With Avengers: Doomsday now taking shape, recent MCU announcements give a pretty good steer on who is expected to form the next Avengers lineup. The Avengers haven’t teamed up since Avengers: Endgame in 2019, which not only ended with the departure and deaths of three founding members, but left the team in disarray as other founders like Bruce Banner, Thor, and Hawkeye went their separate ways. Captain America: Brave New World may see the new Captain America being tasked with forming the newest iteration of the team, though they are unlikely to band together until Avengers: Doomsday.

Avengers: Doomsday became the highlight of the MCU’s panel at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con as it was revealed to be the new title of what was once Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. The title change confirmed that the MCU is pivoting from Kang the Conqueror as the Multiverse Saga’s arch-villain and supplanting him with Doctor Doom. Despite the change in villain, many of the characters due to appear in Avengers 5 are likely to remain the same.

MCU Characters Confirmed To Appear In Avengers: Doomsday

So far, only a handful of MCU characters have been confirmed to appear in Avengers: Doomsday. Most of these were confirmed at SDCC, while time will tell who is sure to join them. They will join Robert Downey Jr. who is returning to the MCU as the titular villain in one of the most surprising reveals of the SDCC panel.

Doctor Strange

Benedict Cumberbatch confirmed in an interview with Netflix that he is working on Avengers: Doomsday. This is no surprise, as Doctor Strange is now intimately connected to the multiverse after the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness saw him embroiled in multiversal chaos before causing an incursion. Whether Doctor Strange 3 will precede or follow Avengers: Doomsday remains to be seen, but Doctor Strange is sure to play a central role nonetheless.

The Fantastic Four

Kevin Feige confirmed at this year’s SDCC that the Fantastic Four will be returning for Avengers: Doomsday. The team will debut in The Fantastic Four: First Steps on July 25, 2025, which may introduce Doctor Doom. If so, Avengers: Doomsday will likely follow on from this debut, making the Fantastic Four key players in the new Avengers movie. The Fantastic Four have been members of different Avengers lineups in the comics, but never as a team. Nevertheless, if they are to be central to Avengers: Doomsday, it stands to reason that they will join up with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.

MCU Phase 4, 5 & 6 Heroes Most Likely To Be On The Avengers In Doomsday

While they have yet to be confirmed, there is a litany of MCU mainstays that are highly likely to be in Avengers: Doomsday. These include characters whose most recent appearances left them open to reprise their roles in addition to Avengers team veterans. Of the entire MCU cast, these are the most likely to join the Avengers in Avengers: Doomsday.

Captain America/Sam Wilson

Footage from Captain America: Brave New World saw President Thaddeus Ross task Captain America with reforming the Avengers. Not only is it fitting for Captain America to do this, but it is also likely, whether at Ross’ behest or his own. Sam Wilson doesn’t quite have the same amount of experience with the Avengers as some of his colleagues, but he has been among their ranks since the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron. Avengers: Doomsday may be the first opportunity for Wilson to embody a leadership role, promising a fresh dynamic for the new iteration.

Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers

Captain Marvel has only tenuously involved herself with the Avengers, dealing with cosmic threats solo in Avengers: Infinity War before joining the fight against Thanos in Avengers: Endgame. Danvers was a core member of the team in the five years between the snap and the blip and has since been seen collaborating with Bruce Banner and Wong, though they seemingly don’t operate under the Avengers banner. Danvers now has a vested interest in visiting another universe, as Monica Rambeau was trapped in a universe containing the X-Men and a variant of Maria Rambeau at the end of The Marvels.

Hulk/Bruce Banner

Bruce Banner hasn’t appeared in a solo movie since 2008’s The Incredible Hulk and is instead consigned to being a secondary character in the solo outings of other characters. His most recent appearance was in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, where he revealed the existence of his Sakaaran son, Skaar. With this huge plot thread, his Avengers allegiance, and the fact that Marvel only ever rolls him out in ensemble movies in mind, there’s little reason to think he won’t be a part of the team.

