Over half a dozen groups of major heroes did not make it into a recent promotional blast for Marvel Studios' Avengers: Doomsday. Doomsday's cast is expected to be bigger in scale than any movie in MCU history, delivering a story that may tear the fabric of the multiverse apart. While filming is still far from done for the Phase 6 sequel, many questions remain about who will be involved.
Marvel Studios hosted a panel at a Walt Disney Studios Marketing Expo in Shanghai, China, showing off an official Avengers: Doomsday light show. The show highlighted a quartet of teams that will be part of Doomsday's cast, including the Wakandans, Fantastic Four, X-Men, and Avengers. While these teams and Doctor Doom will drive Doomsday's story forward, many expect that Marvel has not revealed the full cast for the movie, which is still well over a year away from its debut.
Every Group Missing From Marvel's Avengers: Doomsday Promo
Eternals
The Eternals entered the MCU to mixed critical results in 2021, bringing 10 new characters to Marvel lore behind stars like Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Salma Hayek, and more. While four team members were killed off, the remaining group members are split in half by the end of the film: half on the Domi ship and half facing judgment from Arishem.
As of writing, there are no confirmed plans for the Eternals to return to the MCU, which includes either of the next two Avengers films. With intriguing stories for several of this movie's characters, fans are eager to see when they will be highlighted in the MCU again.
Guardians of the Galaxy
In 2023, the Guardians of the Galaxy got their third and final solo movie, which earned rave reviews from critics and fans alike. However, at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the core team went their separate ways, some of them staying to form the new Guardians and others going down a new path.
The Guardians' inclusion in Doomsday became a question mark after director James Gunn left Marvel to take the job as DC Studios co-CEO. While Gunn is not the only director to work with the Guardians, their last solo movie seemed to close the book on their MCU story for the foreseeable future. While the team could still be part of Doomsday, there is a strong chance they might be left in the past.
Spider-Man
Tom Holland's Spider-Man was not only part of the last two Avengers movies, but he is also coming off a leading role in Spider-Man: No Way Home, the MCU's most successful solo movie ever. Holland is also deep in production on Spider-Man: Brand New Day, his fourth solo outing, the MCU's next theatrical release, and the last movie to hit theaters before Doomsday's arrival.
Spider-Man was a shocking omission from Doomsday's cast, as he is one of Marvel Studios' most popular characters. While rumors indicated he would have a fairly substantial role in the next film for Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Holland remains absent from the call sheet and any promotional material released thus far.
The Marvels
In 2023, Brie Larson (Captain Marvel), Teyonah Parris (Monica Rambeau), and Iman Vellani (Ms. Marvel) joined forces for The Marvels. Fighting the Kree leader Dar-Benn and taking on a multiversal tear in space, the team came out victorious, although Monica ended up trapped in another reality while Carol Danvers and Kamala Khan remained on Earth-616.
All three characters feel like natural fits for Doomsday's cast. Captain Marvel is one of the MCU's most powerful heroes, and Ms. Marvel's bangles could potentially end up as important MacGuffin-style items in Doomsday's plot. Most importantly, however, Monica is stuck in a reality that also has Kelsey Grammer's Beast, who is already confirmed for a role in Avengers 5. Taking all this into account, fans will be shocked if none of these three heroes return for Doomsday.
Magic Users
After magic first became a reality in the MCU in 2016's Doctor Strange, the mystic arts and magic users took on a prevalent role in the overarching story. Especially in the Multiverse Saga, heroes like Doctor Strange, Wanda Maximoff, Agatha Harkness, and more showed incredible skill and power as they dominated certain storylines.
None of these magic specialists is confirmed for Doomsday's cast, although Cumberbatch teased a possible role in both Doomsday and Secret Wars. With the Avengers needing every weapon available to them, and considering how important magicians and sorcerers have been in the Multiverse Saga, they are expected to be there when Doom's plan comes to fruition.
Defenders
Finally confirmed to be canon to the MCU's Sacred Timeline, the Defenders now share the same space as the Avengers and other major teams of heroes. Made up of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist, Daredevil and Jones are both either back or on their way back to the franchise, while fans remain optimistic about seeing the same thing happen for Cage and Iron Fist.
Although none of these heroes are in line to be in Doomsday's cast, a December 2024 rumor teased Cox's inclusion in the upcoming movie. Not only did Cox deny these rumors, but there have been no other signs pointing to any of these heroes having roles in Avengers 5. Considering the scale of this movie, the Defenders may be difficult to work in for a significant role, but fans remain hopeful to see them get their chance to join the fray.
Young Avengers
The Young Avengers are still waiting to get their day in the sun, but they are already represented in the MCU with multiple members in prominent roles. Particularly in the Multiverse Saga, fans have seen America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton), Ironheart (Dominique Thorne), the Maximoff twins (Julian Hilliard and Jett Klyne), Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld), Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani), and more star in multiple movies and TV shows.
As of writing, none of the Young Avengers are confirmed for Doomsday's cast, and the team has yet to assemble in any MCU project (the group was first teased at the end of The Marvels). Many fans expect the young heroes to join the fight with their older counterparts, but for now, they remain on the sidelines.
Bonus: New Avengers
One of the MCU's newest teams is the New Avengers, who were assembled at the end of 2025's Thunderbolts*. Featuring that movie's core team of heroes/antiheroes (minus the deceased Taskmaster), Julia Louis-Dreyfus' Val announced this group to the press after they defeated The Void, unexpectedly making them public heroes.
While the New Avengers were not one of the groups teased in Marvel's light show, the entire group was already confirmed for Doomsday's cast in the initial announcement from March 2025. This might mean that they will be absorbed into the main Avengers roster, which is expected to be led by Anthony Mackie's Captain America. No matter how this works out, there are no worries about the New Avengers' place in Doomsday.
Richard Nebens joined The Direct in March 2020, now serving as the site's Senior Writer and also working as an assistant editor and content creator. 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.
