It’s officially the end of the road for Marvel Studios’ latest Disney+ series. Since 2021, Disney+ has been a key part of the MCU as Marvel Studios expanded its universe beyond movies and brought some of its most notable theatrical characters to the small screen. Of course, in typical MCU fashion, it’s all connected, and it works both ways, with Disney+ characters making the jump to the big screen. Right now, everyone in Marvel fandom is ready for Avengers: Doomsday, and while the newest streaming series is done, it did a great job of preparing fans for that December 18 release.
Marvel Studios’ latest Disney+ series looked a little different this time. Countdown to Avengers: Doomsday Official Podcast wrapped up its first season on September 24 with its fifth and final episode. The finale explored Avengers: Endgame, before looking ahead to what Downey’s return as Doctor Doom might mean for Avengers: Doomsday.
The podcast launched in late August as Doomsday‘s first Disney+ release, with Ms. Marvel star Iman Vellani and podcaster Frank Alvarez serving as hosts.
New episodes dropped every Thursday, starting with The Avengers on August 27 and working through Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, and Avengers: Infinity War before reaching Endgame. All five are streaming now on Disney+.
It was neat to see that Vellani is literally in the MCU as Kamala Khan but is also clearly a super fan herself, with Marvel even billing her and Alvarez as “two lifelong Marvel fans.”
That said, it’s unclear when she’ll actually return to Disney+ (or the big screen) in character. Her most recent outing as Kamala on the streamer was a voice role in Marvel Zombies, which premiered one year before the podcast’s finale.
Though Vellani took on the role of a podcaster in 2026, that doesn’t mean all past Disney+ MCU characters are being left behind. In fact, maybe superheroes that have appeared in past Disney+ MCU series are expected to be major contributors to Avengers: Doomsday.
Every MCU Disney+ Hero Returning In Avengers: Doomsday, Ranked by Expected Screentime
Kate Bishop
Starting with the biggest long shot, Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) remains unconfirmed for Doomsday, though the rumors keep coming.
She debuted back in Disney+’s Hawkeye back in 2021, and fans recently began to speculate after an expanded ScreenX Doomsday trailer revealed a New York apartment with a staircase that looks a lot like the one from her home in Hawkeye and The Marvels.
Steinfeld herself isn’t giving anything away. When asked about Doomsday on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, she said, “I actually have no idea, time will tell.”
Next up is O.B. (Ke Huy Quan), the Time Variance Authority’s (TVA) resident tech expert from Loki Season 2. He’s now expected to appear in Doomsday following the TVA scene in Avengers: Endgame Encore, which shows alerts for colliding worlds, with the count quickly climbing into the thousands.
O.B. is the one who delivers the bad news that the multiverse is collapsing, and despite the Russo brothers saying this scene won’t be in Doomsday, it does seem like the TVA will have a clear role.
Mobius
Right there alongside O.B. in that Encore scene was Mobius (Owen Wilson). The difference is that Mobius was a more important character in the Loki series, appearing across both seasons as the TVA agent who first recruited the God of Mischief and later became his closest ally.
There’s also a bit more explanation required for Mobius’ return, as when fans last saw him in Loki, he was no longer working at the TVA.
A different Endgame Encore scene also makes Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) a real possibility for Doomsday.
Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner joined his cousin on Disney+ in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and the new scene shows him getting collected by Doctor Doom (Robert Downey Jr.) following the events of Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Some see that as groundwork for Secret Wars, especially since Ruffalo wasn’t part of Doomsday‘s official cast announcement, but it’s hard to imagine he won’t be shown at all following that tease.
Falcon
Falcon is the first character on this list who is officially cast in Avengers: Doomsday. Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez) first appeared on Disney+ in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier as an Air Force ally of Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie).
He then got the theatrical upgrade, taking over as the new Falcon in Captain America: Brave New World. Now, he’ll be standing shoulder to shoulder with the Avengers as Sam’s Falcon sidekick.
US Agent
Since his first run as the new Captain America in Disney+’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, John Walker (Wyatt Russell) has grown a lot, going from a disgraced replacement to a member of the New Avengers.
Maybe Doomsday will at least be the movie where his shield finally gets bent back from the new taco shell shape it took on during his fight with Sentry (Lewis Pullman) in Thunderbolts*. It’s hard to see John getting an abundance of screen time, given the size of this cast.
Loki (Tom Hiddleston) has come a long way, now serving as the god who sits at the end of all time, holding the multiverse’s timelines together.
Hiddleston is a lifelong MCU member at this point, playing a variety of iterations of the character since 2011’s Thor. After two seasons of his own Disney+ series, Loki, he’s set for a big role in this new Avengers film; there’s even an argument to be made that he should be even higher on this list.
Endgame Encore showed him interrupting a dance between Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell), which will likely be the first time his presence is felt in Doomsday, though it’s unclear when he will show up again.
Bucky Barnes
An MCU mainstay since 2011, Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) co-starred in Disney+’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier before becoming one of the leaders of the Thunderbolts, also known as the New Avengers. Helping bridge the gap between his team and the one Sam has assembled will likely be a big part of his story. Fans are worried that Doomsday might finally be the movie where Bucky dies, but his potential reunion with Steve is something they can’t wait to see.
Captain America
No controversy here, Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson is Captain America, a title he earned by the end of Disney+’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
Even with Steve Rogers coming back into the fold, that doesn’t mean Sam won’t get his chance at leading Earth’s Avengers team. Expect a major role for Sam as he navigates the imminent threats around him, including the Incursions happening around the multiverse.
He was technically warned in the post-credits scene of his own movie, Captain America: Brave New World, so it’ll be interesting to see if Sam starts out the film with any insight after receiving that vague warning from The Leader.
Yelena Belova
Topping the list is Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), who’s set to be, without a doubt, one of the biggest characters in Doomsday. Not at all related to the fact that she will also be featured on the screen of the neighboring theater in Dune: Part Three.
She debuted as the younger sister of Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) in 2021’s Black Widow, which got its start technically also on the streamer, available on Disney+ Premier Access the same day it opened in theaters.
Months later, Yelena came to Disney+ in Hawkeye, hunting down Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) after being told he was responsible for Natasha’s death.
Thunderbolts* made Yelena a fan favorite more than ever before, with her ragtag team of antiheroes ending the movie as the New Avengers. She was also set up again, this time with a cameo in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, giving audiences a glimpse of her day-to-day as an Avengers leader, focused on the big-potato problems.
Pugh has been there since the Multiverse Saga’s very first movie, and there’s no doubt she’s been set up as one of the most important heroes.
Need any more proof? She recently mentioned her Doomsday role to Vanity Fair, and Kevin Feige hinted that she’ll anchor the entire movie.
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