In the longest reveal known to man, the cast for next year’s Avengers: Doomsday has been revealed, with each actor’s name appearing on the back of a set chair. The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is gearing up for its next colossal crossover event, and the official cast list is nothing short of legendary, featuring returning favourites and exciting new additions to the ever-expanding MCU. The upcoming event film will see the MCU’s many franchises, old and new, team up — with the roster including names from The Fantastic Four, Asgard, Wakanda, the 2000s X-Men franchise, a number of characters from this year’s Thunderbolts* and more…
Loki and Thor Set To Return in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’
The God of Thunder and the God of Mischief are back! Chris Hemsworth’s Thor and Tom Hiddleston’s Loki are both set to return in Avengers: Doomsday, marking the brothers’ first potential reunion since Avengers: Infinity War. Given the emotional weight of their past encounters and the multiversal chaos that Loki has been involved in, this reunion could be one of the most significant moments in the MCU’s next chapter.
Loki’s return is incredibly intriguing. The last time we saw him in Loki Season 2, he had taken on an almost god-like responsibility, holding the multiverse together and ensuring the survival of countless realities. With his knowledge of the timelines and Kang’s previously looming threat, Loki’s role in Avengers: Doomsday could be critical in understanding what’s at stake.
Captain America, The Winter Soldier and The Falcon Return in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’
After appearing in this year’s Captain America: Brave New World, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan and Danny Ramirez will reprise their roles as Sam Wilson/Captain America, Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier, and Joaquin Torres/Falcon in Avengers: Doomsday. We know Sam is in the process of rebuilding the Avengers after the closing moments of the film, and with an ominous tease from The Leader (played by Tim Blake Nelson), it appears Sam has to get on it as quickly as possible…
It’s more than likely Sam will be the one to lead the main team throughout the events of Doomsday, especially in the opening act of the film at least. It’ll be exciting to see him come face-to-face with a number of heroes for the first time, including The Fantastic Four and even the X-Men – more on them both later.
The Long-Awaited Return of Ant-Man, Shang-Chi and Wakanda
The casting news didn’t stop there, with a number of trips to Wakanda’s favourites revealed in the lineup of chairs. Letitia Wright’s Shuri ascended as the new Black Panther in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, but with Wakanda’s future uncertain, her recently announced role in Avengers: Doomsday could be crucial. Winston Duke’s M’Baku, now the leader of Wakanda, as well as the long-awaited return of Namor (played by Tenoch Huerta), are huge additions to the overall ensemble, upping the scale of the film to an incredibly high level.
Elsewhere, Simu Liu’s Shang-Chi is set to make his much-anticipated return following Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Given the lingering mysteries surrounding the Ten Rings’ origin, his role in Avengers: Doomsday could provide crucial answers – we know from the post-credits of the film, he was already in contact with other Avengers, but it will be great to see him in person with the team now. Another returning Avenger is Ant-Man, played by Paul Rudd, who was last seen vanquishing the villainous Kang in the Quantum Realm in 2023’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
The Fantastic Four (well, Three, so far)
Whilst Kevin Feige has disclosed that Marvel’s First Family would return following the events of this year’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps, the four stars weren’t confirmed by name for the film. Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn and Ebon Moss-Bachrach are now officially set to reprise their roles. Their debut film already has a lot of hype going into the Summer with the film’s first teaser clearing 202 million views across all platforms after a mere 24 hours, the third-best first-day traffic for a Marvel Studios movie’s first trailer after Deadpool & Wolverine (365M) and Spider-Man: No Way Home (355M). Speaking of Deadpool & Wolverine, Channing Tatum is set to return as Gambit, and continue to make a name for himself, though he’s not the only Mutant returning either…
The ‘Thunderbolts*’ Return in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’
Ahead of the hotly-anticipated May release of Thunderbolts*, it’s been confirmed that a majority of the film’s ensemble are set to appear in Avengers: Doomsday. Wyatt Russell, Florence Pugh, Lewis Pullman, David Harbour, and Hannah John-Kamen will all make an appearance in Doomsday, as US Agent, Yelena Belova, Bob/Sentry, Red Guardian, and Ghost, respectively (as well as the previously announced return of Sebastian Stan’s Bucky). Two big absentees are Olga Kurylenko, who plays Taskmaster, as well as Julia Louis-Dreyfus‘ Valentina Allegra de Fontaine; the current absence has already caused a stir online, with people speculating Taskmaster will not make it out of the May 2025 release alive!
