Avengers: Doomsday reportedly includes a pair of major MCU stars who will first appear in 2026's Spider-Man: Brand New Day. While 2026 will be a light theatrical year for Marvel Studios volume-wise, Spider-Man 4 and Avengers 5 are two of the franchise's biggest movies in recent memory. Doomsday, in particular, will be a milestone outing thanks to its already massive cast, which is only set to grow in the coming months.
Tom Holland's Spider-Man and Mark Ruffalo's Hulk are both rumored to be in the cast for Marvel Studios' Avengers: Doomsday. Marvel shocked fans with reports indicating Ruffalo's Hulk would be in Spider-Man: Brand New Day (complete with his long-missed Savage Hulk form). With both being two of the biggest names in the MCU, it is no surprise that many expect them to be in the Avengers' next adventures.
Detailed in a report by The Cosmic Circus' Alex Perez, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is expected to set Mark Ruffalo's Hulk up "for Avengers: Doomsday, not another Hulk movie." Additionally, an older Cosmic Circus teased the same status for Tom Holland's Spider-Man, who is also now rumored to be in Doomsday's cast.
While Ruffalo and Holland were not included in the initial announcement confirming the first 27 stars in Avengers: Doomsday, both have been expected to play roles in the movie. This was especially the case due to Brand New Day being Doomsday's immediate predecessor release-wise, with that movie expected to lead into Doomsday from a plot perspective.
Avengers: Doomsday will be the MCU's first Avengers movie since 2019's Avengers: Endgame and the first of the Multiverse Saga. The film will bring more than two dozen stars together to face Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom, who will put the sanctity of the multiverse at risk as Incursions become more prevalent. Avengers: Doomsday is expected to debut in theaters on December 18, 2026.
Spider-Man 4's Expected Impact on Avengers: Doomsday
With plot details for both Spider-Man 4 and Avengers 5 still being kept under wraps, fans are anxious to find out how big an impact the Spider-Man sequel will have on the movie being released immediately after it. This is especially true considering Holland and Ruffalo are expected to play roles in both films (although the extent of both of their roles is still unclear).
While Spider-Man 4 was initially expected to center on a more multiversal storyline, recent reports tease a street-level kind of outing for the MCU's web-slinger. This movie will also give Peter Parker and Bruce Banner their first true interactions in the MCU's greater narrative, with both having long legacies in different lanes of the franchise's history thus far.
Considering the new report, with the Hulk's story for Doomsday teased to be set up in Spider-Man 4, the expectation is that Holland's Spider-Man will get a similar treatment in 2026.
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.
