7 Biggest X-Men Characters Missing From Avengers: Doomsday

Published Aug 8, 2026, 6:45 PM EDT Ben is a Senior Writer on the New TV team at Screen Rant. He graduated from the University of Central Lancashire with a First Class B.A. Degree in English Literature and History. Born and raised in Ireland, Ben has always had a love for storytelling in all forms of media and operates multiple projects under the name Benjamin Blogs. Ben is a comic book writer and podcast host, in addition to his work as an entertainment journalist. He has worked as both a writer and editor for Screen Rant, Collider, and other media outlets across various departments, including features, news, reviews, and interviews. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Avengers: Doomsday will serve as the official debut of a real X-Men team in the MCU, but there are more than a few legends missing from the lineup. Up to this point, the MCU has hinted and teased about mutants becoming a major part of the shared universe, with characters like Kamala Khan and Namor being confirmed to be among the first mutants to appear in the 616 reality. However, the mutant's story and role in Marvel Comics is monumental, and Marvel needs to properly dedicate time and energy to exploring these stories. Thankfully, with confirmation of an X-Men movie directed by Jake Schreier being confirmed, and the introduction of a pivotal member of the X-Men team in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, it seems that things are moving in the right direction. That being said, Avengers: Doomsday is set to shine the spotlight on a very different group of X-Men, as it will see several actors who appeared in the Fox 2000s movies reprise their roles. Beyond that, another MCU project that brought these two realities together was Deadpool & Wolverine, which saw Wade Wilson connect with the TVA and set up a clear path for characters that appeared in that film, like Gambit, to return. 7 Wolverine On that note, one of the title characters of that film, Wolverine, as played by Hugh Jackman, has had no confirmation that he will be appearing in Avengers: Doomsday. This feels like it could be a wild card surprise, due to the fact that Jackman was a member of the core team in the 2000s films, and his co-stars, Patrick Stewart, James Marsden, and others from those films will be playing a central role in the upcoming film. It seems very possible that Jackman could return, but if he does, the version of Wolverine that shows up is unlikely to be the one who previously worked hand in hand with the X-Men from those earlier films. Otherwise, the character may not appear until Avengers: Secret Wars, where he could potentially have a more central role in the action before the MCU wraps up the Multiverse Saga. 6 Deadpool Jesse Grant / 2026 Getty Images Perhaps even more confusing than whether Wolverine will appear is the question of whether the Merc with the Mouth will have a role in Avengers: Doomsday. During the 2026 Marvel Studios Hall H panel, where discussions about Avengers: Doomsday and other upcoming projects were shared with the audience, Ryan Reynolds showed up in a special grey version of the iconic Deadpool suit. In character, Ryan then proceeded to engage with the guests on stage, including Paul Rudd, who plays Ant-Man, and Robert Downey Jr., who will play Doctor Doom, dropping heavy hints about wanting to have a role in Avengers: Doomsday. The moment was light-hearted and comical, but it does seem to suggest Deadpool could possibly make an appearance. This is also one of the easiest characters to integrate into the story, considering his recent travels to the 616 reality, where he had a meeting with Happy Hogan about becoming an Avenger, and his interactions with the TVA. Unfortunately, nothing is completely confirmed as far as an actual appearance in the movie, though. 5 Colossus One of the characters that Deadpool has had the pleasure of meeting with over his trilogy is Colossus. Colossus is an incredibly strong mutant whose flesh can turn into a steel-like metal in an instant. Colossus has appeared in the original trilogy of films, where he was played by Piotr Rasputin, and also X-Men: Days of Future Past, where Daniel Cudmore took up the mantle of the character. Meanwhile, in the Deadpool trilogy, Stefan Kapicic has given voice to the character in all three entries. If Colossus shows up in Avengers: Doomsday, there is no clear assurance of who will play the character, and it seems highly unlikely that the character will have a function or role that fits neatly into the movie, so we may be waiting for the next era of MCU stories before we meet the new Colossus. 