Marvel Studios has officially announced the cast of Avengers: Doomsday, but one notable Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero was disappointingly absent from the announcement. Avengers: Doomsday and 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars will conclude Phases 4 through 6 of the MCU timeline – known collectively as The Multiverse Saga – and are set to pit Marvel superheroes from across the multiverse against Doctor Doom, who will be played by Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr. Doctor Doom’s casting announcement raises a host of questions in and of itself, creating the possibility for a devastating battle between Doom and another MCU hero.
In a multi-hour MCU livestream event, Marvel Studios gradually revealed the cast of Avengers: Doomsday, announcing a new name every 15 minutes, with 27 cast members announced in total. While many names – such as Chris Hemsworth’s Thor – were expected, others, like Chris Evans and a host of actors and characters from the original 20th Century Fox X-Men universe, were a pleasant surprise for prospective viewers. It is not clear if these 27 characters are the only main cast members of Avengers: Doomsday, but the announcement was nevertheless missing one major MCU hero, potentially disappointing some potential viewers.
Spider-Man’s Absence In The Doomsday Cast Announcement Is Disappointing
Tom Holland and his main MCU iteration of Spider-Man were notably absent from the Doomsday casting announcement, which might be a letdown for some. Given that Holland will have been playing the MCU’s Spider-Man for well over a decade by Doomsday’s release – and has more than earned the adoration of MCU viewers – it is surprising that Spider-Man will seemingly not be participating in The Avengers’ forthcoming clash with one of Marvel’s most dangerous villains. Moreover, Spider-Man has been notably scarce in the MCU since his last solo film: Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Although the residents of the main MCU have forgotten Peter Parker, they are still familiar with Spider-Man, possibly negating his need to reintroduce himself to some of his allies in The Avengers.
No Way Home destroyed the status quo of Holland’s Spider-Man, having everyone in the main MCU forget the existence of Peter Parker after a last-ditch effort to save the universe from a spell gone wrong required the hero to sacrifice the connection he had with his remaining loved ones. Naturally, viewers are interested in seeing what Spider-Man is up to in the time between No Way Home and the next MCU Spider-Man solo film, especially with this backdrop guarenteeing some major changes in the hero’s life since he was last seen on-screen.
Unfortunately, however, Spider-Man has not had any significant role in the MCU since No Way Home, and only a few vague references in other MCU properties. Thus far, only Doctor Strange and Kingpin (Wilson Fisk) have mentioned Spider-Man in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Daredevil: Born Again, respectively.
RDJ’s Doctor Doom Casting Has Potential For A Heartbreaking Spider-Man Fight
Prospective viewers are obviously interested in an encounter between Tom Holland’s Spider-Man and Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom. In contrast to the mainstream Marvel Comics universe (Earth-616), the MCU’s Iron Man was a mentor and father figure to Spider-Man (whereas the two were simply friends and colleagues originally). Naturally, this can make for a heartbreaking battle between the MCU’s Spider-Man and Doctor Doom. It is unknown how the MCU will reinvent Doctor Doom, but he could potentially be an evil variant of Tony Stark, though he might simply be a lore-accurate Victor von Doom who simply resembles Tony Stark instead.
Either case presents great potential for character drama. Spider-Man – who spent multiple movies trying to live up to Iron Man’s example and later not be defined by him – may have to grapple with an evil version of his late mentor. If the MCU goes the “evil Tony Stark” route, Doctor Doom might be familiar enough with his universe’s Spider-Man to easily counter all of Peter Parker’s abilities. Having Victor von Doom simply resemble Tony Stark could still be incredibly challenging for Spider-Man as well, given that he would resemble one of Spider-Man’s closest allies.
Tom Holland’s Spider-Man 4 Could See Peter Parker Meet Doctor Doom Sooner Than We Think
Viewers will most likely have to wait for 2027’s Secret Wars to see Spider-Man interact with Doctor Doom, but there is potential for it to occur earlier. Tom Holland’s fourth Spider-Man movie is set to release mere months after Doomsday. It is unknown whether the next Spider-Man movie will have a smaller scale, reflecting Peter Parker’s new status quo as a street-level hero, or will once again have a larger, multiversal, scale like No Way Home. In either case, the film could simply end with an appearance by Doctor Doom, allowing him and Spider-Man to interact shortly after Avengers: Doomsday.
Upcoming MCU Movies
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Thunderbolts*
- Release Date
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May 2, 2025
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The Fantastic Four: First Steps
- Release Date
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July 25, 2025
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Avengers: Doomsday (2026)
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MCU Spider-Man 4
- Release Date
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July 24, 2026
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Avengers: Secret Wars
- Release Date
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May 7, 2027
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