Avengers: Doomsday is shaping up to be one of the biggest crossover events in Marvel Studios history. The upcoming film brings together heroes from different corners of the Marvel universe, including the Avengers, New Avengers, Fantastic Four, Wakandans and the original X-Men movie cast. At the center of the conflict is a surprising new version of one of Marvel’s most iconic villains: Doctor Doom, played by Robert Downey Jr.
Marvel’s latest promotional footage has given fans an even closer look at the massive crossover, including Doctor Doom confronting heroes such as Thor and Mister Fantastic and commanding an army of Sentinels.
With such a huge cast, it can be difficult to keep track of who is returning and what role each character could play. Here is a complete guide to the major confirmed heroes and villains in Avengers: Doomsday.
Doctor Doom — Robert Downey Jr.
The biggest character in Avengers: Doomsday is undoubtedly Victor von Doom, played by Robert Downey Jr.
Downey’s casting is particularly shocking because he spent more than a decade playing Tony Stark/Iron Man, one of the MCU’s most important heroes. This time, however, he returns as a completely different character.
Doctor Doom is one of Marvel Comics’ most dangerous villains. He is a brilliant scientist, ruler of Latveria and a powerful user of both technology and magic. His armor gives him enormous offensive and defensive capabilities, while his intelligence makes him a threat even without his superhuman abilities.
The latest trailer shows Doom as a serious threat to the assembled heroes, including a confrontation with Mister Fantastic and an apparent ability to manipulate or awaken Sentinels.
Whether Doom has any connection to Tony Stark remains one of the movie’s biggest mysteries. Fans have heavily speculated about a multiversal relationship between the two, but that should not be treated as confirmed until Marvel reveals more.
Steve Rogers — Chris Evans
Chris Evans returns as Steve Rogers, another enormous surprise for the MCU.
Steve’s story appeared to reach its conclusion in Avengers: Endgame, when he returned the Infinity Stones and chose to live a life with Peggy Carter before eventually passing the Captain America shield to Sam Wilson.
His return creates an obvious question: which version of Steve Rogers will appear in Doomsday?
Whatever the explanation, Steve’s presence could have a major emotional impact on the Avengers. His return also places the original Captain America alongside the man who inherited his shield.
Evans has confirmed his involvement in the film, and Marvel has prominently featured him in promotional appearances for Doomsday.
Thor — Chris Hemsworth
Thor Odinson remains one of the MCU’s most powerful heroes.
Chris Hemsworth returns as the God of Thunder, bringing centuries of combat experience and devastating lightning abilities into the fight against Doom.
Thor has already battled threats ranging from Hela to Thanos, making him one of the few heroes capable of understanding the scale of a cosmic threat. The latest footage reportedly shows Doom stopping Thor’s Stormbreaker attack, immediately establishing the villain’s frightening level of power.
Thor’s role could therefore be crucial to showing audiences exactly how powerful Doctor Doom has become.
Sam Wilson — Anthony Mackie
Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson/Captain America represents the next generation of Avengers leadership.
Sam does not possess Steve Rogers’ super-soldier abilities, but he has exceptional combat skills, tactical intelligence and advanced flight technology.
His role becomes even more interesting with Steve Rogers returning. The two Captain Americas could have an important relationship throughout the story, especially as Sam continues establishing himself as the leader of a new generation.
Bucky Barnes — Sebastian Stan
Bucky Barnes, played by Sebastian Stan, also returns.
Once a brainwashed Hydra assassin, Bucky has spent years rebuilding his life and becoming a hero. His long history with Steve Rogers makes his involvement especially significant.
Bucky is also connected to the New Avengers following the events of Thunderbolts*, giving him an important position between the MCU’s older and newer generations of heroes.
Yelena Belova — Florence Pugh
Florence Pugh returns as Yelena Belova, one of the MCU’s most popular newer heroes.
Yelena was trained as a Black Widow and has become an extremely capable spy and assassin. Her experience, agility and willingness to use unconventional tactics make her a valuable member of the team.
Following Thunderbolts*, Yelena is part of Marvel’s newer group of heroes, making Doomsday an important opportunity to see how this team operates on a much larger scale.
Red Guardian — David Harbour
David Harbour returns as Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian.
Red Guardian is essentially Russia’s super-soldier counterpart to Captain America. Although he is often used for comic relief, he is also a powerful fighter.
His relationship with Yelena adds an emotional connection to the New Avengers storyline. Harbour’s return also means the movie can continue the character relationships established in Black Widow and Thunderbolts*.
Sentry — Lewis Pullman
Bob Reynolds/Sentry is potentially one of the most powerful characters in the entire lineup.
Played by Lewis Pullman, Sentry possesses extraordinary abilities but is also connected to the terrifying Void. That combination makes him both a potential weapon and a potential danger to his own allies.
If Doctor Doom understands how to exploit Sentry’s psychological weaknesses, the character could become one of the most unpredictable elements of the movie.
Ant-Man — Paul Rudd
Paul Rudd returns as Scott Lang/Ant-Man.
Scott can change his size, allowing him to become either incredibly small or enormous. His ability to communicate with and interact with the quantum realm also makes him an important character in the MCU’s broader multiverse story.
Ant-Man’s humor should also provide some lighter moments within what appears to be a very serious conflict.
Shang-Chi — Simu Liu
Shang-Chi returns with the powerful Ten Rings.
Played by Simu Liu, Shang-Chi is one of the MCU’s best hand-to-hand combatants. His abilities combine traditional martial arts with the mysterious technology of the Ten Rings.
