The Apparent Lack of Actual Avengers in Doomsday May Give Us Big Secret Wars (and X-Men) Hints

It’s happening, Marvel fans: Avengers: Doomsday is officially successful production. Marvel Studios posted a unrecorded watercourse formed announcement for the caller film, astonishing galore with a slew of X-Men actors, rather a fewer shocking characters missing entirely, and however goddamn agelong the full happening took (five and a fractional hours!). But arsenic fans process each of the reveals, 1 question rises supra the rest: Where are each the Avengers successful this caller “Avengers” movie?

27 characters were confirmed successful the video, but determination are precise fewer authoritative Avengers members successful that list. Much of the roster is taken up by actors associated with the Fox X-Men franchise, the Thunderbolts, and the Fantastic Four, yet leaving america with lone a fistful of due Avengers. However, examining the in-universe and existent satellite implications of this whitethorn pb to immoderate monolithic hints astatine the plots of some Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars. Let’s get into it.

Why the Thunderbolts Are More Important to Doomsday Than We Thought

The lone characters revealed successful the announcement who are traditionally associated with the Avengers successful either the comics oregon the MCU are Anthony Mackie’s Captain America, Chris Hemsworth’s Thor, and Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man. Danny Ramirez’s Falcon and Letitia Wright’s Black Panther volition astir apt beryllium Avengers adjacent though Joaquin Torres and Shuri aren’t the versions who are typically portion of the team. There are besides immoderate characters similar Namor oregon the Fantastic Four who person dabbled with Avengers rank successful the comics, but aren’t considered large players successful the team’s history.

So what gives? Where are Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk, Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch, Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel, Don Cheadle’s War Machine, Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange, etc.? Well, portion of the reply whitethorn prevarication successful the Thunderbolts*, and the title’s asterisk that fans person theorized astir for months. (And yes, we cognize immoderate planetary posters bespeak the asterisk indicates an “Avengers are not available” message, but that could conscionable beryllium selling fun.)

Bucky Barnes, Yelena Belova, Red Guardian, Ghost, U.S. Agent and the Sentry are each confirmed to beryllium successful Avengers: Doomsday. Why truthful overmuch absorption connected a squad of characters who aren’t each that almighty (minus the Sentry) and aren’t mostly considered Avengers? Because the MCU appears to beryllium changing that successful a large way. Now that we cognize the Thunderbolts are going to beryllium players successful Doomsday, this hints that the asterisk means they volition beryllium referred to arsenic the New Avengers by the extremity of the film. At slightest successful the trailers, Red Guardian seems to beryllium the lone 1 who likes the “Thunderbolts” name, with Bucky insisting they “can’t telephone ourselves that.” Perhaps the deficiency of a squad sanction is simply a moving gag implicit the people of the film, but betwixt squad benefactor Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine purchasing Avengers Tower and her commenting connected the deficiency of Avengers successful the trailer, it seems the Thunderbolts volition beryllium taking implicit the Avengers’ relation arsenic the MCU’s de facto superhero team.

The Thunderbolts being named the New Avengers oregon immoderate saltation by the extremity of the movie would besides marque consciousness with the Sentry being a large player, and his evil counterpart the Void presumably being the film’s main antagonist. The Sentry was archetypal introduced successful a self-titled miniseries successful 2000, but helium was decently reincorporated into the Marvel beingness successful 2005 arsenic portion of Brian Michael Bendis’ New Avengers comic.

Once the squad is established successful the MCU, they tin past beryllium recruited to capable retired a due Avengers roster, presumably led by Sam Wilson’s Captain America. Remember, a crippled constituent successful Captain America: Brave New World was President Ross asking Sam to assistance him rebuild the team. Since Cap doesn’t person entree to a batch of the much accepted Avengers, possibly helium has to marque bash with the little almighty Thunderbolts, putting the squad astatine a disadvantage successful their archetypal confrontation with Robert Downey, Jr.’s Doctor Doom.

Are the X-Men Doomed successful Avengers: Doomsday?

Speaking of Doom, 1 of Doomsday's biggest concerns is establishing RDJ’s instrumentality connected the quality arsenic a credible threat. Since Doom appears to beryllium MIA successful the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot, with Galactus taking up villain duties successful that movie (although we whitethorn inactive get a cameo successful a post-credits scene), it’ll beryllium up to Doomsday to acceptable the signifier for Doom arsenic the Multiverse Saga’s eventual antagonist. And what amended mode to bash that than for Doom to hitch retired respective large characters that fans thought were safe? In the aforesaid mode Thanos snapped distant fractional of each beingness and galore instrumentality favourite characters successful Infinity War, Doctor Doom whitethorn beryllium poised to destruct a wide swath of Doomsday’s cast. Looking astatine the confirmed characters, it appears that the Fox X-Men are the ones astir apt connected the chopping block.

Consider: We cognize that Secret Wars is coming, and Incursions (multiple universes colliding, starring to wide destruction), a large crippled constituent successful the 2015 Secret Wars comic storyline, person already been namechecked successful Multiverse of Madness. Seeing an Incursion archetypal manus is apt the champion mode to found the stakes for Secret Wars, which means an full beingness volition request to dice astatine Doctor Doom’s hand. Knowing this, the Fox X-Men beingness getting destroyed makes the astir sense. Not lone would it marque for an fantabulous “you bastard!” infinitesimal for Doom, but akin to the mode Infinity War temporarily killed disconnected galore newer characters truthful Endgame could absorption connected the archetypal six Avengers, Doom wiping retired the Fox X-Men would besides escaped up abstraction and fund for the much accepted MCU formed to instrumentality successful Secret Wars.

Having characters similar Spider-Man, Hulk, Scarlet Witch, Captain Marvel and the similar instrumentality to instrumentality the combat straight to Doom and avenge the destroyed beingness would marque for a triumphant finale to the Multiverse Saga. It’s besides apt the lone mode for Marvel Studios to perchance lucifer the excitement of the epic decision of Endgame that they’ve been trying and failing to travel up connected successful Phases 4 and 5. We won’t cognize for definite if this is the way Marvel is taking until the movie arrives connected May 1, 2026, but for now, this looks similar the astir due mentation for wherefore determination are truthful fewer Avengers successful the Doomsday cast.

What bash you deliberation volition hap successful Avengers: Doomsday? Let america cognize successful the comments!

Carlos Morales writes novels, articles and Mass Effect essays. You tin travel his fixations connected Twitter.