Months ahead of the highly anticipated release of Avengers: Doomsday on 1 May 2026, Marvel teasingly unveiled the film’s full cast through a series of social media videos on Wednesday.

Among the returning Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) veterans are Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Captain America, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier, Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man, and Tom Hiddleston as Loki.

Mackie’s Captain America recently debuted in Captain America: Brave New World, and his co-star Danny Ramirez joins Doomsday as Joaquin Torres, the new Falcon.

Also reprising their roles are Letitia Wright as Shuri, who assumed the Black Panther mantle in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and Winston Duke as M’Baku.

In a major twist, Robert Downey Jr. is set to return — not as Tony Stark, but as the villainous Victor Von Doom, marking a dramatic shift in his MCU legacy.

The biggest surprises in the cast announcement came with the return of several iconic X-Men actors. Patrick Stewart reprises his role as Professor Charles Xavier, despite the character’s previous deaths in Logan and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Ian McKellen is back as Magneto, last seen in X-Men: Days of Future Past, while Kelsey Grammer’s Beast, who made a recent cameo in The Marvels, also joins the ensemble. Alan Cumming returns as Nightcrawler (X2), James Marsden as Cyclops, and Rebecca Romijn as Mystique, a role she originated before Jennifer Lawrence took over in the X-Men prequels. Channing Tatum, who portrays Gambit in Deadpool & Wolverine, will also appear in Doomsday.

MCU neophytes

Several newer MCU characters are set to assemble as well, including the Fantastic Four team from the upcoming The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Pedro Pascal leads as Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, alongside Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing.

Additionally, the film will feature Thunderbolts cast members Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova), David Harbour (Red Guardian), Wyatt Russell (U.S. Agent), Hannah John-Kamen (Ghost), and Lewis Pullman (Bob). Simu Liu reprises his role as Shang-Chi, while Tenoch Huerta Mejía returns as Namor, the underwater antagonist from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

It has been six years since the Avengers last assembled on screen in Avengers: Endgame (2019), where they defeated Thanos (Josh Brolin) but bid farewell to Iron Man, Captain America (Chris Evans), and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson).

Marvel Studios is bringing back Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo to helm Avengers: Doomsday, marking their return to the franchise after directing Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Civil War, and the last two Avengers films.

Before Doomsday arrives, Marvel fans can look forward to Thunderbolts on 2 May and The Fantastic Four: First Steps on 25 July.