Several important figures within the MCU are steadily confirming cast members for Avengers: Doomsday. The fifth Avengers movie, previously тιтled Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, pivoted into a new direction as of San Diego Comic-Con 2024, officially confirming that Doctor Doom will be the central villain instead of Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conqueror. The Avengers: Doomsday release date, meanwhile, remains May 1, 2026. While story details emerge, what is certain is that it will begin to conclude the MCU’s Multiverse Saga before Avengers: Secret Wars brings it to a definitive end one year later.

Avengers: Doomsday will have been seven years in the making as the first Avengers movie to hit theaters since Avengers: Endgame raked in a record-breaking $2.5 billion worldwide gross for Marvel in 2019. Suffice it to say that the success of the MCU’s last Avengers movie was largely thanks to its ensemble cast, with Avengers: Doomsday likely to follow suit. Marvel Studios made a major announcement during a livestream presentation, revealing the main cast of Avengers: Doomsday.

Doctor Doom & The Fantastic Four

Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom

It’s safe to say that Robert Downey Jr. stole the show at SDCC 2024. The confirmation that Robert Downey Jr. would be returning vindicated rumors that had been swirling for several months. His casting as Doctor Doom came as a big surprise, however, as his potential return to the MCU was previously presumed to be as a variant of Tony Stark. Until further details about Avengers: Doomsday emerge, it remains unclear whether this will be the case for Robert Downey Jr.’s version of Doctor Doom, or whether he will embody an entirely original character.

Since leaving the MCU after Tony Stark’s demise in Avengers: Endgame, Robert Downey Jr. has starred in 2020’s Dolittle as the eponymous character and 2023’s Oppenheimer as Lewis Strauss, winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the latter. While there is no doubt a deeper reason for bringing him back, Robert Downey Jr. is one of Marvel’s strongest casting decisions, with an unᴀssailable track record as one of the MCU’s most iconic contributors. For now, the only comment that the actor has made about his new role is the cryptic, “New mask, same task.”

Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards A.K.A. Mister Fantastic

Pedro Pascal steps into the role of Reed Richards, A.K.A. Mister Fantastic, who is largely recognized as the leader of The Fantastic Four. Reed Richards has the ability to stretch his body, and is considered one of the world’s smartest people. His first appearance in the MCU was in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Pedro Pascal is the second actor to portray Reed Richards in the MCU, after John Krasinski in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Vanessa Kirby as Susan Storm, A.K.A. The Invisible Woman

Vanessa Kirby will reprise her role as Sue Storm in Avengers: Doomsday, following her appearance as the character in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Sue Storm, along with her Fantastic Four family, will be closely linked to Doctor Doom, which could continue to be explored in the upcoming Avengers film. Sue Storm has the ability to become invisible as well as creating force fields by bending the surrounding light.

Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm, A.K.A. The Thing

Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s Ben Grimm, also known as the Thing, will join the rest of The Fantastic Four in Avengers: Doomsday. The Thing is the most tragic member of The Fantastic Four, as his powers also changed his appearance, giving him a rock-like look that never goes away. Still, Ben Grimm is an incredibly strong character who could do some major damage in a battle, which will be needed.

Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm, A.K.A. The Human Torch

Like Pascal’s Reed Richards, Joseph Quinn’s Johnny Storm will be the second iteration of the character to appear in the MCU, after Chris Evans recently reprised the role in ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine. Quinn will be the definitive version of the character as he joins The Fantastic Four in Avengers: Doomsday. The Human Torch is an impetuous H๏τhead who will be an interesting addition to the MCU lineup, given very few characters match his personality. His interactions with Spider-Man, meanwhile – with whom Storm is best friends in Marvel Comics – are also an exciting prospect for the next ensemble movie.

The Avengers

Chris Hemsworth as Thor

Chris Hemsworth has been a staple of the MCU since Thor in 2011, who then went on to be one of the original members of the Avengers. Over the course of his time in the MCU, Hemsworth has helped transform Thor into one of the most popular characters in the entire franchise, especially following Thor: Ragnarok and Avengers: Infinity War. Given how powerful the character is, it only makes sense that he will be around for Avengers: Doomsday.

Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson, A.K.A. Captain America

Anthony Mackie started out in the MCU by playing Sam Wilson in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, who took up the mantle of Falcon to help Steve Rogers take down SHIELD. He remained Falcon for most of his time in the MCU until Steve Rogers gave Sam his Captain America shield following his retirement in Avengers: Endgame. He eventually takes up the mantle and Captain America: Brave New World fully explores the character as the new Captain America, and the movie ends with him hoping to bring together a new Avengers team.

