Avengers: Doomsday Cast Omissions Hint at Marvel’s Mistake

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Regardless of the impressive lineup for Avengers: Doomsday, featuring well-known actors from various Avengers, X-Men, and Fantastic Four teams, some significant absences suggest that Marvel Studios might have paid heed to a vocal portion of their audience and could be repeating Lucasfilm’s mistake with Star Wars. For five hours, Marvel enthusiasts across the globe watched a live stream as chairs were unveiled, revealing cast members for the much-anticipated Avengers film. Remarkably, fans held their breath in anticipation of learning which name would be revealed.

In recent news, Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart once again stepping into their X-Men movie series roles was a major highlight. Notably absent were stars like Tom Holland as Spider-Man, Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange, and Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool. However, the omission of names such as Tatiana Maslany as She-Hulk, Brie Larson as Captain Marvel, Iman Vellani as Ms. Marvel, Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau, and any Eternals cast member raised some eyebrows among fans who have long debated online about the supposed dislike or indifference towards these characters and their impact on Marvel’s alleged downfall.

Although it’s possible they will reveal these announcements at a later time – as The Hollywood Reporter suggests Marvel still has cast members to unveil – the current lack of these characters is somewhat disheartening, and it may suggest that Marvel could be repeating an error that has troubled Lucasfilm for almost a decade.

The Glaring Omission of These Marvel Heroes Speaks Volumes

One key observation following the announcement of the Avengers: Doomsday cast was the apparent scarcity of female characters, with just five out of 27 roles going to women. Among them are Florence Pugh from The Thunderbolts, Hannah John-Kamen, Vanessa Kirby from The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Letitia Wright from Black Panther, and Rebecca Romijn from X-Men. The dearth of female characters may initially give the impression that Marvel Studios is catering to those who criticize using unflattering terms like “M-She-U,” a term often used against Marvel Studios for its inclusion of more female characters compared to The Infinity Saga. This imbalance was particularly noticeable in the case of characters such as She-Hulk, the cast of The Marvels, and the diverse ensemble of Eternals, which features a majority of women and non-white actors.

It’s disheartening that She-Hulk isn’t around, given the circumstances. Some viewers seem determined to label “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law” as Marvel’s worst offering (a claim that makes one question if they actually watched “Secret Invasion”). The series faced a significant backlash even before any footage was released and became the target of review bombing. However, despite the relatively lower critical response compared to other Marvel TV shows on Rotten Tomatoes (with a score of 79%), it’s on par with acclaimed films such as “Deadpool,” “Wolverine,” and “Iron Man 3.

Tatiana Maslany, who played She-Hulk, has recently discussed the negative comments she continues to receive from certain individuals even though the show ended more than two years ago. While there are many fans who have expressed their appreciation for her performance and the character, they haven’t had the chance to see She-Hulk officially join the Avengers team. Unfortunately, a vocal group of people has been spreading false rumors about Tatiana Maslany suing Disney and Ryan Reynolds over not being cast in Deadpool & Wolverine, which has given some the wrong impression that She-Hulk doesn’t have supporters. Despite this, there are indeed numerous fans, such as Simon Pegg from Hot Fuzz. It seems these individuals think they’ve won, which may encourage them to continue their negative behavior.

It’s disheartening that characters from “The Marvels” weren’t included in the film, considering Kelsey Grammer’s Beast is set to return in “Avengers: Doomsday,” following his appearance in the post-credits scene of the movie. Despite “The Incredible Hulk” being a box office flop, it didn’t prevent the character from appearing in other Marvel films like “The Avengers.” Even though “Captain Marvel” underperformed compared to some other MCU films, it still managed to make over $1 billion worldwide. Originally, there were plans for Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel character to play a significant role in the franchise after “Avengers: Endgame,” alongside Tom Holland’s Spider-Man and Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther. However, it seems that now, the character who gave the Avengers their name won’t be part of the team.

Iman Vellani’s portrayal of Kamala Khan/Ms Marvel has been widely acclaimed. The recent episode of Daredevil: Born Again hinted at Ms Marvel’s comeback, making her absence from this large Avengers ensemble all the more painful. On the other hand, Teyonah Parris was last seen stuck in the X-Men reality inhabited by Kelsey Grammer’s Beast. However, neither Parris nor Lashana Lynch, who played Monica Rambeau’s mother Maria and the X-Men universe equivalent of Binary, were included in the cast list.

Initially, we come across the characters from the movie “Eternals.” Despite earning a less-than-favorable reputation as Marvel’s first film to receive a Rotten rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which may suggest it is disliked within the franchise, “Eternals” has its supporters who appreciate its innovative approach in the Marvel universe. It is actually considered a better movie than both “Iron Man 2” and “Thor: The Dark World.” Contrary to being a flop, “Eternals” still raked in $164 million at the domestic box office and $402 million globally during a time when people were cautious about returning to cinemas due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions.

It seems that some online audiences have been particularly critical towards shows and films like “Eternals”, “The Marvels”, and “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law”. Notably, these productions often star women, especially women of color. While they might attempt to justify their criticism by claiming it’s due to poor writing, it’s hard not to see a pattern. This supposed ‘bad writing’ label is frequently used as a convenient excuse for what appears to be a hidden agenda.

For instance, the less-than-stellar reception for movies like “Thor: Love & Thunder” and “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” didn’t deter their titular heroes from appearing again. Similarly, despite “X-Men: The Last Stand” being widely regarded as one of the worst X-Men films, Kelsey Grammer is set to reprise his role as Beast.

