Marvel’s ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ rolls out cast announcement in unique style

Marvel’s next instalment in the Avengers franchise has unveiled a casting announcement for the hotly anticipated sequel.

Avengers: Doomsday will mark the return of the franchise’s first superhero, Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr., as new the villainous character Dr. Doom.

Downey Jr. and other cast members were announced via a comprehensive livestream on X (formerly Twitter) which lasted more than five hours.

The live stream has since been made available on Marvel’s official YouTube page.

While many stars from the already existing Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) are reporting for duty once again, other actors from 20th Century Fox’s no longer operational X-men franchise have now also been reported as making their way into the Disney-owned saga.

Ian McKellen who played Magneto and Patrick Stewart as Professor X from the defunct X-men films have now joined the MCU, while series’ mainstay stars, Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston from the Thor movies, are also back.

Notably missing names from the announcement included Spider-Man star Tom Holland and MCU’s former Captain America, Chris Evans.

The quadruple members from the new Fantastic Four films, Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, are also part of the new family.

So far, 26 stars have been announced for the sequel, while sources revealed that this might not be the entirety of it, and fans can expect even more cast announcements.

Directors Joe and Anthony Russo have also shared the challenges of casting such a widespread project with The Hollywood Reporter.

“Now they have magnets on them so we can put ‘em on a board and look at ‘em. It’s the only way to keep track of the amount of characters that we’re working with,” Joe Russo has revealed. (Sic)

Meanwhile Anthony Russo also added, “And as far as how do we look at who’s in the movies, it’s just a long creative process of exploring where we want to take the story. What is the most surprising and exciting area for us to push into, and which characters help us in that effort?”

Marvel’s Avengers: Doomsday is set to release in cinemas worldwide on May 1, 2026.