Breakdown - Marvel's Avengers Doomsday Cast Announcement

        Hey guys, Chuck here. Yesterday, Marvel Studios revealed the lead cast of their upcoming film Avengers: Doomsday, which is set to be directed by the Russo Brothers, and is already set to star Robert Downey Jr. as Victor Von Doom/Doctor Doom. As for the rest of the cast? Let's get into it. 

       So, returning Avengers are as follows: Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Anthony Mackie as Captain America, and Paul Rudd as Ant-Man. Additionally, we have two heroes of Wakanda joining the team with Letitia Wright as Shuri/Black Panther and Winston Duke as M'Baku. Danny Ramirez will also be returning as Falcon, as will Tenoch Huerta Mejia as Namor, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, and Simu Liu as Shang-Chi. 

        Other superhero teams set to appear include both the Fantastic Four, with Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bacharach all set to return in their respective roles from The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and the Thunderbolts, with Sebastian Stan, Florence Pugh, Lewis Pullman, David Harbour, and Wyatt Russell all set to reprise their respective roles from Thunderbolts*. Now, given that both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame had the Guardians of the Galaxy in a key role, I'm not surprised that Marvel wants to include both the Fantastic Four and the Thunderbolts in a similar capacity. 

       BUT, it's the reveal of a number of actors from the old X-Men franchise by 20th Century Fox that got my attention. Now, the first of the names announced was Kelsey Grammer as Beast, which isn't a surprise seeing as how he had a post-credits appearance at the end of The Marvels, and the same goes for the announcement of the return of Patrick Stewart as Professor Xavier, who last had a role in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. But, four actors who haven't been in a Marvel movie in many YEARS that were announced to return were as follows: Ian McKellen as Magneto, Rebecca Romijn as Mystique, James Marsden as Cyclops and Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler. Now, both McKellen and Marsden last appeared as Magneto and Cyclops in 2014's X-Men: Days of Future Past, while Rebecca Romijn had a brief cameo in 2011's X-Men: First Class. But, Alan Cumming hasn't played Nightcrawler since X2 back in 2003. So, to see HIM coming back is frickin' awesome. Lastly, we have Channing Tatum set to return as Gambit, having previously played a version of the character in Deadpool & Wolverine. 

       So, that's quite a roster of heroes, isn't it? Avengers, Thunderbolts, X-Men, and the Fantastic Four ALL in one movie? That's insane! But, let's not forget that both Infinity War and Endgame had massive casts to boot, so I think that the Russo Brothers can make this work, just as they did with Infinity War and Endgame. But, it was the manner of how Marvel made the announcement that left people talking. Not about who was revealed to be in the movie, per se, but the announcement method of a five-and-a-half hour livestream on the Internet, with cast chairs being revealed every fifteen minutes or so, with Robert Downey Jr. showing up at the end. Now, if this had been more like a live event with the actors, or a Zoom call with the cast, or even potentially a press release, this wouldn't be as bad. But, a five-and-a-half livestream showcasing chairs with names on them? Eh. Thankfully, Marvel did release a minute-and-a-half video showcasing all of the chairs in much quicker succession. 

        So, what's my overall take? Well, with a number of the return Marvel heroes like Thor, Captain, Ant-Man, Black Panther, and the Fantastic Four, I kinda saw those coming. I will admit to being surprised at just how many of the Thunderbolts* characters were coming back, not to mention the pleasant surprise of seeing both Simu Liu as Shang-Chi and Tenoch Huerta Mejia as Namor returning. BUT, it's the X-Men actors that have me excited. I was a massive fan of the X-Men movies back in the day, so to see them returning is awesome. And, I am GLAD that it's actors from the original trilogy of X-Men films and not their younger counterparts from X-Men: First Class and such. And, with how much I loved Channing Tatum as Gambit last year in Deadpool & Wolverine, I'm glad he's coming back, and I can't wait to see him interact with James Marsden's Cyclops and Alan Cumming's Nightcrawler. 

        But, at the end of the day, it's all up to the Russo Brothers directing and the screenwriting by Michael Waldron and Stephen McFeely to really make this whole movie work. Sure, I'm pumped for this cast, and I'm pumped to see actors returning in roles that they played twenty years ago. But, unless the script is amazing, and the Russo Brothers can wrangle it together in a cohesive and badass way, I'm not sure this movie will win the fandom back in droves. But, I prefer to look on the bright side, and I have confidence in Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios to deliver the goods. 

      Anyway, guys, this is Chuck signing off. Let me know how you feel about this cast line-up for Avengers: Doomsday, and I'll see you guys in the next review on Wednesday.