With Thunderbolts* officially in theaters and Avengers: Doomsday on the horizon, Marvel Studios is hyping up some new Avengers fans can expect to see in the MCU soon. Having officially debuted on May 2, Thunderbolts* is the final MCU's Phase 5 movie.
Marvel Studios' latest movie stars Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, the first time fans have seen her in the role since 2021's Hawkeye, and features big names like Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes) and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, among others. With a growing list of characters in the greater MCU, the possibility of even more names popping up in 2026's culminating blockbuster is more likely than ever before.
Just over a year after the release of Thunderbolts*, Avengers: Doomsday will hit theaters in May 2026. It will mark the fifth Avengers movie in the MCU. Doomsday is currently in production, and Marvel revealed a star-studded cast through a multi-hour livestream just weeks before Thunderbolts* premiered.
6 Official New Avengers Confirmed for Avengers: Doomsday
Warning - The rest of this article contains spoilers for Thunderbolts*.
The ending and second post-credits scene of Thunderbolts* confirms that the movie's central team of characters will be known as the New Avengers from now on.
This will be one of two Avengers teams in Doomsday. The post-credits scene in Captain America: Brave New World explains that Sam Wilson is forming his own Avengers, too.
The government-backed "New Avengers" have six official members, though one is seemingly out of commission.
Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh)
Fresh off her leading role in Thunderbolts*, Yelena seemed, at least in the new movie's post-credits scene, to be taking on the leadership of the New Avengers (or sharing the reins with Bucky Barnes).
Given the movie's discussions on how Yelena was happiest when on a team, even a bad one, there is hope that she can work through some of the depression Florence Pugh's character struggles with. If her light were to brighten again, it would undoubtedly be in this environment where she is content.
Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan)
It is tempting to say that Bucky Barnes is the only New Avenger to have officially been on the former Avengers team. But in the MCU so far, it has never been truly specified whether he was technically ever officially part of the Avengers or just fought alongside them.
Still, Bucky brings wisdom to the new team, which is likely needed, as none of the other New Avengers have been adjacent to teams like the Avengers in the way Bucky was.
Plus, Bucky seems to be the New Avengers' link to Sam Wilson's Avengers — and though they did not seem to agree about who the "real Avengers" were, they cannot stay mad at each other for too long anyway.
Red Guardian / Alexei Shostakov (David Harbour)
If nothing else, Red Guardian is the most enthusiastic New Avenger. He spent nearly all of Thunderbolts* trying to convince them to become a team, so he is thrilled when that becomes official — and as the New Avengers, no less.
Even if he cannot fully admit it to himself, Alexei has always struggled with feeling invalidated as a superhero and has had a yearning to belong to which so many outcasts can undoubtedly relate. It will be interesting to see where his story goes now that he publicly gets the team he wanted so badly.
Ghost / Ava Starr (Hannah John-Kamen)
In her first appearance since Ant-Man and The Wasp, Ghost went from potentially one-off villain with a legitimate motive to a member of Earth's Mightiest Heroes (or at least, one version of them). This zero-to-100 comeback would be impressive enough on its own, but with the confirmation that she will be in Avengers: Doomsday, it is all the more so.
That is not to say she was ever irrelevant. In fact, given the Ant-Man and The Wasp post-credits scene, she is the reason Scott Lang survived Thanos' snap and figured out the time travel necessary to bring everyone back. He was in the Quantum Realm specifically to help keep Ghost alive, which led to the saving of half of the universe. Now, though, Ava gets to fight with the Avengers herself.
U.S. Agent / John Walker (Wyatt Russell)
Thunderbolts* managed to strike a perfect balance between giving the characters John Walker interacts with every reason to hate him and allowing them to recognize that he is struggling and needs a support system.
As such, it will be fun to see U.S. Agent evolve, especially given the similarities between the New Avengers and the role the government intended him to play as the new Captain America in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
U.S. Agent may not be someone who recognizes or cares how much he is hurting others, but his intentions are not necessarily malicious. His development in Avengers: Doomsday and beyond could grow even more fascinating (even if he does not necessarily become a better person).
Sentry* / Void* / Robert Reynolds (Lewis Pullman)
To pull from the Thunderbolts* playbook, these asterisks for Robert Reynolds' two heroic personas are there for a specific reason. As the post-credits scene shows, he actively avoids using his powers as the Sentry to avoid unleashing the Void again, trapping everyone in their deepest traumas and shames.
So, when he appears in the post-credits scene as simply Bob, to give an update that he did the dishes and explain why he is not powering up as Sentry, it does make sense. But it is tricky to believe that he will go through an entire Avengers movie without using his powers at all. This does leave open the risk of Bob turning into the Void again, though, hence the asterisks.
Gillian Blum has been a writer at The Direct since 2022, reporting primarily from New York City. Though she covers news from across the entertainment industry, Gillian has a particular focus on Marvel and DC, including comics, movies, and television shows. She also commonly reports on Percy Jackson, Invincible, and other similar franchises.
