Marvel recently concluded an extensive livestream event announcing the cast for the upcoming film Avengers: Doomsday. This film marks the beginning of two major crossover movies featuring an array of superheroes from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), including the Fantastic Four and several X-Men characters. However, notable omissions are raising eyebrows among fans of the franchise.
Key Cast Omissions
The following actors and their respective characters have been confirmed as absent from Doomsday:
- Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange
- Chris Pratt as Star-Lord
- Tom Holland as Spider-Man
- Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch
- Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye
- Mark Ruffalo as Hulk
- Tatiana Maslany as She-Hulk
- Brie Larson as Captain Marvel
- Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau
- Iman Vellani as Ms. Marvel
- Evangeline Lilly as Wasp
- Kathryn Newton as Stature
Implications for Future Films
This absence of prominent characters, especially in a film dubbed as a major “Everyone Is Here” event, is surprising. The lack of both Doctor Strange and Spider-Man is particularly striking. However, the film is still expected to feature a plethora of characters, and perhaps avoiding an overly crowded storyline is a wise move. Speculation arises about whether significant character events might occur, paving the way for new heroes in the subsequent sequel, Avengers: Secret Wars, set to release in 2027.
Past MCU films have employed drastic measures, such as in Infinity War, where numerous characters faced peril to allow for a more focused narrative in Endgame. Cumberbatch has been confirmed for Secret Wars, thus providing potential context for his absence in Doomsday. The uncertainty surrounding the direction of the MCU, particularly following the controversy involving Jonathan Majors, complicates predictions about the future of these films.