The X-Men Will Return in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’
Patrick Stewart returns to the MCU as Charles Xavier, last seen in 2022’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness where an alternate version of the character met his end at the hands of the powerful Scarlet Witch (played by Elizabeth Olsen). Stewart’s return prompts heavy speculation given the demise of his multiversal doppelganger, paired with the news that Kelsey Grammer’s return as Dr. Hank McCoy, aka Beast, is on the table for Doomsday. This is one of the most exciting confirmations – after his brief cameo in The Marvels, his presence in Avengers: Doomsday suggests that the X-Men are slowly being woven into the MCU. With his vast knowledge of genetics and mutantkind, Beast’s role could be pivotal in bridging the gap between universes. James Marsden‘s Cyclops will also return.
Fear Magneto! Sir Ian McKellen is set to reprise his role as Erik Lehnsherr, aka Magneto, in Avengers: Doomsday, marking his first appearance as the iconic mutant since 2014’s X-Men: Days of Future Past. Seeing McKellen and Stewart potentially on-screen together for one last time could end up giving us some unforgettable movie moments. Another returning mutant is Alan Cumming‘s Nightcrawler, who hasn’t been seen in the role since 2005’s X-Men: The Last Stand, with Kodi Smit-McPhee last taking on the role in 2019’s Dark Phoenix. Another fully painted Mutant we’ll get to see at long last will be Rebecca Romijn‘s Mystique.
The Return of Robert Downey Jr.
The 5-and-a-half hour live stream ended with the guy who started it all… Robert Downey Jr., revealing that it all leads to Doom. His casting was first revealed at last year’s San Diego Comic Con, with the actor returning to the franchise for the first time since Tony Stark’s ultimate sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame. However, the twist of it all is that he won’t be back as Stark, but as a multiversal variant of the villainous Victor von Doom, aka Doctor Doom – nemesis of the Fantastic Four and the next big bad for the MCU, following the sacking of Jonathan Majors, who previously played Kang the Conqueror in both Loki and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Notable Missing Names from ‘Avengers: Doomsday’
A number of omissions have left fans worried about the wider implications of the upcoming Avengers films. The full list includes:
- Tom Holland – Spider-Man
- Hayley Atwell – Peggy Carter / Captain Carter
- Benedict Cumberbatch – Doctor Strange
- Elizabeth Olsen – Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch
- Brie Larson – Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel
- Teyonah Parris – Monica Rambeau
- Lashanna Lynch – Maria Rambeau / Captain Marvel (Earth-838)
- Ryan Reynolds – Deadpool
- Hugh Jackman – Wolverine
- Mark Ruffalo – Bruce Banner / Hulk
- Tatiana Maslany – Jennifer Walters / She-Hulk
- Iman Vellani – Kamala Khan / Ms. Marvel
- Hailee Steinfeld – Kate Bishop
- Kathryn Newton – Cassie Lang
- Joe Locke – Billy Maximoff
- Kathryn Hahn – Agatha Harkness
- Xochitl Gomez – America Chavez
- Dominique Thorne – Riri Williams / Ironheart
- Benedict Wong – Wong
- Paul Bettany – Vision
- Lupita Nyong’o – Nakia
- Danai Gurira – Okoye
- Tessa Thompson – Valkyrie
- Jeremy Renner — Clint Barton / Hawkeye
- Charlie Cox — Matt Murdock / Dardevil
- Famke Janssen — Jean Grey
- Halle Berry — Storm
Avengers: Doomsday is now in production and will release in theaters on May 1, 2026.