengers. Other characters like Namor and the Fantastic Four have been Avengers in the comics but aren't core members.

So, where are key Avengers 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 fueled fan speculation. Some international posters suggest it means “Avengers are not available,” but it could be a clever marketing ploy.

Bucky Barnes, Yelena Belova, Red Guardian, Ghost, U.S. Agent, and the Sentry are all confirmed for Avengers: Doomsday. Why focus on a team of less powerful characters, except for the Sentry? The MCU seems to be setting up a significant shift. With the Thunderbolts playing a crucial role in Doomsday, it hints that the asterisk might signify their transformation into the New Avengers by the film's end. In the trailers, Red Guardian seems fond of the "Thunderbolts" name, but Bucky disagrees, suggesting a playful gag about their team name throughout the movie. Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine's purchase of Avengers Tower and her comments on the lack of Avengers further suggest that the Thunderbolts will step into the Avengers' shoes as the MCU's primary superhero team.

The Thunderbolts becoming the New Avengers aligns with the Sentry's prominence and his evil counterpart, the Void, likely being the film’s main antagonist. The Sentry, introduced in 2000 and reincorporated into the Marvel universe in 2005 as part of Brian Michael Bendis’ New Avengers comic, fits perfectly 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 lineup, led by Sam Wilson’s Captain America. In Captain America: Brave New World, President Ross asked Sam to help rebuild the team. With many traditional Avengers unavailable, Sam might have to rely on the Thunderbolts, putting them at a disadvantage in their initial confrontation with Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom.

Are the X-Men Doomed in Avengers: Doomsday?

One of Doomsday's primary objectives is to establish Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom as a credible threat. With Doom absent from the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot, where Galactus will be the main antagonist, Doomsday needs to set the stage for Doom as the ultimate villain of the Multiverse Saga. 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.

Wiping out the Fox X-Men would not only create a shocking moment for Doom but also clear space and budget for the traditional MCU cast to return in Secret Wars. Incursions, a major plot point in the 2015 Secret Wars comic, were mentioned in Multiverse of Madness, suggesting that an entire universe might need to be destroyed by Doom. The destruction of the Fox X-Men universe would be a fitting setup for this, freeing up resources for characters like Spider-Man, Hulk, Scarlet Witch, Captain Marvel, and others to return in Secret Wars and confront Doom, providing a triumphant end to the Multiverse Saga.

This strategy could help Marvel Studios recapture the excitement of Endgame, which they've struggled to replicate in Phases 4 and 5. While we won't know the full story until Avengers: Doomsday premieres on May 1, 2026, this seems like a compelling reason for the scarcity of Avengers in the film's cast.

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