The already enormous cast of “Avengers: Doomsday” just added two more major names. During Marvel Studios’ D23 presentation, Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds appeared in a humorous video in which the longtime friends—and “Deadpool & Wolverine” co-stars—competed for a place in the upcoming Avengers movie. The bit ultimately confirmed that both actors will return as Wolverine and Deadpool.
Their additions were revealed separately from the new “Avengers: Doomsday” trailer, which offered the biggest look yet at Robert Downey Jr. trading Iron Man’s armor for the mask of Victor von Doom and Chris Evans returning as Steve Rogers.
Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo (“Avengers: Endgame”), “Doomsday” brings together the Avengers, New Avengers, Wakandans, Fantastic Four, and original X-Men as their separate universes collide under the threat of Doom. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has cited the “Time Runs Out” storyline, which directly preceded Jonathan Hickman’s “Secret Wars” comics event, as an inspiration for the two-film saga.
The enormous ensemble includes Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Mackie, Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Paul Rudd, Letitia Wright, Simu Liu, Tom Hiddleston, Channing Tatum, and Lewis Pullman. The Fox-era mutants are represented by Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, James Marsden, Rebecca Romijn, Kelsey Grammer, and Alan Cumming, among others.
But the film’s most consequential reunion may be Evans’ return as Steve Rogers following the character’s seemingly definitive ending in ‘Endgame.’ The actor recently explained that Marvel repeatedly approached him before finding a story worthy of reversing that farewell.
“I said I would only come back if there were a real reason, and in ‘Doomsday,’ there’s a very real reason why these heroes need Steve Rogers,” Evans said at CinemaCon earlier this year.
Marvel went so far as to disguise Steve as “Luke Cage” in scripts and production call sheets to conceal Evans’ involvement. This is most certainly the same Steve Rogers last seen returning to Peggy Carter at the end of ‘Endgame’; however, Hayley Atwell’s Peggy is also expected to appear—and is reported to play a Captain Carter, potentially a variant from another timeline, which would certainly complicate things if true.
Written by Michael Waldron, Stephen McFeely, Chris McKenna, and Erik Sommers, “Avengers: Doomsday” opens in theaters on December 18, 2026. Its sequel, “Avengers: Secret Wars,” follows on December 17, 2027. Watch the trailer below.
