Need a refresher before 'Doomsday'? Here’s where the main Avengers left things

These days it feels like every year brings talk of the next Avengers event film, but Avengers: Doomsday (out 18th December, 2026) is the one actually meant to tie together over a decade of Marvel chaos, with a cast so sprawling you’d think it was a “Who’s Who” for every hero wandering near Avengers Tower. If you got a bit lost since Endgame — and with solo films, spin-offs, and cameo-loaded post-credits scenes, who could blame you — here’s where things stand for each major Avenger, how they might (or might not) fit into the end-of-year blockbuster, and the odd curveball Marvel’s thrown lately. I’ll break down where we last left everyone, who’s actually in the Doomsday trailers, and which faces you should expect for Secret Wars instead. Allons-y.

Avengers: Doomsday releases 18 December 2026.

Spider-Man

Let’s start with Spider-Man, mostly because every fanboy under 30 wants to. After Brand New Day, our Tom Holland webslinger is back sorting his personal life (the MJ and Ned reset, and apparently making mates with Jean Grey — not a team-up I saw coming). He’s basically returned to “friendly neighbourhood” status, enjoying relative obscurity. The trailers for Doomsday? Doesn’t feature him. Not even a dangling foot. There’s an end-credit scene in his last film sparking wild fan theories about a Tobey Maguire meet-up, but for my money, a proper Spider-Man appearance is likely a Secret Wars anthem. Marvel clearly wants him on the new Young Avengers dream team, rounding up the next generation with Yelena. Save your “Spider-Men unite” expectation for the sequel, is my take.

Thor

Here's someone who’s spent a decade redefining the phrase “midlife crisis”. After Love and Thunder — and yes, I’d rather forget most of that film as well — Thor’s living domestically with adopted superchild Love, fighting off aliens and arguing over breakfast. All quite sweet, at least before Doomsday strips the colour out. In the second trailer, Thor’s all gravitas and haunted desperation, on his knees praying for a way to tackle Dr. Doom. He’s also the one rallying unfamiliar faces (he gets a bit of a motivational monologue). This time Marvel’s finally pushed him up front, probably because half the original line-up’s missing. About time, honestly.

Hulk

Hulk has done his latest vanishing act. The last time we saw Bruce Banner, he cameoed in Brand New Day as a loose cannon, juiced up and manipulated by Jean Grey into nearly killing Spidey. A bit much, even for Hulk. He snaps out of it, gets carted off to a psychiatric facility for everyone’s well-being. Not a single Doomsday trailer or shot features him, so don’t be shocked if Banner skips this round. He’s probably on the bench till Secret Wars.

Hawkeye

If you love a messy behind-the-scenes pay dispute, Hawkeye is your man. Last seen on his miniseries, Clint was settled in at Christmas with the family, Kate Bishop, and one eye over his shoulder for Kingpin. But — and it’s a big but — neither he nor Kate shows up in Doomsday promo. The lore among fans is Disney and Jeremy Renner had a falling out over pay after season 1, leading to him rejecting any follow-up. Strangest bit is, with the first Doomsday marketing wave, Renner started sharing the posters again on social. Everyone’s guessing, but let’s just say it’s not outside Marvel’s playbook to keep a late cameo under wraps for maximum chaos.

Captain Marvel

Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel last popped up in The Marvels (2023), with Carol and Kamala Khan fighting the Kree and, after a convenient self-sacrifice from Monica Rambeau, returning to a pretend-normal life on Earth. The only one not behaving like things are “over” is Rambeau, who got zapped to an alternate reality and poked by Beast from the X-Men. No one from the Marvels crew is in the Doomsday campaign, but between X-Men cameos and the big “worlds collide” flavour, it’d be a bit mad if Danvers, Rambeau, and Khan didn’t ultimately squeeze in somewhere.

Thunderbolts & New Avengers

The Thunderbolts (or New Avengers, which they’re still arguing about) had their last movie’s mid-credits scene with the whole gang — Bucky Barnes, Yelena Belova, US Agent, Red Guardian, Ghost, Sentry — bickering in Avengers Tower. Their row about what they should actually call themselves only ends when a spaceship arrives, piloted, of course, by the Fantastic Four. In the first Doomsday trailer, you can spot the full Thunderbolts crew lined up alongside Captain America, Ant-Man, and the FF, bracing themselves as Thor warns of the coming Doom (literally). This picks up pretty neatly where Thunderbolts left off: it looks like that awkward meet-and-greet wasn’t off-screened.

Fantastic Four

The Fantastic Four are central this time after their own “not quite defeating Galactus” adventure in First Steps. Sue Storm was briefly dead but revived by son Franklin’s cosmic powers. In the after-credits stinger, Sue finds Dr. Doom (Victor von Doom if we’re still on first names) interacting with Franklin. Both Doomsday trailers give us plenty of FF — lots more focus in the second. Sue’s emotional, talking about Doom as someone they once knew, and there’s a face-off between Reed and Victor that looks set to drive a big chuck of the plot. Marvel’s not shy about pushing them forward now they hold the rights again, and thank god, because Doom’s felt overdue.

Black Panther

Shuri now wears the Black Panther suit, after Chadwick Boseman’s passing meant retiring T’Challa. The last film saw her spare Namor (after he had her mother killed), and forging an alliance with Talokan. A good chunk of post-movie Shuri lore is her finding her feet in the role and getting a late reveal about her nephew, Toussaint. Her Doomsday teaser puts her face-to-face with the Fantastic Four and Namor, meeting in Wakanda and Talokan. The mood is all grief, loss, and the weight of new alliances. She’s definitely in, and seems likely to be at the plot’s centre given her scenes with Bucky, Thor, Namor, Shang-Chi, and the others.

Ant-Man & The Wasp

Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man was last seen in Quantumania (2023) — Kang’s been dealt with, Pym Particles kaput, and Scott’s meant to be living a normal post-Quantum Realm life, except every Marvel hero ends with a bit of that “but is it really over?” anxiety. In the Doomsday promo, Ant-Man pops up twice: once in line for Thor’s pep talk, once getting a bit weepy with daughter Cassie. Wasp, on the other hand, remains entirely missing from the trailers. If she’s in it, Marvel’s keeping it properly hidden, which, given the bloated roster, would be understandable.

Captain America

Sam Wilson is still your Captain America after the events of Brave New World (2025) — that’s the one with President Ross getting gamma-irradiated and turning into a knock-off Hulk, if you blinked and missed it. Wilson took care of both Ross and Dr. Sterns, invited Joaquin Torres (Falcon) to join up, and generally proved he’s got the leadership thing in hand. He’s front and centre in the first Doomsday trailer, standing with Bucky and Ant-Man, but then vanishes from the second trailer. That might mean his role’s more supporting than central — Marvel’s clearly sharing the limelight this time.

• Avengers: Doomsday assembles the Thunderbolts/New Avengers, Fantastic Four, Black Panther, Ant-Man, and Sam Wilson’s Cap; Spider-Man, Hulk, Hawkeye, and Captain Marvel are mostly sidelines, at least for now.