2
Credit: Marvel StudiosIn May 2026, the Avengers will officially return to the big screen after seven years. While the team is not yet solidified, ten actors, including some of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most beloved heroes, have now been reported to appear in Avengers: Doomsday (2026).
The update to the Avengers: Doomsday cast comes just weeks after Marvel Studios confirmed multiple actors for its next Disney+ entry, including the new face behind Victor Von Doom—the role Robert Downey Jr. will bring to the MCU in the Avengers’ big return.
The Journey from Avengers: The Kang Dynasty to Avengers: Doomsday
It’s been a rocky road for Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios in the post-Avengers: Endgame era. Excluding the much-anticipated Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) starring Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has struggled to find its footing on the big screen since 2021.
While hits like Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) raked in impressive box office numbers, the overall momentum of the once-unbeatable franchise has noticeably slowed.
Adding to Marvel’s woes is the controversy surrounding Jonathan Majors, who portrayed Kang the Conqueror and was expected to fill the Thanos-sized void as the MCU’s next major villain. Once positioned as the linchpin of the franchise’s Multiversal saga, Majors’ legal troubles became a major stumbling block.
His ex-partner, Grace Jabbari, filed a lawsuit accusing him of battery, assault, malicious prosecution, and defamation (via The Hollywood Reporter), tarnishing the Creed III (2023) star’s reputation and leading to his exit from Marvel.
In a surprising pivot, Marvel has now seemingly replaced Kang with another iconic Marvel Comics villain: Victor Von Doom, AKA Doctor Doom.
During this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, Kevin Feige announced that Anthony and Joe Russo would return to direct Avengers: Doomsday (formerly Avengers: The Kang Dynasty) and Avengers: Secret Wars, slated for release in May 2026 and 2027, respectively.
The shift from Kang to Doom was swift and unexplained, leaving fans questioning how this new direction impacts the MCU’s overarching narrative.
But the biggest shocker came when Feige revealed who would bring Doom to life: Robert Downey Jr. The Oppenheimer (2023) star, beloved for his portrayal of Tony Stark/Iron Man, is stepping back into the MCU—but this time, as its newest villain.
Downey Jr.’s debut as Doctor Doom is rumored to occur in a post-credits scene for The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025). However, Doom will make an earlier appearance this month in Marvel’s What If…? Season 3, played by a different actor before Downey Jr. takes over the mantle in future projects.
As for Kang, his fate remains unclear. Fans last saw a Variant of the time-traveling villain, Victor Timely, in the second season of Loki on Disney+. Before that, the original Kang faced off against Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) and the Wasp (Evangeline Lilly) in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023).
With Marvel now focusing on Doom, it seems Kang’s days as the MCU’s Big Bad are officially over, marking yet another unexpected twist in the comic book giant’s ever-evolving saga.
There has been no official word on how Marvel will handle Kang the Conqueror moving forward, although Rustin (2021) and Sing Sing (2023) star Colman Domingo has been heavily rumored to be taking on the role in the MCU. The Academy Award-nominated actor recently confirmed that he and his team had met with Marvel Studios but that it was not for any specific role.
While the jury is still out on whether fans will see Kang the Conqueror or one of his many Variants in Doomsday–there was a whole Council of Kangs, after all–multiple characters have been confirmed to appear in the fifth Avengers movie. Here’s who is slated to show up in 2026’s Avengers: Doomsday.
Robert Downey Jr.
As stated earlier, Robert Downey Jr. will officially return to the MCU, not as Tony Stark or Iron Man (as far as we know), but as the classic Marvel Comics villain, Victor Von Doom, AKA Doctor Doom. With a rumored appearance in the final moments of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, anticipation is high to see Downey Jr.’s return to the MCU.
In August, the actor, who this year won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his work in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer (2023), shared how his return came about. Telling The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast, Downey Jr. shared how he met with both Kevin Feige and The Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger.
“According to Downey, Feige brought up the idea that he could return as Victor Von Doom, the iconic Fantastic Four villain who is traditionally an adversary of Reed Richards,” USA Today reported. “‘I looked into this character, and I was like, ‘Wow,’ Downey said. ‘Later on, he goes, ‘Let’s get Victor Von Doom right. Let’s get that right.'”
Following the Feige meeting, Downey Jr. visited Iger, who said he “liked” the idea of his return.
Tom Holland
Earlier this year, Tom Holland confirmed on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon that Spider-Man 4 was officially happening and will begin shooting next year in 2025.
