A new rumor has recently surfaced that Avengers: Doomsday could feature appearances from various animated Marvel characters, including major figures from What If…? like The Watcher. According to the rumor, rather than translating these icons into flesh-and-blood actors like was previously done in Peggy Carter’s Multiverse of Madness appearance, these characters will manifest as cartoon characters interacting with live-action figures and realms like in the classic movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit. What might sound like a bizarre new feat in visual MCU storytelling could actually be business as usual for the franchise. But which Marvel characters would actually work in that context?
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After all, the Avengers ranks already include fully animated characters like Rocket Raccoon and Groot. Meanwhile, fully animated figures like Thanos, Korg, and Kro (among many others) have played pivotal roles in various MCU stories. This would just be a lateral move from that MCU standard. Still, this Avengers: Doomsday rumor signals characters from fully animated Marvel properties could be coming to a massive live-action Marvel Studios blockbuster. There are five animated characters from the Marvel animated multiverse that could show up in Doomsday. Don’t just exploit animated MCU characters from Disney+, let’s go wild with the idea of any animated Marvel character showing up in an Avengers blockbuster!
Kahhori from What If…?
This rumor about animated characters in Avengers: Doomsday already indicates What If…?’s Kahhori (Devery Jacobs) will be back for this big MCU team-up adventure. However, it really can’t be overstated enough that, if any MCU animated character should join the live-action side of the franchise (yes, even more so than any X-Men ’97 character), it should be Kahhori. Easily the standout figure in What If…?, Kahhori’s episode could’ve easily informed a captivating feature-length live-action movie. This rich character would be a fascinating addition to the grander live-action MCU mythos. Plus her power set (which includes, among other attributes, leaving blue streaks behind as she springs into action) delightfully leans into the stylized possibilities of animation. In other words, make Kahhori a priority character in Avengers: Doomsday pronto.
Baymax from Big Hero 6
Save for one background easter egg reference in Avengers: Age of Ultron, the Walt Disney Animation Studios feature Big Hero 6 has firmly stayed in its own universe despite also being based on Marvel Comics characters. Perhaps throwing in six more people into Avengers: Doomsday would overwhelm the story. However, why not get just Baymax back for a multiversal cameo appearance, especially since he was already brought back for a series of 2022 Disney+ shorts? This charming automaton is such a delightful creation that his presence, no matter how brief it is, could be enjoyable. Plus, Baymax showing up in Doomsday could finally unite the disparate corners of the big-screen Disney/Marvel empire.
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Spider-Ham from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse already saw the villainous The Spot briefly interacting with a live-action Venom character. It’s time to take this to the next level and, providing Sony/Columbia Pictures agreed to a licensing deal, bring a Spider-Verse character into the live-action MCU for a cameo appearance. What better pick for this than Spider-Ham (John Mulaney), the scene-stealing porker from Into the Spider-Verse? This kind of cameo wouldn’t disrupt the larger Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy plotlines from Across the Spider-Verse. Spider-Ham could just be his delightful self-contained goofy self in Doomsday and reaffirm the endless possibilities of the multiverse.
Firestar from Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends
Much like Harley Quinn first appeared in DC media through the TV program Batman: The Animated Series, the Marvel superhero Firestar first appeared in the 1981 kid’s cartoon Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends rather than in the comics. This mutant would soon migrate to the world of comics, but her origins lie in the small screen. If Avengers: Doomsday is bringing Marvel characters from fully-animated properties into live-action movies, why not showcase the rare superhero to debut in the animation medium? Plus, the MCU is beginning to more heavily exploit mutants, a strain of humanity Firestar is firmly a part of. Don’t just let Doomsday showcase modern animated Marvel characters housed on Disney+. Let Firestar have her day in the sun, preferably realized in a scraggly animation style paying homage to her low-budget NBC origins.
The Wasp/Janet Van Dyne from The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes
Making sure the Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes incarnation of Janet Van Dyne/The Wasp (Colleen O’Shaughnessey) shows up in Avengers: Doomsday could be an exciting appearance that accomplishes multiple tasks at once. For starters, the excellent Earth’s Mightiest Heroes show is a criminally underrated property deserving of high-profile recognition like reverberating into a live-action Avengers blockbuster movie. However, there’s also the acting retirement of Evangeline Lilly, the performer behind the MCU’s live-action Wasp (albeit the Hope van Dyne incarnation). With Lilly no longer performing, the MCU needs a Wasp to bounce off of Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang. Why not use the influx of animated Marvel characters in Doomsday to integrate The Wasp from Earth’s Mightiest Heroes into the broader MCU? Now this could be some productive fan-service!
The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes is now streaming on Disney+, Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters on May 1, 2026.
