If you thought Avengers: Endgame was as big as the MCU could ever go, it looks like Avengers: Doomsday is aiming to blow the 2019 movie out of the water.
Anyone who's been following MCU news over the last few years will know Doomsday might not always have been the plan.
Obviously, Marvel was building Kang up to be the big bad of the MCU. But, following domestic assault charges brought against Kang actor Jonathan Majors, Marvel decided to sidestep recasting and go in a completely different direction.
Enter Robert Downey Jr. returning, not as Iron Man, but as Doctor Doom. Exactly how he'll factor into what the MCU has been working towards since Shang-Chi (remember that movie? I'm not sure Marvel does) remains to be seen, but by all accounts it's going to be big. Oh, and it'll lead into the even bigger Secret Wars.
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At the time of writing there are ten confirmed returning characters for Avengers: Doomsday. While we can safely bet there are many more to follow, 10 is a nice round number, and a perfect opportunity to assess the current runners and riders.
So, who is returning for Avengers: Doomsday?
- Robert Downey Jr. officially returning as Doctor Doom.
- Chris Evans has been confirmed to return! Though we're not yet sure if he's back as Cap, or following RDJ and returning as someone new.
- Pedro Pascal will be making his (by then) second appearance as Reed Richards.
- Ditto for Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as The Thing.
- Tom Holland will be back as some guy called Spider-Man? Never heard of him. This movie will release before Spider-Man 4.
- Benedict Cumberbatch returns as Doctor Strange. Hopefully he can get his third movie soon.
- Hayley Atwell was just recently confirmed to return as Agent Carter.
Those are the ones we know for sure right now, but I'd be amazed if we didn't see Simi Liu back as Shang-Chi, Brie Larson as Captain Marvel, or Chris Hemsworth as Thor. Watch this space, as I'm sure more heroes will be confirmed over the coming months.