Previously, Marvel Studios would pick a movie that didn’t receive favorable reviews from critics and viewers, but they remained loyal to the characters and came up with innovative ways to rejuvenate them. Despite the mixed reception towards Iron Man 2, Marvel persisted in bringing War Machine back into the picture. Even though Thor: The Dark World is often seen as one of the weakest MCU films, Marvel stood by Thor and transformed him through Thor: Ragnarok. However, it seems that Marvel may be abandoning some of their most compelling characters due to what they perceive as the loudest voices online.

The Many Mistakes That Lucasfilm Has Made by Listening to Its Worse Critics

If you recognize this scenario, it could be because you’re a fan of the Star Wars universe. Notably, Daisy Ridley and Kelly Marie Tran, who played Rey and Rose Tico respectively, had to step away from social media due to online harassment. Regardless of positive critical reception, Star Wars: The Last Jedi found itself at the center of a broader cultural conflict, with many internet users targeting several film stars, particularly the female cast members. Kelly Marie Tran experienced an onslaught of racist and sexist remarks that led her to abandon all social media platforms. Her character, Rose Tico, was significantly underrepresented in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, which many saw as a retraction of developments from the movie, contributing to its reputation as the worst film in the series.

Over eight years since the debut of “The Last Jedi”, headlines related to “Star Wars” have deteriorated significantly due to a surge in hate-driven content across platforms such as YouTube, X, and TikTok. For instance, actor Moses Ingram from “Obi-Wan Kenobi” experienced severe racist abuse online that even led Ewan McGregor, his co-star, to speak up on social media in defense. Even before a single scene was filmed for “The Acolyte”, a well-organized campaign of negative reviews and threats emerged against the series. Despite strong viewer anticipation, Disney appeared to yield to those who voiced complaints about “The Acolyte” on social media, ultimately deciding to cancel the series.

It’s clear that those who orchestrate these malicious harassment campaigns against film stars should be held accountable. However, it’s disappointing to see that Disney, on numerous occasions, has not taken a strong stand against such harassment nor defended their talent. Their silence sends a powerful message. Furthermore, it seems that other parts of Disney are succumbing to a vocal but insignificant segment of the audience that does not represent the broader public’s preferences. Despite there being no proof that social media campaigns affected the box office performance of Snow White, Disney now appears to be abandoning star Rachel Zegler amidst the movie’s lackluster opening weekend.

It seems reasonable to think that Marvel Studios and Disney could have taken a different approach following the controversy over James Gunn’s dismissal from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which resulted in a three-year delay for one of their major productions and the loss of a significant creative mind to a rival studio. However, the omission of Tatiana Maslany’s She-Hulk and the cast members of The Marvels and Eternals from upcoming projects suggests that Marvel Studios might be repeating the same error as Lucasfilm.

Why There Is Still Hope for These Heroes to Appear in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’

Despite the current pessimism and apprehensions, there remains a chance that all these concerns might prove unnecessary. It appears consensus exists that the cast listed for Avengers: Doomsday is not complete, with more stars yet to be announced, potentially during the San Diego Comic-Con. Spider-Man’s appearance may be questionable due to the release of Spider-Man 4 two months after Avengers: Doomsday. Evangeline Lilly has essentially stepped away from acting, which explains why Wasp is not in the current lineup. However, there are still several prominent characters missing that we anticipate will be part of the movie.

Initially, Benedict Cumberbatch stated he wouldn’t appear in “Avengers: Doomsday,” but later changed his mind. This leaves us questioning the truth of his initial statement. Given that Doctor Strange was last seen exploring the Multiverse, it seems unusual for him to be absent from this crossover. As for Bruce Banner/The Hulk, he is still among the living original Avengers, but we don’t yet know if he will appear in this movie.

With the X-Men now part of the Marvel universe, it seems unlikely that neither Deadpool nor Wolverine would be involved, especially after the success of “Deadpool & Wolverine” with a global gross of $1.3 billion. This is more plausible considering Channing Tatum’s return as Gambit.

In the recent announcement, popular characters such as Deadpool, Wolverine, Doctor Strange, The Hulk, War Machine, Moon Knight were absent, but there was no Guardians of the Galaxy. This could imply that we might see She-Hulk, Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel, Monica Rambeau, and the Eternals again in the MCU, perhaps even in “Avengers: Doomsday”. Additionally, it’s worth noting that there were no characters from the MCU’s sacred timeline present. The Avengers team seems to be comprised only of Captain America, The Falcon, Thor, Shang-Chi, Black Panther, and Ant-Man. However, after “Captain America: Brave New World” hinted at a new Avengers roster, this current lineup feels limited in terms of powerhouses.

In various storylines within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there are ample opportunities for these characters to become more involved. For instance, Monica Rambeau, now part of the X-Men universe with Beast, offers a seamless integration into the narrative. Captain Marvel, currently on Earth, may find herself searching for means to retrieve Monica from another dimension. She-Hulk, residing in California alongside Shang-Chi and Ant-Man, might step in to address any emerging threats. Lastly, Thor, out in space, could encounter the Eternals, given the cliffhanger at the end of their movie.

If Brie Larson and Tatiana Maslany are in “Avengers: Doomsday,” it’s evident that not revealing their involvement during the press event was likely a misstep. The visual impression left behind is less than ideal, especially considering the hostility and harassment they have faced. However, what truly counts is if Marvel Studios handles these characters and their devoted fans with care, as there are indeed enthusiasts for these characters. Avengers: Doomsday will hit theaters on May 1, 2026.

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2025-03-27 19:05