Paul Rudd as Scott Lang, A.K.A. Ant-Man

When Ant-Man was first introduced in the MCU, it was unclear how it was going to go, given the sillier aspects of the character, but Ant-Man proved to be a major success and Paul Rudd stole the show as Scott Lang. Since then, the character has become a key part of the entire MCU, where his ability to change his size and will is a powerful ability.

Ant-Man played a significant role in Avengers: Endgame, where he miraculously came back from the Quantum Realm. Ant-Man has proven his worth as an Avenger multiple times over, with his defeat of Kang being a major show of strength for him.

Thunderbolts

Sebastian Stan as James “Bucky” Barnes, A.K.A. The Winter Soldier

Bucky Barnes first appeared in Captain America: The First Avenger as the best friend of Steve Rogers. Following his death in that film, and his subsequent revival, Bucky appeared in Captain America: The Winter Soldier as the тιтular villain, and spent the rest of his time in the MCU trying to move past the brainwashing inflicted upon him and what he did when he was The Winter Soldier. Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes has been a staple since the MCU’s Phase One.

Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, A.K.A. Black Widow

Yelena Belova was introduced as the “sister” of Natasha Romanoff in Black Widow, where Romanoff’s history was seen, including her surrogate family’s time undercover as Russian spies. Following the events of Black Widow, Yelena Belova goes off on her own, appearing in Hawkeye where she confronts Barton about her sister’s death. Her MCU journey continued in Thunderbolts* before joining the cast of Avengers: Doomsday.

Wyatt Russell as John Walker, A.K.A. US Agent

John Walker first appeared in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier as the government’s official replacement for Captain America following the end of Steve Rogers’ story in Avengers: Endgame. Despite Rogers pᴀssing on the shield to Sam Wilson, the US government saw it best to let Walker take up the shield, but his actions during The Falcon and the Winter Soldier saw Walker being stripped of his Captain America тιтle, eventually falling under the eye of Valentina, who helps him become US Agent, who plays a major role in Thunderbolts*.

David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov, A.K.A. Red Guardian

Alexei Shostakov was the adoptive father to Natasha Romanoff and Yelena Belova as they worked undercover as Russian spies. In fact, he was Russia’s answer to Captain America, as he was injected with the super soldier serum and became Red Guardian, though his prime is behind him. David Harbour was a blast as the character during his appearance in Black Widow, and Thunderbolts* sees him reunited with Yelena Belova, working together once again after he seems to be living alone in squalor prior to the events of the film.

Hannah John-Kamen as Ava Starr, A.K.A. Ghost

Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost made her first MCU appearance in Ant-Man and the Wasp, as the antagonist of the тιтular characters. She has the ability to make herself tangible as well as generate huge amounts of power, but her biggest issue in Ant-Man and the Wasp was her lack of being able to control them to the extent that she wanted to, making her a liability. After getting them under control, she has become a powerful ᴀsset in both Thunderbolts* and Avengers: Doomsday.

Lewis Pullman as Bob, A.K.A. Sentry

Lewis Pullman made his MCU debut in Thunderbolts*, where he played Bob, also known as Sentry, and was initially an adversary for the Thunderbolts team. Sentry is one of the most powerful heroes in Marvel Comics, and looks to be one of the heavy hitters in Avengers: Doomsday, given that the heroes will need all the power they can get.

Other Major MCU Characters

Tom Hiddleston as Loki

Loki has been a significant character in the MCU since 2011, when Tom Hiddleston first played the role in Thor. He was even the reason the Avengers were formed in the first place. Loki’s character slowly evolved throughout the MCU, before he was killed by Thanos in Infinity War. Thanks to time travel shenanigans, Loki was able to star in his own series, where he became the hero fans always thought he could be. He was last seen holding the multiverse together at the end of Loki season 2.

Simu Liu as Shang-Chi

Simu Liu took on the role of Shang-Chi in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Incredibly proficient in martial arts, Shang-Chi is actually the son of The Mandarin, who uses the Ten Rings to give himself nearly absolute power. There has been little of Shang-Chi in the MCU following his solo film, with What If…? being his only other appearance. Given that Shang-Chi is now in possession of the Ten Rings after his father’s death, he is one of the most powerful characters.

