On March 26, 2025, Marvel Studios pulled back the curtain on the highly anticipated Avengers: Doomsday with a nearly five-and-a-half-hour livestream that left fans both exhilarated and bewildered. The slow-burn reveal, featuring director’s chairs labeled with actors’ names and accompanied by their characters’ iconic themes, confirmed a sprawling cast for the May 1, 2026, release. Directed by the Russo Brothers, the film promises to be a multiversal juggernaut, blending MCU veterans, Fox-era X-Men, and Fantastic Four newcomers. But one glaring absence has sent shockwaves through the fandom: Tom Holland’s Spider-Man is nowhere to be found. Alongside other notable omissions, this cast announcement has ignited speculation about the plot, the multiverse’s role, and what Marvel’s holding back. Let’s break it all down—the confirmed lineup, the missing heroes, and what it might mean for Doomsday.

The Livestream: A Marathon of Reveals

Marvel’s announcement was a masterclass in suspense—or, depending on your patience, a test of endurance. Starting at 8 a.m. PDT, the YouTube stream panned across a row of chairs, unveiling a new name every 12-15 minutes. By the end, 27 actors were confirmed, with Robert Downey Jr. (Doctor Doom) capping it off by sitting in his chair and shushing the camera—a nod to the secrecy still shrouding the project. The cast spans decades of Marvel history, from Chris Hemsworth’s Thor to Patrick Stewart’s Professor X, signaling a collision of universes unlike anything the MCU has tackled before. Posts on X hailed it as “fan service perfection,” while others groaned at the “overcrowded” roster. But the real chatter? Who didn’t make the cut.

The Confirmed Cast: A Multiversal Who’s Who

Here’s the full lineup as revealed, in order of announcement:

Chris Hemsworth (Thor) – The lone original Avenger confirmed, last seen in Thor: Love and Thunder.
Vanessa Kirby (Sue Storm/Invisible Woman) – Fresh from The Fantastic Four: First Steps (July 25, 2025).
Anthony Mackie (Sam Wilson/Captain America) – Leading post-Captain America: Brave New World.
Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier) – A Thunderbolts (May 2, 2025) survivor.
Letitia Wright (Shuri/Black Panther) – Carrying the Wakandan mantle.
Paul Rudd (Ant-Man) – With a comically tiny chair, naturally.
Wyatt Russell (John Walker/U.S. Agent) – Another Thunderbolts alum.
Tenoch Huerta (Namor) – The Sub-Mariner returns from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Ben Grimm/The Thing) – Joining Kirby from Fantastic Four.
Simu Liu (Shang-Chi) – The Ten Rings wielder steps up.
Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova) – Black Widow’s heir, post-Thunderbolts.
Kelsey Grammer (Hank McCoy/Beast) – Linking The Marvels to the Fox X-Men.
Lewis Pullman (Sentry) – A Thunderbolts wildcard with cosmic potential.
Danny Ramirez (Joaquín Torres/Falcon) – Sam’s wingman from Brave New World.
Joseph Quinn (Johnny Storm/Human Torch) – Rounding out the FF trio.
David Harbour (Red Guardian) – Thunderbolts’ Soviet bruiser.
Winston Duke (M’Baku) – Wakanda’s mountain king.
Hannah John-Kamen (Ghost) – Thunderbolts’ quantum menace.
Tom Hiddleston (Loki) – The trickster god, post-Loki Season 2.
Patrick Stewart (Professor X) – The X-Men patriarch, last seen in Multiverse of Madness.
Ian McKellen (Magneto) – His Fox-era nemesis joins the fray.
Alan Cumming (Nightcrawler) – Back after 22 years since X2.
Rebecca Romijn (Mystique) – Shape-shifting into the MCU.
James Marsden (Cyclops) – Leading the X-Men charge.
Channing Tatum (Gambit) – From Deadpool & Wolverine to Doomsday.
Pedro Pascal (Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic) – The FF’s brain trust.
Robert Downey Jr. (Doctor Doom) – The multiverse’s new tyrant.

This lineup screams ambition—a mix of Earth-616 heroes, Fox X-Men, and the Fantastic Four, all facing Downey’s Doom. The Russo Brothers have teased a cast exceeding 50 characters, rivaling Endgame’s scope, and this list feels like just the tip of the iceberg.

The Shocking Omission: No Spider-Man?!

The absence of Tom Holland’s Peter Parker/Spider-Man is the announcement’s biggest head-scratcher. Since his MCU debut in Captain America: Civil War, Spidey’s been a linchpin—central to Infinity War and Endgame, and a multiversal catalyst in No Way Home. With Spider-Man 4 slated for July 31, 2026—just months after Doomsday—fans assumed he’d swing into this Avengers outing. Posts on X erupted: “No Spider-Man after waiting five hours?!” one user lamented, while another theorized, “Maybe Spider-Man 4 ties into Secret Wars instead.” His exclusion is especially odd given his comic ties to the Fantastic Four (Johnny Storm’s best friend) and the multiverse chaos Doomsday promises. Is Marvel saving him for a post-Doomsday twist, or is Sony’s complicated Spidey deal to blame?

