Avengers: Doomsday is set to dramatically expand Earth's Mightiest Heroes as familiar faces from three universes collide with Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom. One of Marvel's all-time greatest supervillains, the Latverian monarch, scientist, and sorcerer's plans will force the scattered defenders of Earth to assemble against a threat that could destroy the Multiverse.
The film's recent "3 Teams Will Stand As One" promo reinforces the idea that Sam Wilson's (Anthony Mackie) Avengers (which Sam set to rebuild sometime after the events of Captain America: Brave New World), Yelena Belova's New Avengers, and Wakanda and Talokan's heroes will unite against Doom. This follows tensions between Sam and the New Avengers over who owns the Avengers name, first hinted at in Thunderbolts.
While some heroes on these teams have fought alongside members of the Avengers in the past, most have never been recognized as official members of the team. Other post-Endgame additions to the MCU have only had brief interactions with official Avengers, which could give them the chance to earn that distinction when Avengers: Doomsday arrives on December 18, 2026. These are the seven heroes who may finally earn an official place on the Avengers' squad.
7 MCU Characters Who May Become Full Avengers in Avengers: Doomsday
Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh)
Introduced as the late Natasha Romanoff's (Scarlett Johansson) adopted sister in Black Widow, the former mind-controlled assassin has stepped out of Natasha's shadow to become one of the MCU's most compelling characters. After tangling with Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) and attempting to kill Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) in Hawkeye, she became an essential member of the Thunderbolts alongside longtime assassin-turned-Avenger Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan).
Though Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) rebranded the Thunderbolts as The New Avengers, Yelena has never officially belonged to the original organization. Her ragtag team of misfits fighting alongside Sam Wilson's roster and the Wakandan team could make her a successor to Natasha in more than just name.
Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen)
Ava Starr made her disruptive MCU debut in 2018's Ant-Man and the Wasp as an antagonist who uses her molecular instability to phase through solid objects. The film also established her as a tragic figure whose body is always wracked with pain because of her condition, which was eventually healed by Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer).
She reappeared in 2025's Thunderbolts, working as a shadow operative employed by Valentina, who manipulated Ava and other operatives to attempt to kill one another. Instead, the operatives learned of Valentina's intentions and joined forces to form the Thunderbolts. Ghost's initiation onto the Avengers roster would make for a full-circle moment for a character who actively fought against Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), an established member of the team.
John Walker (Wyatt Russell)
John Walker was introduced as an elite U.S. Army captain chosen by the government to replace Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) as Captain America in 2021's The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. However, his hot-headed nature and public execution of a member of the Flag Smashers led to John being publicly shamed and stripped of the title. After a meeting with Valentina, he adopted the moniker U.S. Agent, became one of the shady CIA Director's operatives, and eventually joined the Thunderbolts.
Known for his crass, confrontational style, John becoming an Avenger would put him in close proximity with Sam Wilson, whom he clashed with in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Their contentious history could create an interesting dynamic within the team, which could be further complicated by the arrival of Steve Rogers, the man whose legacy John failed to live up to.
Sentry/Bob Reynolds (Lewis Pullman)
Bob Reynolds emerged as one of the MCU's most powerful characters in Thunderbolts as a man experimented on by Valentina's O.X.E. corporation. Their experiments transformed Bob into Sentry, a nearly invincible being with superhuman strength and agility, flight, telekinesis, and other abilities. However, Bob's fragile mental state also gave rise to a destructive alternate persona known as the Void, who had the power to transport people into their worst nightmares.
After being rescued from his own pain and despair by the Thunderbolts, Bob joined the team, later renamed the New Avengers. But like his teammate Yelena, Bob has never served as a member of the official Avengers squad. His addition gives Earth's Mightiest Heroes – comprised mostly of assassins, skilled fighters, and super soldiers – a much-needed boost against the insurmountable power of Doctor Doom.
Red Guardian (David Harbour)
When Alexei Shostakov debuted in 2021's Black Widow as Natasha Romanoff and Yelena Belova's adoptive father and Russia's answer to Captain America, he was treated mostly like a joke. Despite his super-soldier status, Alexei's bumbling nature and obsession with his own legacy made him more of an embarrassment to his daughters than a legitimate analog to Steve Rogers.
After rescuing Yelena, Ava, and John from the O.X.E. facility where they were supposed to die, Red Guardian joined the Thunderbolts, giving him another chance to become a publicly recognized superhero. Red Guardian becoming an official Avenger in Doomsday would fulfill Alexei's longtime dream of achieving the recognition enjoyed by heroes like Steve Rogers, albeit under the leadership of the current Captain America, Sam Wilson.
Shang-Chi (Simu Liu)
Arguably one of the MCU's most popular new additions post-Avengers: Endgame, Shang-Chi made his live-action debut in his eponymous 2021 film, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. The martial arts expert used his extraordinary fighting skills to take on his father's crime organization and eventually wielded the powerful Ten Rings to defeat an otherworldly, soul-devouring monster. In the film's mid-credits scene, he discussed the rings with Bruce Banner, Carol Danvers, and Wong, establishing a connection to the Avengers.
Shang-Chi has not appeared in live action since his movie and therefore has never been formally inducted into the team on-screen. While his most notable moment in Avengers: Doomsday's marketing places him in a fierce battle against Channing Tatum's Gambit, Shang-Chi has also appeared alongside Sam Wilson, Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Scott Lang/Ant-Man, and Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez) as a member of Sam's rebuilt Avengers team.
Shuri/Black Panther (Letitia Wright)
While Shuri has fought alongside the Avengers on multiple occasions, attempting to save Vision (Paul Bettany) in Avengers: Infinity War and taking on Thanos' (Josh Brolin) forces in Avengers: Endgame, the Wakandan princess and STEM prodigy has never been established as an official Avenger.
Following the death of her older brother, T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman), and the threats Namor (Tenoch Huerta) and Talokan posed to Wakanda in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Shuri took up the Black Panther mantle and forged a truce with Talokan despite her anger and fury over her recent losses. Joining the Avengers could give Shuri a larger support system in the team's fight against Doctor Doom before T'Challa's son, played by David Jonsson, presumably dons the vibranium suit in Black Panther 3.
Bonus: 3 Other MCU Heroes Who Could Become Avengers
Namor (Tenoch Huerta)
After threatening and attacking Wakanda in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, leading to the death of Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett), Talokan's superpowered leader forged an uneasy alliance with the technologically advanced African nation. Although his tentative truce with Shuri could bring him into the Avengers coalition, his bloodthirsty nature and complicated history could keep him off the official team.
M'Baku (Winston Duke)
The one-time leader of the mountain-dwelling Jabari tribe and current king of Wakanda has fought alongside the Avengers before, taking on Thanos' ferocious Outriders in both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. An able fighter with an imposing physique, M'Baku could join Shuri as an official Avengers member, but his inclusion in Doomsday doesn't necessarily mean his induction is set in stone.
Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton)
First appearing as Scott Lang's young daughter in Ant-Man and Ant-Man and the Wasp, a teenage Cassie (portrayed by Emma Fuhrmann) made a brief appearance in Avengers: Endgame. She made her superhero debut as Stature in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and is confirmed to appear in Avengers: Doomsday. However, with several future Young Avengers members already in the MCU, the likelihood of her joining her father on the official Avengers roster seems slim.
