Marvel is taking an interesting approach with confirming the Avengers: Doomsday cast, but one statistic already paints a disappointing picture. The Marvel Entertainment YouTube channel started a mysterious live stream earlier this morning which turned out to be the cast announcement of Avengers: Doomsday. Going on for over 5 hours, the stream cut to a different cast member’s name on the back of a chair approximately every 15 minutes to confirm their involvement in the upcoming MCU film. The studio started with confirming that Thor actor Chris Hemsworth would be returning, and concluded with an appearance from Robert Downey Jr.

Anthony Mackie’s Captain America, Leтιтia Wright’s Black Panther, and Simu Liu’s Shang-Chi are among the expected names that have been dropped considering that their characters are guaranteed to play a role in the next generation of Avengers. Some characters whose involvement in Doomsday seemed uncertain, such as Tom Hiddleston’s Loki and Tenoch Huerta’s Namor, have drawn excitement. There have also been substantial surprises like Kelsey Grammer’s Beast, Patrick Stewart’s Professor X, and Ian McKellen’s Magneto. Despite the anticipatory format of Marvel’s casting announcement, a disproportionate number of the confirmed names have one thing in common.

Avengers: Doomsday’s Cast Disproportionately Includes Marvel Characters From 2025 MCU Movies

The MCU Has 2 More Films Slated For Release In 2025

Out of the 27 people confirmed for Avengers: Doomsday so far, 12 of them are actors who have appeared or will be appearing in a 2025 MCU movie. A good portion of the cast list thus far has been made up of Thunderbolts* and Fantastic Four: First Steps characters, with Captain America: Brave New World’s Mackie and Danny Ramirez also taking up two spots. While it’s nice to get official confirmation, it’s no surprise to most that they’ll be appearing in the upcoming movie considering the big role they’re playing for the MCU this year.

Most fans obviously tuned into the stream to learn new information about the Avengers: Doomsday cast. Continuously seeing names that were already all but confirmed for the film slowed down the momentum of the announcements for a while. Marvel likely started off with a list of predictable names because they’ll want to sprinkle in the bigger announcements throughout the live stream to maintain the viewer count. However, they’ll need to start pulling some more unexpected names if they want to keep fans engaged.

Why Doomsday Has So Many Thunderbolts* & Fantastic Four Actors

Press From Thunderbolts* & Fantastic Four Will Help Promote Doomsday

With Avengers: Doomsday set to premiere a little over a year from now in 2026, it makes sense that so many Thunderbolts* and Fantastic Four actors would be among the first to be confirmed for the cast. Out of all the Marvel properties, those characters are currently being promoted for their upcoming film releases later this year. Considering that Thunderbolts* and Fantastic Four will be the last two MCU releases until Doomsday’s premiere, fans can expect the films to set up some of the events of Avengers 5.

Names like Sebastian Stan, Florence Pugh, Vanessa Kirby, and Joseph Quinn are heavily ᴀssociated with the MCU at the moment because of the imminent releases of Thunderbolts* and Fantastic Four. Confirming their involvement in Doomsday as soon as possible will ensure that anytime their names are mentioned in upcoming promotions, the attention will always go back to their eventual Doomsday role. It’ll also allow the cast to freely talk about Avengers: Doomsday in their press tours, which is sure to help build anticipation.

Will More Avengers: Doomsday Cast Members Be Announced?

Doomsday Will Allegedly Feature At Least 50 Characters

The live stream on the Marvel Entertainment YouTube channel concluded after announcing 27 confirmed actors for Doomsday. According to entertainment journalist Jeff Sneider of The InSneider, Marvel has around 50 total names that they’re looking to confirm for the film, so there is seemingly still a long way to go when it comes to rounding out the full cast. There’s a big chance that many more characters will get confirmed after today’s live stream considering that Doomsday is supposed to be the biggest MCU event yet, with almost 60 characters predicted to appear.

Despite the initial slow pace, Marvel’s strategy of announcing all the predictable names first ultimately paid off. With faces from Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*, and Fantastic Four out of the way, fans were tuned into the remainder of the live stream knowing that there’d be some huge surprises. The most notable announcements were undoubtedly the return of some original X-Men actors like Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn, and James Marsden, as well as Channing Tatum’s fan-favorite Gambit. Marvel’s Avengers: Doomsday announcement may have started off with some disappointing predictability, but the live stream event eventually found its footing.

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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