Avengers: Doomsday's latest promotional push provides a clear emphasis on two specific female heroes, but Vanessa Kirby's Sue Storm is not included in the main highlight. The 2026 MCU crossover event will bring together a core lineup of heroes from across the MCU, uniting the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men against the threat posed by Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom. Within that larger ensemble, the women involved range from established leaders to supporting figures with deeper ties to the story's central Multiversal threats. Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova is at the forefront as the leader of the New Avengers, while Letitia Wright's Shuri represents Wakanda's ongoing presence. Vanessa Kirby's Sue Storm carries over from her major role in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. While all three are expected to have significant roles in the movie, the recent wave of posters and promotional art tells a different story.
Multiple Hex Facility-style posters, international one-sheets, and standees have spotlighted Yelena Belova and Shuri's Black Panther as the two primary female superheroes being marketed alongside major male heroes such as Thor, Captain America, Ben Grimm, Cyclops, and Beast.
This poster featured Yelena Belova and Shuri standing alongside major MCU heavyweights like Reed Richards and Thor, emphasizing that both carry substantial leading roles in the upcoming crossover event.
Avengers: Doomsday's international poster featured a massive ensemble of heroes, including Loki as the God of Stories. Yelena Belova and Shuri are also seen standing alongside the main heroes in Doomsday, seemingly indicating that they will have an important role in one of the major battles against Doom.
Another poster featured the bulk of the main heroes featured in Avengers: Doomsday. Once again, it prominently featured Yelena and Shuri in action, as the three major teams (Avengers, Fantastic Four, and X-Men) unite against a common threat.
Another Avengers: Doomsday poster from Hex Facility highlighted Florence Pugh's Yelena at the top of the ensemble while Shuri stands alongside Cyclops and Beast. Some have claimed that their role is to serve as emotional anchors for the movie's female heroes.
Vanessa Kirby's Sue Storm is notably absent from many of them, even as other ensemble and female-focused promo art has included her alongside Yelena, Shuri, and Mystique.
One potential reason for the shift is that Sue already carried a substantial leading role in First Steps, including her pregnancy, the birth of Franklin Richards, and a temporary death that will continue to shape her character going forward. With that heavy lifting already done in her own film, Doomsday's marketing appears to be giving her a bit more of a step back in certain posters while still confirming her importance to the larger plot.
It's worth noting that the Avengers: Doomsday special look trailer from D23 Expo confirmed that Sue Storm's (and the Fantastic Four's) history with Victor von Doom and the situation involving Franklin Richards will be heavily featured in the movie, meaning that she will still be part of the significant chunk of the runtime in the crossover event.
Every Other Major Female MCU Characters In Avengers: Doomsday
Mystique
Rebecca Romijn returns as Mystique in Avengers: Doomsday, serving as a hero and a member of the X-Men who will defend the X-Mansion from Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom. Her inclusion in Doomsday brings one of the classic mutant characters into the MCU's Multiversal conflict.
The official Doomsday trailer revealed that a misunderstanding between the Avengers and the X-Men would lead to a clash between Mystique and Yelena Belova, but the incursion-heavy conflict ahead suggests this will only be temporary, as they are dealing with the literal end of all reality.
Ghost
Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) returns in Avengers: Doomsday, not as a villain, but as a reformed hero and a full-fledged member of the New Avengers.
While she fulfilled her redemption arc in Thunderbolts*, marketing for Avengers: Doomsday has sidelined Ghost in its initial promotional wave, leading fans to wonder whether she would be killed in the looming conflict against Doctor Doom and the Sentinels.
Love
India Rose Hemsworth's Love made her debut in Thor: Love and Thunder's ending as Thor's adopted daughter. She returns in Avengers: Doomsday as Thor's emotional anchor in the Multiversal war.
Not much is known about her role, but it's possible that she will only appear in the early part of the film to establish her connection to the God of Thunder (read more on why Marvel Studios will fix Thor: Love and Thunder in Avengers: Doomsday).
Cassie Lang
Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton) returns in Avengers: Doomsday to serve as Scott Lang's emotional fuel ahead of the Multiversal conflict. Trailer footage already showed Cassie and Scott in a tender moment, indicating that Scott might be saying goodbye to her before heading to the site where the Avengers need to face Doctor Doom.
Peggy Carter
Avengers: Endgame Encore's game-changing ending, with Loki arriving at Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter's house, sets a different narrative trajectory for the pair heading into Avengers: Doomsday. With Steve confirmed to be part of the action and the revelation that he has a son with Peggy, her role could be reduced to serving as a guardian for their child while Steve teams up with the heroes to put an end to Doom's evil plan for the Multiverse.
Latverian Witches
The Latverian Witches are a group of hooded, color-coded figures who appear to be loyal acolytes of Doctor Doom. They appear to function as mystical allies willing to do Doom's bidding, adding a magical element to Doom's unpredictable forces. Some have theorized which MCU characters could be playing these witches, with speculation ranging from Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch to Sophia DiMartino's Sylvie.
Sandra Hüller’s character
Oscar-nominated actress Sandra Hüller’has been confirmed for a role in Avengers: Doomsday, and many are already linking her to be one of the actresses portraying the Latverian witches in the movie. Others also claimed that she could be playing Victor von Doom's wife, Cynthia, in the movie, meaning that she could serve as the villain's emotional fuel.
