Over half a dozen characters in Avengers: Doomsday will have been recast for the MCU's next major team-up film, which hits theaters on December 18. Marvel Studios is no stranger to recasting roles, which has happened a handful of times over the MCU's 18-year history. While this isn't often, new actors continue to take over big roles as sequels are brought to life on the big and small screens.
Avengers: Doomsday features seven characters who have been recast at least once, either in the MCU or other Marvel franchises. That list starts with Scott Lang’s daughter, Cassie, who became the superheroine Stature in her most recent appearance. Originally played by Abby Ryder Fortson, the older Cassie was played by Emma Fuhrmann in one scene from Avengers: Endgame; Kathryn Newton will return as Cassie in Doomsday after first replacing Fuhrmann in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania.
Moving to the X-Men, Kelsey Grammer will be back in action as Dr. Hank McCoy/Beast. He first played the role in 2006's X-Men: The Last Stand, then appeared in 2014's X-Men: Days of Future Past and in the mid-credits scene of 2023's The Marvels. However, Beast was originally played by Steve Bacic, who made his only Marvel appearance as the furry blue mutant at the end of 2003’s X2.
Doomsday’s oldest leading star will be 87-year-old Sir Ian McKellen, who will reprise his role as Erik Lensherr/Magneto for the sixth time. The role was also played by Michael Fassbender in three X-Men movies, as he delivered a younger version of the Omega-level mutant (including appearing alongside McKellen in Days of Future Past).
Returning for his second appearance as Kurt/Wagner/Nightcrawler is Alan Cumming, who will reportedly have a few action sequences in Doomsday. After he first starred in X2, Kodi Smit-McPhee took on the younger version of Nightcrawler in 2016's X-Men: Apocalypse and 2019's X-Men: Dark Phoenix (along with a cameo in 2018's Deadpool 2).
One of the earliest modern Marvel stars, James Marsden, will suit up as Scott Summers/Cyclops in Doomsday, marking his fifth appearance in the role after starring in the original trilogy and making a cameo in Days of Future Past. The X-Men's leader was also played by Tye Sheridan, who embodied the younger Scott in Apocalypse and Dark Phoenix (plus a cameo in Deadpool 2).
The last recast X-Men star in Doomsday is Rebecca Romijn, who will make her MCU debut as Raven Darkhölme/Mystique. She starred in all three original movies and had a cameo in 2011's X-Men: First Class. Romijn will take back over the role from Jennifer Lawrence, who played the younger Mystique in four X-Men movies and concluded her run in Dark Phoenix.
Finally, Lewis Pullman is set to make his second appearance as Robert Reynolds/Sentry after first debuting in 2025's Thunderbolts*. Invincible star Steven Yeun was originally reported to be playing this character, but he left the movie due to scheduling conflicts and delays caused by the 2023 writers' and actors' strikes.
Which MCU Stars Could Be Recast in New Roles?
Over the years, Marvel stars have often been lined up to take on different roles than the ones they ended up playing. This includes Loki star Tom Hiddleston (who originally auditioned to play Thor) and the late Black Panther icon Chadwick Boseman (who nearly portrayed Drax the Destroyer).
Looking at current stars, many have considered Wesley Snipes as a potential return to the MCU in a more villainous role, specifically in a movie like Black Panther 3. After playing the darker anti-hero Blade on four occasions, this could be a chance for him to go against Letitia Wright's Shuri under director Ryan Coogler's watch.
Another option fans have looked at is Will Poulter, who joined the MCU in 2023 as Adam Warlock in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Considering Warlock's future is unknown, some have thought Poulter could make for a good option to play an X-Man in the new movie, potentially a darker character like Pyro (played in Deadpool & Wolverine by Aaron Stanford).
Regarding more recent releases, John Krasinski has also come up in this conversation, after auditioning to play Captain America and playing a multiversal Reed Richards in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. While the X-Men are expected to be cast as younger characters, some have suggested Beast or Cyclops (when Krasinski was younger) for the former Office lead.
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.
