Marvel Officially Confirms Sam Wilson's Avengers Roster In Doomsday

It hasn't been an easy time for Marvel Studios of late, but if anyone can get the franchise back on track, it's surely the Avengers (well, them and the box office behemoth that was "Spider-Man: Brand New Day"). "Avengers: Doomsday" is almost upon us, but the titular roster looks a lot different in 2026 than it did when "The Avengers" debuted back in 2012. Now, Marvel has officially confirmed who will stand beside Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson/Captain America in the upcoming team-up movie.

Marvel Studios announced the full "Doomsday" cast some time ago, but there's been some confusion about who counts as an Avenger, ever since the tumultuous events of "Captain America: Civil War." More recently, we've had "Thunderbolts*," which ended with Florence Pugh's Yelena Bolova/Black Widow leading a newly-christened "New Avengers" team. Now, "Doomsday" is bringing together the 20th Century Fox-era X-Men, the aforementioned New Avengers, Wakandans, Fantastic Four, and the Avengers proper to take on Robert Downey Jr.'s Victor Von Doom. So, who is still considered part of the official Avengers roster?

In Empire's issue on the upcoming Marvel blockbuster, we finally get a concrete answer. It seems Sam Wilson will lead an Avengers team made up of himself, Joaquin Torres/Falcon (Danny Ramirez), Scott Lang/Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), Shang-Chi. (Simu Liu), and Thor (Chris Hemsworth). The trailers have sort of confirmed as much, but it's nice to get some official clarification.

Both "Avengers: Doomsday" and "Avengers: Secret Wars" were previously delayed, but it's finally time to get the band back together again. Or at lest they're bringing a few band members out of retirement and pair them up with some relatively fresh faces. At the end of "Captain America: Brave New World," Sam Wilson officially invited Joaquin Torres into the Avengers fold. He'll now join fellow new recruit Shang-Chi alongside Avengers vets Ant-Man and Thor. We also know Chris Evans' Steve Rogers is returning, and he'll surely be considered an Avenger given his prior tenure.

Otherwise, the team is looking much different to the OG lineup, which started out with Steve Rogers/Captain America, Thor, Scarlett Johansson's Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner/Hulk, Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark/Iron Man, and Jeremy Renner's Clint Barton/Hawkeye. Of course, RDJ will be back as Doctor Doom in "Doomsday," but Marvel has seemingly confirmed he won't be playing a Tony Stark variant and will, in fact, portray an entirely separate character in Victor Von Doom. That means the only original member in "Doomsday" will be Thor, and if he's fully welcomed back into the fold, Steve Rogers.

Meanwhile, for Anthony Mackie, this is all a chance to showcase himself as the true leader of the latest Avengers lineup. "In 'Endgame,' Steve gave him the shield and said, 'You need to be the leader of the Avengers,'" he told Empire. "Now you get to see more of him leading the charge with everyone into battle." 

Whether the Avengers roster will change by the end of "Doomsday" or its planned follow-up, "Avengers: Secret Wars" remains to be seen (there's bound to be some cameos at least). For now, we know who's heading into battle against Doom alongside the new Cap.

"Avengers: Doomsday" arrives on December 18, 2026.