"Doomsday's Missing Avengers Hint at Secret Wars and X-Men Connections"

Get ready, Marvel enthusiasts! Avengers: Doomsday is now officially in production, and Marvel Studios has sent fans into a frenzy with a live stream cast announcement. The reveal featured a surprising mix of X-Men actors and a notable absence of several key characters, stretching over an epic five and a half hours. As the dust settles, one burning question emerges: Where are all the Avengers in this new "Avengers" movie?

The video confirmed 27 characters, yet the list is dominated by actors from the Fox X-Men franchise, the Thunderbolts, and the Fantastic Four, leaving us with only a scant few official Avengers members. This intriguing shift in the roster could provide massive hints about the plots of both Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars. Let's delve 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 showcased only a handful of characters traditionally linked with the Avengers, including Anthony Mackie’s Captain America, Chris Hemsworth’s Thor, and Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man. Additionally, Danny Ramirez’s Falcon and Letitia Wright’s Black Panther are likely to join the Avengers, despite their characters not typically being part of the team. There are also a few like Namor or the Fantastic Four who have occasionally joined the Avengers in the comics, but they aren't considered core members.

So, where are 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 their mysterious asterisk, which fans have been speculating about for months. While some international posters suggest it means "Avengers are not available," it might just be a marketing gimmick.

Bucky Barnes, Yelena Belova, Red Guardian, Ghost, U.S. Agent, and the Sentry are all set to appear in Avengers: Doomsday. Why such a focus on a team of less powerful characters (except for the Sentry) who aren't traditionally Avengers? It seems the MCU is setting up a significant shift. With the Thunderbolts poised to be major players in Doomsday, the asterisk might hint that they'll be dubbed the New Avengers by the film's end. In the trailers, Red Guardian is the only one who seems to like the "Thunderbolts" name, while Bucky insists they "can't call ourselves that." Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine's purchase of Avengers Tower and her comments about the lack of Avengers in the trailer further suggest the Thunderbolts might step into the Avengers' shoes as the MCU's primary superhero team.

The Thunderbolts being renamed the New Avengers would align with the Sentry's significant role and the looming threat of his evil counterpart, the Void, likely serving as the film’s main antagonist. The Sentry was reintroduced into the Marvel universe in 2005 as part of Brian Michael Bendis’ New Avengers comic, setting the stage for this potential shift.

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 team, possibly led by Sam Wilson’s Captain America. Recall the plot point in Captain America: Brave New World where President Ross asks Sam to help rebuild the Avengers. With many traditional Avengers unavailable, Sam might have to rely on the less powerful Thunderbolts, setting the stage for an initial disadvantage against Robert Downey, Jr.’s Doctor Doom.

Are the X-Men Doomed in Avengers: Doomsday?

Another key concern for Avengers: Doomsday is establishing Robert Downey, Jr.'s Doctor Doom as a credible threat. With Doom absent from the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot, where Galactus takes the villain role (though there might be a Doom cameo in a post-credits scene), Avengers: Doomsday needs to set the stage for Doom as the Multiverse Saga's ultimate antagonist. One way to achieve this could be for Doom to eliminate several major characters, echoing Thanos's devastating snap in Infinity War. The Fox X-Men seem the most likely candidates for such a dramatic exit.

Eliminating the Fox X-Men would not only provide a powerful "you bastard!" moment for Doom but also clear the way for the more traditional MCU cast to return in Secret Wars. With Incursions (multiple universes colliding) already mentioned in Multiverse of Madness, showcasing an Incursion firsthand would set high stakes for Secret Wars. Destroying the Fox X-Men universe could be the perfect setup. This move would allow characters like Spider-Man, Hulk, Scarlet Witch, and Captain Marvel to return and confront Doom, avenging the destroyed universe and potentially providing a triumphant conclusion to the Multiverse Saga.

This approach could be Marvel Studios' way of recapturing the excitement of Endgame, something they've been trying and failing to replicate in Phases 4 and 5. We'll have to wait until May 1, 2026, to see if this theory holds true, but for now, it offers a compelling explanation for the limited presence of Avengers in the Doomsday cast.