Avengers: Doomsday's trailer has more characters than it knows what to do with, yet it didn't send invites to every member of the cast. It's fair to say that the first full trailer for the fifth Avengers movie was one of the most anticipated in Marvel Studios history. After all, there was so much mystery surrounding the project prior to its release, with nothing but four teasers to keep fans at bay.
That's not to say that diehards were unhappy to see some of their favorites, such as Thor, Captain America, Professor X, and Magneto, back in action; they just didn't have any context for what they were watching. The official Doomsday trailer puts everything into perspective. Doctor Doom kicks off the proceedings by explaining that a threat is on the way that will force the heroes to make difficult choices.
After the villain shows off his new suit, the latest look at Doomsday does a sort of hero roll call. The Fantastic Four arrive at New Avengers Tower to exchange pleasantries with Yelena Belova's crew, as well as Sam Wilson's. They all travel to the X-Men's universe, where everyone is a bit on edge. The mutants pick a fight with their visitors, allowing all the characters in the X-Mansion to put their powers on display.
There's so much to take in that, by the end of the Doomsday trailer, it's easy to overlook the fact that it's missing a few confirmed MCU characters. The first big omission is Nightcrawler, who spends his days teleporting around Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Despite receiving a chair during the Doomsday cast reveal in 2025, Alan Cumming and his buckets of blue makeup are nowhere to be found in the trailer.
Maybe Marvel Studios has yet to put the finishing touches on the VFX for a character who can't stay still. Or, it's possible the powers that be didn't appreciate how much Cumming has revealed about his role in the movie and decided to put him on ice for the time being. As much as the tabloids would love to report on some behind-the-scenes drama, the truth is probably closer to the former than the latter.
Beast, another VFX-based character, also failed to appear in the Doomsday trailer. Of course, his role isn't in any jeopardy, as Marvel Studios teased his importance to the Multiverse Saga all the way back in The Marvels' post-credits scene.
Another character that punched their Doomsday ticket in a post-credits scene was Franklin Richards. Doom paid Sue Storm and Reed Richards' son a visit in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. And while the actor bringing the powerful mutant to life in Doomsday has yet to be revealed, his likeness has appeared on merchandise for the highly anticipated film. Clearly, Marvel Studios has big plans for Franklin, which it doesn't want to reveal in a trailer or any other promotional material.
Peggy Carter finds herself in a similar boat. The Hollywood trades reported back in 2024 that MCU mainstay Hayley Atwell signed on to appear in Doomsday. Peggy seemed to be away when Steve Rogers held their child in the movie's first teaser. And since he leaves his universe behind in the full trailer, there's really no reason for her to make her presence felt. It's not like Peggy to sit on the sidelines, though, so she's sure to make an impact one way or another in Doomsday.
The reality is that Doomsday has more mouths to feed than any of its Marvel Studios predecessors. And the situation is only likely to get more out of control, as MCU projects tend to keep their best cards close to the vest.
Avengers: Doomsday's Trailer Is Probably Hiding Its Fair Share of Unconfirmed MCU Characters
When the Doomsday chair reveal livestream came to an end, a puzzled look appeared on the faces of every member of the fanbase. There were obviously plenty of pleasant surprises, such as the return of many of Fox's original X-Men actors. However, many performers who were assumed to be integral to the end of the Multiverse Saga were no-shows.
Tom Holland and Mark Ruffalo got passes because Spider-Man: Brand New Day demanded their attention. No excuses were presented for the likes of Benedict Cumberbatch, Chris Pratt, and Brie Larson, though.
What's likely going on is that Doomsday's story isn't one built for the likes of Doctor Strange and Captain Marvel. Thor points out in the trailer that the movie's roster of heroes really isn't anything to write home about. That's clearly by design, as Doom probably couldn't conquer Earth-616 if it were firing on all cylinders.
Being absent from a major chunk of the story won't make an unconfirmed hero ineligible for a last-second save. The fun of the superhero genre is that anything can happen without much build-up. And that's doubly true when a concept like the multiverse is in play.
