Simu Liu Sparks Buzz With Cryptic Avengers: Doomsday Casting Tease
Avengers: Doomsday star Simu Liu hints big-name surprises still under wraps as the Russo Brothers’ MCU epic moves through post-production for a December 18, 2026 release—setting the stage for Secret Wars next.
Marvel is back in tease mode. Simu Liu says Avengers: Doomsday is stacked with faces you know, plus a few you definitely don’t know are in there yet. The movie is already in post, it’s a Russo brothers joint, and it lands in the US on December 18, 2026. The follow-up, Avengers: Secret Wars, is set for December 17, 2027.
Talking to The Hollywood Reporter, Liu was careful not to spoil anything... and then basically hinted at some wild cameos anyway. He describes walking onto set and getting hit with that actor version of stage fright because of who else was there. At one point he even name-drops Sir Ian McKellen and mentions a superhero suit. Yes, that sure sounds like Magneto. And before you say, hey, McKellen is already confirmed: he is. The point is, Liu says there are names he still isn’t allowed to say, which suggests there are more surprises beyond the already massively announced lineup.
"I don’t want to say the wrong name if they’re not announced already... That’s Sir Ian McKellen, and he’s wearing his superhero costume... I think it’s going to blow people’s minds when they see it in theaters. There were so many actors and so many characters where you’re like, ‘Just seeing them interact on screen is worth the price of admission alone.’"
He also talks about the fun of sharing scenes with characters that some actors have been shaping for decades. Translation: expect legacy character energy and some deep-cut crossover moments that only happen when a studio pulls every lever it has.
For a movie that’s supposedly still keeping secrets, Marvel has already confirmed an absurd amount of cast. Here’s who is officially in Avengers: Doomsday so far:
- Simu Liu as Shang-Chi
- Chris Hemsworth as Thor
- Vanessa Kirby as Invisible Woman
- Anthony Mackie as Captain America
- Sebastian Stan as Winter Soldier
- Letitia Wright as Black Panther
- Paul Rudd as Ant-Man
- Wyatt Russell as U.S. Agent
- Tenoch Huerta Mejia as Namor
- Ebon Moss-Bachrach as The Thing
- Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova
- Kelsey Grammer as Beast
- Lewis Pullman as Sentry
- Danny Ramirez as Falcon
- Joseph Quinn as Human Torch
- David Harbour as Red Guardian
- Winston Duke as M'Baku
- Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost
- Tom Hiddleston as Loki
- Patrick Stewart as Professor X
- Ian McKellen as Magneto
- Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler
- Rebecca Romijn as Mystique
- James Marsden as Cyclops
- Channing Tatum as Gambit
- Pedro Pascal as Mister Fantastic
- Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom
Yes, that is a lot. If the whole draw is just watching these characters bounce off each other, that might be enough. And Liu keeps hinting there’s more on top of that. Avengers: Doomsday is directed by Joe and Anthony Russo and is currently in post-production. It opens December 18, 2026 in the US, with Avengers: Secret Wars following on December 17, 2027.