The Marvel star has weighed in on his omission.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has navigated a rocky stretch in recent years. While Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) proved the franchise still commands fan attention, other releases stumbled to leave a lasting mark. Captain America: Brave New World (2025) was billed as a potential turning point but fell short of reigniting the kind of momentum Marvel needed.
That conversation shifted with Jake Schreier’s Thunderbolts* (2025). Praised by critics and audiences alike, the film opened to strong numbers, boosting optimism about Marvel’s trajectory, though it ultimately left only a modest impression.
Phase Six kicked off with The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025), which delivered an impressive debut weekend but saw a steep drop in its second week. Nevertheless, Disney CEO Bob Iger emphasized that the First Family will remain central to the franchise’s future.
One of the studio’s most pressing challenges emerged following Jonathan Majors’ exit. Majors was originally set to anchor the Multiverse Saga as Kang the Conqueror, appearing across multiple projects with his storyline culminating in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. Following allegations of battery, assault, and defamation from his ex-partner, Grace Jabbari, Marvel severed ties, forcing a major reshuffling of the narrative.
Doctor Doom has now stepped into the spotlight. At last year’s San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige confirmed that Anthony and Joe Russo would return to direct Avengers: Doomsday (formerly The Kang Dynasty) and Avengers: Secret Wars, arriving in 2026 and 2027.
Perhaps the most unexpected twist came with Robert Downey Jr.’s return—not as Iron Man, but as Victor Von Doom. The Oppenheimer (2023) actor appeared as Doom in a post-credits scene for The Fantastic Four: First Steps, signaling a larger role in the upcoming Avengers films.
While Kang hasn’t been entirely written out, his arc has clearly changed. Recent appearances, including Victor Timely in Loki season 2 and Kang’s confrontation with Ant-Man in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023), now feel more like a lead-in to Doom taking the reins as the central threat.
Questions about Kang’s future remain, especially after Oscar nominee Colman Domingo (Rustin, Sing Sing) confirmed discussions with Marvel Studios, though he clarified they weren’t tied to a specific role. The Council of Kangs leaves possibilities open, but all indications point toward Doom leading the next chapter.
Earlier this summer, Marvel Studios confirmed the main Avengers: Doomsday cast in a live-stream, with more than 20 returning and new characters.
The announced lineup includes Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom, Sebastian Stan as Winter Soldier, Paul Rudd as Ant-Man, Simu Liu as Shang-Chi, Kelsey Grammer as Beast, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, James Marsden as Cyclops, and Chris Hemsworth as Thor. Additional members are Channing Tatum as Gambit, Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost, Danny Ramirez as Falcon, Ian McKellen as Magneto, Vanessa Kirby as Invisible Woman, Lewis Pullman as Sentry, Rebecca Romijn as Mystique, Patrick Stewart as Professor X, and Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler.
The ensemble also features David Harbour as Red Guardian, Letitia Wright as Shuri/Black Panther, Anthony Mackie as Captain America, Wyatt Russell as U.S. Agent, Joseph Quinn as Human Torch, Tenoch Huerta Mejia as Namor, Pedro Pascal as Mister Fantastic, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as The Thing.
Notably absent from the roster was a major MCU star: Benedict Cumberbatch.
Doctor Strange debuted in Doctor Strange (2016), where the brilliant neurosurgeon turned mystic hero trained under the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) and defeated Dormammu. He then appeared in Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and returned in Avengers: Endgame (2019), playing a pivotal role in the final battle.
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) positioned Strange at the center again, with his spell fracturing the Multiverse and unleashing classic villains. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) saw him confront alternate versions of himself, teaming with America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) and facing Wanda Maximoff’s (Elizabeth Olsen) descent into Scarlet Witch. The film ended with Strange’s third-eye transformation, hinting at darker paths ahead.
Despite these key contributions, Cumberbatch was not included in the March 2025 cast reveal. Speaking to Omelete during the release of his new movie, The Roses (2025), he addressed the omission with characteristic wit: “Who knows? Maybe they just didn’t have enough chairs,” he said.
Other additions reportedly in talks for Doomsday, though not officially confirmed, include Mark Ruffalo (Hulk), Benedict Wong (Wong), Don Cheadle (War Machine), Brie Larson (Captain Marvel), Karen Gillan (Nebula), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye), Danai Gurira (Okoye), Iman Vellani (Ms. Marvel), Ke Huy Quan (Ouroboros/”O.B.”), Tessa Thompson (Valkyrie), Teyonah Parris (Monica Rambeau), Will Poulter (Adam Warlock), Dominique Thorne (Ironheart), Xochitl Gomez (America Chavez), Sophia Di Martino (Sylvie), and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Wonder Man).
Other rumored performers include Tatiana Maslany (She-Hulk), Kathryn Newton (Cassie Lang), Wunmi Mosaku (Hunter B-15), Lashana Lynch (Maria Rambeau/Binary), Famke Janssen (Jean Grey), Halle Berry (Storm), Kai Zen (Phyla), Owen Wilson (Mobius), Chris Pratt (Star-Lord), Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), Charlize Theron (Clea), Hayley Atwell (Captain Carter), Chris Evans (Captain America), Bradley Cooper (Rocket Raccoon), Vin Diesel (Groot), and Maria Bakalova (Cosmo).
The sweeping changes reflect Marvel’s shift from a Kang-focused saga. While Jonathan Majors has expressed interest in returning, the current plans suggest otherwise. Another significant absence is Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, reportedly sitting out Avengers: Doomsday as Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026) runs concurrently.
Earlier this year, reports surfaced detailing Avengers 5’s original storyline before the Destin Daniel Cretton and Michael Waldron creative overhaul.
“According to [Alex Perez], separate Avengers teams set out to battle Immortus, Centurion, and Rama-Tut, the three Kang Variants teased at the end of Quantumania,” Comic Book Movie reported. “However, the Conqueror Variant was going to return from ‘The Beyond’ in the third act to take revenge against his doppelgangers and become He Who Remains.”
“It’s said that Doctor Doom was never part of Marvel Studios’ original plans for the two-part Multiverse Saga finale; instead, he—and others—were to be revealed as being among those removed from the timeline by Kang to ensure they could thrive,” the outlet added. “However, once those Variants had been defeated, Doom was teased as the ‘evil’ they were trying to keep at bay with their actions.”
Those scrapped outlines suggest Doom has always lingered in the background. Now, he takes center stage, with many insiders predicting he will anchor the MCU’s emerging “Mutant Saga” as X-Men characters transition into Marvel Studios continuity. Multiverse collisions signal that not every character will survive intact, as Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) demonstrated.
For the Russo Brothers, Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars are more than sequels—they are a narrative reset, designed to open fresh storytelling possibilities rather than wrap up what came before.
How do you feel about Doctor Strange being absent from Avengers: Doomsday? Let us know in the comments below!