Thor

Thor was last seen with his adoptive daughter, Love, defending the galaxy from threats after leaving the Guardians of the Galaxy. Thor: Love and Thunder set up his reappearance down the line in the MCU with the introduction of Hercules, whom Zeus has sicked on the God of Thunder. Given Thor’s heroic MO seemingly remains the same, it is likely that he will help his longtime colleagues defend against whatever threat Doctor Doom poses in Avengers: Doomsday.

Wong

As the current Sorcerer Supreme, it is Wong’s responsibility to defend Earth-616 from interdimensional threats. As Avengers: Endgame and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness proved, this responsibility seemingly extends to defending Earth from threats within this dimension. With Wong being in contact with Captain Marvel and Bruce Banner, it stands to reason that he will lend his aid in the fight against Doom

Black Panther/Shuri

Shuri aided the Avengers in Avengers: Infinity War, nearly removing the Mind Stone from Vision before time ran out. After her brother’s death, she then took on the mantle of Black Panther but relinquished the Wakandan throne to M’Baku. Despite not being politically responsible for her homeland, Shuri’s role as the new Black Panther should bring her to the Avengers’ cause as she still expresses a desire to protect Wakanda and Earth from external threats.

Spider-Man/Peter Parker

Peter Parker has been left in an interesting position now that his anonymity has returned following Spider-Man: No Way Home. Nevertheless, while nobody will remember Peter Parker, Spider-Man is still a main player in the Avengers and is likely to resume his role as a newly minted member of the Avengers. The most compelling theory that Spider-Man will return surrounds Robert Downey Jr. being cast as Doctor Doom and what his interaction with Peter might look like given he will look identical to Tony Stark.

The post-credits scene of Spider-Man: No Way Home established that a symbiote now lives in the MCU, teasing the possibility that Spider-Man will don the first iteration of his symbiote suit in the first run of the ” Secret Wars ” comics.

Shang-Chi

Shang-Chi is already in contact with some of the core members of the Avengers after his solo outing ended with his Ten Rings emanating a beacon and piquing the interest of Carol Danvers, Bruce Banner, and Wong. This beacon may be an important plot in the next team-up, as these Avengers are now involved, and Shang-Chi is overdue for another stint in the spotlight. Should he join up with the Avengers, Shang-Chi will likely be the greenest member, which should lend itself to an interesting dynamic.

James Rhodes/War Machine

After Secret Invasion revealed that Rhodey had been replaced by a Skrull for an undetermined amount of time, he will likely be keen to clear his name and champion Tony Stark’s legacy. War Machine is due to head up Armor Wars, which is where the bulk of this arc is likely to play out. Short of his death or retirement, however, there is little reason to suggest that he would sit Avengers: Doomsday out, especially considering the narrative potential of interacting with a villain that looks identical to his late best friend.

Star-Lord/Peter Quill

Peter Quill has officially left the Guardians of the Galaxy and now dwells on Earth with his grandfather. The surest sign that Quill will return for Avengers: Doomsday came with the line that flashed up at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 that promised Star-Lord’s return to the MCU.

Given this is unlikely to be in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.4, Avengers: Doomsday is the most sensible place, especially given his established relationship with myraid Avengers established in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.

MCU Heroes Unlikely To Be On The Main Avengers Team In Doomsday

The MCU is currently stuffed with new and returning characters, and it will be hard to explain how any established hero won’t join the fight against Doctor Doom. While this means that Avengers: Doomsday may boast the biggest ensemble of MCU heroes ever seen on screen, even trouncing the Battle of Earth in Avengers: Endgame, this doesn’t necessarily mean that every character will be Avengers members. Instead, new teams of heroes have emerged recently that will join the fight under their own banner instead.

