The vast majority of Marvel Cinematic Universe fans have not yet recovered from the record-breaking livestream that changed the course of the MCU. The casting announcements for Avengers: Doomsday were watched by 275 million people, proving that Marvel really can make its fans do anything... including watching chairs for five hours. And it was worth it too, for we got the first real tangible idea of what the cast of the upcoming movie is going to look like.
But with the studio unveiling 27 names that will be amongst the larger-than-life cast, audiences were still left wondering why there were so many omissions of what felt like obvious choices. From the Scarlet Witch and Doctor Strange to Spider-Man and Hawkeye, there were a lot of major MCU characters seemingly left off the list.
The good news is that it isn't the end of the surprises in Avengers: Doomsday; quite the opposite, in fact, as the fun is only just beginning.
Marvel and Robert Downey Jr. confirm there will be more surprises in Avengers: Doomsday
Shortly after the Avengers: Doomsday casting announcement that broke the internet, Robert Downey Jr. took to social media to celebrate the fact that the cast was finally out there for the world to see. Replying to the video of the announcement on the Marvel Studios Instagram channel, he commented on the "deep bench of talent" involved in Avengers: Doomsday, quipping "That must be it... right?". The Marvel Studios account then got in on the action, adding "there's always room for more...".
There you have it, not only have Marvel themselves confirmed that there will be more major names added to the Avengers: Doomsday cast, they have reinforced The Hollywood Reporter's report that more reveals will be present in the film. And given how some of the MCU fandom were divided over the noticeable absence of some MCU stalwarts, that's a very good thing.
Among the names fans were shocked to see left off the original casting announcement are Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury, Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye, Mark Ruffalo's Hulk, Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange, Tom Holland's Spider-Man, and Brie Larson's Captain Marvel, as well as the names of recent franchise as additions such as Hugh Jackman's Wolverine and Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool.
The other major absence is Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch. The character of Wanda Maximoff was seemingly killed off in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but the seeds to her inevitable return have been sewn in titles after that, particularly Agatha All Along. Fans are fully expecting Olsen to reprise the role in at least one of the upcoming Avengers movies, as the character has clearly been set up as one of the Multiverse Saga's biggest players. Wanda's "death" in Doctor Strange 2 was anticlimactic and an abrupt end ot an arc that was only getting started; that was clearly intentional.
All that being said, Olsen herself has recently claimed that she won't be in the UK to film Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars as she begins working on a pilot for TV series Seven Sisters in the US. The star's name was then absent from the casting announcement, which sent fans into another spiral as the Scarlet Witch has become one of the franchise's most popular characters. And yet, given the character's apparent death, this - and all of Olsen's comments about not returning - aren't phasing them too much, because Marvel certainly wouldn't spoil the surprise of her return before it happens.
Now, the confirmation that more names will be added to Avengers: Doomsday has restored faith for the Scarlet Witch fandom that Wanda will return. It has also suggested that the obvious absences of the veteran Avengers wis likely just part of a waiting game, as Marvel Studios looks to save some of its biggest surprises for the film itself - and sequel Avengers: Secret Wars.