Other Major Absences: Who Else Is Missing?

Spider-Man’s not the only big name absent. Here’s a rundown of notable omissions and what they might mean:

Benedict Cumberbatch (Doctor Strange) – After Multiverse of Madness, Strange’s absence is baffling, especially with multiversal stakes. Cumberbatch has flip-flopped on his involvement, saying he’s in Secret Wars but not Doomsday. Is he being held back for the finale?
Brie Larson (Captain Marvel) – One of Endgame’s heavy hitters, Carol Danvers is MIA. The Marvels left her in space—could she be off-world during Doomsday?
Elizabeth Olsen (Scarlet Witch) – Wanda’s “death” in Multiverse of Madness remains unconfirmed, and Agatha All Along kept her fate vague. Her chaos magic would fit Doom’s arc—another surprise holdout?
Mark Ruffalo (Hulk) – No Banner or Hulk despite his Endgame prominence. Is he sidelined post-She-Hulk?
Teyonah Parris (Monica Rambeau/Photon) – Stranded with Beast in The Marvels, her absence alongside returning X-Men is puzzling.
Hugh Jackman (Wolverine) & Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool) – Fresh off Deadpool & Wolverine, their exclusion (despite Tatum’s Gambit) raises eyebrows. Are they Secret Wars exclusives?
Chris Pratt (Star-Lord) – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 promised his return, but no Guardians made the cut.
Charlie Cox (Daredevil) & Jon Bernthal (Punisher) – Born Again’s street heroes are absent, despite their Netflix-to-MCU canonization.
Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury) – The Avengers’ glue is missing—odd for a team-up this massive.

Posts on X reflect the confusion: “No Strange, Spidey, or Carol? This can’t be the full cast,” one fan wrote. Another speculated, “Marvel’s playing coy—Secret Wars will be the real reunion.”

What Does It Mean for the Plot?

The cast suggests Doomsday is a multiversal powder keg, potentially adapting Secret Wars (2015) or Avengers vs. X-Men. Doom, a Fantastic Four foe turned multiversal god, could be stitching realities together—Earth-616, the Fox X-Men universe, and beyond—into a Battleworld under his rule. The Avengers (Thor, Sam, Loki, etc.) and X-Men (Xavier, Magneto, Cyclops) might start as foes, manipulated by Doom, before uniting against him. The heavy Thunderbolts presence—Pugh, Stan, Harbour, Russell, John-Kamen, Pullman—hints at a darker, anti-heroic subplot, perhaps as Doom’s enforcers or a rival faction.

Spider-Man’s absence could mean several things: a deliberate misdirect (Marvel loves surprises), a focus on Spider-Man 4’s standalone story, or Sony holding him back for contractual reasons. His No Way Home ending—forgotten by the world—might delay his Avengers return until Secret Wars. Similarly, Strange and Captain Marvel’s exclusions could signal a cosmic subplot unfolding elsewhere, converging in the 2027 sequel. The lack of Disney+ stars (Daredevil, Moon Knight, She-Hulk) suggests Doomsday prioritizes theatrical heavyweights, saving TV tie-ins for later.

Comic Clues and Multiverse Madness

In Secret Wars (2015), Doom creates Battleworld from multiversal fragments, a concept Doomsday’s title and cast support. The X-Men’s inclusion echoes Avengers vs. X-Men, where heroes clash over a cosmic force—here, perhaps Doom’s power grab. Wanda’s potential return (unconfirmed but rumored) could mirror her Children’s Crusade arc with Doom, while the Fantastic Four’s prominence ties to their comic rivalry with him. The Russos’ “radical” tease to The Hollywood Reporter—a villain who thinks he’s a hero—points to Doom as a twisted protagonist, reshaping reality for “the greater good.”

Fan Reaction and What’s Next

The fandom is split. X posts celebrate the X-Men reunion—“Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen back? I’m crying,” one user gushed—while others decry the omissions: “No Spidey, no Strange, no sale.” The Russo Brothers’ secrecy (filming mostly on soundstages, per Collider) and Marvel’s “there’s always room for more” reply to Downey’s Instagram hint at surprises ahead. A second wave of announcements could drop closer to Thunderbolts or Fantastic Four, or even during Doomsday’s marketing push in 2026.

Avengers: Doomsday is shaping up as a multiversal epic, but Spider-Man’s absence—and those of other icons—leaves fans hungry for answers. Is Marvel saving its aces for Secret Wars, or redefining the Avengers without their web-slinger? On May 1, 2026, the truth will unfold—until then, the multiverse keeps us guessing.