Avengers: Doomsday is set to be the first MCU project that will bring together some of the most celebrated superhero groups — Avengers, X-Men, the Fantastic Four and Thunderbolts — in one film, Marvel Studios revealed on Thursday.
The lineup includes the original Avengers stars Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Anthony Mackie (Captain America), Paul Rudd (Ant-Man), Simu Liu (Shang-Chi), Danny Ramirez (Falcon), Letitia Wright (Black Panther) and Winston Duke (M’baku).
Robert Downey Jr. is returning to the MCU as the villain Vincent Van Doom aka Dr Doom in Avengers: Doomsday, slated to release on May 1, 2026.
Ironman died in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame as he sacrificed himself by using the Infinity Gauntlet to defeat Thanos.
“That’s what you call a deep bench of talent…actually it’s more like a row, but an extra long one…that must be it, right?” RDJ commented on the post shared by Marvel Studios. The American film and television company cleverly replied, “There’s always room for more,” hinting at more actors from the superhero universe joining the star-studded cast.
Doomsday will mark the Asgardian brothers Thor and Loki’s much-awaited reunion after the events of Avengers: Endgame. After his original version was killed off in Avengers: Infinity War, Loki returned as a parallel version of himself in the 2021 Disney+ series based on his character. Hemsworth’s Thor was last seen in 2022's Thor: Love and Thunder and is yet to reunite with his scheming adoptive on-screen brother.
Pedro Pascal (Mister Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby (Susan Storm), Joseph Quinn (Johnny Storm aka Human Torch) and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Thing) from the Fantastic Four team are also set to feature in the film. A new adaptation of Fantastic Four, titled The Fantastic Four: First Steps, starring the four actors, is set to hit theatres on July 25.
Thunderbolts actors — Florence Pugh (Yelena), Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes), David Harbour (Red Guardian), Lewis Pullman (Sentry) and Hannah John-Kamen (Ghost) — have joined the cast as well. The Thunderbolts team is getting their own movie, directed by Jake Schreier, set to release globally on May 2.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever antagonist Namor, played by Tenoch Huerta, will have a role in the film.
The film also brings back the X-Men gang. Patrick Stewart, who last played the role of Professor X in 2022's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, will return in Doomsday. McKellen’s Magneto, however, did not appear in any Marvel film since 2014's X-Men: Days of Future Past.
From the X-Men universe, Alan Cumming (Nightcrawler), Rebecca Romijn (Mystique), James Marsden (Cyclops),Kelsey Grammer (Beast) and Channing Tatum (Gambit) are part of the ensemble.
Tatum’s Gambit appeared in a hilarious scene in last year’s Deadpool & Wolverine, which indicated that the actor, who spent years working on a spinoff for his character, never got the opportunity to seal a deal. Following the release of the Ryan Reynolds-Hugh Jackman-starrer, a deleted scene revealed that Gambit made it to safety in the film.
Avengers: Doomsday began production on Thursday. Previously, reports suggested that Captain America actor Chris Evans would be returning for Doomsday, but he was absent from the lineup. Other MCU stars missing from the list are Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, who portray Deadpool and Wolverine, respectively.
Avengers: Doomsday will also mark the return of longtime Marvel collaborators Joe and Anthony Russo, who have previously directed Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019).
