10 Biggest “Avengers: Doomsday” Cast Surprises - and the Most Notable Actors Missing From the Announcement

Marvel Studios did a massive reveal for Avengers: Doomsday today, not only announcing the film had begun production, but also confirming 27 (!) different cast members for the 2026 release.

One of these people, Robert Downey Jr. as Victor Doom, was announced last summer at the same San Diego Comic-Con panel where Kevin Feige told fans they could expect to see the casts of the upcoming The Fantastic Four: First Steps and Thunderbolts in Doomsday. So none of those names were shocking, nor were others that made sense in terms of their current status in the MCU, including Anthony Mackie as Captain America, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Paul Rudd as Ant-Man, Letitia Wright as Black Panther, and Simu Liu as Shang-Chi (though it took them long enough with poor Shang-Chi).  

However, there were definitely some curveballs included as well, including a bunch of actors from 20th Century Fox’s X-Men films. A couple of these folks have made MCU cameos along the way, but some of them not only have never been in an MCU movie, they haven’t played their respective character for years or even decades.

On the flip side, there were also some names conspicuous by their absence, whether it’s because they’re actually not in the movie or they’re simply being kept quiet for the time being. So let’s take a look at both sides of the coin!

BIGGEST SURPRISE CAST MEMBERS:

Kelsey Grammer as Beast

The Marvels was the MCU’s biggest financial bomb, and yet it also had one of its most notable mid-credit scenes from any Phase 4 or 5 movie, as Monica Rambeau found herself stranded in another universe where she woke up in Charles Xavier’s mansion and encountered Beast, with Kelsey Grammer reprising his role from X-Men: The Last Stand (and a Days of Future Past cameo). While we’ve expected some big multiverse shenanigans to be part of the next two Avengers movies, as they wrap up the Multiverse Saga, announcing Grammer was in Doomsday was our first idea that at least some part of the X-Men universe was going to factor into the story. But then things began to really ramp up in that regard.

Patrick Stewart as Professor X

With Patrick Stewart back as Professor X, it feels we’re almost certain to truly get the old 20th Century Fox version of the X-Men back on screen again, as opposed to Stewart playing a different universe’s very ill-fated version of Charles Xavier in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Obviously, they could always say these are also different versions of the characters, but Deadpool & Wolverine has set the stage for us to once more see the X-Men we already knew, in all of their convoluted timeline glory. And while Grammar and Stewart had already made MCU cameos, as it turned out, there are several more of their fellow X-Men castmates in Doomsday who could not say the same.

Ian McKellan as Magneto

Stewart playing Professor X again felt like it was in the realm of possibility, especially given he’s never been gone from the role for too long, thanks to his appearances in Logan and Multiverse of Madness. But the last time we saw Ian McKellan play Magneto was in 2014’s Days of Future Past, so learning he’d be reprising his role again is pretty exciting. And yet he was far from the biggest surprise of the bunch.

Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler

X2 remains one of the most beloved films in the X-Men franchise and Alan Cumming’s Nightcrawler is a standout aspect of that entry, starting with the fantastic White House-set action sequence that opens the movie. However, Cumming then never returned in any of the X-Men sequels, and it felt like his time in the blue makeup was destined to be a one and done. So seeing his name appear feels like a pretty huge deal and, arguably, he’s the most unexpected cast member among today’s long list. When Doomsday opens, it will be 23 years since we saw Cumming play this character.

Rebecca Romijn as Mystique

At the time primarily known as a model, Romijn’s alluring, formidable version of Mystique in 2000’s first X-Men made a big impact, leading to the character having a much larger role in the X-Men films than one might expect when they began, including setting the stage for Jennifer Lawrence playing the character in the prequels. Now, Romijn will finally reprise the role, having last played her in a winking cameo in 2011’s X-Men: First Class, when the younger version played by Lawrence briefly made herself look older.

James Marsden as Cyclops

If you’re doing a movie with the old 20th Century Fox X-Men, Cyclops is a natural to return, but it will also be after a long break for Marsden, who last wore Scott Summers’ ruby quartz over his eyes in a cameo near the end of Days of Future Past. Of course, his last appearance before that was relatively brief too, in 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand, when his character was unceremoniously killed early on. Fans have long wanted Cyclops to get much better treatment in live-action to better match the character’s important comic book history, and it feels like this may finally be that opportunity for the likeable Marsden to do just that.

Channing Tatum as Gambit

Making his debut in last year’s Deadpool & Wolverine, the joke around Tatum’s role was that the long in development Gambit movie he was supposed to star in for 20th Century Fox never got made. It felt like he clearly was meant to be from another universe than the Fox-produced X-Men, but the announcement that he’ll be in Doomsday makes it seem likely he’ll be meeting up with them soon enough.

Tenoch Huerta Mejía as Namor

Moving to the non-X-Men side of things, the introduction of Namor was a major aspect of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, as he and his underwater race, the Talokanil, battled the Wakandans. That film ended with Namor being defeated by Shuri, the Black Panther, in battle, even as he was certain Wakanda would one day ask for he and his people’s help. Still, this felt like a plot thread that might be on hold for a while, perhaps waiting for the in-development Black Panther 3, so Namor’s inclusion in Doomsday is a bit of a surprise. Of course, comic book fans were instantly intrigued, given Namor’s longtime flirtation with Sue Storm, not to mention his complicated rivalries and sometimes partnerships with both Reed Richards and Doctor Doom, all of whom are also in the movie. But perhaps more importantly, Namor stands out as one of the first MCU characters to be labeled a mutant, and now we know this movie is going heavy on mutants via the X-Men so that might be an important connection.  