The fourth entry in the Marvel Studios-Sony Pictures franchise will be helmed by Daniel Destin Cretton and is slated for Marvel’s once-removed release slots: July 24, 2026. This positions Spider-Man 4 to drop just two months after Avengers: Doomsday.
While there has been no official word on whether Tom Holland will be swinging into Doomsday–how about a reunion with not-Tony Stark?–chances are the actor will have a role in the Russo Brothers’ movie. When discussing his upcoming role in Christopher Nolan’s next movie, The Hollywood Reporter dropped information about his future–as well as Zendaya’s–in the MCU.
“Holland’s boarding may come with some ripple effects. Sources say that the actor will spend next year juggling this project as well as Spider-Man 4, with a likely stop for Avengers: Doomsday,” the outlet stated. “Spider-Man 4 was delayed enough that Holland’s co-star Zendaya will now be shooting Dune 3 in early 2026 rather than next year.”
Chris Evans and Anthony Mackie
One of the most recent additions to the Avengers: Doomsday cast is long-standing MCU actor Chris Evans. Evans had a solid eight-year run as Steve Rogers/Captain America, beginning with 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger and ending with his emotional mantle holdover to Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) in the epilogue to Avengers: Endgame.
His latest appearance, though, came in Shawn Levy’s Deadpool & Wolverine, where he reprised his role as Johnny Storm/Human Torch from the 20th Century Fox Fantastic Four movies. Deadline’s sources suggest that two Captain America actors will step into the action.
“At this point in time, the role isn’t entirely clear, but sources say Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson character will also return as Captain America,” Deadline reported on Evans’ return to the MCU. “Evans in the Captain America costume seems less likely. However, it wouldn’t be a shock if he reprises Steve Rogers.”
However, since the return announcement, new information has come to light regarding Evans’ role in Doomsday, with entertainment insider Jeff Sneider claiming that he will play Nomad in the movie. In Marvel Comics lore, Nomad is Steve Rogers’ alternate identity, a title he takes up following his abandonment of the Captain America mantle due to a fallout with the United States government.
With Captain America: Brave New World (2025) angling to be a political thriller, focusing on the role of the superhero under government influence, this reported casting holds weight.
Hayley Atwell
The latest addition to the Doomsday cast comes as no real surprise, considering she is tied to Evans’ Steve Rogers and has consistently appeared in other MCU media via the Multiverse.
Hayley Atwell was last seen in live-action in 2022’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as part of Earth-838’s Illuminati line-up. There, as Captain Carter, a role she reprised from the animated show What If…?, was eradicated by Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen).
“With Chris Evans likely reprising his Steve Rogers role in Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Doomsday, it looks like his former partner in crime will be joining him in the new Marvel movie,” Deadline reported.
“Sources tell Deadline that Hayley Atwell is expected to reprise her Agent Carter role in the film, which Anthony and Joe Russo are returning to direct and Marvel president Kevin Feige on board to produce.”
Benedict Cumberbatch
A long staple of the MCU and the character Kevin Feige once called the “Anchor” of the franchise (that word now means more than ever following Deadpool & Wolverine), Doctor Strange is set to comeback in Avengers: Doomsday. After confirming his return in June, Benedict Cumberbatch told TV Groove he was excited to reteam with the Russos.
“I’m really excited not only to work with the Russo brothers again but also to have Robert Downey Jr. returning as Doctor Doom,” the actor told the outlet. “I think there’s going to be some really cool developments ahead, and I’m excited to see what happens next.”
Before that, Benedict Cumberbatch is expected to return to voice Doctor Strange’s many Variants in the third and final season of What If…?, which commences on December 22 on Disney+.
Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn
Slated for July 2025, the film will be the first in the MCU’s Phase Six and will see the franchise debut of Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon-Moss Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn, who will play Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, Susan Storm/Invisible Woman, Ben Grimm/Thing, and Johnny Storm/Human Torch, respectively.
As Kevin Feige reconfirmed at Disney’s APAC content showcase in Singapore earlier this year, the Marvel legacy characters will be showing up in both Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.
“Finally, [we’re] bringing Marvel’s First Family into the MCU,” Feige said (via Deadline). “They wrap next week, the movie comes out next summer, and then all those characters go right into the next Avengers movies, so I’m very excited for the future of the Fantastic Four.”
Over the next year, many more names can be expected to join those above. As Phase Five comes to its end and Phase Six begins, the next chapter and the conclusion of the Multiverse Saga are finally on the horizon. Avengers: Doomsday is slated to be released on May 1, 2026.
How do you feel about the Avengers: Doomsday cast so far? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!