A new report has revealed which three Avengers heroes will be the "emotional" leads of the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has built out another saga of interconnected films and TV series over the past seven years since the end of the Infinity Saga, culminating in another huge crossover event. Avengers: Doomsday is the first of a two-part ending to the Multiverse Saga, with Avengers: Secret Wars set to follow in 2027.
With so many different lead heroes in various projects, the question of who will be the lead or core lineup of an Avengers film is always in flux. Heading into Avengers: Doomsday, the Multiverse Saga hasn't established a consistent team of Avengers like the Infinity Saga did, leaving many to question which characters will have the most important storylines in the upcoming films. As it turns out, Marvel Studios is reportedly still relying on three of its Avengers: Endgame leads.
The latest Q&A with The Cosmic Circus' Alex Perez reveals that Avengers: Doomsday will have three "emotional protagonists" at its heart. Perez describes these anchors as similar to Thanos' role in Avengers: Infinity War, in that he could be considered the main "lead" of the film, and his journey had the most emotional arc, driving all the other events in the movie.
According to Perez, there are three characters who fulfill this type of role in Avengers: Doomsday, namely Doctor Doom (Robert Downey Jr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), and Steve Rogers (Chris Evans). Notably, all three of these actors were key leads throughout the Infinity Saga.
Perez did note that "most of the cast" would have their own "standout emotional moments" in the film, in addition to these three emotional protagonists, but it can be expected that the film will invest the most in Doom, Thor, and Steve Rogers' emotional journeys.
The choice to spotlight Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom in a similar position to Thanos in Avengers: Doomsday makes sense, as the Russo Brothers' new pair of Avengers films seem to have a lot of similarities to their work on Avengers: Infinity War & Endgame. It's logical then that Doctor Doom would take the spotlight in the upcoming Avengers 5, to help establish the character as the heroes' next major threat and to make use of Downey Jr.'s unexpected return to the MCU after closing out his Iron Man role.
Chris Hemsworth's Thor is one of the few original Avengers actors to have maintained a presence throughout the Multiverse Saga, appearing in Thor: Love and Thunder and now serving as one of the old guard in Avengers: Doomsday.
Thor's experience and place on the team position him as one of the main mentors and leaders of the Avengers in Avengers: Doomsday, and the character has already been heavily featured in promos for the film. It appears that Thor's new position as a father to Love will be his emotional drive in Avengers: Doomsday, and motivate him to protect his home from the threat of Doctor Doom.
Another actor Marvel had seemingly said goodbye to after Avengers: Endgame was Chris Evans' Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, who returned through time in the final Infinity Saga film to return the Infinity Stones, before living out a life with his love, Peggy Carter, and passing on the shield to Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie).
Fans will see the repercussions of that decision in Avengers: Doomsday, as Evans returns to play Rogers, who is roped into the Avengers' next adventure and will seemingly be another lead in the film, even after giving up the Captain America mantle. Many have speculated that Steve's decision in Avengers: Endgame is the cause of Doctor Doom's pain in Avengers: Doomsday, which sets up the legacy MCU character for a prominent role.
Avengers: Doomsday will be released in theaters on December 18, 2026. Joe and Anthony Russo direct the movie, which also stars Florence Pugh, Pedro Pascal, Paul Rudd, Simu Liu, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, and dozens more.
Marvel Chooses Familiar Faces to Lead Avengers: Doomsday
The news that Doctor Doom, Thor, and Steve Rogers will be the emotional leads of Avengers: Doomsday isn't all that surprising, but it is intriguing that even after Avengers: Endgame once seemed to be a passing of the baton to a new generation, Marvel Studios is still relying on their characters to front their movies once more.
Of course, audiences are already heavily invested in characters like Steve Rogers and Thor, making it much easier for them to buy into the film when those characters are at the forefront. Marvel has been promoting that Avengers: Endgame and Avengers: Doomsday will have several links, so bringing back the original Avengers as key components makes sense in the interconnected MCU world.
On the other hand, the MCU now has many new characters filling out its roster, with the Multiverse Saga introducing Letitia Wright as the new Black Panther, Simu Liu as Shang-Chi, and the Thunderbolts and Fantastic Four teams as exciting new leads. It could be more interesting for Marvel Studios to put some of its emotional weight on those newer characters to keep the Avengers films feeling fresh, although it sounds like each character will still have their chance to shine in the packed Avengers: Doomsday lineup.
