Get ready, Marvel fans! The much-anticipated film Avengers: Doomsday is now in production, and Marvel Studios has just dropped a bombshell with their live stream cast announcement. The reveal included a surprising number of X-Men actors, with some key characters noticeably missing entirely. The marathon announcement lasted a whopping five and a half hours, leaving fans buzzing with excitement and questions. One burning question stands out: Where are all the Avengers in this new "Avengers" movie?

Out of the 27 characters confirmed in the video, only a 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 iconic Avengers. However, this unique casting choice could hint at significant plot developments for both Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars. Let's dive deeper into what this could 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 only characters traditionally associated with the Avengers in the announcement 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 join the Avengers, despite their characters not being typical team members in the comics. Other characters like Namor and the Fantastic Four have had brief stints with the Avengers, but they're not central to the team's history.

So, where are fan favorites like 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 linked to the Thunderbolts*, with the asterisk sparking fan theories for months. International posters suggest it might mean "Avengers are not available," but this could just be a clever marketing tactic.

Bucky Barnes, Yelena Belova, Red Guardian, Ghost, U.S. Agent, and the Sentry are all confirmed for Avengers: Doomsday. Why focus on these characters, who aren't typically powerful or considered Avengers? The MCU seems to be setting up a significant shift. With the Thunderbolts playing a key role in Doomsday, it's possible that by the film's end, they'll be dubbed the New Avengers. 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 on the absence of Avengers in the trailer further suggest that the Thunderbolts will step into the Avengers' shoes.

This shift makes sense, especially with the Sentry's prominent role and his evil counterpart, the Void, likely being the main antagonist. The Sentry was first introduced in a 2000 miniseries and reintroduced 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 fill out a new Avengers roster, possibly led by Sam Wilson's Captain America. A plot point in Captain America: Brave New World involves President Ross asking Sam to help rebuild the team. Without access to traditional Avengers, Sam might have to rely on the Thunderbolts, putting them at a disadvantage in their initial confrontation with Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom.

Are the X-Men Doomed in Avengers: Doomsday?

Speaking of Doom, Avengers: Doomsday needs to establish Robert Downey Jr.'s portrayal of the character as a formidable threat. Since Doom won't be the main villain in the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot, where Galactus takes the spotlight, Doomsday will set the stage for Doom as the ultimate antagonist of the Multiverse Saga. What better way to do that than by having Doom eliminate several fan-favorite characters? Just as Thanos decimated half of all life in Infinity War, Doom could wipe out a significant portion of Doomsday's cast, with the Fox X-Men appearing to be the most vulnerable.

Doom eliminating the Fox X-Men would not only create a shocking moment but also free up resources for the traditional MCU cast to return in Secret Wars. We know that Secret Wars is on the horizon, and Incursions—a major plot point from the 2015 comic storyline—have already been mentioned in Multiverse of Madness. Witnessing an Incursion firsthand is crucial to set the stakes for Secret Wars, and the destruction of the Fox X-Men universe would be a powerful narrative move.

Having characters like Spider-Man, Hulk, Scarlet Witch, Captain Marvel, and others return to battle Doom and avenge the destroyed universe would be a triumphant conclusion to the Multiverse Saga. This could be Marvel Studios' best chance to recapture the excitement of Endgame, which 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's the most compelling explanation for the sparse Avengers presence in the Doomsday cast.