It's happening, Marvel fans: Avengers: Doomsday is officially in production. Marvel Studios surprised everyone with a live stream cast announcement for the new film, featuring a slew of X-Men actors, some shocking characters missing entirely, and a marathon reveal that lasted five and a half hours. As fans process all the information, one question stands out: Where are all the Avengers in this new "Avengers" movie?

The video confirmed 27 characters, but only a handful are official Avengers members. The roster is dominated by actors from the Fox X-Men franchise, the Thunderbolts, and the Fantastic Four, leaving fans puzzled about the absence of traditional Avengers. However, analyzing both the in-universe and real-world implications of this casting choice could offer significant clues about the plots of both Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars. Let's dive in.

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 revealed in the announcement traditionally associated with the Avengers in either the comics or the MCU 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 are likely to be Avengers, despite Joaquin Torres and Shuri not typically being part of the team. Additionally, characters like Namor and the Fantastic Four have had brief stints with the Avengers in the comics but 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, Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange, and others? The answer might lie with the Thunderbolts*, and the asterisk that fans have been theorizing about. While some international posters suggest the asterisk indicates "Avengers are not available," it could be a playful marketing twist.

Bucky Barnes, Yelena Belova, Red Guardian, Ghost, U.S. Agent, and the Sentry are confirmed for Avengers: Doomsday. Why such a focus on a team of relatively less powerful characters (except for the Sentry) who aren't traditionally Avengers? It appears the MCU is set to change that narrative significantly. With the Thunderbolts playing a major role in Doomsday, the asterisk suggests they might be rebranded as the New Avengers by the film's end. In the trailers, Red Guardian is the only one who seems to enjoy the "Thunderbolts" moniker, while Bucky insists they "can't call ourselves that." This could be a running gag throughout the movie, but with Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine purchasing Avengers Tower and mentioning the absence of Avengers in the trailer, it's clear the Thunderbolts are poised to become the MCU's new primary superhero team.

The transformation into the New Avengers would also align with the Sentry's significant role, with his evil counterpart, the Void, likely being the film's main antagonist. The Sentry was first introduced in a self-titled miniseries in 2000 and was reintroduced into the Marvel Universe in 2005 as part of Brian Michael Bendis' New Avengers comic.

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, likely led by Sam Wilson's Captain America. Recall that in Captain America: Brave New World, President Ross asks Sam to help rebuild the team. With fewer traditional Avengers available, Sam might have to rely on the Thunderbolts, putting them at a disadvantage in their first encounter with Robert Downey, Jr.'s Doctor Doom.

Are the X-Men Doomed in Avengers: Doomsday?

One of Doomsday's main challenges is establishing Robert Downey, Jr.'s Doctor Doom as a credible threat. Since Doom is absent from the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot, where Galactus takes the villain role (though a cameo in a post-credits scene isn't ruled out), Doomsday must set the stage for Doom as the ultimate antagonist of the Multiverse Saga. What better way to do that than by having Doom eliminate major characters fans thought were safe? Similar to how Thanos snapped away half of all life in Infinity War, Doom may eliminate a large part of Doomsday's cast. Based on the confirmed characters, the Fox X-Men appear to be the most vulnerable.

Doctor Doom wiping out the Fox X-Men would also free up space and budget for the traditional MCU cast to return in Secret Wars. We know that Secret Wars is on the horizon, and Incursions (multiple universes colliding, leading to widespread destruction), a key element from the 2015 Secret Wars comic storyline, have already been mentioned in Multiverse of Madness. Witnessing an Incursion firsthand would set the stage for the high stakes of Secret Wars, necessitating the destruction of an entire universe at Doctor Doom's hands. The Fox X-Men universe being destroyed makes the most sense. Not only would it create a dramatic "you bastard!" moment for Doom, but it would also allow Secret Wars to focus on the original MCU cast, much like Infinity War set the stage for Endgame.

Having characters like Spider-Man, Hulk, Scarlet Witch, Captain Marvel, and others return to confront Doom and avenge the destroyed universe would provide a triumphant finale to the Multiverse Saga. It might be the only way for Marvel Studios to recapture the excitement of Endgame's epic conclusion, which they've been trying and failing to replicate in Phases 4 and 5. We won't know for sure until Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters on May 1, 2026, but this theory seems to be the most plausible explanation for the sparse presence of Avengers in the Doomsday cast.