Avengers: Doomsday already confirmed over 30 heroes who will return, and some may be set for death, with greatly varied survival chances across the roster. The Avengers, X-Men, and Fantastic Four are preparing for a grand face-off with Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom in Doomsday and Secret Wars. As was the case with the MCU's last batch of saga-concluding blockbusters, fans are expecting some major deaths in Doomsday and Secret Wars. Last time around, across Infinity War and Endgame, the MCU bid farewell to Gamora, Vision, Black Widow, and Iron Man with their own tragic deaths.
Ranking Avengers: Doomsday's Heroes by Survival Chances
Before ranking Doomsday's many heroes by their survival chances, it's important to note that Marvel Studios has already confirmed 12 heroes from the Avengers, Fantastic Four, and Thunderbolts who will return for Secret Wars. Thus, these characters will almost certainly survive Avengers 5 to fight another day (unless a twist sees them appear as a Variant instead in Secret Wars).
Mister Fantastic
Pedro Pascal is about to debut as Reed Richards in The Fantastic Four: First Steps before tagging along with Earth's Mightiest Heroes. The rivalry between Mr. Fantastic and Doctor Doom is central to the Secret Wars comic storyline, meaning Pascal may end up being one of Avengers 6's biggest stars.
Invisible Woman
In the Secret Wars comics, Sue Storm became Susan von Doom on Battleworld, marrying Doctor Doom and helping him keep his cool at times. It's unclear whether that dynamic will carry into the MCU adaptation, as the two may not have met yet, but Vanessa Kirby is expected to feature in Avengers 6 regardless.
Human Torch
Joseph Quinn's Johnny Storm is about to make his MCU debut and is among the heroes expected to survive Doomsday and Secret Wars. After Chris Evans reprised his Human Torch in Deadpool & Wolverine, perhaps he and Quinn could team up in Secret Wars for a flaming hot set piece.
The Thing
Of course, Ebon Mass-Bachrach's Thing isn't going anywhere, especially with The Fantastic Four 2 reportedly in development already. While it's unconfirmed if Mark Ruffalo will appear as the Hulk, there could be something special in seeing the two smashing heroes side-by-side in Secret Wars for the first time in live-action.
Sam Wilson/Captain America
After Captain America: Brave New World, Sam Wilson is officially forming the next generation of Avengers and may have already recruited five heroes to his team. Fans shouldn't expect the new Captain America to go anywhere after Doomsday, as he ought to remain a leading figure in both blockbusters.
Doctor Strange
Benedict Cumberbatch wasn't part of the Doomsday cast reveal, but the British star indicated that Doctor Strange will return for both Avengers movies after Multiverse of Madness teased his Incursion investigations with Clea. Many have speculated he will also return to lead Doctor Strange 3 between the ensembles, setting the stage for the Multiverse Saga's big climax.
Winter Soldier
Much like the Fantastic Four, the Thunderbolts (now the New Avengers) are among Avengers: Secret Wars' 14 confirmed cast members. Sebastian Stan's Bucky Barnes will continue his arc as one of the MCU's longest-standing heroes, fighting aside his new and old comrades in the Multiversal battle.
Yelena Belova
After finally becoming the public-facing hero she wanted to be in Thunderbolts*, Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova will now join Earth's Mightiest Heroes, following in the footsteps of her sister. As Secret Wars unites the Multiverse, one has to wonder if Scarlett Johansson will return to play an alternate-reality Black Widow, giving Yelena a tear-jerking reunion or face-off with her late spy sister.
Red Guardian
David Harbour is set for at least two more MCU blockbusters as Alexei Shostakov brings more comedy to the next Avengers movies. Red Guardian had dreamt of fighting Captain America before, and perhaps he will get that wish in Doomsday or Secret Wars, especially with the Thunderbolts and Avengers possibly eyeing a superhero Civil War, whether it be Sam Wilson or Steve Rogers.
U.S. Agent
Wyatt Russell will continue his heroic journey in Secret Wars and will, hopefully, get to spend some time with Sam Wilson after their conflict in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Between Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson, Red Guardian, and U.S. Agent, the next Avengers movies could have four shield-bearing heroes who could unite in a singular action spectacle on the big screen.
Ghost
Fans never thought they would see Hannah John-Kamen's Ghost again after Ant-Man and the Wasp, and yet she will be back in Secret Wars. There's no telling what she will get up to with the New Avengers, but it could be interesting to see her reunite with Scott Lang and Hope van Dyne, now on the side of good.
Peggy Carter
Hayley Atwell's agent recently confirmed she has inked deals for both upcoming Avengers movies to reprise Peggy Carter. While she may return as her original MCU self, there seems to be a high chance she will bring her What If...? Variant, Captain Carter, to live-action once again in Secret Wars.
But now, for those whose fates remain uncertain beyond Avengers: Doomsday - who is most likely to survive to Secret Wars?
1.) Shang-Chi
Fans have been waiting almost four years for a Shang-Chi sequel, and while that isn't coming just yet, Simu Liu's martial artist will be back in Avengers 5. As one of the MCU's newest superheroes who undoubtedly has a bright future and a sequel ahead, Shang-Chi has the highest likelihood of surviving the events of Doomsday.
