When Marvel unveiled the 27-actor cast of Avengers: Doomsday through a marathon livestream, fans counted heroes off one by one — and two glaring gaps stood out: no Spider-Man, no Hulk.
For a film built to be the biggest Avengers team-up since Endgame, leaving out two of the franchise’s most bankable characters seemed strange. Naturally, Reddit went into overdrive, and the leading theory is that both absences are deliberate storytelling choices, not oversights.
The Cast Reveal, By the Numbers
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Cast reveal format | Nearly 5-hour livestream, names on director’s chairs |
| Total confirmed actors | 27 |
| Notable absentees | Spider-Man (Tom Holland), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Doctor Strange |
| Release date | December 18, 2026 |
| Directors | Anthony & Joe Russo |
Why Spider-Man Is Missing
The simplest explanation ties back to scheduling. Spider-Man: Brand New Day was set to release close to Doomsday, and Sony reportedly wanted Peter Parker’s own story to breathe without getting tangled in a crossover event. Fan theories also point to a narrative reason: with Robert Downey Jr. now playing a Stark-lookalike villain in Doctor Doom, a confrontation between Peter and his mentor’s face might have been saved for a later chapter — possibly Secret Wars.
Why Hulk Might Be Sitting This One Out
Mark Ruffalo wasn’t part of the reveal, and San Diego Comic-Con came and went without an update on Bruce Banner. One theory making the rounds ties into Spider-Man: Brand New Day, where Banner references his gamma inhibitor — a plot thread some fans believe explains why Hulk isn’t gearing up to fight Doctor Doom alongside the rest of the team.
The Bigger Picture
Marvel has already hinted the cast list isn’t final, teasing more reveals to come. That’s kept theories alive that both characters could still show up — just not in the way fans expect, possibly saved for bigger moments in Secret Wars instead of getting lost in Doomsday’s already-massive ensemble.
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