The biggest surprises about the cast of The Avengers: Doomsday

The cast of Avengers: Doomsday has been revealed, and the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe film is bringing some big surprises. Ahead of the Avengers Doomsday cast announcement, only a few names were confirmed for the project. Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom will play the villain in the next two Avengers movies, so it makes sense that the livestream would end with him. However, before the actor's spot was revealed, there were quite a few surprises in the full cast list for Avengers: Doomsday .

Some of the MCU's biggest stars are missing, which is puzzling. Captain America stars Chris Evans and Hayley Atwell were both reported to be in the film, but neither of them showed up in the announcement. Spider-Man star Tom Holland also wasn't listed. But even with the MCU's main players missing, Marvel has still managed to assemble a formidable lineup of returning MCU stars and actors from Fox's X-Men franchise. The story in Avengers: Doomsday promises as many surprises as the shocking additions to the cast.

What's impressive about the Avengers Doomsday cast?

• Tenoch Huerta Mejia (Namor)
• Kelsey Grammer (Hank McCoy/Beast)
• Patrick Stewart (Charles Xavier/Professor X)
• Ian McKellen (Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto)
• Alan Cumming (Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler)

Tenoch Huerta Mejia (Namor)

First appearance in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)

Tenoch Huerta's Namor was one of the first surprises at the Avengers: Doomsday cast announcement. Namor debuted in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, where his underwater kingdom, Talokan, joined the war against Wakanda. After Namor and Shuri, the MCU's new Black Panther, fought until both were badly injured, they decided to make peace. Avengers: Doomsday will be the character's first project since his MCU debut.

Namor played a key role in the Secret Wars comic book event. He was a member of the Illuminati, who went around destroying other universes to save their own from invasion. After the Illuminati gained a conscience, Namor assembled the Cabal, a shadowy group that had no problem destroying other Earths. The Submariner could play a similar role in Avengers: Doomsday, and with Sue Storm appearing, their infamous relationship could be explored.

Kelsey Grammer (Hank McCoy/Beast)

First appeared in X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)

Kelsey Grammer's Beast kicks off a wave of X-Men castings on the list. Aside from his appearances in Fox's X-Men franchise, Grammer's version of the mutant is crucial to Avengers: Doomsday because he appeared in the series. With The Marvels being the MCU's lowest-grossing film, this may have left many fans confused when Avengers Doomsday comes out.

Marvel's post-credits scene could be the setting for Avengers: Doomsday. In it, Grammer's Beast and Lashana Lynch's Binary come from a universe with an established X-Men team. They take care of Monica Rambeau when she crashes into their universe. Beast's role in Avengers: Doomsday should be a continuation of that, with the X-Men universe he comes from possibly getting caught up in an invasion with Earth-616 due to Monica's multiverse travels.

Patrick Stewart (Charles Xavier/Professor X)

First appearance in X-Men (2000)

Another X-Men actor who has been in the MCU is Patrick Stewart. The actor is one of the faces of the X-Men franchise and has become one of Marvel Comics' most iconic mutants. Stewart made his MCU debut in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. He played a variant of Charles Xavier who was once in the Illuminati and was killed by the Scarlet Witch.

The most likely path for Stewart's return, and that of all the other confirmed X-Men stars for Avengers: Doomsday, is that they come from Beast's universe. Professor X exists in it, as Beast left after examining Monica to talk to Charles. Beast's universe could have Fox's variations or be an updated timeline from the end of X-Men: Days of Future Past.

Ian McKellen (Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto)

First appearance in X-Men (2000)

One of the best parts of the X-Men franchise has been watching the friendship/rivalry between Stewart's Professor X and Ian McKellen's Magneto play out over the course of the films. McKellen's most recent appearance as Magneto was in X-Men: Days of Future Past, where Michael Fassbender played a younger Erik, and he brought the older Magneto to life in a dystopian future where Sentinels were killing all mutants. He was badly injured fighting them.

After a long battle in the original X-Men movies, the most interesting path Avengers: Doomsday could take is to have Professor X and Magneto as allies. They could team up to prevent their Earth from being destroyed by the invasions that are sure to come in the multiverse movie. After the events of X-Men: Days of Future Past, the new timeline could have Magneto as part of the X-Men, just like Marvel Studios' X-Men '97 did.

Alan Cumming (Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler)

First appeared in X2: X-Men United (2003)

Alan Cumming was one of the most shocking additions to the cast of Avengers: Doomsday . While other bigger names from the X-Men movies have been rumored to be in other projects or have multiverse-based implications, Cumming's Nightcrawler only appeared in X2: X-Men United . While his role wasn't prominent, Nightcrawler's White House battle scene was one of the best in X-Men.

Cumming's return to the Marvel role in Avengers: Doomsday proves that the film will be fully embracing the X-Men universe beyond Earth-616. If the range of mutants appearing is limited to those officially announced by Marvel Studios, Nightcrawler could have a major role this time around.