Marvel’s “Avengers: Doomsday” Cast Reveal Was a Five-Hour, Chair-Filled Circus — But Here’s What It Told Us

Marvel fans woke up to a strange surprise this morning — or evening, depending on your time zone. On the official Marvel YouTube channel, a mysterious livestream appeared, slowly trickling out the cast for the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday. And when I say “slowly,” I mean painfully slowly — we’re talking five hours of empty chairs getting revealed one by one.

The stream kicked off with Chris Hemsworth’s nameplate on a chair (subtle, Marvel), and from there, the puzzle pieces started to form. While I wouldn’t say it was the most effective or exciting way to announce a cast list, it did build a lot of buzz. Ten million people tuned in on X (formerly Twitter), which is wild. So maybe, frustrating or not, it worked.

But let’s talk about the list. It’s long. Some names were expected, some were exciting, and a few were…confusing.

The Return of Familiar Faces

First off — yes, Robert Downey Jr. is back. But not as Iron Man. This time, he’s taking on Doctor Doom. That’s a massive twist, considering he was the face of the Infinity Saga. There are serious concerns here: how will audiences differentiate Doom from Tony Stark when the actor is the same? The comparisons are inevitable, and unless the Russo Brothers do something radical, it’s going to be a tough sell.

Chris Hemsworth is back as Thor, despite recent health issues. It’s unclear if this is his final outing, but if it is — it’s a strong note to end on.

Anthony Mackie returns as Captain America, with Sebastian Stan alongside him as Bucky. Letitia Wright continues her role as Black Panther, and Paul Rudd shows up as Ant-Man (whose small chair in the livestream was a rare comedic highlight).

Thunderbolts Invade the Avengers

A large chunk of the Thunderbolts roster seems to have made the leap into Doomsday. Florence Pugh’s Yelena, Wyatt Russell’s U.S. Agent, David Harbour’s Red Guardian, and Hannah John-Kamen’s Ghost are all in. This raises some eyebrows — what happens in Thunderbolts that makes them central players in the next Avengers movie?

And if Thunderbolts doesn’t land with audiences, does that hurt Doomsday too?

Fantastic Four (Again) — and the X-Men Nostalgia Machine

The Fantastic Four are here, led by Pedro Pascal as Mr. Fantastic. Vanessa Kirby is Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn is Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach takes on The Thing. Their upcoming solo movie is apparently crucial — if it flops, Doomsday could collapse with it.

Meanwhile, Marvel continues leaning heavily into Fox-era X-Men nostalgia. Patrick Stewart returns as Professor X, Ian McKellen as Magneto, Kelsey Grammer as Beast, Rebecca Romijn as Mystique, and James Marsden as Cyclops. We even get Alan Cumming back as Nightcrawler.

Let me be blunt: this is a problem.

Bringing these legends back is fun in a cameo setting. But this isn’t Multiverse of Madness or Deadpool & Wolverine. This is the Avengers’ tentpole film. If Marvel doesn’t start building the new X-Men soon, we’re going to hit a wall — fast. You can’t build a future on nostalgia forever.

Where Are the Real Heavy Hitters?

Tom Hiddleston’s Loki is here, which makes sense — his story ended beautifully in Loki Season 2, but he’s the literal “King of the Multiverse” now, so he’s kind of required. Other than that, though? The OG Avengers are mostly MIA.

No Tom Holland (yet). No Black Widow. No Steve Rogers. No Hulk. This version of the Avengers feels like a scattered second draft of what once was.

There are some potential surprises: we wouldn’t be shocked if Andrew Garfield shows up as Spider-Man. And there’s a high chance we see Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine and Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool sneak in.

The RDJ-as-Doom Dilemma

Let’s circle back to Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom. This is either going to be brilliant… or a total disaster.

Fans already associate Downey with Tony Stark so deeply that reintroducing him as an entirely new (and villainous) character could create massive tonal whiplash. Unless Marvel does something very clever — like acknowledging the resemblance in-universe or giving him a drastically different physical presence — it risks pulling audiences out of the story.

Plus, Doctor Doom should feel terrifying. He’s the ultimate big bad. If we don’t start feeling his presence in upcoming projects — say, in Thunderbolts — he’s going to arrive late and underwhelming, like a multiversal afterthought.

So… What’s the Verdict?

This cast is massive, star-studded, and undeniably full of talent. But it also feels scattered. Like Marvel is throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks — old X-Men, Thunderbolts, Fantastic Four, and new Avengers all shoved into one film.

If Fantastic Four doesn’t hit big, this entire phase could wobble. If Thunderbolts flops, it weakens half the Doomsday roster. And if audiences reject RDJ as Doom, that could overshadow everything else.

It’s high-stakes. It should feel exciting. But right now? It mostly feels like Marvel is grasping at straws.

Final Thoughts

Look — I want to be excited. I really do. But the more I look at this cast list, the more it seems like a Marvel project that’s trying to please everyone and ends up pleasing no one.

Time will tell. If the Russo Brothers pull it off, it could be a triumphant reset. But if they don’t? Avengers: Doomsday might live up to its name in more ways than one.