Anthony Russo Hints ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Is Still Hiding Some Major Cast Surprises

Marvel fans have spent months dissecting every name tied to the next big team-up, but it turns out the ‘Avengers: Doomsday‘ cast may be even bigger than anyone realized. With the film’s release creeping closer, the directors are still keeping some cards close to their chest.

The anticipation has been building for a long time. The film was first unveiled in July 2024, when Marvel announced the return of Anthony and Joe Russo as directors and revealed that Robert Downey Jr. would play the new villain, Doctor Doom, with the Russos saying Downey was the one person who could take on such a complex character.

Now, Anthony Russo has confirmed that fans haven’t seen the complete lineup. “The cast is so large, and we’ve announced some of the cast, and we haven’t announced some of the cast,” Russo said during a Q&A attended by GamesRadar+ following a screening of ‘Avengers: Endgame Encore’.

The director even admitted that keeping track of it all has become a challenge. “I get confused myself over who we’ve announced and not announced, so I have to just slow down,” he added, while his brother Joe was absent from the event due to illness.

Russo didn’t drop any hints about who might still be hiding in the wings. His comments, however, are sure to reignite speculation about which fan-favorite heroes could still pop up in the multiverse-spanning crossover.

The Russos are also far from finished with the movie itself. Anthony explained that he and Joe are still very deep in the process of completing ‘Doomsday’, joking that they never consider a film done until someone pries it out of their hands.

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He described their approach as highly iterative, stretching from the moment of conception all the way to final delivery. Reshoots for the film reportedly took place recently, and the brothers will soon shift their attention to shooting ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’.

Even without the full picture, the announced lineup is massive. Many names were unveiled during Marvel’s drawn-out livestream event, which revealed an initial 27-strong cast by slowly showing names on the backs of directors’ chairs.

The roster includes Downey as Victor Von Doom, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Chris Evans as Steve Rogers, Paul Rudd as Ant-Man, Simu Liu as Shang-Chi, and Tom Hiddleston as Loki. The new Fantastic Four, the Thunderbolts, the Wakandans, and most of the original Fox-era X-Men are also on board.

Marvel added another name at San Diego Comic-Con 2026, announcing that Hayley Atwell will return as Peggy Carter. That fits neatly with Evans’ comeback, since Steve Rogers was last seen traveling back in time to be with Peggy.

Naturally, fans are already buzzing about who might still be announced. Many are wondering whether Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine will join his fellow X-Men, or if Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, who wasn’t part of the initial cast reveal, will swing in.

Elizabeth Olsen, meanwhile, has repeatedly denied that Wanda Maximoff will appear. Some unconfirmed material circulating online has also fueled theories about additional returning characters.

Russo’s remarks come as ‘Avengers: Endgame Encore’ plays in theaters, featuring around 4 minutes of new footage designed to bridge the gap into ‘Doomsday’. The re-release has already pushed ‘Endgame’ past $2.8 billion at the global box office.

‘Avengers: Doomsday’ marks the first Avengers film since ‘Endgame’ and hits theaters on December 18. With less than 3 months to go, Marvel still has plenty of time to deliver a few more jaw-dropping casting reveals.

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