The 10 Most Powerful MCU Characters We Know Aren’t in Avengers: Doomsday

The Marvel Cinematic Universe features many powerful characters, but some of them seem certain to be absent from the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday. The MCU’s Multiverse Saga is now building up to its epic two-part finale, which will take the form of Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. If the ending of the franchise’s Infinity Saga is anything to go by, the Multiverse Saga’s conclusion will be a major narrative event that will undoubtedly shape future movies in the MCU. Avengers: Doomsday is already shaping up to be a hugely ambitious film, with many of the MCU’s most important characters returning as part of its expansive ensemble cast.

However, announcements about the cast of Avengers: Doomsday have left a few key gaps in the MCU movie’s list of characters. There are a number of powerful figures still active within the franchise that seem confirmed as not appearing in the movie, which is a disappointing development for fans if true. While Marvel admittedly has a habit of hiding details about upcoming movies, it certainly seems as if some of the MCU’s heavy hitters will not feature at all in Doomsday‘s story.

10) Spider-Man

While he may not be one of the most powerful MCU characters missing from Avengers: Doomsday, Spider-Man is one of the most iconic to be absent from the cast of the upcoming film. Having been first introduced into the franchise in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War before going on to lead a successful trilogy of solo MCU movies, Tom Holland’s Spider-Man is one of the most universally beloved movie superheroes currently in the franchise. However, Marvel has confirmed that Holland’s Spider-Man will not be a part of Avengers: Doomsday.

The reason why is that his next solo movie, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, will coincide with the events of Doomsday. The sequel will reportedly set up Spidey’s involvement in Avengers: Secret Wars, but its events will unfold alongside those of Doomsday. Writing one of Marvel’s most iconic characters out of the movie in such a way might seem disappointing, but the Multiverse narrative teases that a different iteration of the hero may still appear.

9) Moon Knight

Oscar Isaac made his MCU debut in 2022 with the lead role in Moon Knight, but the MCU TV show‘s story seems destined not to be continued in the dying days of the Multiverse Saga. The hero’s fascinating story and Egyptian god-given abilities established him as a formidable combatant, armed with otherworldly powers that allow him to cheat death and take on powerful enemies. However, it seems that the character will not feature in Avengers: Doomsday.

The powerful nature of Moon Knight and the popularity of Oscar Isaac make his absence seem a missed opportunity. Even so, it has been stated by numerous sources that Moon Knight’s MCU future has yet to be decided, making an appearance in Doomsday seem unlikely. It only further establishes Moon Knight as a Marvel character wasted by the MCU, as it appears that fans will not see him again in the upcoming movie.

8) Doctor Strange

Immediately upon his introduction in 2016’s Doctor Strange, the titular sorcerer became one of the MCU’s most powerful magic users. Doctor Strange’s story has been explored in two solo movies and a prominent role in Avengers: Infinity War, with his powerful nature further established by What If…? and its Multiverse narrative. Strange is a complex figure, and Benedict Cumberbatch’s performance has established him as one of the MCU’s most beloved active heroes.

That makes his absence in Avengers: Doomsday seem especially odd. Doctor Strange’s own exploration of the Multiverse seems to put him at the center of the Multiverse Saga, but Cumberbatch has confirmed that he will not appear in the upcoming Avengers movie. Instead, he asserts that he will feature heavily in Secret Wars, making his absence seem a deliberate choice on Marvel’s part.

7) Black Knight

After Dane Whitman was introduced in 2021’s Eternals, it was teased that he would imminently become the MCU’s Black Knight. The post-credits teaser involving him taking up the Ebony Blade hinted that Kit Harrington would soon appear as the hero, but it has yet to materialize. As one of the MCU’s frustrating unanswered teases, the Black Knight story seems destined not to continue until after the end of the Multiverse Saga.

Kit Harrington has not been announced as part of Avengers: Doomsday‘s cast. It makes sense, as he hasn’t yet been properly introduced as the Black Knight, but it’s still another powerful character that won’t appear in the upcoming movie. In fact, he’s a missing MCU character we likely won’t see for years, even though he’d be a great addition to Doomsday‘s story.

