"Doomsday's Lack of Avengers Hints at Secret Wars, X-Men Involvement"

Marvel fans, brace yourselves: Avengers: Doomsday is now in production. Marvel Studios stunned the world with a live stream cast announcement for the upcoming film, revealing a cast filled with X-Men actors, surprising character omissions, and an astonishing five and a half hour duration. As fans process this flood of information, one burning question remains: Where are the Avengers in this new "Avengers" movie?

Out of the 27 characters confirmed during the video, only a scant few are official Avengers members. The roster is heavily populated by actors from the Fox X-Men franchise, the Thunderbolts, and the Fantastic Four, leaving fans puzzled about the absence of key Avengers. However, a closer look at both the in-universe and real-world implications might reveal significant clues about the plot of both Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars.

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 who are traditionally linked to 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 also likely to be part of the Avengers, even though Joaquin Torres and Shuri aren't typically members. Other characters like Namor or the Fantastic Four have had brief stints with the Avengers in the comics but aren't 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 lie in the Thunderbolts*, and the intriguing asterisk that has sparked fan theories for months. While some international posters suggest the asterisk means "Avengers are not available," this could simply be a clever marketing tactic.

Bucky Barnes, Yelena Belova, Red Guardian, Ghost, U.S. Agent, and the Sentry are confirmed to appear in Avengers: Doomsday. Why the heavy focus on a team of relatively less powerful characters (except for the Sentry) who aren't typically considered Avengers? The MCU seems poised to redefine their roles significantly. With the Thunderbolts set to play a major part 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 appears to be the only one fond of the "Thunderbolts" name, while Bucky insists they "can't call ourselves that." The absence of a definitive team name could be a humorous thread throughout the movie. Moreover, with Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine acquiring Avengers Tower and commenting on the Avengers' absence, it's clear the Thunderbolts are stepping into the Avengers' shoes as the MCU's new primary superhero team.

By the film's conclusion, the Thunderbolts being dubbed the New Avengers aligns perfectly with the Sentry's central role and the looming threat of his evil counterpart, the Void. The Sentry, first introduced in a 2000 miniseries, was reintroduced to 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 bolster the Avengers roster, possibly led by Sam Wilson's Captain America. Recall the plot point in Captain America: Brave New World where President Ross enlists Sam to help rebuild the team. Given Cap's limited access to traditional Avengers, he might have to rely on the less powerful Thunderbolts, placing them at a disadvantage in their first encounter with Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom.

Are the X-Men Doomed in Avengers: Doomsday?

Speaking of Doom, one of Doomsday's primary objectives is to establish Robert Downey Jr.'s portrayal of the character as a formidable threat. Since Doom is absent from the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot, where Galactus will take the villain's spotlight (though a post-credits cameo is possible), Doomsday will set the stage for Doom as the ultimate antagonist of the Multiverse Saga. What better way to do this than by having Doom eliminate several beloved characters thought to be safe? Just as Thanos decimated half of all life and many fan favorites in Infinity War, Doctor Doom might be poised to wipe out a significant portion of Doomsday's cast. The Fox X-Men appear to be the most vulnerable.

Doctor Doom eliminating the Fox X-Men would not only create a shocking "you bastard!" moment but also free up resources for the more traditional MCU cast to return in Secret Wars. Incursions, a key element of the 2015 Secret Wars comic storyline, have already been mentioned in Multiverse of Madness. Witnessing an Incursion firsthand would be the ideal way to set up the stakes for Secret Wars, requiring an entire universe to be destroyed by Doctor Doom. Destroying the Fox X-Men universe aligns perfectly with this narrative. This move would parallel how Infinity War temporarily killed off many newer characters, allowing Endgame to focus on the original six Avengers. By eliminating the Fox X-Men, Doom's actions would clear the way for the return of characters like Spider-Man, Hulk, Scarlet Witch, Captain Marvel, and others to confront Doom and avenge the destroyed universe, setting up a climactic finale for the Multiverse Saga.

This approach might be Marvel Studios' best shot at recreating the epic excitement of Endgame's conclusion, something they've been trying and failing to replicate in Phases 4 and 5. We'll have to wait until the film's release on May 1, 2026, to confirm this theory, but it currently seems like the most plausible explanation for the scarcity of Avengers in the Doomsday cast.