Tom Hiddleston and Sebastian Stan will be breaking a huge 27 actors confirmed to be cast in Avengers: Doomsday at the end of March, and while this line-up included some brilliant surprises, there are also many MCU veterans who will be reprising their roles. Among them are some actors who've been in the MCU since the very beginning, and have become some of the franchise's most consistent characters.

Marvel Studios has confirmed that Avengers: Doomsday will bring together several superhero teams in battle against Russo brothers' Phase 6 crossover movie allows Hiddleston and Stan to extend their already-impressive MCU streak.

Tom Hiddleston & Sebastian Stan Will Have Appeared In All 6 Phases Of The MCU In Avengers: Doomsday

Tom Hiddleston Plays Loki In The MCU While Sebastian Stan Plays Bucky Barnes' Winter Soldier

Tom Hiddleston and Sebastian Stan are two of the most consistent and familiar faces in the MCU, so their returns in Avengers: Doomsday are very exciting for their overall narratives. Avengers: Doomsday will mark Hiddleston and Stan's debuts in the MCU's Phase 6, which will mean that they are the only two confirmed actors to appear in every Phase of the MCU. Hiddleston made his first appearance as Loki in 2011's Thor, while Stan debuted as Bucky Barnes in 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger, and they've become cornerstones of the MCU since then.

Sebastian Stan's MCU Project

Year

Tom Hiddleston's MCU Project

Year

Phase 1

Captain America: The First Avenger

2011

Thor

2011

The Avengers

2012

Phase 2

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

2014

Thor: The Dark World

2013

Ant-Man

2015

Phase 3

Captain America: Civil War

2016

Thor: Ragnarok

2017

Black Panther

2018

Avengers: Infinity War

2018

Avengers: Infinity War

2018

Avengers: Endgame

2019

Avengers: Endgame

2019

Phase 4

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

2021

Loki Season 1

2021

Phase 5

Captain America: Brave New World

2025

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

2023

Thunderbolts*

2025

Loki Season 2

2023

Phase 6

Avengers: Doomsday

2026

Avengers: Doomsday

2026

It's surprising that some other notable MCU veterans haven't also hit this record, particularly the likes of Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth and more. Even so, the fact that Tom Hiddleston and Sebastian Stan are coming back for Avengers: Doomsday as more central characters in the MCU is brilliant. They spent most of their MCU journeys as secondary or ing characters, but the Multiverse Saga has put them in the spotlight, and Avengers: Doomsday is about to make them two of the most important figures in the MCU's entire history.

Loki & Bucky Barnes Finally Became Main Characters In The MCU’s Multiverse Saga

Loki & Bucky Barnes Were Secondary Characters Until Their Solo MCU Projects

Bucky Barnes in Congress in Thunderbolts* trailer looking serious

Even though they had crucial roles over the entire duration of the MCU's Infinity Saga, Tom Hiddleston's Loki and Sebastian Stan's Bucky Barnes were never main characters. In fact, they were arguably wasted throughout their early adventures, with Loki being rendered a scheming but destined-to-lose villain, while Bucky similarly spent most of his time as the HYDRA-controlled Winter Soldier. The Multiverse Saga changed their fates, however, as they both embarked on solo adventures that finally made them main characters, which was a long-deserved transformation.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier saw Bucky Barnes seek redemption for his actions as the Winter Soldier, while Thunderbolts* will make him the leader of a brand-new superhero team, which he'll continue to lead in Avengers: Doomsday. Similarly, the Loki series on Disney+ saw a variant of the God of Mischief become one of the most powerful beings in the MCU, as he replaced the Temporal Loom and He Who Remains to protect the entire multiverse. These positions will prove crucial to Avengers: Doomsday's narrative.

Only 2 Other Actors Can Copy Hiddleston & Stan’s Impressive MCU Record

Marvel Is Yet To Confirm Some Stars We Hope Return In Avengers: Doomsday Or Secret Wars

Happy Hogan and Rhodey at Tony Stark's funeral in Avengers Endgame

It's something of a surprise that Tom Hiddleston and Sebastian Stan are the only actors who will have appeared in every Phase of the MCU, though there is still a chance that Marvel Studios could announce the only other two possible candidates to match this record. Every other actor except for Hiddleston, Stan, Jon Favreau and Don Cheadle has missed at least one Phase of the MCU, so the door is open for Favreau and Cheadle to match this impressive streak. Neither has been confirmed for Avengers: Doomsday, Secret Wars or another Phase 6 project yet.

Jon Favreau's MCU Project

Year

Don Cheadle's MCU Project

Year

Phase 1

Iron Man

2008

Iron Man 2

2010

Iron Man 2

2010

Phase 2

Iron Man 3

2013

Iron Man 3

2013

Avengers: Age of Ultron

2015

Phase 3

Spider-Man: Homecoming

2017

Captain America: Civil War

2016

Avengers: Endgame

2019

Avengers: Infinity War

2018

Spider-Man: Far From Home

2019

Captain Marvel

2019

Avengers: Endgame

2019

Phase 4

Spider-Man: No Way Home

2021

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

2021

Phase 5

Deadpool & Wolverine

2024

Secret Invasion

2023

Even though they haven't yet been confirmed, it's very possible that both Jon Favreau and Don Cheadle will be announced to return in the MCU's Phase 6. It would be fantastic to see Favreau's Happy Hogan reunite with Robert Downey Jr., especially now that the latter is playing iconic Marvel villain Doctor Doom. Similarly, Don Cheadle's Rhodey, a.k.a. War Machine, would also have a strong reaction to a villain using his best friend's face, and this could either continue in Avengers: Doomsday or another MCU project such as Avengers: Secret Wars or the more-uncertain Armor Wars.

Avengeres Doomsday logo placeholder poster
Avengers: Doomsday
Release Date
December 18, 2026
Director
Joe Russo
Writers
Stephen McFeely, Stan Lee
  • Chris Hemsworth Profile Picture
  • Headshot Of Vanessa Kirby
    Vanessa Kirby
    Sue Storm / Invisible Woman
  • Headshot Of Joseph Quinn In The Premiere Of A Quiet Place: Day One
    Johnny Storm / Human Torch
  • Headshot of Ebon Moss-Bachrach
    Ebon Moss-Bachrach
    Ben Grimm / The Thing

MCU Movies