The Biggest Complaint About Steve Rogers' Doomsday Role Is Impossible To Ignore

Published Jul 26, 2026, 1:15 PM EDT Liz Declan is a Lead Writer for ScreenRant, primarily covering movies. She is a massive fan of Star Wars, the MCU, and Supernatural. In addition to writing, Liz loves attending and covering conventions and interviewing actors. Find her on TikTok and Instagram @va.va.vera With the trailer drop earlier this week, Avengers: Doomsday has once again become the talk of the MCU fanbase (even with Spider-Man: Brand New Day just around the corner). Among the biggest topics of conversation is the cast of Doomsday, which—as has been true of the last few Avengers movies, of course—will bring together a sweeping ensemble cast from myriad franchises within the MCU. Discussions about who is still to be revealed, how these characters will come together, and so much more have been rampant online. Yet, there's little doubt that the two biggest topics of conversation regarding the cast have been about the previously completely unexpected surprise announcements involving two original Avengers heroes: Namely, the return of Chris Evans as Steve Rogers following his decision to stay in the past in Avengers: Endgame and the return of Robert Downey Jr., this time not as Tony Stark/Iron Man but rather as Doctor Doom. This news has led to mixed reactions, with some very excited and some alleging fan service. In addition to those responses, however, one major complaint has emerged, and it has to do with Steve Rogers' return in particular. That is, it's become clear that the MCU is willing to bend over backwards to bring certain characters back, no matter how much plot manipulating it requires (which may very well be even deeper than we currently know, given the changes to Endgame that are apparently coming ahead of Doomsday). Amid those efforts, though, it has become clear that one type of character in particular isn't getting the same updates. Doomsday Is Bringing Back Original Heroes...Just Not The Women As mentioned, there are several unexpected character/actor returns in Doomsday, including not only Steve Rogers and RDJ as a new character, but also the appearance of Loki, who died in Endgame and then became the God of Stories at the end of Loki season 2, which suggested he would no longer be in any main narratives. Those announcements, while thrilling for many, have come with the realization that the MCU is bringing back a host of characters/actors that will require some major explanations—just not any of the women who have died since Avengers: Infinity War. That is unfortunately a laundry list, including Gamora in Infinity War, Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow in Endgame, Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and even Jane Foster/Mighty Thor in Thor: Love and Thunder, to name a few. There had been hope that Wanda would make a return in Doomsday, particularly because the comics include a significant storyline between the Scarlet Witch and Doctor Doom. However, following recent comments that the upcoming series VisionQuest will end Wanda's "trilogy," that hope seems lost. Meanwhile, the other named characters will seemingly remain truly dead. Yes, a version of Gamora is still alive, but Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 made it clear that she isn't our Gamora and heavily suggested that even she won't be seen again. It's therefore begun to frustrate fans that the MCU is happy to change endings and twist things to bring a host of male characters back, but after killing multiple main women, the franchise is seemingly moving full steam ahead—and, notably, they've not really been replaced with other female heroes, at least not ones who are actually center stage. The MCU Still Has A Representation Problem (And Yelena Isn't Enough) As it stands, very few female heroes in the MCU are actually primary figures, especially when looking at the current cast of Doomsday. Among the most significant is Yelena Belova, who is legitimately an excellent character. However, one leading lady is far from enough (and feels like an archaic repeat of the issues with The Avengers having only Nat as a female Avenger). Worse still, the MCU only seems to be moving further and further away from such representation, with the SDCC Marvel panel revealing that Prince T'Challa will be the new Black Panther in Black Panther 3. While that's exciting, it means that Shuri had just one movie to be Black Panther, and she's being sidelined for seemingly no reason, especially because Prince T'Challa was just a young boy when audiences first/last saw him in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. It's unclear how, exactly, that time jump will work out, as the actor playing him in Black Panther 3, David Jonsson, is in his 30s. What is clear, however, is that the MCU continues to have an issue with representation, and Steve Rogers' return in Avengers: Doomsday is only making that all the more obvious. 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