As Marvel Studios prepares to launch the marketing campaign for Avengers: Doomsday, the film is shaping up to be a full-scale reunion for the franchise. Slated for release in December 2026, the fifth Avengers film will undergo a year of promotion centered on the long-awaited return of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. That return includes nine actors from Avengers: Endgame, alongside a wide range of characters from both newer and legacy Marvel projects, all of whom will be divided across six distinct teams heading into the film.
To the surprise of some, Avengers: Doomsday is being positioned as a direct sequel to Avengers: Endgame. This aligns with the Russo Brothers coming back and Robert Downey Jr. returning to the franchise (as Doctor Doom). The sequel connection was strengthened by the newly confirmed casting of an iconic Endgame Avenger, raising questions about the movie's actual plot.
Chris Evans
Chris Evans' confirmed return reframes Avengers: Doomsday as a true Endgame successor, but his role appears deliberately different from the one fans last saw in 2019. Evans is seemingly back as just Steve Rogers rather than Captain America, a mantle that firmly belongs to Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie).
That distinction matters, as Steve's Endgame arc concluded with him choosing a quiet life over continued heroism, closing the book on his time as the shield-bearing Avenger. Doomsday seems poised to explore the consequences of that choice, despite wrapping Rogers' arc in a bow at the end of Endgame.
According to the trailer description for the first Doomsday teaser, the footage centers on Steve Rogers as a father, introducing a personal stake that contrasts with his sacrificial, world-saving role in Endgame. The implication that Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom may be targeting Steve's child draws a clear parallel to Doom's pursuit of Franklin Richards in The Fantastic Four: First Steps' post-credits scene.
If accurate, this doesn't place Steve back as the leader of the Avengers but rather as a man forced into conflict to protect his new family with Peggy (Hayley Atwell).
Other Endgame Actors Confirmed for Avengers: Doomsday Cast
Robert Downey Jr.
Robert Downey Jr's return in Avengers: Doomsday represents a dramatic contrast to his role in Avengers: Endgame, as he is no longer playing Tony Stark. Endgame served as a definitive conclusion to Stark's journey, cementing him as the central hero of the Infinity Saga and giving the character a rare, unequivocal farewell.
In Doomsday, Downey returns in a completely new role, albeit one that may still carry thematic or multiversal echoes of Tony Stark. At this point, it has been confirmed that he is Victor von Doom, but there has to be more to it.
Regardless of the specifics, the key similarity between Endgame and Doomsday is Downey's usage rate, as he appears positioned as one of the film's central figures, just in a radically different, more villainous form.
Chris Hemsworth
Chris Hemsworth's Doomsday role follows the events of Thor: Love and Thunder, which ended with Thor becoming the adoptive father of Love and introducing a more personal dynamic than his grief-driven arc in Endgame. Love could factor into the story similarly to Franklin Richards or Steve Rogers' child, potentially serving as a narrative catalyst for the new father.
From a team standpoint, Thor remains one of the Avengers' most powerful assets, bringing god-level strength and invaluable experience against Doctor Doom.
Anthony Mackie
Anthony Mackie returns as Sam Wilson in Avengers: Doomsday, positioned as Earth-616's Captain America and one of the film's leaders. His role in Avengers: Endgame was relatively small, but it included one of the movie's most iconic moments with the "on your left" line that signaled the dusted heroes' return.
Since then, Sam fully stepped out of Steve Rogers' shadow, emerging as the definitive Captain America following The Falcon and The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Brave New World.
Even with Evans back as Steve Rogers, the mantle belongs to Mackie's Sam Wilson, but that will undoubtedly spark strong opinions from fans.
Sebastian Stan
Sebastian Stan's Bucky Barnes has had one of the busiest and most evolving arcs in the MCU since Avengers: Endgame. After strengthening his bond with Sam in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Bucky even stepped away from frontline heroics to serve as a Congressman, showing a new side of the character.
In Avengers: Doomsday, Bucky's extensive experience and his partnership with Sam make him an essential part of the New Avengers, needing to join forces with all the Earth-616 heroes.
Paul Rudd
Next up is Paul Rudd, returning yet again as Scott Lang. He played a key role in Endgame after missing Infinity War, bringing the van equipped with the Quantum Tunnel and helping the Avengers resolve the issue of time travel.
"So, Back to the Future's a bunch of bullsh*t?!"
Before Jonathan Majors was fired from Marvel and The Kang Dynasty was reworked into Doomsday, Scott was expected to have a larger role following his confrontation with Kang in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. In Doomsday, he's still going to have an important supporting role as an established Avenger.
Letitia Wright
Letitia Wright, who officially became Black Panther in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever since Endgame, will have a significant upgrade for her character.
With Tony Stark gone, Shuri's genius-level intellect and mastery of technology will be a major asset to the team, especially if she collaborates with other brilliant minds, such as Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), against Multiversal threats.
Winston Duke
Winston Duke, who returns as M'Baku, is the leader of the Jabari tribe and now King of Wakanda following the passing of T'Challa and Queen Ramonda and with Shuri taking her Black Panther mantle global.
While M'Baku has often opposed the Black Panther, he has proven himself to be a loyal ally and a formidable warrior, and he is expected to play a key role in leading the Wakandans in Avengers: Doomsday.
Production for the film included scenes shot in the deserts of Bahrain, where Duke was spotted on set, hinting at a potential new adventure for the Wakandan king. It remains unclear whether these scenes represent a new region of Wakanda, The Void, or an entirely unexplored reality.
Tom Hiddleston
In Avengers: Endgame, the 2012 version of Tom Hiddleston's Loki escapes with the Tesseract, setting the stage for the Disney+ series Loki. The events of Loki Seasons 1 and 2 are crucial to Doomsday, particularly in relation to the multiverse, the TVA, and the Void. All of those pieces play significant roles in shaping the MCU's current saga, including direct connections in Deadpool & Wolverine.
By the end of Season 2, Loki has proven himself the God of Stories, holding the multiverse together.
It's rumored that the Beyonders will not appear in Doomsday, with Loki reportedly "taking their place." In Marvel Comics, the Beyonders were nearly omnipotent beings who influenced the creation of Battleworld, and Doom may now be seeking Loki's power to achieve a similar end in the MCU. Fans speculated that Doomsday will be a "race to see who gets to Loki first," with Doctor Doom hunting him to claim his multiversal authority.