The Young Avengers

Possible Young Avengers Members

Hero
Where They Were Last Seen

Ms. Marvel/Kamala Khan
The Marvels

Hawkeye/Kate Bishop
The Marvels

Ironheart/ Riri Williams
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Skaar
She-Hulk: Attorney At Law

Stature/Cassie Lang
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Eli Bradley/Patriot
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

America Chavez
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Speed/Tommy Maximoff
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Wiccan/Billy Maximoff
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

The Young Avengers are officially en route thanks to Ms. Marvel getting the ball rolling in the post-credits scene of The Marvels. As the presumed leader of this new team, the impossibly likable Ms. Marvel will likely bring this currently disparate group of new, young MCU heroes together in Avengers: Doomsday. There is even a chance for the team to take center stage, especially if Marvel Studios hopes to ensure that enthusiasm for these largely lesser-known characters improves.

The Guardians of the Galaxy

The New Guardians of the Galaxy

Members
Were They In The Original Guardians Team?

Rocket Racoon
Yes

Groot
Yes

Kraglin
Yes (But previously not a core member)

Cosmo
Yes (But previously not a core member)

Adam Warlock
No

Phyla
No

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 saw the original Guardians disband and a new one form, though four original members remain as Rocket now replaces Quill as their leader. While Avengers: Endgame saw Rocket join the Avengers in the 5 years between the snap and the blip, the Guardians are less likely to disband in Avengers: Doomsday, especially since they have only just formed the new lineup. Though they are scattered, certain original members of the Guardians like Drax, Nebula, and Gamora, may also find themselves rejoining this team to fight Doom.

The Thunderbolts

Confirmed Thunderbolts Members

Confirmed Members
Where They Were Last Seen

White Wolf/Bucky Barnes
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

Black Widow/Yelena Belova
Hawkeye

Ghost/Ava Starr
Ant-Man and the Wasp

Red Guardian/Alexei Shostakov
Black Widow

Taskmaster
Black Widow

US Agent/John Walker
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

The Thunderbolts is a team of more morally grey heroes that will make their cinematic debut in 2025’s Thunderbolts*. Their clandestine operations in this movie are seemingly going to put them in the path of Sentry, one of Marvel Comics’ most powerful characters. Provided they all survive, this will set them in good stead to go up against a threat as vast as Doctor Doom despite their comparatively diminutive power set, and they’ll no doubt bring a compelling dynamic as a result.

There is a theory that suggests that Harrison Ford’s Thunderbolt Ross/Red Hulk may also be joining the ranks of the Thunderbolts, given the proximity of his debut and the name of the team.

The Eternals

Current Eternals Members

Surviving Members
Last Seen on the Domo or with Arishem

Sersi
Arishem

Kingo
Arishem

Phastos
Arishem

Druig
Domo

Makkari
Domo

Thena
Domo

Eros
Domo

Unless Marvel Studios intends to renege on the promise made at the end of 2021’s Eternals that the team would return, it makes sense for the team to reappear in Avengers: Doomsday. They are, after all, cosmic defenders who recently broke their Celestial-given directive to start rallying Eternals to a more virtuous cause than ensuring the destruction of the worlds within their universe. The reveal of Harry Styles’ Eros, who is traditionally Thanos’ brother, could be paid off while providing an interesting interaction in Avengers: Doomsday as the Avengers confront their last arch-nemesis’s relative.

Avengers: Doomsday May Include Multiple Superhero Teams

Avengers: Doomsday may have the Avengers in its title, but the likelihood is that they may not be as central as they once were. With so many characters now present in the MCU, Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars may instead feature the Avengers as one of the numerous teams rallying together to prevent the destruction of their universe. Suffice it to say, the stakes will be exceptionally high if multiversal destruction is on the cards, necessitating a team-up unlike anything the MCU has seen before.

This may mean that the Fantastic Four, who are traditionally Doctor Doom’s biggest rivals, will maintain their own team and fight alongside the Avengers instead of within them. The Thunderbolts, meanwhile, are antiheroes who don’t exactly gel as well with the Avengers banner – especially given they have been the enemies of some members. Whatever happens, it can be safely assumed that Avengers: Doomsday will boast a stacked cast – which is an exciting prospect.