The Avengers movies are Marvel’s biggest “everyone shows up” events, and Avengers: Doomsday (2026) looks like it’s going to be even bigger. This time, the excitement isn’t about meeting one new hero. It’s about seeing who’s coming back. Marvel seems to be treating Doomsday like a massive reunion in which they are pulling in familiar faces from different parts of the MCU.
This shift happened because the original plan had changed. Initially, the movie was announced as Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, with Kang the Conqueror, played by Jonathan Majors, set to be the main villain.
After Marvel dropped Majors, the studio had to change the villain and rewrite the story, and once this happened, the casting news got everyone’s attention. This is because it didn’t just replace one character; it opened the door for several well-known Marvel characters to return.
So, in this article, we will tell you which of the Marvel characters are returning to Avengers: Doomsday (2026).
Avengers: Doomsday Cast
Chris Evans
The first actor who is returning in Avengers: Doomsday is Chris Evans. He is speculated to play Steve Rogers, focusing on moments from his life with Peggy Carter, played by Hayley Atwell, made possible by Endgame’s ending. Chris Evans joined the MCU as Captain America/Steve Rogers in Captain America: The First Avenger. Before that, he had already played Johnny Storm or Human Torch in two Fantastic Four movies, made before the MCU started.
Robert Downey Jr
Robert Downey Jr became popular in the MCU by playing the role of Tony Stark/Iron Man. When the character died in Endgame, fans were very emotional and thought they would never see the character again.
In July 2024, Marvel announced that the actor would return to the MCU but this time as Doctor Doom. Many people are curious about how this role connects to his old character as Iron Man. Some fans believe Doctor Doom could be an evil version of Tony Stark from another universe, but Marvel has not confirmed this yet.
Anthony Mackie
The American actor will be returning to Avengers: Doomsday as Sam Wilson, the current Captain America. Sam was first known as Falcon but he received Steve Rogers’ shield in Avengers: Endgame. He officially took on the role in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and continued as the new Cap in Captain America: Brave New World.
Chris Hemsworth
Chris Hemsworth, the Australian actor, will be coming back in Avengers: Doomsday as Thor Odinson. The last time he appeared was in Thor: Love and Thunder, and Doomsday will simply continue Thor’s story from there. At the end of the 2022 film, it was shown that Thor adopts a girl named Love and he is now a father.
Paul Rudd
In Avengers: Doomsday, Paul Rudd will also make a comeback as Scott Lang, also known as Ant-Man. He first appeared in this role in 2015’s Ant-Man and most recently in 2023’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. While the movies have received mixed reactions, the actor remains a fan favorite because of his fun and likable performance.
Sebastian Stan
Sebastian Stan’s return in Avengers: Doomsday as Bucky “The Winter Soldier” Barnes is not very surprising and he will most likely be on the heroes’ side this time. He has already appeared recently in other Marvel projects, including a small appearance in Captain America: Brave New World and a bigger role in 2025’s Thunderbolts.
Tom Hiddleston
Another popular character that we will be seeing in Avengers: Doomsday is Loki, played by Tom Hiddleston. The original Loki died in Avengers: Infinity War but time travel in Avengers: Endgame allowed a different version of him to escape. That version went on lead the Disney+ series Loki for 2 seasons.
Letitia Wright
Wakanda’s protector will also be part of Avengers: Doomsday. Letitia Wright will return as Shuri, who has now fully taken on the role of Black Panther in the MCU. In Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the story showed her stepping into the role after the loss of her brother T’Challa.
Simu Liu
Simu Liu is also returning in Avengers: Doomsday as Shang-Chi. His solo film, Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, did not earn much at the box office but was liked by both critics and fans. Since then, Simu Liu has mainly appeared as Shang-Chi in animated projects like Marvel Zombies.
Winston Duke
The ruler of Wakanda will also play a role in Avengers: Doomsday. Winston Duke returns as M’Baku, who is positioned to lead Wakanda after rising from Jabari Tribe leader to king. He first appeared in the universe in the 2018 film Black Panther. This will be Duke’s fifth appearance as M’Baku in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Tenoch Huerta
Marvel had decided to bring back Namor in Avengers: Doomsday, even though he was not a very memorable character in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. At the end of the movie, he makes peace with Shuri, which means he is no longer an enemy and is now more like an ally.
Patrick Stewart
A familiar face from Marvel’s earlier era is also expected to return in Avengers: Doomsday. Patrick Stewart, the English actor, is best known for playing Professor X in the original X-Men movies, which existed in a separate Marvel universe. Previously, he returned to the MCU in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness but as a different version.
Since the original version died in 2017’s Logan, it is unlikely that Stewart will return as that same version. Instead, he is expected to another multiverse variant.
Ian McKellen
Another major name joining Avengers: Doomsday is Ian McKellen, who is best known for playing Erik “Magneto” Lehnsherr in Fox’s X-Men movies. Until now, his version of Magneto has only existed outside the MCU. With Doctor Doom emerging as a powerful enemy, it makes sense for Magneto to join forces with other Marvel heroes.
Cast of The Fantastic Four: First Steps
The main cast of The Fantastic Four: First Steps will return in Avengers: Doomsday, as confirmed by Marvel. This makes sense, as First Steps was one of the first movies to hint at the events of Doomsday and introduce Doctor Doom. The returning cast includes Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards (Mr Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm (Invisible Woman), Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm (Human Torch), and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm (The Thing).
The Thunderbolts* Cast
Several characters from Thunderbolts* will also appear in Avengers: Doomsday. The movie itself worked like a small crossover, as most of its characters were already part of the MCU. The only new face introduced was Bob Reynolds, also known as Sentry, played by Lewis Pullman.
The rest of the team includes familiar Marvel characters such as Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost, David Harbour as Red Guardian, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, and Wyatt Russell as U.S. Agent.
Cast of the X-Men movies
Since Marvel has not rebooted the X-Men in the MCU yet, Avengers: Doomsday is bringing back original actors from Fox’s X-Men movies instead of introducing new versions. The returning X-Men cast includes Rebecca Romijn as Mystique, James Marsden as Cyclops, Kelsey Grammer as Beast, and Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler.
Channing Tatum is also returning as Gambit, but his version is different from the one seen in earlier X-Men movies. His Gambit first appeared in 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine and is based on a version of the character that was once planned to have his own solo film.
Avengers: Doomsday Characters That Are Not Confirmed Yet
Even with its massive cast, Avengers: Doomsday is still expected to have a few surprises. Several popular Marvel characters have not been officially announced but they could still appear in the movie.
One of the biggest missing names is Spider-Man, played by Tom Holland. Since another Spider-Man movie, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is also releasing in 2026, Marvel may be limiting his appearance to avoid using the character too much at once. The same could be true for Hulk. Mark Ruffalo is confirmed for Brand New Day, but not for Doomsday.
Other major characters who have not been confirmed yet include:
- Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds)
- Wolverine (Hugh Jackman)
- Daredevil (Charlie Cox)
- Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner)
- Captain Marvel (Brie Larson)
In short, the absence of these characters doesn’t mean they are not in the movie. Marvel often keeps secrets, and these faces could still appear when Avengers: Doomsday releases on December 18th, 2026.