2.) Sentry
Lewis Pullman only just joined the MCU as Bob Reynolds in Thunderbolts*, and he is yet to truly realize his potential in becoming the Sentry. As such, Reynolds ought to be safe in Avengers 5 and may even learn to use his immense superpowers for good as a powerful force against Doctor Doom.
3.) Joaquin Torres/Falcon
The MCU's new Falcon just recently had a close brush with death in Captain America: Brave New World that left him seriously injured. While Joaquin Torres should be fully recovered by Doomsday, it would be surprising for Marvel Studios to put him in the firing line again so soon.
4.) Namor
Namor's survivability is less clear compared to other new MCU heroes due to a rights issue that prevents him from getting his own project. That said, Marvel Studios can still utilize Tenoch Huerta's Talokan ruler as a supporting character who may end up joining forces with Doctor Doom, as he sometimes has in the comics.
5.) Steve Rogers
MCU veteran Chris Evans is reportedly returning in Avengers 5 to assume a new superhero persona as Nomad. It seems likely Steve Rogers will continue to "do this all day" into at least Secret Wars, especially since Marvel Studios just killed off a Chris Evans in Deadpool & Wolverine with his Human Torch.
6.) Shuri
Letitia Wright's Shuri only just became the Black Panther and joined the Avengers, so her chances of survival are strong. That said, as Marvel Studios may be eyeing F1 star Damson Idris to play T'Challa's son as an adult, it's possible there may be a new Black Panther soon, which may set the course for Shuri's demise.
7.) M'Baku
Having become a popular MCU character, Winston Duke's M'Baku could be killed off to raise the stakes without taking a major superhero off the board. He is currently the King of Wakanda, but with many speculating that T'Challa's son may soon take the throne, M'Baku may be a casualty of the process.
8.) Gambit
All of Doomsday's X-Men will hail from an alternate universe, which greatly raises their chance of demise in the conflict with Doctor Doom. As Channing Tatum only just debuted as Gambit in Deadpool & Wolverine, his odds of survival are perhaps moderately higher than the other returning mutants.
9.) Cyclops
Marvel Studios is gearing up to reboot the X-Men, and Cyclops is reportedly among the three new, recast heroes set to lead the mutant team. This, of course, hinders the chances that James Marsden's classic laser-blasting mutant will survive the Avengers flicks, but that death may be saved for Secret Wars.
10.) Beast
Kelsey Grammer's Beast was the one to tease the X-Men's return in The Marvels' post-credit scene, appearing alongside Teyonah Parris' Monica Rambeau. While his role may be on the more scientific end, Beast is in just as much danger as the other X-Men as the threat of the Avengers looms.
11.) Nightcrawler
Nightcrawler actor Alan Cumming already spilled the beans on Doomsday as he spoiled that the X-Men will fight the Fantastic Four and likely the Avengers. Kevin Feige could be aiming his sniper at Cumming in retaliation, killing off the classic Nightcrawler alongside other familiar X-Men heroes.
12.) Mystique
Rebecca Romijn will once more play Mystique in Doomsday, and her shape-shifting could be an interesting addition to the Avengers vs. X-Men battle. She could utilize her powers to blend in with Earth's Mightiest Heroes and, eventually, Doctor Doom, which could lead her to fall victim to the Multiversal villain.
13.) Magneto
At 86 years old, Ian McKellen is among the MCU's oldest stars ever as he reprises Magneto in Avengers 5. Unlike his famous rival, Patrick Stewart's Charles Xavier, McKellen's legendary mutant has never died on-screen. Either this means that Magneto's endurance will see him through to Secret Wars, or Doomsday may finally give fans of the Marvel veteran a truly crushing death.
14.) Professor X
While these alternate universe X-Men are generally even in survival chances, Patrick Stewart's Professor X seems most likely to die. This is down to his track record under Fox and Marvel Studios, having been killed off three times across X-Men: The Last Stand, Logan, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
15.) Wong
Doctor Strange is famously the Sorcerer Supreme in Marvel Comics; however, that position is currently held by Wong. Unfortunately, for the MCU's Doctor Strange to live up to his comic counterpart and become Earth's primary protector from mystical threats, Wong may have to die and vacate his position at some point.
16.) Ant-Man
Having been among the first MCU heroes to encounter Jonathan Majors' Kang, fans were convinced that Paul Rudd's Ant-Man was not going to survive when Avengers 5 was The Kang Dynasty. While Kang may be gone, Rudd may still be looking to wrap up his decade-long MCU journey in Doomsday.
17.) Thor
Chris Hemsworth has been playing Thor for over a decade, and after a recent statement, fans are convinced he is heading for retirement. Being a franchise staple who is famously one of the MCU's most powerful heroes, the God of Thunder's death could solidify Doom as a true force to be reckoned with.
18.) Loki
Loki will reportedly play a key role in Doomsday as the story's MacGuffin, with the Avengers and Doctor Doom racing to reach him first. As Doom will presumably be victorious going into Secret Wars, that, unfortunately, may mean that Tom Hiddleston's Asgardian has to die and relinquish control of the Multiverse.
Not to mention that Loki has perished multiple times in the MCU, making the God of Stories the least likely hero to make it past Doomsday.
