Thor and Steve Rogers are set to play major roles in Avengers: Doomsday, a clear sign that Marvel Studios is still leaning on its founding heroes as it builds the next team-up. The report leaves Hulk and Hawkeye without secured spots in the film.
That matters now because Avengers: Doomsday is being framed as a crossover built around Earth's Mightiest Heroes, the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men, with Doctor Doom beginning his crusade in the movie. It is the kind of cast puzzle that gets attention fast: one piece of the old guard is locked in, while others are still waiting on confirmation.
For Marvel, the choice is telling. Thor and Steve Rogers are being treated as anchors, while Hulk and Hawkeye are not. That creates a split in the original Avengers lineup and hints at how the studio is deciding which legacy characters still carry the weight of a modern ensemble. The same report also notes that Avengers: Secret Wars offers another chance to bring veteran heroes back into the action.
The gap is what makes the update land. Iron Man and Black Widow died in Avengers: Endgame, and Natasha Romanoff has no future on the big screen in the source article's account, while Tony Stark is being folded back into the multiverse through Doctor Doom, who is portrayed by Robert Downey Jr. That leaves Thor and Steve Rogers in a stronger position than some of their teammates, but not every classic Avenger is being given the same path back.
So the answer for now is narrow but useful: Thor and Steve Rogers are in, Hulk and Hawkeye are not secured, and Avengers: Secret Wars is the next place to watch if Marvel decides the rest of the veteran roster should return. For readers tracking the Avengers Doomsday Character Lineup, that is the real signal — the franchise is not restoring the old team all at once, but choosing its legacy players one by one.
