Avengers: Doomsday
has a spectacular cast list, but I’m surprised to see only one actor from the last two billion dollar films on the slate. As the Infinity Saga progressed, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)
was on a H๏τ streak by the end, putting out billion-dollar movie after billion-dollar movie. However, things have not been quite so profitable for the Multiverse Saga.
So, when Marvel made their big announcement detailing the cast list for Avengers: Doomsday, it would make perfect sense for Marvel Studios to fill out the roster with heroes that have earned the bulk of the profits from this saga. As it turns out, Marvel had different ideas, and in their lengthy but informative reveal, they put out 27 names of heroes from both the past, present, and future of the MCU, and some shocking reveals from before the MCU even began.
The MCU’s Last Two Movies To Earn $1B Explained
The Billion-Dollar Trend Of Marvel Movies Slowed Down A Lot Post-Endgame
In terms of the actual revenue earned from the Multiverse Saga, the MCU has not necessarily fallen into complete despair, but it’s a far cry from what it looked like in The Infinity Saga. Since 2021, when Black Widow was released with an odd hybrid release schedule due to the global pandemic, the trajectory of earnings has not been incredible for Marvel Studios. However, after struggling to break $450,000 after the lockdown, Spider-Man: No Way Home filled the theaters once again with a release that earned nearly $2 billion at the box office.
Movie |
Box Office Total (via The Numbers) |
---|---|
Black Widow |
$379,751,131 |
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings |
$432,224,634 |
Eternals |
$401,731,759 |
Spider-Man: No Way Home |
$1,921,206,586 |
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness |
$952,224,986 |
Thor: Love and Thunder |
$760,928,081 |
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever |
$859,208,836 |
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania |
$476,073,180 |
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 |
$845,555,777 |
The Marvels |
$199,706,250 |
ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine |
$1,338,071,348 |
Captain America: Brave New World |
$403,037,129 |
Following No Way Home’s success, there was a string of releases that managed to get close to the billion-dollar mark, but none crossed that line, and all of them were sequels to earlier franchises developed in The Infinity Saga. However, The Marvels ended up as the lowest box office return of any MCU movie to date. Following this, Marvel got its second and only other billion-dollar movie of the last six years with ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine.
Avengers: Doomsday Only Includes 1 Actor From A $1B Multiverse Saga Movie
Channing Tatum Makes A Surprise Comeback In Avengers: Doomsday
With that in mind, it would make sense for Avengers: Doomsday, the first half of the big finale for this Saga, to announce more beloved returning heroes, especially those seen in Spider-Man: No Way Home and ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine. After all, both films featured heavy-hitter multiverse stories, with dozens of returning characters from throughout Marvel’s history. But in the first and thus far only round of announcements for the Avengers: Doomsday lineup, no Spider-Men, Wolverine, Doctor Strange, or even Chris Evans has been announced.
Of course, this could change, but with none of the above-mentioned actors being named, it feels less certain that any or all of them will return. But one surprising inclusion did appear with Channing Tatum. Channing Tatum played Gambit, aka Remy LeBeau, in ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine, which stemmed from the actor being cast to play the character a decade earlier.
Marvel Has Confirmed Avengers: Doomsday’s Cast Isn’t Complete Yet
Avengers: Doomsday Is Just Beginning Production
Despite the lack of announcing Andrew Garfield, Tobey Maguire, Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, and many others featured in the Multiverse’s billion-dollar hits, that does not mean these actors won’t be included at all. Avengers: Doomsday has already had hints dropped to suggest more superheroes will join the cast, though there is no clear confirmation about exactly who. After all, there are a lot of characters whose stories appear to be pushing them towards this major crossover event.
Doomsday will likely provide more details as production continues, and while it has been sharing information liberally at present, that does not mean directors Joe and Anthony Russo won’t want to keep some details a secret. The Multiverse has cracked wide open, and there is a lot of space for other heroes and villains to return. It would make a lot of sense to have some of the most popular heroes from this past era, but whether they are included or not remains to be seen in Avengers: Doomsday when the film finally does release.
Upcoming MCU Movies
-
Thunderbolts*
- Release Date
-
May 2, 2025
-
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
- Release Date
-
July 25, 2025
-
Avengers: Doomsday (2026)
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MCU Spider-Man 4
- Release Date
-
July 24, 2026
-
Avengers: Secret Wars
- Release Date
-
May 7, 2027