Where Are Spider-Man, Doctor Strange & The Other Missing Heroes In 'Avengers: Doomsday'?
Marvel Studios has already confirmed a massive ensemble cast for 2026's Avengers: Doomsday, bringing together heroes from across the MCU alongside several returning X-Men characters. Even with dozens of names already announced, some of Marvel's biggest heroes, like Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Spider-Man (Tom Holland), are missing from the lineup.
Those absences naturally raise questions about whether Marvel is deliberately keeping them under wraps or if the studio just decided to bench them for the first battle with Robert Downey Jr.'s Victor von Doom. However, looking at where these characters were last seen offers a better idea of what we can expect when Doomsday hits theaters on Dec. 18, 2026.
Spider-Man Is Not on Earth Anymore
We last caught up with Peter Parker in the recently released Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026), where the web-slinger's story seemed to be heading in a more hopeful direction. The movie ends with Peter finally beginning to move on after the events of 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home, although MJ (Zendaya) still doesn't remember who he is.
Peter eventually decides he doesn't have to face everything alone anymore and connects with Ned (Jacob Batalon), who instinctively remembers their old high school handshake. But Brand New Day's post-credits scene shakes things up by showing Ned's Spidey Tracker experiencing a glitch before locating Peter somewhere off-Earth. The only info Marvel offers is that Spider-Man will return.
Doctor Strange Already Left Earth to Fix an Incursion
Doctor Strange's whereabouts are a little easier to account for. At the end of 2022's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Stephen Strange agrees to join Clea (Charlize Theron) after she warns him that his actions have triggered an incursion. Together, the pair head into the Dark Dimension to prevent the collision of two universes, leaving Earth behind.
Marvel hasn't revisited that storyline since then, which means Strange's mission remains one of the MCU's biggest unresolved threads. If he's still dealing with incursions elsewhere in the multiverse, it would explain why he isn't among the heroes preparing to face Doctor Doom. Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean Strange won't appear in Doomsday.
Deadpool & Wolverine Aren't Even in the MCU's Main Universe
Unlike Spider-Man and Doctor Strange, Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) and Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) didn't end their most recent adventure anywhere near Earth-616. The 2024 movie, Deadpool & Wolverine, concludes with Wade Wilson successfully saving his home universe, Earth-10005, from being destroyed by the TVA's Time Ripper.
Rather than joining the MCU's primary timeline, Wade stays with the friends he spent the entire movie trying to protect. The ending also leaves its heroes on good terms with the TVA, with the organization allowing Logan to remain in Wade's universe instead of returning him to his own timeline. Marvel hasn't officially confirmed whether either character will appear in Doomsday.
Bruce Banner May Not Be in Any Condition to Fight
The last time audiences saw Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) was in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. After developing new powers, Peter turns to Banner for advice. Having spent years learning to control the Hulk, Bruce helps him understand how his own inhibitor device works and warns him about the risks of relying on technology to suppress something that's become part of who he is.
Later in the film, Jean Grey (Sadie Sink) uses her telepathic abilities to force Bruce to remove the gamma inhibitor, which leads to Savage Hulk returning and attacking Peter. By the end of the movie, Bruce is admitted to a psychiatric facility while the public is told he suffered a mental breakdown. As it stands, neither Bruce nor the Hulk would be in any condition to battle Doctor Doom.
The Guardians of the Galaxy Aren't Really One Team Anymore
Asking where the Guardians of the Galaxy are isn't a straightforward question because by the end of 2023's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the team decides to disband. Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) returns to Earth to reunite with his grandfather, while Rocket (Bradley Cooper) takes over as captain of a new lineup of heroes. Gamora (Zoe Saldaña) rejoins the Ravagers.
Mantis (Pom Klementieff) goes off on her own journey of self-discovery, while Nebula (Karen Gillan) and Drax (Dave Bautista) choose to remain on Knowhere to help raise the children rescued from the High Evolutionary. That doesn't mean the Guardians can't help out if the multiverse needs saving. And Doctor Doom would certainly give them a reason to get back together.