4 Iceman Iceman, aka Bobby Drake, was a major player in the original X-Men trilogy, and also returned in X-Men: Days of Future Past. In all of those projects, the character was played by Shawn Ashmore, and despite being younger than heroes like Wolverine, Cyclops, and Storm, he proved himself to be an exceptionally talented young mutant capable of incredible feats. Bobby also struck up a romance with a fellow student at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, where he connected with Rogue. Due to her unstable powers and her inability to control them, they had a strained relationship, but it proved to be one of the most intriguing plots carried throughout the early films. Iceman became a larger part of the team later on, as was proven by his reappearance in X-Men: Days of Future Past, but it seems as though he will not return for Avengers: Doomsday according to the currently announced castings. Despite this, it would be cool to see him return and get a chance to shine in the MCU. 3 Rogue Speaking of Rogue, this is by far one of the most beloved characters in Marvel Comics, and especially the revived animated series, X-Men '97. In previous live-action settings, Anna Paquin tackled the role, but despite her central role in the comics and animated shows, Rogue was seen as less of an asset and more of a hazard in the original X-Men trilogy. That being said, she did display incredible powers, with her ability to absorb and use others' abilities being an extremely unique and powerful ability. Going forward, it's likely that Rogue will be a part of the new generation of X-Men for the MCU, but as it stands, it seems that she will not be an on-screen presence in Avengers: Doomsday. 2 Jean Grey The reason it is worth specifying that Rogue won't be an on-screen presence also applies to Jean Grey and indeed Storm, and it comes from Avengers: Doomsday director Anthony Russo himself. When asked by Entertainment Tonight about whether Avengers: Doomsday would confirm the fates of these three characters, Russo said this; “We won’t answer specifically, but I will say this, the history of the X-Men is really special to us. All of those characters are loved, and we thought a lot about their history. So, they feed into this movie in a very meaningful way.” - Anthony Russo While this isn't a confirmation of any concrete kind, it does feed into the idea that the upcoming MCU film will have connections and roots that could go deeper, which would also provide space for a character like Jean Grey's presence to be felt despite the actor not being confirmed to appear. Approaching this character from a different angle, though, there is the possibility that the MCU's own Jean Grey may show up in either Avengers: Doomsday and/or Avengers: Secret Wars, due to the fact that they have now been confirmed as part of this universe after Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Of course, again, that is purely speculation, and there is no evidence to confirm that they will join the cast, but it is exciting to know that they are now in the universe. 1 Storm via MovieStillsDB Finally, last but certainly not least, Storm. Storm was a senior member of the X-Men team in the original trilogy, and often one of the most trusted companions of Professor Charles Xavier. It feels incredibly strange to have this character be absent from a story that will feature other core members of the team, but there has been no announcement to suggest otherwise. Storm is also one of the characters who is rumored to have their casting announced soon by Marvel Studios at the upcoming D23 event. This is, of course, speculative, but if Disney does announce the casting, there is a possibility that they may blend the original trilogy team with some new additions, or that they may steer clear of exploring future versions of these characters due to their impending role in the MCU. Whatever the case, these are some of the most notable characters from the X-Men who have yet to be confirmed to be a part of Avengers: Doomsday, and who may well be absent from the film altogether, depending on what the Russos do with the characters in that movie and Avengers: Secret Wars. Release Date December 18, 2026 Runtime 165 Minutes Director Anthony Russo, Joe Russo Cast Vanessa Kirby Sue Storm / Invisible Woman Johnny Storm / Human Torch Ebon Moss-Bachrach Ben Grimm / The Thing Writers Stephen McFeely, Michael Waldron, Jack Kirby, Stan Lee Producers Anthony Russo, Joe Russo, Kevin Feige Prequel(s) Spider-Man: Brand New Day Sequel(s) Avengers: Secret Wars Franchise(s) Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers, Fantastic Four, Black Panther, Thor, X-Men