Although the cast for December’s Avengers: Doomsday is so large it took a five and a half-hour announcement video to reveal the ones Marvel Studios was happy for us to know about, we know there will be some notable absentees when Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom takes on the Marvel Multiverse, and it seems we can add Samuel L. Jackson’s super spy Nick Fury to that particular list.
Speaking to The Direct at the premiere of his new action film The Beast, Jackson was asked about his MCU status and indicated that his return would come in the “next movie… movie after [Doomsday]” before playing coy about any Secret Wars knowledge he may be harbouring: “I have no idea. [Marvel] hasn’t told me anything, other than, ‘You’re not gonna be in this movie. You’ll be in the next.”
Samuel L. Jackson made his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut as the then-Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. in the post-credits scene of the original Iron Man back in 2008, and has went on to reprise the role a further thirteen(!) projects, if you include his cameo appearances in the ABC’s Marvel TV series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. He was last seen in 2023, following up his lead role in the forgettable (and already forgotten?) Secret Invasion Disney+ series with a return in The Marvels, serving as the Director of S.A.B.E.R. aboard its Space Station.
SEE ALSO: Funko assembles Avengers: Doomsday Pop! Vinyl figure collection
Avengers: Secret Wars is once again being directed by Anthony and Joe Russo and is currently slated for release in December 2027, although with filming yet to officially begin, that’s surely looking unlikely at this point. Secret Wars are scarce, Sadie Sink is confirmed as reprising her Spider-Man: Brand New Day role as Jean Grey, while Noah Jupe (A Quiet Place) has also been cast in an as-yet-unrevealed “key” role.
Universes collide and the Multiverse Saga begins its final chapter in Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Doomsday. Beloved heroes from three distinct universes will be set on a deadly collision course and ultimately face an existential threat unlike anything they’ve ever encountered. This epic film will lay the foundation for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Featuring in the cast of Avengers: Doomsday are Robert Downey Jr. (Doctor Doom), Chris Evans (Steve Rogers), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Vanessa Kirby (Sue Storm/Invisible Woman), Anthony Mackie (Sam Wilson/Captain America), Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier), Letitia Wright (Shuri/Black Panther), Paul Rudd (Scott Lang/Ant-Man), Wyatt Russell (John Walker/US Agent), Tenoch Huerta Mejía (Namor), Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Ben Grimm/The Thing), Simu Liu (Shang-Chi), Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova), Kelsey Grammer (Hank McCoy/Beast), Lewis Pullman (Bob/Sentry), Danny Ramirez (Joaquin Torres/Falcon), Joseph Quinn (Johnny Storm/Human Torch), David Harbour (Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian), Winston Duke (M’Baku), Hannah John-Kamen (Ava Starr/Ghost), Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Patrick Stewart (Charles Xavier/Professor X), Ian McKellen (Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto), Alan Cumming (Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler), Rebecca Romijn (Raven Darkholme/Mystique), James Marsden (Scott Summers/Cyclops), Channing Tatum (Remy LeBeau/Gambit), Kathryn Newton (Cassie Lang), Hayley Atwell (Peggy Carter) and Pedro Pascal (Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic).
Avengers: Doomsday is set for release on December 18th, 2026.
