Who Is In the “Avengers: Doomsday” Cast? All the Actors Confirmed So Far (and Who Is Notably Missing...)

Avengers: Doomsday is assembling the most iconic superheroes audiences have come to know and love over the last 15 years — and bringing back ones that have long been out of the spotlight.

The fifth Avengers movie was first announced in 2022 before it was rebranded as Doomsday at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2024, when Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige announced that Avengers: Endgame and Infinity War directors Anthony and Joe Russo would be returning at the helm. Now, the movie has a release date of May 1, 2026.

At the same panel, Feige also confirmed in a shocking reveal that Robert Downey Jr. would be making his return to Marvel — but not as the beloved Iron Man, the character he played for over a decade. Instead, Downey was cast as the villain, Doctor Doom.

On March 26, Marvel announced more of the star-studded cast for the new Avengers movie, which included 26 additional actors (including the surprising return of original X-Men characters!). Notably missing, however, were any members of Star-Lord's (Chris Pratt) Guardians of the Galaxy, Spider-Man (Tom Holland), Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and original Avengers the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner).

While their casting may be announced at a later date, as it seems unlikely Holland, who is in the midst of filming another Spider-Man movie, won't return, in the meantime, fans can be excited for the X-Men's, Fantastic Four's and Thunderbolt's debut in the Avengers.

From classic heroes to shocking additions, here's a look at the Avengers: Doomsday cast list, so far.

Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom

Downey was announced as the upcoming villain, Doctor Doom, at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2024, confirming that he would take over the mantle as the next antagonist for the upcoming two Avengers movies.

"New mask, same task," Downey said as he walked onto the stage donning Doom's signature green robes. "What did I tell ya? I like playing complicated characters."

The Russo brothers have since spoken about how seriously Downey is preparing for his new role, telling Entertainment Tonight in March 2025 that the Oscar-winning actor is "so dialed in" to the process, even having gone as far as to writing a backstory and coming up with costumes for the villain.

"I think he just loves really rich, three-dimensional characters, and I think he sees a real opportunity here with that character," Joe said.

Chris Hemsworth as Thor

Chris Hemsworth is confirmed to reprise his role as Thor, the God of Thunder and one of the original six Avengers. The character was last seen in 2022's Thor: Love and Thunder, which was the fourth individual movie for the superhero after previously appearing in all four Avengers movies.

Hemsworth has been playing the character since 2011, totaling eight movies throughout that time.

Anthony Mackie as Captain America

To no surprise, Anthony Mackie will continue in the role of Captain America after Chris Evans' Steve Rogers passed on the shield to Mackie in the last Avengers movie.

Since then, Mackie's Sam Wilson has grappled with following in Rogers' footsteps in the 2021 show The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and 2025's Captain America: Brave New World.

Paul Rudd as Ant Man

Paul Rudd made his Avengers debut as Ant Man in Avengers: Endgame when he played a pivotal role in the superhero team figuring out how to go back in time and save countless lives.

Now, after starring in his third Ant Man movie in 2023, Rudd will be reprising his role as Scott Lang in Avengers: Doomsday.

Letitia Wright as Black Panther

While the late Chadwick Boseman played the original Black Panther in the superhero's first movie, Letitia Wright stepped into the role in 2022's Black Panther: Wakanda Forever following the actor's death.

Wright, who plays T'Challa's younger sister Shuri in the movies, will be joining the Avengers movies in a leading role for the first time, though she did appear in Infinity War as the final battle took place in Wakanda.

Tom Hiddleston as Loki

In perhaps one of the more surprising cast announcements, Tom Hiddleston will be reprising his role as Thor's antihero brother Loki, the God of Mischief. Loki famously died in Infinity War, but a variant of him continued his story in his own show, Loki.

Now, it looks like some variant of Loki will appear in Doomsday, which will mark Hiddleston's seventh Marvel movie.

Florence Pugh as Black Widow's sister Yelena

Florence Pugh made her Marvel debut in the 2021 Hawkeye show before returning as her character in 2021's Black Widow, an origin story for the now-deceased character.

Pugh plays Yelena, who is Black Widow Natasha Romanoff's sister and is now thirsty for revenge over her death. Yelena will next appear in Thunderbolts* which is slated for release on May 2, 2025.

Wyatt Russell as U.S. Agent

Wyatt Russell's character, John Walker, is at first chosen to be the replacement for Captain America after Steve dies, but he quickly becomes a troubled and flawed character in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

After being recruited by Julia Louis Dreyfus' Valentina, Walker joined the Thunderbolts squad and will make his Marvel big-screen debut in May 2025 alongside Yelena.

David Harbour as Red Guardian

David Harbour was introduced as Red Guardian, Yelena and Natasha's father, in Black Widow. Though he raised them as assassins in a less-than-loving home, Harbour's character is good-natured and silly, and will also be part of the Thunderbolts squad.

Sebastian Stan as Winter Soldier

One of the most beloved and complicated characters in the MCU, Sebastian Stan has been playing Bucky Barnes, or the Winter Soldier, since 2011.

He started as Steve Rogers's sidekick but has since developed after his mind was hijacked by Hydra. He became a supersoldier villain before healing in Wakanda and returning to his true self (plus one crazy strong robotic arm).

