The official cast has been announced for Avengers: Doomsday, with numerous big stars returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe – and several others making their debuts.

Among the major names confirmed during the five-and-a-half-hour stream were Robert Downey Jr, Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Mackie, Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Tom Hiddleston, Florence Pugh and Paul Rudd.

The biggest surprise was the announcement that many X-Men actors will be debuting in the MCU for the first time, having previously played their respective characters in the 20th Century Fox-produced movies in the 2000s.

Those names include Ian McKellen, James Marsden, Rebecca Romijn and Alan Cumming. Patrick Stewart and Channing Tatum have also been cast after previously making cameos in MCU films.

While fans will already be theorising about what will happen in the movie, it’s worth noting that many Marvel actors expected to show up were not confirmed for the film.

We’ve compiled an extensive list of active characters and actors from various MCU films and television shows that currently aren’t in the next Avengers movie. This does not include individuals like Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch, whose status remains ambiguous, or “retired” characters like Chris Evans’s Steve Rogers.

Every MCU actor not cast in Avengers: Doomsday:

Tom Holland – Spider-Man/Peter Parker

Ryan Reynolds – Deadpool/Wade Wilson

Hugh Jackman – Wolverine/Logan

Mark Ruffalo – Hulk/Bruce Banner

Tom Holland in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ (MARVEL/Sony Pictures)

Tatiana Maslany – She-Hulk/Jennifer Walters

Evangeline Lily – Wasp/Hope Van Dyne

Oscar Isaac – Moon Knight/Marc Spector

Benedict Cumberbatch – Doctor Strange/Stephen Strange

Charlize Theron – Clea

Xochitl Gomez- America Chavez

Don Cheadle – War Machine/James Rhodes

Brie Larson – Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers

Jeremy Renner – Hawkeye/Clint Barton

Benedict Wong – Wong

Will Poulter – Adam Warlock

Chris Pratt – Starlord/Peter Quill

Chris Pratt in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3’ (© MARVEL 2022)

Vin Diesel – Groot

Zoe Saldana – Gamora

Dave Bautista – Drax

Pom Klementieff – Mantis

Karen Gillan – Nebula

Danai Gurira – Okoye

Iman Vellani – Ms Marvel/Kamala Khan

Hailee Steinfeld – Kate Bishop

Samuel L Jackson – Nick Fury

Emilia Clarke – G’iah

Ben Mendelsohn – Talos

Teyonah Parris – Monica Rambeau

Tessa Thompson – Valkyrie

Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie in ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ (Marvel Studios)

Gemma Chan – Sersi

Angelina Jolie – Thena

Kit Harington – Black Knight/Dane Whitman

Kumail Nanjiani – Kingo

Brian Tyree Henry – Phastos

Lia McHugh – Sprite

Barry Keoghan – Druig

Lauren Ridloff – Makkari

Harry Styles – Eros

Charlie Cox – Daredevil/Matt Murdock

Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock in ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ (Marvel/Disney+)

Vincent D’Onofrio – Kingpin/Wilson Fisk

Jon Bernthal – The Punisher/Frank Castle

Rachel Weisz – Melina

Gwyneth Paltrow – Pepper Potts

Kat Dennings – Darcy Lewis

Martin Freeman – Everett K Ross

Michael Douglas – Hank Pym

Michelle Pfeiffer – Janet Van Dyne

Olga Kurylenko – Taskmaster/Antonia Dreykov

Julia Louis Dreyfus – Valentina Allegra de Fontaine

Tim Blake Nelson – The Leader/Samuel Sterns

Harrison Ford – Red Hulk/Thaddeus Ross

Harrison Ford as Red Hulk in ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ (© 2024 MARVEL.)

As this is the MCU, there is a chance that some of these characters could still turn up in cameos or a post-credits scene.

There is also a strong possibility that many of these actors will appear in the sixth Avengers film Secret Wars, which is due for release in 2027.

Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released in May 2026.