Danny Ramirez as Falcon

When Sam Wilson took up the shield and became Captain America, the MCU needed another Falcon, which led to Danny Ramirez making his debut as Joaquin Torres in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. After working with Sam Wilson a bit in the show, he came back in Captain America: Brave New World, and officially stepped into the role of Falcon.

Leтιтia Wright as Shuri, A.K.A. Black Panther

Shuri was initially introduced in Black Panther as the younger sister of King T’Challa. She was shown to be one of the smartest people in the world, and was able to utilize Wakanda’s vibranium to make some incredible pieces of technology, including her brother’s Black Panther suit. Following her brother’s death, Shuri eventually took up the mantle of Black Panther to fight off Namor and his army of Talokans in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, a significant feat for his first battle as the character.

Winston Duke as M’Baku

M’Baku first appeared in the MCU in Black Panther, challenging T’Challa for the throne of Wakanda. While he was an antagonist for most of the film, he fought alongside T’Challa against Killmonger to take back Wakanda. Following his parts in Infinity War and Endgame, he returned in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, fighting alongside Shuri as the new Black Panther against Namor and his army.

Tenoch Huerta Mejia as King Ch’ah Toh Almehen, A.K.A. Namor

Namor made his MCU debut with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. He is the king of Talokan, an underwater kingdom that chooses to go to war with Wakanda to protect his people from the surface world. Namor is one of the biggest surprise additions to Avengers: Doomsday, given that it was unclear when he would actually return to the MCU following Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. He is certainly a welcome addition, though, as he is a formidable warrior as well as a mutant.

The X-Men

Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier

The leader of the X-Men, Patrick Stewart first played the role of Charles Xavier in X-Men back in 2000, and many thought his last appearance would be in Logan following the character’s death. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness brought Patrick Stewart back into the fray, though, as he played a variant of Charles Xavier who was part of that universe’s Illuminati. His appearance in Avengers: Doomsday is a pleasant surprise, given his variant in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was killed by the Scarlet Witch.

Ian McKellen as Magneto

Charles Xavier and the rest of the X-Men aren’t complete without Magneto, one of Marvel’s greatest villains. Ian McKellen initially played the role in X-Men, appearing as essentially the main antagonist for most of the original Fox films. With Ian McKellen’s last role as Magneto being in the incredible X-Men: Days of Future Past, it is a pleasure to see him come back to the character once again.

James Marsden as Cyclops

Cyclops was largely the leader of the X-Men alongside Charles Xavier in X-Men, but was unfortunately killed off by Jean Grey near the beginning of X-Men: The Last Stand. He briefly returned at the end of Days of Future Past, but that was James Marsden’s last appearance as the character. His relationship with Jean Grey in the original trilogy was one of the driving forces behind those films, as was his antagonistic relationship with Hugh Jackman’s Logan.

Kelsey Grammer as Beast

Kelsey Grammer reprises his role as Beast, after first appearing in the role with X-Men: The Last Stand in 2006. He returned to the role in a brief cameo for The Marvels, setting up more of the Multiverse Saga that has been building up to Avengers: Doomsday. Given that Beast is part of the X-Men, his inclusion in the MCU has been a big deal.

Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler

Nightcrawler initially appeared in X2: X-Men United, with one of the best opening scenes in comic book history, as the character infiltrated the White House using his incredibly cool teleporting powers. Alan Cumming played the character in the film, but never reprised his role, as X-Men: Apocalypse brought back another version of the character. His appearance in Avengers: Doomsday is shocking, but a welcome return for a memorable character.

Rebecca Romijn as Mystique

Alongside many members of the original X-Men films, Rebecca Romijn reprises her role as Mystique, whom she played in all three films in the original trilogy. She worked closely with Magneto throughout her appearances, only to be left behind by him after she accidently loses her mutant abilities due to getting injected with the cure. It will be interesting to see what her relationship with him is like in Avengers: Doomsday.

Channing Tatum as Gambit

Years after Channing Tatum was attached to Gambit, with his solo movie never coming to fruition, he was finally able to play the character in ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine. He was one of the best cameos in that film, and it is exciting to see him back in Avengers: Doomsday, as Channing Tatum expressed interest in playing the character once more.

Upcoming MCU Movies

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  Thunderbolts*

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  May 2, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  The Fantastic Four: First Steps

  Release Date

  
  July 25, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Doomsday (2026)

  
  
  
  
  

  
  

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  MCU Spider-Man 4

  Release Date

  
  July 24, 2026
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Secret Wars

  Release Date

  
  May 7, 2027
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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