Marvel Studios set pulses racing today with a surprise live-streamed announcement, unveiling the cast for its highly anticipated blockbuster Avengers: Doomsday. The event, broadcast across Instagram and X, saw a steady roll-out of A-list names, offering fans a first look at who will assemble for the next chapter of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
The announcement comes after months of speculation about Marvel’s direction following a mixed reception to some post-Endgame projects. Avengers: Endgame (2019) remains the studio’s crowning achievement, smashing box office records with a staggering $2.79 billion worldwide. Now, with Avengers: Doomsday slated for release on 1st May 2026, Marvel appears poised to recapture that same magic.
The live stream, which has already drawn nearly 2 million viewers, features a series of directors’ chairs, each revealing a new cast member roughly every 15 minutes. The confirmed lineup so far includes a blend of MCU stalwarts and fresh faces from recent films and series:
- Chris Hemsworth as Thor
- Vanessa Kirby as Invisible Woman/Sue Storm
- Anthony Mackie as Captain America/Sam Wilson
- Sebastian Stan as Winter Soldier/Bucky Barnes
- Letitia Wright as Black Panther/Shuri
- Paul Rudd as Ant-Man/Scott Lang
- Wyatt Russell as John Walker/U.S. Agent
- Tenoch Huerta Mejía as Namor the Sub-Mariner
- Ebon Moss-Bachrach as The Thing
- Simu Liu as Shang-Chi
- Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova/Black Widow
- Kelsey Grammer as Dr. Hank McCoy/Beast
- Lewis Pullman as Bob Reynolds/Sentry
- Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres/The Falcon
- Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch
- David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian
- Winston Duke as M’Baku
- Hannah John-Kamen as Ava Starr/Ghost
- Tom Hiddleston as Loki
- Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier/Professor X
- Ian McKellen as Max Eisenhardt/Magneto
- Alan Cumming as Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler
- Rebecca Romijn as Raven Darkholme/Mystique
- James Marsden as Cyclops
- Channing Tatum as Gambit
- Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic
- Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom
The most jaw-dropping revelation is Robert Downey Jr., who will return to the MCU—not as Iron Man, but as the iconic villain Doctor Doom. His casting was first teased at last year’s Comic-Con, and Marvel seems to be banking on his star power to anchor this new phase.
This announcement feels like Marvel’s answer to the burning question: Who are the Avengers now? Since Endgame, the team’s composition has been unclear, with films like Spider-Man: Far From Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness offering spectacle but no definitive lineup.
With Thunderbolts arriving in May 2025 and Spider-Man 4 set for July 2026, the MCU is clearly building towards something monumental. Avengers: Doomsday and its sequel, Avengers: Secret Wars (due May 2027), will serve as the grand finale of Phase 6, both helmed by the Russo Brothers—the duo behind Avengers: Infinity War, which masterfully balanced a sprawling cast and still earned $2.04 billion.
Marvel’s strategy is clear: blend nostalgia with fresh talent, drawing from upcoming projects like Fantastic Four and Thunderbolts to keep audiences hooked. As the live stream continues, fans worldwide will be watching closely for even more surprises.
