Steve Rogers is set for a major role in the Avengers Doomsday character lineup, while Thor is also positioned as a key part of Marvel Studios' next crossover. That leaves Hulk and Hawkeye without secured spots in Avengers: Doomsday, even as the roster stretches across Earth's Mightiest Heroes, the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men.
Thor and Steve Rogers
Two original Avengers are doing the heavy lifting here. The lineup gives Thor and Steve Rogers a clear place in Avengers: Doomsday, which matters because the film is being built as a broad multiverse conflict around Doctor Doom.
One original Avenger's future has been mapped out, and that is the practical signal inside the noise. Marvel Studios is not treating every founding hero the same way, which means the franchise is now drawing sharper lines between characters it still intends to use and those it is not locking in for the next crossover.
Hulk and Hawkeye
Two original Avengers do not have spots secured in Avengers: Doomsday. Hulk and Hawkeye sit outside the guaranteed part of the roster, which is a notable split for a film that is otherwise being sold as an ensemble built from multiple MCU factions.
Iron Man and Black Widow died in Endgame, so any return for either would have to come through variants. Robert Downey Jr. is portraying Doctor Doom, and that choice keeps the franchise focused on a new center of gravity rather than rebuilding around the old guard.
Natasha Romanoff even gets a small animated echo of that flexibility in X-Men '97 Season 2, Episode 4, "Rise of Apocalypse, Part II," where Captain America and Black Widow give Wolverine information and friendly advice in a mid-credits scene. She does not get to say much there, which fits the larger pattern: Marvel Animation has more room to move under Disney than the team behind X-Men: The Animated Series did, but the live-action board is still being drawn more selectively.
Avengers: Secret Wars
Avengers: Secret Wars remains the obvious escape hatch for veteran heroes if they miss Avengers: Doomsday. For readers tracking the Avengers Doomsday character lineup, the useful takeaway is simple: Thor and Steve Rogers are in the mix, Hulk and Hawkeye are not locked, and Marvel Studios is leaving itself room to reshuffle the old roster without promising everyone a seat.