The origin and true nature of the rings remain important unanswered questions in the MCU, meaning Shang-Chi could have more significance than simply being another fighter in the Avengers’ ranks.
Loki — Tom Hiddleston
Tom Hiddleston returns as Loki, although this is not the same Loki who died during Avengers: Infinity War.
The Loki from the Disney+ series became deeply connected to the multiverse and its branching realities. That knowledge could make him extremely important in a story involving multiple universes.
His understanding of alternate realities could potentially give the heroes information that none of the other characters possess.
The Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four are another major group entering the crossover.
Reed Richards — Pedro Pascal
Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, played by Pedro Pascal, is one of the smartest people in the Marvel universe.
His ability to stretch his body is useful in combat, but his greatest advantage is his scientific intelligence. His rivalry with Doctor Doom is also legendary in Marvel Comics, making their confrontation one of the movie’s most anticipated relationships.
Recent footage has already teased Doom facing Reed directly.
Sue Storm — Vanessa Kirby
Sue Storm/Invisible Woman is played by Vanessa Kirby.
Sue can become invisible and generate powerful force fields, making her one of the Fantastic Four’s most versatile members.
Her abilities could become particularly useful in large-scale battles against Doom’s forces.
Johnny Storm — Joseph Quinn
Joseph Quinn returns as Johnny Storm/Human Torch.
Johnny can transform into living fire, fly and unleash powerful flames. His energetic personality also contrasts with Reed’s more serious scientific approach.
Ben Grimm — Ebon Moss-Bachrach
Ben Grimm/The Thing completes the Fantastic Four lineup.
Ben’s rocky body gives him incredible strength and durability. He is essentially the team’s heavy hitter and could be one of the characters most suited for direct physical combat.
Marvel has confirmed the four Fantastic Four: First Steps stars for Doomsday.
Shuri — Letitia Wright
Shuri/Black Panther returns as Wakanda’s protector.
Following T’Challa’s death, Shuri accepted the responsibility of becoming Black Panther. She combines enhanced physical abilities with some of the MCU’s most advanced technology.
Her presence also brings Wakanda directly into the multiversal conflict.
M’Baku — Winston Duke
M’Baku returns as one of Wakanda’s strongest warriors.
His physical strength, leadership abilities and experience make him an important member of Wakanda’s contribution to the battle.
Namor — Tenoch Huerta Mejía
Namor, ruler of Talokan, also returns.
Namor possesses superhuman strength, speed and durability, along with the ability to fly. His involvement is particularly interesting because he has traditionally been an independent and sometimes hostile force.
A threat as powerful as Doom could force Namor to cooperate with heroes he previously considered enemies.
The Original X-Men Return
Perhaps the most surprising part of Doomsday is the return of characters from the original Fox X-Men universe.
Professor X — Patrick Stewart
Professor Charles Xavier is returning, once again played by Patrick Stewart.
His telepathic abilities make him one of the most powerful characters in the crossover. More importantly, his presence establishes a direct connection between the MCU and the previous X-Men films.
Magneto — Ian McKellen
Ian McKellen returns as Magneto.
Magneto’s ability to manipulate magnetic fields makes him an extremely dangerous combatant, particularly against armies and machines.
His complicated history with Professor X remains one of the defining relationships in X-Men mythology.
Cyclops — James Marsden
Cyclops, played by James Marsden, also returns.
Scott Summers is one of the X-Men’s most important leaders and can fire powerful optic blasts through his eyes.
His return gives the film another major connection to the original X-Men trilogy.
Beast — Kelsey Grammer
Kelsey Grammer reprises his role as Beast/Hank McCoy.
Beast combines extraordinary intelligence with enhanced physical abilities. His scientific expertise could make him particularly valuable alongside Reed Richards.
Nightcrawler — Alan Cumming
Nightcrawler, played by Alan Cumming, brings teleportation abilities to the X-Men team.
His ability to instantly move himself and others could prove extremely useful during the movie’s large-scale battles.
Mystique — Rebecca Romijn
Rebecca Romijn returns as Mystique.
Her shapeshifting ability allows her to imitate other people, making her particularly useful for infiltration and deception.
Gambit — Channing Tatum
Channing Tatum returns as Gambit following his appearance in Deadpool & Wolverine.
Gambit can charge objects with explosive kinetic energy, turning ordinary items into dangerous weapons.
His inclusion further demonstrates how Doomsday is bringing together characters from different generations of Marvel’s film history.
Why the Character Lineup Matters
The sheer number of returning characters is not the only reason Avengers: Doomsday is important. The movie is effectively bringing together multiple Marvel universes.
The Avengers and New Avengers represent the current MCU. Wakanda and Talokan expand the conflict beyond the traditional superhero teams. The Fantastic Four introduce another universe, while the returning X-Men connect the story to the legacy Fox films.
At the center of this collision is Doctor Doom.
The latest trailer has reinforced just how serious the threat is, showing Doom facing major heroes and commanding powerful forces.
Final Thoughts
Avengers: Doomsday is assembling an extraordinary collection of Marvel characters. From familiar heroes such as Thor, Captain America and Bucky Barnes to the Fantastic Four and the original X-Men, the movie is designed as a massive multiversal crossover.
Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom is the biggest wildcard. His history with the MCU makes his casting particularly fascinating, but the character should ultimately be judged as Victor von Doom rather than simply a replacement for Iron Man.
With Avengers: Doomsday scheduled for December 18, 2026, fans will not have to wait much longer to see how these separate teams finally collide.
And with Avengers: Secret Wars following in 2027, the events of Doomsday could fundamentally reshape the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
