This combination of photos shows Chris Hemsworth at the London premiere of "Transformers One" on Sept. 19, 2024, from left, Vanessa Kirby at the London premiere of "Napoleon," on Nov. 15, 2023, Anthony Mackie at a screening of "Captain America: Brave New World" in New York on Feb. 13, 2025, and Sebastian Stan at the Academy Museum Gala in Los Angeles on Oct. 19, 2024. (AP Photo)2025-03-26T19:32:50Z LOS ANGELES (AP) Chris Hemsworths Thor, Anthony Mackies Captain America, Sebastian Stans Bucky Barnes, Paul Rudds Ant-Man and Tom Hiddlestons Loki are all back in the Avengers ensemble, where theyll be joined by several of cinemas original X-Men. The five veterans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe are in the cast of 2026s Avengers: Doomsday, Marvel announced in a series of social media videos that the company rolled out slowly on Wednesday. Patrick Stewart, 84, who played Professor X in the Foxs early 2000s X-Men films, and 85-year-old Ian McKellen, who played his arch-nemesis Magneto, are also in the Doomsday cast as Disney and Marvel seek to take advantage of the acquisition of Foxs movie library. Kelsey Grammer, who played Hank Beast McCoy, was also announced, as was Rebecca Mystique Romijn, James Cyclops Marsden and Alan Nightcrawler Cumming. Their characters were taken on by younger actors in the 2010s X-Men series reboot, and their inclusion is sure to cause serious fan speculation about the direction and timelines of Avengers: Doomsday. The more senior superheroes will be joined by more recent additions, including some who have yet to make their MCU debuts. Vanessa Kirby, set to play the Invisible Woman Sue Storm in this Julys Fantastic Four: First Steps, is also set for Avengers: Doomsday. Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards will join the Avengers too. And theyll be joined in both movies by Ebon Moss-Bachrach, who is playing Ben Grimm, aka the Thing, and Joseph Quinn, who plays Johnny Storm, aka the Human Torch. Simu Liu, who played the title character in 2021s Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, is also in the newly announced cast, as is Tenoch Huerta Meja, who played the aquatic antagonist Namor in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Letitia Wright, who plays Shuri in the Black Panther films, will also be back among the Avengers, as will her Black Panther castmate Winston Duke. Florence Pugh, who will reprise her MCU role as Yelena Belova in the forthcoming Thunderbolts will reprise her again in Doomsday. David Harbour, Wyatt Russell, Hannah John-Kamen and Lewis Pullman will also be in both films.Danny Ramirez, who has assumed the Marvel mantle of Falcon, is also in the cast. Some of the biggest and most anticipated names were not among the 27 names announced, though Marvel and Disney could be sitting on them for now. There was no mention of Hugh Jackmans Wolverine or Ryan Reynolds Deadpool, though the announcement did include Channing Tatum, who played the X-Mens Gambit in last years Deadpool & Wolverine. Nor did the name Tom Holland appear. His Spider-Man became an Avenger in previous films on loan from owner Sony, whose complicated relationship with Marvel has made the character a sticking point. Robert Downey Jr. revealed last summer that hell be returning to the MCU to play the villain Doctor Doom in the next set of Avengers films. Avengers: Doomsday, set for release in May 2026, will be the fifth Avengers movie, and the first since 2019s Avengers Endgame became one of the highest grossing film of all time. Marvel has been struggling to recover its cultural buzz and box office mojo ever since, with hopes that the forthcoming ensemble films will bring back the magic that dominated cinema for more than a decade. ANDREW DALTON Dalton covers entertainment for The Associated Press, with an emphasis on crime, courts and obituaries. He has worked for the AP for 20 years and is based in Los Angeles. mailto