Last week, Marvel Studios broke the internet when they revealed the cast for Avengers: Doomsday in a livestream event. Over 5 ½ hours, they slowly revealed the names of actors on the backs of on-set chairs, resulting in a cast of 26 names. Yes, the internet mocked it as a stunt. But the internet also tuned in to the tune of 275 million views. A lot of those names were expected, while some had us legitimately surprised, like the classic Fox X-Men. However, one big takeaway from this reveal is that of the 26 names, only 5 of them belong to women. And we know the MCU has no shortage of great female characters. So what the heck is up? Why is Avengers: Doomsday overwhelmingly full of men?
First off, we have to admit we don’t believe this is the final cast list. Marvel Studios has hinted as much already. Many reports suggest this is just the cast list that has already been confirmed so far. When actual filming starts later in April, other actors’ names will be added, many who are currently finalizing deals. Some believe as many as twenty or more names are waiting in the wings for another big “reveal” event. And maybe many are women. But as of right now, the male-to-female imbalance is still shocking when it comes to this initial rollout.
There Were Only 5 Women in the Initial Avengers: Doomsday Cast List
Marvel Studios patted themselves on the back frequently for their now iconic Avengers: Endgame moment, when all their lady heroes lined up for a group shot. Some fans rolled their eyes at this, but others found this moment empowering. But it did remind everyone that the MCU has no shortage of amazing female heroes to pull from. With that being the case, then where the heck are they in the Doomsday announcement? It’s hard to believe it’ll just be Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm, Florence Pugh as Yelena, Letitia Wright as Shuri, Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost, and Rebecca Romijn as Mystique. Five out of twenty-six? Even if there are other announcements to come, this feels like a gross imbalance.
The MCU Ladies We Were Not Shocked to See Missing
Now, we do understand why some big names are missing. Nebula and Gamora? Honestly, we feel their stories concluded in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. We’re not saying Zoe Saldaña and Karen Gillian should never return, but they’ve earned a break from the big Multiversal catastrophes. The Wasp/Hope Van Dyne is now a CEO, and Evangeline Lilly has said she is taking a break from acting. So her absence makes sense too. Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff is pretty darn dead. Yes, a variant of Nat could appear in Secret Wars. But recent comments from Scarlett Johansson lead us to believe her MCU days are over. And Elizabeth Olsen as the Scarlet Witch feels like an “in case of emergency, break glass” trick you save for Secret Wars. As for the women of Eternals, it seems Marvel has decided that movie didn’t happen.
The MCU Heroines We Were Surprised Not to See in the Initial Avengers: Doomsday Cast Lineup
All of those names aside, it still seems egregious to leave some of the MCU’s most powerful ladies out of the cast for Doomsday. If only for story reasons. Let’s start with the biggest initial omissions: Brie Larson as Captain Marvel, Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau, and Iman Vellani as Ms. Marvel. The way The Marvels ended seemed like they were going to be key in the Multiverse saga. Especially given the X-Men universe where Monica ended up. So where are any of them? She-Hulk is an obvious choice to be in the new Avengers lineup, and yet no word on Tatiana Maslany. And Valkyrie is the King of New Asgard, which is now on Earth. If a threat came to the Earth-616, she’d be at the forefront of our world’s defense. You just don’t bench Val.
These Missing X-Men Ladies Felt Like Glaring Omissions
And then, there’s the OG live-action X-Men cast. So far, we’ve got Patrick Stewart as Professor Charles Xavier, Ian McKellen as Magneto, James Marsden as Cyclops, Kelsey Grammer as Beast, Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler, and Rebecca Romijn as Mystique. While it’s going to be amazing to see them again, it begs the question, where are most of the X-Women? Halle Berry, Famke Janssen, and Anna Paquin seem like glaring omissions from the classic roster. It could wind up feeling like a Beatles reunion, only with John and Paul missing. If you’re going to go there, Marvel, go all the way. And that means including the ladies, besides just Mystique.
Hopefully, if we do indeed get another Avengers: Doomsday cast announcement, they’ll remember that the MCU’s “deep bench of talent,” as Robert Downey, Jr. puts it, also includes many, many women. If the next cast announcement is 20 or so ladies and 5 guys, it would only be fair. We’re not expecting that, but the women of the MCU have earned a little more respect at this point.
Content shared from nerdist.com.