Now, he's set to appear in his 10th Marvel project with Thunderbolts* before he returns to the Avengers stage.

Pedro Pascal as Mr. Fantastic

Pedro Pascal will be making his Marvel debut in the second reboot of Fantastic Four, which hits theaters on July 25, 2025. Since his casting announcement in early 2024, Pascal has been teasing his role in the new movie.

Related: The Fantastic Four Is Back! See the 2025 Cast Side-by-Side with the Stars from the First Two Franchises

Vanessa Kirby as Invisible Woman

Vanessa Kirby was first announced to be playing Sue Storm on Valentine's Day in 2024.

Kirby is the latest to step into Sue's shoes, following Jessica Alba and Kate Mara in earlier iterations. She stars in the film alongside Pescal as his girlfriend and the older sister of Johnny Storm, another member of their quartet.

Ebon Moss-Bachrach as The Thing

Ebon Moss-Bachrach is riding the coattails of the success of The Bear into a Marvel role as Ben Grimm (aka the Thing).

Now, he'll also be making his debut in the summer of 2025 before starring in 2026's Avengers movie.

"I remember I was on Fifth Ave. and 21st Street and I was so shocked and I was walking and the next thing I realize, I was right in front of Astor Wines, so I went in and bought a bunch of mezcal," he shared on a February 2024 episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live of his reaction after finding out he was cast in the role.

Joseph Quinn as Human Torch

The final member of the new Fantastic Four is Johnny Storm, who is played by Stranger Things' Joseph Quinn.

The actor is the third to play the part following Evans and Michael B. Jordan, both of whom went on to have different iconic roles in Marvel movies.

Patrick Stewart as Professor X

Now that Marvel has started delving into the X-Men franchise — seeing as they acquired rights to it recently — they are making a big foray into the group with Avengers: Doomsday.

In a shock to fans of the X-Men series, the first of which came out in 2000, the majority of the original cast is set to reprise their roles, including Patrick Stewart as Professor X.

Stewart has previously played the role in seven X-men movies, before making his MCU debut in a short moment in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Ian McKellen as Magneto

Ian McKellen famously played Professor X's enemy, Magneto, in five X-men movies.

He last appeared in 2014's X-Men: Days of Future Past alongside Michael Fassbender, who played a younger version of his character.

Kelsey Grammer as Beast

Kelsey Grammer, who starred as Beast in 2006's X-Men: The Last Stand, previously reprised his role in a post-credits scene of 2023's The Marvels.

Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler

Alan Cumming first played Nightcrawler, a mutant who can teleport, has super agility and adhesive hands and legs, in 2003's X2: X-Men United.

Rebecca Romijn as Mystique

Rebecca Romijn first played one of the original X-Men, Mystique, in the original X-Men trilogy before the role was continued by Jennifer Lawrence in the prequels.

James Marsden as Cyclops

James Marsden played Cyclops, one of the founding members of the X-Men, in four X-Men movies. Like McKellen, he last appeared in X-Men: Days of Future Past.

Channing Tatum as Gambit

Channing Tatum was originally cast as Gambit in 2006's X-Men: The Last Stand but the character was written out of the movie, much to the actor's chagrin. However, he got his chance to reprise the role in 2024's Deadpool & Wolverine in a cameo that meant more to Tatum than anyone could have imagined.

"I thought I had lost Gambit forever," he wrote in a since-deleted Instagram post, thanking costar Ryan Reynolds for bringing the character to life. "But he fought for me and Gambit. I will owe him probably forever. Cause I’m not sure how I could ever do something that would be equal to what this has meant to me. I love ya buddy." 

Now, Gambit will be making his Avengers debut in 2026.

Simu Liu as Shang Chi

Simu Liu first appeared as Shang Chi in 2021's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and hasn't starred in a Marvel project since.

Now, the Canadian actor will be starring as the master of kung fu again.

"*pokes head out of karaoke booth*," Liu wrote on X following the announcement, referencing the final scene in the movie in which Shang Chi heads into a karaoke booth.

Tenoch Huerta Mejía as Namor

Tenoch Huerta Mejía has starred in one Marvel movie, Wakanda Forever, as Namor, the ruler of an underwater indigenous people.

Neither hero nor villain, Namor is an antihero in the comics as the son of a human man and a princess of Atlantis.

Winston Duke as M'Baku

Also hailing from Wakanda is Winston Duke as M'Baku, the leader of one of the tribes of the land who brokered a peace deal with the Black Panther.

Lewis Pullman as Bob

Referred to in the Thunderbolts trailer as simply "Bob," Lewis Pullman's character is new to the MCU — and is a mystery even to him.

"I was as surprised as everyone else to see what is happening with [my character] Bob, and it's all a mystery," he told PEOPLE in October 2024, teasing, "It happened so long ago, I don't really remember exactly."

Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost

Hannah John-Kamen first made her Marvel debut as Ghost, a hacker who wears a battle suit that makes her invisible, in Ant-Man and the Wasp. She'll be joining her fellow antiheros in Thunderbolts.

Danny Ramirez as the new Falcon

Danny Ramirez first played Joaquin Torres, the Falcon's right-hand man, in the hero's 2021 show, but he got a promotion in Captain America: Brave New World as the new Falcon.

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