Winston Duke as M’Baku

Not that it’s completely surprising M’Baku would appear in Doomsday, especially considering it felt likely (and is now confirmed) that Shuri would be in the movie, but it still was cool to see him announced in this manner. Though he was present for battle scenes in Infinity War and Endgame, he really got no focus, but with M’Baku now the King of Wakanda, it feels like the stage is set for something more for the charismatic warrior.

Tom Hiddleston as Loki

Yes, the Loki TV series explicitly dealt with the multiverse, but it also ended on a pretty definitive note for the title character. Not that it was impossible for him to return, it just felt that given his new role, it might be quite awhile before we saw him again. However, it turns out he’ll be in Doomsday, which stands out for a few reasons. Might someone like, say a certain Doctor Doom, come calling on Loki, who’s currently essentially holding the multiverse together? Plus, there’s the fact that Loki’s brother Thor is in the film as well, meaning the two might finally reunite (okay, technically Thor would be meeting this Loki for the first time, but still…)

MOST NOTABLE MISSING CHARACTERS:

As for those that one might have expected to see on the announcement list but were not, there were quite a few that stood out. Of course, there’s always the chance they’re in the movie after all, given this is Marvel and some secrets will be kept…

Tom Holland as Spider-Man

Spider-Man’s never been announced for Doomsday, but it had been a natural expectation he’d be in the movie because, well, he’s Spider-Man and he’s so beloved. Tom Holland is playing Peter Parker again soon regardless, with production set to begin this summer on his fourth Spidey movie on the heels of his work on Christoper Nolan’s The Odyssey. Given Holland’s busy schedule, it seems like Spidey may either not be in Doomsday, or only pop up briefly. But Spider-Man 4 is also the first MCU movie opening after Doomsday, making it likely we will see fallout from whatever occurs in the Avengers film impacting Peter soon after.

Chris Pratt as Star-Lord

The Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy is over, but the closing credits of Vol. 3 explicitly promised Star-Lord would return and this seemed a good spot for that, especially since he was back on Earth last time we saw him. But there’s only so many main storylines a film can handle, so it seems this legendary hero might take a bit of a longer breather before stepping back into action.

Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye and Mark Ruffalo as Hulk

Tony Stark, Natasha Romanoff and Steve Rogers might not be around to Avenge anymore, but Thor’s not the only one of the original MCU lineup still ready to fight. It’s not unprecedented to keep these guys offscreen – Hulk sat out Captain America: Civil War and Hawkeye sat out Infinity War, and both then had significant roles the next time we saw them – so this might be a case of holding off for Secret Wars and an inevitable “Avengers Assemble!" moment that may outdo Endgame.

Elisabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch, Don Cheadle as War Machine, Brie Larson as Captain Marvel, Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange and Paul Bettany as Vision

I’m pulling a bit of an “and the rest" here with a notable group of characters who have had huge ties to the Avengers, either directly as members of the team or through prior crossovers. Scarlet Witch is supposedly dead, though it’s hard to believe we’ll never see her again – even as Elisabeth Olsen denies she’s in the next two Avengers movies – while Vision has his own Disney+ show on the way that can explain his whereabouts. However, it’s hard to see Rhodey staying away too long when a bad guy with Tony Stark’s face shows up. Captain Marvel and Doctor Strange meanwhile are incredibly powerful characters who you’d always want to call in when things are dire, but it’s also possible this movie purposely writes them off as dealing with some other crisis for just that reason.

Most TV-Show Originated Heroes

Okay, U.S. Agent – first introduced on The Falcon and The Winter Soldier – is in Doomsday for sure, but what about the likes of Moon Knight, She-Hulk, Ms. Marvel or Kate Bishop? Heck, what about Daredevil, now that he’s made such a successful integration into Kevin Feige-produced Marvel Studios proper? When Marvel Television was operated separately from Marvel Studios, it was expected that the TV characters would be left out of the movies, but with everything now under Feige’s jurisdiction, here’s hoping some of these guys are going to get their big screen spotlight eventually, if not in Doomsday, than in Secret Wars or another project. One unannounced TV-originated character that it feels definitely should show up in Doomsday though is the adult incarnation of Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris), who we first met in WandaVison, given we last saw her alongside the X-Men’s Beast, and that side of the multiverse sure looks like it’ll be busy soon.

Halle Berry as Storm, Famke Janssen as Jean Grey, Anna Paquin as Rogue and Other X-Men Regulars

With so many cast members from the first three X-Men films back, those not included then stood out, especially Janssen, Berry and Paquin, all of whom were there from the start in central roles. On top of that, there are notable X-Alum like Shawn Ashmore’s Iceman, Elliot Page’s Kitty Pryde and Daniel Cudmore’s Colossus (though in the case of Colossus, the CG version voiced by Stefan Kapičić in the Deadpool films may have supplanted him). Are any of them actually in the film and not announced yet and if not, will we find out where the likes of Jean and Storm have gone?

Hugh Jackman as Wolverine

This is the one place where it feels like almost guaranteed Marvel is simply holding back on a reveal. Hugh Jackman just had a triumphant return as the uber-popular Wolverine and now we’re getting a movie where a bunch of his old X-Men castmates are returning as well, probably finally wearing the kind of comic book accurate costumes Logan sported in Deadpool & Wolverine. There’s no way we’re not going to see Jackman alongside them by the end of the movie, is there? (and yeah, his new pal Deadpool’s return is inevitable too, but that might be held for Secret Wars).

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