Doomsday’ Cast, Including Robert Downey Jr. & Chris Hemsworth

The MCU’s heroes have officially assembled as filming on the highly anticipated Avengers: Doomsday continues. Today (May 2), Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ actor Simu Liu shared an image (below) from the set of the movie, which featured himself and eight other actors from the film, including the villain they’ll all be teaming up against, Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom.

Liu posted the candid photo via his Instagram story Friday afternoon. Along with Shang-Chi and RDJ’s Doom, the image also features Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Anthony Mackie (Captain America), Paul Rudd (Ant-Man), Channing Tatum (Gambit), Winston Duke (M’Baku), and two members of The Fantastic Four: Vanessa Kirby (Susan Storm/The Invisible Woman) and Ebon-Moss Bachrach (Ben Grimm/The Thing).

The behind-the-scenes look doesn’t give much away in terms of showing off the cast members in their costumes, or the set(s) they are currently filming on. However, as indicated by the Doomsday casting announcement, and if the photo is truly indicative of the only people participating in the production at this time, the lone member of the original MCU’s Avenger team present in the movie is Hemsworth’s God of Thunder — still no sign of Mark Ruffalo’s Dr. Banner/Hulk or Jeremy Renner’s Clint Barton. And given a recent interview with the Hawkeye (Renner) actor, one has to wonder if the hero will show up in Doomsday now.

Jeremy Renner Was Offered Only “Half the Money” to Make ‘Hawkeye’ Season 2

Avengers: Doomsday is still over a year away, but more and more BTS images should start surfacing online to tease and tantalize MCU fans ahead of the film’s anticipated release next summer. Hopefully, more of Doomsday’s cast will also be revealed, either leading up to or at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. However, Jeremy Renner’s podcast interview doesn’t bode well for his character’s return in the 2026 film, especially if executives don’t pony up the dough. Renner revealed on May 1 that he had already turned down doing a second season of the Disney+ series Hawkeye because he was only offered “half the money” that he made from Season 1. Renner said while appearing on The High Performance podcast:

“They asked me to do a Season 2, and they offered me half the money. And I’m like, ‘Wow, it’s going to take me twice the amount of work for half the amount of money.’ And, so, eight months of my time essentially. And I have to do it for half. I’m like, ‘I’m sorry. Why? Did you think I’m only half the Jeremy because I got ran over? Maybe that’s why you want to pay me half?'”

Renner, of course, is referring to the hellish accident that nearly killed the MCU star back in 2023. In fact, the actor revealed in April that he actually “died” after the tragic snowplow incident.

Avengers: Doomsday opens in theaters on May 1, 2026, and, hopefully, the “penny pinchers” Renner called out won’t be involved in negotiations if the actor is in fact slated to appear in the sequel. Meanwhile, while MCU fans await Doctor Doom’s arrival, they have plenty of content to tide them over until next summer. First and foremost, Thunderbolts* has begun its theatrical run, and Marvel’s answer to DC’s The Suicide Squad is coming off its Thursday night preview screenings, which brought in $11.5 million. Fans love the superhero ensemble flick, and, as a result, Thunderbolts* already boasts a “Verified Hot” 95% on the Popcornmeter against 1,000+ ratings posted on Rotten Tomatoes. Heck, even the critics are singing the praises of director Jake Schreier’s must-see flick as indicated by its “Certified Fresh” 88% Tomatometer rating.

Sources: Nexus Point News, The High Performance Podcast