Summary
- Avengers: Doomsday cast revealed, Robert Downey Jr. returns as Doctor Doom.
- X-Men stars join MCU, but Tom Holland’s Spider-Man not in movie.
- Spider-Man 4 storyline conflict prevents Holland from joining Avengers: Doomsday cast, to focus on next adventure.
Marvel Studios had the entire Hollywood industry talking this week by revealing the official cast for Avengers: Doomsday. In a lengthy livestream that lasted over five hours and was watched by over four million people, some huge names were confirmed to be part of the upcoming movie, which is now officially in production. Avengers: Doomsday will be released on May 1, 2026, with Robert Downey Jr. making his return to the franchise to play Doctor Doom.
It was also announced that various former X-Men stars will be appearing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the first time, with the likes of Alan Cumming and Sir Ian McKellen reprising their iconic mutant roles. However, there were several notable names who didn’t get their own chair and appear not to be part of the cast for Avengers: Doomsday, with a popular web-slinger being one of those.
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Tom Holland has been a significant part of the MCU ever since he first appeared in Captain America: Civil War, having gone on to lead three Spider-Man movies while starring in various Avengers films. However, according to industry insider Jeff Sneider, Holland will not be in Avengers: Doomsday. That’s because Spider-Man 4 will take place during the events of Avengers: Doomsday, meaning he’s going to be wrapped up in whatever Marvel Studios has planned for his next adventure rather than helping out the Avengers.
Whether these two movies will have any storyline crossover remains to be seen, but it appears that it’s going to rule Spider-Man out of a confrontation with Doctor Doom. Instead, Holland will be hanging out with Stranger Things star Sadie Sink, who has been added to the cast of Spider-Man 4 in a currently unknown role. However, it is going to negatively impact Avengers: Doomsday as Spider-Man is one of the most exciting characters within the MCU, and there’s a lot of storyline potential with him and Downey Jr. after all the groundwork that has been put in. Still, Marvel Studios has other plans for Holland’s popular character this time around.
Of course, just one year after Avengers: Doomsday releases will be Avengers: Secret Wars, another huge project within the MCU. While it’s widely expected that the majority of the cast in Avengers: Doomsday will translate to that movie to provide continuity for the story. However, that doesn’t mean that other characters cannot be added. If Spider-Man 4 is going to happen during the events of Avengers: Doomsday, then Holland’s character could easily be worked into the movie with the right plot.
Not having Spider-Man in Avengers: Doomsday is certainly a risk on Marvel’s behalf simply because of how important the character is to the grand scheme of the MCU. However, there is no shortage of characters in the movie and that will keep people entertained, but this just felt like the right time for Marvel to make Spider-Man the lead role in the franchise. While there’s always a chance he could swing his way into Avengers: Doomsday, at the moment the signs are pointing toward a move without Spider-Man.