While it was nothing more than a line of empty chairs, Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Doomsday cast reveal left fans with a whole lot of questions about what might be going on in the 2026 flick. We certainly have no idea but there seems to have been a few key cast reveals that might give some clues…
Wakanda Forever…and Ever
With the announcements of Letitia Wright, Winston Duke and, most surprisingly, Tenoch Huerta Mejia, it became clear that, once again, Wakanda will play a major role in an Avengers film. While Wakanda is likely still recovering from the devastating attack by Namor, the uneasy alliance with the Talokanil King does mean that not one but two Vibranium-powered armies stand ready to fight. However, if you don’t think Namor will stab Shuri in the back the minute it serves his best interests, which may actually align with Doom’s, you don’t know the man’s true nature.
Without a clear understanding of precisely what’s going to be going on in Avengers: Doomsday, it’s hard to say exactly what might be going on in Wakanda; however, it is worth remembering that Julia Louis-Dreyfus‘ Val made her ambitions to take over the country clear in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and she now has her own group of Avengers Thunderbolts* to help her reach her goals. Other intriguing options for the location exist as well, including–but certainly not limited to–a loose adaptation of Doomwar that would see Robert Downey Jr.’s villain on Earth-616 and after the precious metal and the delicious opportunity to see Ian McKellen‘s Master of Magnetism turned loose over the Vibranium Mounds of Wakanda. While Vibranbium is not magnetic in the comics, that has not been the case in the MCU.
The Thunderbolts Are Here to Stay…At Least Some of Them
Thunderbolts* doesn’t hit theaters for another five weeks but it now seems pretty clear that none of the members of the team will face any serious threat…other than poor Tasky. Whether or not Taskmaster makes it out of Thunderbolts* alive hardly seems like a major game-changer for the future of the MCU; to the contrary, however, the inclusion of Lewis Pullman‘s Sentry in Avengers: Doomsday does. Having a powerhouse like Sentry at her disposal puts Val in an enviable place, but are the Thunderbolts at her disposal? Is it Bucky’s team? Are they the U.S. Avengers now? Whatever the case, it seems as though The Watchtower will likely be visited in the film.
The fallout from Captain America: Brave New World is almost certain to ripple into both Thunderbolts* and Avengers: Doomsday. Without Ross in office, it’s worth wondering just how much pull Val might have in the government now and how she intends to use it. How might Sam react to Bucky leading a team of less-than-good guys? And what about that Adamantium? The inclusion of the Thunderbolts generates more questions than just about anyone on the cast list other than…
Loki
With the Multiverse likely at stake in Avengers: Doomsday, a trip to the Citadel at the End of Time and a visit to the man who sits on the throne there seemed inevitable. Within hours of the announcement that Tom Hiddleston had joined the cast of the film, theories had already begun to fly that Loki would fill the role played by Molecule Man in the different iterations of Marvel Comics’ Secret Wars events. Whether it’s to steal his powers for himself or use them to destroy the current iteration of the MCU, it seems as though Victor Von Doom will come face to face with Loki, God of Stories.
Avengers vs. X-Men
The inclusion of several of Fox’s original, early 2000s X-Men would seem to set up an incursion event that would see the heroes of Earth-616 take on a unified front of X-Men and members of the Brotherhood from whatever Earth these versions of Charles, Magneto, Cyclops et al are from. It seems relevant that while it’s clear members of the cast were left off the list, Marvel made sure to include Mystique actress Rebecca Romijn to make it clear that it would be all hands on deck when the two worlds collide. Call it Avengers vs. X-Men if you want but it seems like it will riff on Jonathan Hickman‘s Earth-616 vs. Earth-1610 Time Runs Out battle, forcing each world to fight until the end.
They’re Holding Back
Just as interesting as who was announced was, of course, who was not announced. By now, it’s been made clear by the studio that more stars will be joining the cast but that was already obvious. Very new rumors suggest that Tom Holland won’t be joining the film as Spider-Man 4 will be set concurrently with Avengers: Doomsday. Chris Evans is another notable omission, as is Lizzie Olsen, who recently claimed she will not be in either of the next two Avengers films. One name missing from the list that seems like a must (unless the studio has cooked up another project to deal with her character’s situation) is Teyonah Paris. The Multiverse Saga has been a mess but Monica’s presence in another reality is one of the only loose ends from the Saga that actually ties directly into what’s about to go down in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.
Beyond that, several characters have entered the MCU since the Russo brothers’ last go-around that seem like the type of characters they’d like to have some fun with. Tatiana Maslany‘s She-Hulk seems like a perfect match for the Russos’ sensibilities and might pair perfectly with Chris Hemsworth‘s Thor. Leaving Charlie Cox on the sidelines would seem like a severely missed opportunity to take advantage of his popularity. Finally, it would stand to reason that if the original X-Men are back, more members of that cast, potentially including Hugh Jackman, will join the fray eventually.
Piecing It Together
While the cast reveal didn’t give away any plot points, it did point to some plot-related points: key settings. If one imagines a story structure similar to that of Avengers: Infinity War, it’s possible that Avengers: Doomsday might have 10-12 different settings. From the castings, it’s possible to deduce quite a few of them, though there’s always the chance one of two of these won’t be visited.
Possible Key Settings
- Wakanda
- Talokan
- The Watchtower in New York City
- The “Binary” X-Men Universe
- The Citadel at the End of Time
- Ta Lo
- Latveria
- The Fantastic Four Universe
Does Paul Rudd‘s presence mean another trip to the Quantum Realm? Possibly but we sure hope not, so leave it at 8 potential settings deduced from the casting. Allow for another 2 dozen or so characters to join the film and assume 2-4 more settings, depending on who joins the cast, and you’ve got yourself an event film…and maybe toss in Battleworld at the end to set up the next event film!
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