10 Major Marvel Stars Missing From the ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Cast Announcement

Tom Holland as Spider-Man

With Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. (kinda) out of the MCU picture at this point, Tom Holland’s Spider-Man really is the golden goose of the cinematic franchise. With “Spider-Man: No Way Home” being one of the few runaway successes for Marvel in a post-“Endgame” world the character seemed like an obvious choice for the next big team-up movie.

Spider-Man also has a long history with the Fantastic Four – fighting with and on the team numerous times and being a close friend of Johnny Storm. Him showing up for “Doomsday” certainly seemed like it lined up. A fourth entry in the MCU Spidey franchise is set to release just a few months after “Doomsday” and with everyone forgetting Peter Parker exists, that might explain his absence.

Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Strange

Benedict Cumberbatch’s Dr. Strange is the other major column holding up the pre-“Endgame” era of the MCU. With the next two “Avengers” films leaning so hard into the continued multiverse focus, the one character who has exclusively explored the concept in his recent outing – “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and “Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness” – he again felt like a no-brainer choice.

Maybe he’s still galavanting around the multiverse on his own with Charlize Theron’s Clea, last seen in the “Multiverse of Madness” post-credit scene. He’s bound to show up in “Secret Wars” at least.

Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool

The X-Men are coming and they’ve already had their first bonafide MCU hit – but he’s nowhere in sight for “Avengers: Doomsday.” Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool already had a big movie win in 2024’s Fox/Disney Marvel mash-up “Deadpool & Wolverine,” so it would make sense for him to show up alongside the handful of other mutants showing up in “Doomsday.” But apparently, Wade and Logan are still off doing their own thing.

But fans are still waiting for that teary goodbye between Thor and Deadpool he saw from his future while at the TVA.

Brie Larson as Captain Marvel

Captain Marvel is one of the heavy hitters in the MCU and since she missed all of the Infinity War and most of the fight with Thanos in “Endgame,” it feels like she should be ready to rock for the next major Avengers threat. Add to that her increased focus on the multiverse after losing Monica to the X-verse at the end of “The Marvels,” it seems like Brie Larson’s character would be in the thick of things a bit more.

Teyonah Parris as Photon

Given some of the big casting choices revealed for “Avengers: Doomsday,” one of the more confusing exclusions is Teyonah Parris’s Photon. She was last seen being lost in a different multiverse at the end of “The Marvels” and being examined by Kelsey Grammar’s Beast – hinting she might be in the Fox X-Men universe.

If Grammar and the rest of the original X-cast are all in “Doomsday,” it seems weird for Photon to willingly choose to sit on the sideline and watch.

Chris Pratt as Star-Lord

Based on the ending of “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” it did not seem likely many of the Guardians would be returning anytime soon, but the post-credit scene showed Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord chilling back on Earth with his grandpa followed by the final MCU “Star-Lord Will Return” tag. Are fans led to believe that Peter Quill is fine with just mowing his grandpa’s lawn and nothing else when some multiversal shenanigans start popping off? Doubtful, but apparently so.

Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/The Hulk

Mark Ruffalo’s The Hulk really is a lynchpin of “Avengers” movies. Some of that is due to the fact that Disney does not have the rights to make a solo Hulk film, but whether it’s Banner or Hulk, he really does feel like a character you bring in for an Avengers-level threat. Maybe Dr. Doom doesn’t move the needle for Hulk or maybe he’s back off planet with his newly introduced son. Either way, his brains and brawn are going to be missed in “Doomsday.”

Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye

There are not many members of the Avengers Old Guard present in “Avengers: Doomsday.” In a lot of ways, that makes sense, let’s put the focus on all these new characters we spent setting up and getting to know in Phases 4 and 5, but something about an Avengers movie without Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye just doesn’t feel right. Get everyone’s favorite salt of the Earth bowman back out there on the front lines.

Hugh Jackman as Wolverine

“Avengers: Doomsday” is going all in on the X-Men legacy casting, but the most famous star – and mutant – from the original Fox lineup did not get his own chair. Yes, Hugh Jackman just starred in his own MCU movie with Ryan Reynolds in “Deadpool & Wolverine,” but given every other major mutant appearing in the upcoming Avengers flick, it’s a bit of a head-scratcher to exclude Logan.

Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch

Everyone wanted Scarlet Witch back for the next Avengers movie. The last time fans saw her, she was being crushed by a mountain in “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.” Dead is never dead in the comic book world, but it still feels a bit early to bring back Elizabeth Olsen and her fan-favorite character – even though her kids have started taking center stage in Disney+ shows like “Agatha All Along.”