Avengers: Doomsday is set to feature one of the most stacked, star-studded casts in a Marvel Studios production, and it sounds like the ensemble could grow even larger. On Instagram, MCU star Robert Downey Jr. (who is returning to the franchise to play Doctor Doom) commented on a post of today’s massive Doomsday cast reveal. Remarking that directors Joe and Anthony Russo have assembled “a deep bench of talent,” the actor wondered if there could possibly be room for additional cast members. The official Marvel Studios account replied to Downey’s comment, teasing that perhaps there will be another wave of announcement in the near future.
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“That’s what [you] call a deep bench of talent… actually it’s more like a row, but an extra long one… That must be it… right?” Downey wrote. “There’s always room for more…” Marvel commented in a response. Check out a screenshot of the exchange in the space below:
To commemorate Avengers: Doomsday beginning production, Marvel Studios put together a special livestream to unveil the blockbuster’s cast. Running for several hours, the livestream largely consisted of backs of chair with the actors’ names printed on the back. In addition to featuring a plethora of stars from various MCU Multiverse Saga projects (including the casts of The Fantastic Four: First Steps and Thunderbolts*), Avengers: Doomsday will also mark the returns of notable actors from Fox’s X-Men films — Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen among them.
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While the livestream gave Marvel fans plenty to get excited about, there were some glaring omissions from today’s cast reveal. Doctor Strange actor Benedict Cumberbatch had previously confirmed his return in Avengers: Doomsday, but his chair was nowhere to be seen in the video. There also weren’t any Guardians of the Galaxy or Spider-Man actors revealed, making some wonder if certain characters will be sidelined.
Marvel Studios likely wouldn’t stoke the flames like this unless something else was planned. In fact, The Hollywood Reporter has reported that “Marvel [isn’t] done revealing the entire cast,” so there’s enough here to believe even more actors will be joining the blockbuster. The only question is when will this second announcement take place. If Marvel Studios intends to have a San Diego Comic-Con panel again, that would be an ideal venue, bringing stars out on to the Hall H stage to tease their roles. But it’s also plausible Marvel will look to do something before then. Avengers: Doomsday will be filming “through the summer” according to Anthony Mackie, so production may have wrapped by the time Comic-Con rolls around in late July. Maybe when the Russos wrap, they’ll mark the occasion by showing off the rest of the cast.
As for names that Marvel could announce, Cumberbatch feels like an easy bet given his previous comments. Also, leaked MCU concept art that may or may not be from Avengers: Doomsday depicted Star-Lord and Vision, so perhaps Chris Pratt and Paul Bettany will be included in the second wave. Chris Evans has denied reports he’s returning to Marvel for Doomsday, but that hasn’t stopped fans from believing he’ll be back. As thrilling as it is to see Marvel unite all of these stars, it does beg the question of how Avengers: Doomsday will be able to juggle everything in a satisfying way. The film already has a lot on its plate, and with the promise for more, it runs the risk of spreading things too thin. Everyone has their favorite Marvel characters, and nobody wants to see their favorites be short-changed. But the Russos have pulled things like this off before, so perhaps they’ve unlocked the secret to make this work.
