Marvel Studios now has a character to take over the Hulk's role as a replacement in Avengers: Doomsday. Doomsday is set to feature what should be the biggest cast of any comic book movie in history, blending multiple generations of heroes from the MCU and past Marvel films into one story. However, this will also bring notable replacements that will make for intriguing moments in this epic crossover.
The fourth trailer for Marvel Studios' Avengers: Doomsday showed the return of Ebon Moss-Bachrach's Ben Grimm/The Thing after his debut in 2025's The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Here, he meets Winston Duke's M'Baku and other Wakandans and introduces himself, confirming he will visit Earth-616 for the first time when Doomsday hits theaters on December 18.
This will make Ben Grimm something of a replacement for Mark Ruffalo's Hulk, who has not been confirmed for a role in Doomsday as of writing. Both characters are massive, hulking, CGI-created brutes who are known to have a soft heart and sometimes serve as comedic relief in their stories.
While Ruffalo is confirmed to reprise his role as Bruce Banner (he is also rumored to bring back Savage Hulk) in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, he is not yet part of Doomsday's cast, even if he ends up being confirmed for a small role in the movie later.
Other Characters Being "Replaced" in Avengers: Doomsday
Black Widow
Scarlett Johansson enjoyed an impressive nine-year run in the MCU as Natasha Romanoff, playing the Black Widow in nine MCU movies (including an uncredited role in the Captain Marvel post-credits scene). Tragically, her character was killed off in Avengers: Endgame, when she sacrificed herself on Vormir so that Clint Barton could obtain the Soul Stone.
Doomsday will replace Romanoff with Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova — an unsurprising choice, considering Yelena is the next-most notable member of the Black Widows. She now serves as one of the leaders of the New Avengers, who will unite in this film after watching the Fantastic Four's ship fly towards Earth in Thunderbolts*.
Hawkeye
Another original Avenger not expected to play a big role in Doomsday (if any) is Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye. A veteran of nine MCU projects, including an uncredited voice role in Black Widow, Clint Barton is still a key player in the MCU, although he has not appeared on screen in live-action since 2021's Hawkeye (which may get a second season).
Hawkeye will be replaced by a pair of heroes in Paul Rudd's Scott Lang/Ant-Man and Wyatt Russell's John Walker/U.S. Agent in Doomsday. Both of these characters are family men whose loved ones may be in danger, and Walker also has a dark past in the same way that Barton does, tying all three heroes together in those ways.
War Machine
Don Cheadle's War Machine has been a staple in the MCU since 2010's Iron Man 2, eventually becoming an Avenger during his time in the Infinity Saga. While recent appearances may have negatively retconned some of his story, Cheadle has played James Rhodes in nine live-action MCU movies and TV shows.
The closest comparison to War Machine in Doomsday (assuming Cheadle is not included) is Danny Ramirez's Joaquin Torres, who takes over the Falcon role after Sam Wilson's promotion to Captain America. Torres mostly seves as a sidekick to Wilson, the way Rhodes did with Tony Stark, setting his place as a core Avenger for the near future.
Nebula
Karen Gillan's Nebula had a consistent presence in the MCU's cosmic storyline for nearly a decade. Appearing in all three Guardians of the Galaxy movies and the last two Avengers films (plus The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special on Disney+), she became one of the MCU's most prominent fighters and, shockingly, one of the most emotional stories of the whole franchise.
Comparing Nebula to a confirmed Doomsday star, she ties closely to Vanessa Kirby's Invisible Woman (The Fantastic Four: First Steps) as a female hero with a strong connection to the film's main villain. Sue Storm has a long history with Doctor Doom in the comics (along with the interaction between Doom, Sue, and her son Franklin Richards in The Fantastic Four's mid-credits scene), just as Nebula did with her "adoptive" father, Thanos.
Rocket
Alongside Gillian, Bradley Cooper became a fan-favorite in the MCU as Rocket Raccoon, a core member of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Cooper starred in all three Guardians trilogy films, the Holiday Special, and the last two Avengers movies, making Rocket one of the most beloved characters in MCU history.
The Rocket replacement in this movie will be delivered through Kelsey Grammer's Beast (who first joined the MCU in 2023's The Marvels). Both of them are furry animal-like CGI creatures who mostly play a supporting role in their groups, and both of them are also brilliant in their own unique ways.
Thanos
To close out the Infinity Saga, Josh Brolin embodied one of the most iconic villains in MCU history, the Mad Titan Thanos. Introduced in Guardians of the Galaxy, he was the main villain in the two most recent Avengers movies before Tony Stark snapped him out of existence in Avengers: Endgame.
Naturally, Doomsday's replacement for Thanos will be the movie's main villain, Victor Von Doom, played by returning MCU star Robert Downey Jr. While the characters are vastly different, Doom will be no slouch in terms of power and influence, as he will give the Avengers their biggest challenges to date years after Thanos' quest to wipe out half of all live in the universe.
Richard Nebens joined The Direct in March 2020, now serving as the site's Senior Writer. He started his journalism career as a hobby in 2019 and is passionate about sharing news and stories from the entertainment industry, especially comic book movies, comedy, and sci-fi. Richard looks to expand his knowledge about movies and TV every day, and he is eager to stay locked into the latest releases and breaking news at every opportunity.
