Avengers: Doomsday will bring the toughest challenge the team has ever faced in the form of Doctor Doom (Robert Downey Jr.). Considering how it isn’t clear who is even on the team at this point, it could be easy for the villain to wreak havoc once he arrives in the Sacred Timeline, meaning that it isn’t likely for everyone to survive the upcoming crossover directed by the Russo Brothers. Most of the cast for Avengers: Doomsday was revealed during a livestream that took place this week. There are many characters from the roster who could die in Doomsday, leaving audiences to feel their absence during the events of Avengers: Secret Wars.
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The Avengers will need something to inspire them to fight back in Avengers: Secret Wars. Phil Coulson’s (Clark Gregg) death at the hands of Loki (Tom Hiddleston) back in the first Avengers movie motivated the team to defeat the Asgardian villain in New York. A major death taking place in Secret Wars could be what the new iteration of the team needs to save the Multiverse. Doctor Doom won’t go down without a fight, and not every character who has been introduced on the big screen over the last few years is ready to face such a powerful foe.
A Shocking Demise
The quickest way in which Avengers: Doomsday can make audiences engage with the team’s quest to take down Doctor Doom is to kill off someone who viewers have supported for more than a decade. It’s been confirmed that Chris Hemsworth will return in the upcoming crossover. Taking out Thor would immediately send shockwaves for anyone who has been tuning in to the franchise since the early days of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Hemsworth has portrayed the character for almost two decades at this point. It would make sense for the actor to step away from the franchise after entertaining audiences for so long. The Secret Wars comics have given us ground to replace Hemsworth’s Thor with an entire Thor Corps of variants loyal to Doom. It’d also give Hemsworth a chance to reuinte with Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster and Idris Elba’s Heimdall in Valhalla, where they could conceivably bring in the calvary for Avengers: Secret Wars.
Speaking of important Asgardians who could be killed in Avengers: Doomsday, Tom Hiddleston will also reprise his role as Loki in the upcoming blockbuster. The God of Mischief was one of the biggest stars from Phase Four. Over the course of two seasons of the Loki television series, the character portrayed by Hiddleston proved that there was still a chance for him to do the right thing. The last episode of the series left Loki in charge of guarding time. If Doctor Doom is going to change the Multiverse, wouldn’t Loki be the first line of defense standing against him? This might not work out for Odin’s (Anthony Hopkins) least favorite kid.
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The New Generation of Heroes
After the release of Avengers: Endgame, the MCU has introduced new heroes in cinemas and on television. These characters are supposed to carry the legacy that the original Avengers team built over the course of a decade, but what if they died in the battle against Doctor Doom? It was confirmed that the majority of the Thunderbolts* cast will be coming back in Avengers: Doomsday. Valentina Allegra de Fontaine’s (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) team of discount heroes isn’t exactly the most powerful of the franchise. An enemy as powerful as Doctor Doom could easily eliminate the Red Guardian (David Harbour), Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), or any character who isn’t powerful enough to take a building down with their bare hands.
After the Thunderbolts are introduced as a team in their own movie, The Fantastic Four: First Steps will allow audiences to meet Marvel’s First Family. Pedro Pascal and Vanessa Kirby will star in the story that will take place in an alternate universe. Marvel Studios could shock everyone who sees Avengers: Doomsday by killing off a member of the team. Considering how they will only be introduced this summer, everyone is expecting the Fantastic Four to be around for a while. Taking out a hero who was expected to appear in multiple sequels would easily send shockwaves through diehard fans, especially if it’s Pedro Pascal’s Reed Richards.
The kingdom of Wakanda could also be hit hard, with Princess Shuri (Letitia Wright) and M’Baku (Winston Duke) being two high-value targets Doom could take out; ditto for Namor, whose undersea kingdom will presumably align with Wakanda for survival. Doom and Namor’s comic history leaves room for an epic onscreen fight – possibly over the favor of a woman (Sue Storm).
New Avengers: Endgame
When the cast of Avengers: Doomsday was announced, it was noticeable how Brie Larson and Benedict Cumberbatch weren’t mentioned as part of the livestream. Captain Marvel and Doctor Strange are some of the most powerful heroes in the MCU, and they are some of the few characters from the Infinity Saga who remain as protagonists of the series. They could probably show up in Avengers: Secret Wars, but taking into account how the heroes of Doomsday won’t count on them to help, less powerful characters such as Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) are in grave danger.
The stage has been set for the Avengers to battle their biggest enemy yet, and no one is safe this time around. So while it was nice to see the newer heroes of the Phase 4-6 films getting their chairs set, don’t count on these ‘New Avengers’ making it out of Doomsday intact. Why else would we need the O.G. Avengers back for Secret Wars?
Avengers: Doomsday has a release date of May 1, 2026.