6) Sersi

Another character introduced in 2021’s Eternals, Sersi is one of the MCU’s most underrated new heroes. As a member — and later the leader — of the titular team, Sersi is one of the most powerful heroes introduced into the MCU post-Endgame. However, the cliffhanger ending of Eternals means that her story currently remains unresolved, and she therefore doesn’t seem set to feature in Avengers: Doomsday.

As Sersi boasts one of the best MCU powers nobody talks about, it’s a shame. She’d be a valuable addition to the team as they face off against Doctor Doom, but Gemma Chan doesn’t appear to be involved in the movie at all. It instead seems that Eternals‘ story is doomed to remain unresolved for the foreseeable future, and that Sersi will miss out on being a part of the Multiverse Saga’s conclusion.

5) Arishem

Also introduced in Eternals was Arishem the Judge, a colossal Celestial responsible for the creation of the titular team. The massive cosmic being is immensely powerful, ranking as one of the strongest MCU characters of all time by his nature alone. Much like Sersi, it seems that Arishem will not feature in Avengers: Doomsday.

As he was last seen taking Sersi and Phastos away for judgment, he may well be too busy to appear in Doomsday. While he’s a hugely powerful MCU character, his absence from the upcoming film actually makes sense, as he doesn’t appear to have a logical place within its story. It’s possible that Arishem could appear, but ultimately seems incredibly implausible, especially considering he’s seemingly preoccupied with retribution after the events of Eternals.

4) Adam Warlock

After being teased at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Adam Warlock made his much-anticipated debut in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Established at the end of the movie as part of the MCU’s new team of Guardians, his future in the franchise seems assured. Even so, Will Poulter has not been confirmed as appearing in Avengers: Doomsday, with the actor reportedly denying any knowledge of his character’s future.

As one of the most overpowered heroes in the MCU, Adam Warlock’s inclusion in Avengers: Doomsday would be great. It seems as though the heroes may need his help battling against Doctor Doom, but it appears unlikely to happen. With Poulter himself denying that he’s involved in the film, it seems that Adam Warlock is another high-powered absence from the upcoming MCU movie.

3) Dormammu

Dormammu might not have featured heavily in the MCU to date, but he’s still an immensely powerful figure in the franchise. After making his debut in 2016’s Doctor Strange, the ruler of the Dark Dimension has seemingly been dormant. However, he has seemingly been set up as a future threat against the franchise’s heroes, making his appearance in Avengers: Doomsday possible, if not overly plausible.

As Benedict Cumberbatch has stated he isn’t involved in the movie, it seems as though Dormammu will not appear. He’s another villain whose role wouldn’t entirely make sense anyway, as he’s seemingly too powerful to work alongside the threat of Doctor Doom. Even so, he’s another incredibly strong character that will almost certainly not be involved in Doomsday‘s story.

2) G’iah

The MCU has many powerful aliens, but G’iah stands out as one of the strongest. After the Skrull’s introduction in Secret Invasion, she got a major power boost in the form of the Harvest, giving her the combined abilities of most of the MCU’s Avengers. It immediately established her as one of the most overpowered individuals in the entire MCU, but it apparently didn’t cement her future in the franchise.

It has been reported that there are currently no plans for G’iah to return. The poor reception of Secret Invasion seems likely to be the reason, but G’iah’s overpowered nature also presents something of a narrative obstacle. With no announcement of Emilia Clarke’s involvement in Avengers: Doomsday and nothing else to suggest she will appear, it seems as though G’iah is another powerful character who will not be featured in the movie.

1) Hulk

While many fans expected to see Hulk return in Avengers: Doomsday, Mark Ruffalo has stated that he isn’t in the movie. Although he is one of the few remaining founding Avengers active in the MCU, Hulk will reportedly not feature in the upcoming film. Instead, he is set to appear in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and will then potentially feature in Avengers: Secret Wars.

The Hulk is one of the strongest heroes in the MCU, so his absence will undeniably be felt. However, it’s possible that his story in Brand New Day will set him up for an exciting role in Secret Wars, and fans will at least have a chance to see the Jade Giant in a 2026 MCU movie. Though the Hulk will be missed by his fellow Avengers as they fight Doctor Doom, it has been confirmed that he will not play a role in Avengers: Doomsday.

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