The MCU Might Have Just Confirmed the Final Member of Sam Wilson’s Avengers Team (& It’s Over a Decade in the Making)

The puzzle that is Avengers: Doomsday isn’t getting any easier. Of course, the only source of information anyone has to go on regarding the movie’s story is the cast list provided by the now-infamous chair reveal. Over 20 actors are confirmed to be participating in the Marvel Cinematic Universe‘s next team-up event, and most of them already have their assignments. Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach are going to reprise their roles as members of the Fantastic Four, while Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, James Marsden, and the rest of the names with connections to Fox’s X-Men franchise will appear as the mutants they’ve been playing for over 20 years.

That leaves the two Avengers teams to sort out. The first doesn’t take much work because the end of Thunderbolts* reveals that the titular team is now the New Avengers, and they’re such a tight-knit group that they’re unlikely to pick up any stragglers. Sam Wilson’s group, which consists only of him and Joaquin Torres, is in a very different position, needing warm bodies. However, while putting together Captain America’s lineup seems like a simple exercise given the remaining names to choose from, Marvel Studios may be throwing a curveball.

Marvel May Be Ready to Announce the Final Avengers Team in Doomsday

Like every other studio, Disney enjoys marketing its projects. The House of Mouse doesn’t do things halfway, though, taking every chance it can get to show off what it’s working on. At the Italian film industry event Giornate Di Cinema Sorrento, Disney gave a presentation, covering everything from Avatar: Fire and Ash, which is gearing up to hit theaters, to Toy Story 5, a highly anticipated movie that just wrapped up its recording sessions. Doomsday capped off the segment, and while it was more of the same, with the presenter mostly discussing the cast, there was an interesting graphic that could very well provide some insight into the film’s direction.

Rather than showing the entire cast on screen, it was broken up into segments. The Fantastic Four got a graphic, as did the X-Men and the New Avengers. Anthony Mackie saw his name appear alongside a few other actors who play characters with strong ties to his own, including Chris Hemsworth, Paul Rudd, Danny Ramirez, and Simu Liu. The one outlier was Tom Hiddleston, who, of course, plays Loki in the MCU. The God of Mischief isn’t exactly in a position where he could walk away from his duties and join a team. However, Doomsday can move some pieces around, making the Avengers’ original villain their most important member.

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Loki Deserves to Be an Avenger in the MCU

The idea of Loki becoming one of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes was bananas just a few years ago. For starters, he died at the beginning of Avengers: Infinity War after losing a battle with the Mad Titan. Sure, he was set to return in a Disney+ series, but there’s no way it would have real ramifications for the franchise. Well, that narrative turned out to be misguided because Loki is arguably the most important show on Disney’s streaming platform, featuring the full redemption of the titular Asgardian. Not only does Loki make friends and embrace his heroic side, but he also makes the sacrifice play by pulling the multiverse together in the Season 2 finale.

As far as everyone knows, Loki still sits on the throne at the End of Time, watching over the multiverse tree. Unfortunately for him, Doctor Doom is probably looking to blow up his spot. Loki is stronger than he was before, so it’s possible he could hold Doom at bay. Rather than make that gamble, though, Loki should abandon ship and find his brother, who is sure to be back with the Avengers. It might take some convincing to get Loki on the team, especially because Sam knows what can happen when a bad guy gets the benefit of the doubt, but it’s an all-hands-on-deck kind of situation. If the former villain claims here’s there to help, the Avengers are going to have to take him at his word and be open to the idea of him becoming a real hero.

Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters on December 18, 2026.

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