Marvel Studios dominated the internet yesterday by revealing the Avengers: Doomsday cast during a five and a half hour event, which played out across YouTube and social media.
Millions tuned in to see who will star in the next Avengers movie, and there were plenty of thrilling surprises (and, inevitably, the odd dud: sorry, Falcon).
However, just as noteworthy as who will appear is who won't. We are expecting another cast reveal at some point, but as of now, Avengers: Doomsday is missing a lot of big-name actors and characters.
In this feature, we're highlighting the most noteworthy absentees, ranging from Guardians to streaming and even mutants. Check them out by tapping the "Next"/"View List" buttons below...
7. So Much For Disney+...
Marvel Studios has invested heavily in its streaming shows since WandaVision launched in 2021. However, the characters who have solely made their presence felt on Disney+ are conspicuous by their absence in the Avengers: Doomsday cast reveal.
Among the most noteworthy leads missing are Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino), Mobius (Owen Wilson), Hawkeye (Hailee Steinfeld), Moon Knight (Oscar Isaac), Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani), She-Hulk (Tatiana Maslany), Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox), Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn), Wiccan (Joe Locke), Ironheart (Dominique Thorne), and Wonder Man (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II).
The biggest omission? That has to be Charlie Cox's Daredevil, seeing as his series is currently streaming on Disney+.
6. The Original Six
Okay, so Robert Downey Jr. is back, but he'll be playing Doctor Doom, not Iron Man.
Aside from Chris Hemsworth's Thor, there's no sign of the original six Avengers: Captain America (Chris Evans), The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson). The latter isn't overly surprising, but no Hulk? Given his strength and intellect, that's a baffling decision.
Looking beyond them, many of Earth's Mightiest Heroes are M.I.A. For example, Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), War Machine (Don Cheadle), Vision (Paul Bettany), The Wasp (Evangeline Lilly), and Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) don't look set to appear. Neither does Peggy Carter, despite the trades claiming Hayley Atwell will make her MCU return in the movie.
5. Guardians Of The Galaxy
After Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the Legendary Star-Lord now resides on Earth. Alas, it seems Chris Pratt's Peter Quill is too busy spending time with his grandfather to help take on Doctor Doom, as he didn't get a mention here, either.
We weren't expecting Drax, Nebula, and Mantis to appear based on how their respective stories ended, but Rocket's (Bradley Cooper) new team of Guardians is nowhere to be seen. So, no Groot (Vin Diesel), Kraglin (Sean Gunn), Cosmo (Maria Bakalova), Adam Warlock (Will Poulter), and Phyla (Kai Zen).
And, while we're on the subject of cosmic heroes, what of S.A.B.E.R.'s Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson)?
4. Some Key X-Men
Marvel Studios got everyone excited by confirming that Avengers: Doomsday will feature several actors from 20th Century Fox's X-Men franchise.
It's an impressive lineup which includes Professor X (Patrick Stewart), Magneto (Ian McKellen), Nightcrawler (Alan Cumming), Mystique (Rebecca Romijn), Cyclops (James Marsden), Beast (Kelsey Grammer), and Gambit (Channing Tatum). Still, there are some huge names missing from that list.
Jean Grey (Famke Janssen), Storm (Halle Berry), and Rogue (Anna Paquin) should all be there, as should Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) and Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds). The latter two must be from the same Earth as this team of X-Men, so why weren't they included in the announcement? And on that note, where the heck are Monic (Teyonah Parris) and Maria Rambeau (Lashana Lynch)?!
3. The Supporting Cast
We're heading down the rabbit hole by getting into supporting or side characters. However, there are still many major players who you'd expect to see assemble alongside the rest of the Multiverse's Mightiest Heroes in Avengers: Doomsday.
We can't name everyone here, but just off the top of our heads, what about...
Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer), Okoye (Danai Gurira), Gamora (Zoe Saldaña), Katy (Awkwafina), literally any of the Eternals, and Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o). That cast doesn't look quite so complete now, does it?
Somewhat unsurprisingly, Olga Kurylenko's Taskmaster is the only missing member of the Thunderbolts.
2. Doctor Strange And The Scarlet Witch
Benedict Cumberbatch initially said he wouldn't return as Doctor Strange in Avengers: Doomsday, only to correct himself later. Elizabeth Olsen has insisted the Scarlet Witch's return is off the table, but c'mon, we're not buying that, are we?
Even if neither of them appears, where's Wong (Benedict Wong)? Clea (Charlize Theron)? Or, you know, a hero with the ability to travel from reality to reality: America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez).
This movie's supernatural side is lacking, and while we didn't anticipate seeing the likes of Blade (Mahershala Ali), Werewolf by Knight (Gael García Bernal), and Man-Thing (Carey Jones), surely a Sorcerer Supreme should lend a helping hand.
1. Spider-Man
As we write this, Tom Holland's Spider-Man is not part of the Avengers: Doomsday cast. We know Sony Pictures is eager for the web-slinger to appear in Marvel Studios' Avengers movies, and Secret Wars isn't that far off, but still...this is weird.
For many fans, the biggest disappointment was not seeing the names "Andrew Garfield" and "Tobey Maguire" on a couple of chairs. Given their ties to Sony, that was always going to be easier said than done, and we certainly aren't discounting a possible Spider-Men team-up.
It's previously been reported that Holland's Peter Parker was meant to serve as the lead in Avengers: Doomsday. That no longer looks overly likely.