Several cast members from Fox’s original X-Men film franchise were announced as part of the “Doomsday” cast, including Kelsey Grammer, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, James Marsden, and Rebecca Romijin. Rumor has it that this is because the “Avengers vs. X-Men” comic story may be incorporated into the “Doomsday” plot. However, one notable name missing from the returning crew is Anna Paquin.

Paquin first played Rogue in 2000’s “X-Men,” where the audience is introduced to the heroes’ world through the eyes of this young mutant with the ability to absorb others’ memories, powers, and personality traits by touching them. And though the “True Blood” actor hasn’t been present in the X-Men franchise since “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” her character is very familiar with the Avengers in the pages of Marvel Comics.

For instance, Rogue gained the ability to fly and super strength from prolonged contact with Carol Danvers, the current Captain Marvel and former Ms. Marvel. She also led her own team of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Following “AvX,” Rick Remender and John Cassaday’s “Uncanny Avengers” introduce the Avengers Unity Division with both X-Men and Avengers being represented. And even though more experienced leaders were part of the team, Rogue was appointed as the team’s field leader to promote a new era of teamwork between humans and mutants.

“Deadpool & Wolverine” marked the first official MCU film to include the X-Men. But while the Merc With A Mouth was palling around with Logan around the multiverse, fans were probably wondering what happened to Josh Brolin’s Cable.

At the end of “Deadpool 2,” Wade Wilson’s (Ryan Reynolds) time-traveling cybernetic soldier bestie stayed with him and X-Force to ensure that the timeline would remain intact so that his family in the future survives. However, when the threequel rolled around, Cable was nowhere to be found. Considering Reynolds’ chemistry with Brolin, many assumed that we would see the pair team up again. Well, it could still happen in Phase Six due to Cable’s association with the Avengers.

Similar to Rogue, Cable joined the roster of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes during “Uncanny Avengers.” By the time he joined the squad, their mission expanded to create better relations between mutants, humans, and Inhumans. But above all, he was determined to help the team recover the brain of Charles Xavier from Red Skull.

Neither Brolin nor Reynolds is currently listed as part of “Doomsday,” but if it somehow turns out that a reunion fits in, fans should welcome this team-up with open arms.

After Captain America joined, the Avengers began to represent second chances since Steve Rogers now had another chance to be a hero after emerging from the ice. To keep that spirit alive, Cap invited reformed villains to the team, including Hawkeye, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, and Vision. Although one member during this period may have slightly more villain credentials than the others.

While performing in a circus, Jacques Duquesne met a young Clint Barton and taught the runaway how to handle bladed weapons. But when the future Hawkeye caught his mentor stealing money to pay a gambling debt, the two had a falling out, and Duquesne became the costumed supervillain Swordsman. When they cross paths again later during his Avengers auditions, his nefarious ways still weren’t completely purged as he was secretly working for The Mandarin. But eventually, a double turn leads the rogue to save the heroes from their powerful foe.

This uncertainty of allegiances carried over to the MCU, where Tony Dalton portrays Jack Duquesne. The character first appears as a socialite and the fiancé of Eleanor Bishop (Vera Farmiga) in “Hawkeye.” After that, he pops up again in “Daredevil: Born Again” as Swordsman and gets caught up in Wilson Fisk’s (Vincent D’Onofrio) anti-vigilante agenda. With an even bigger threat than Mayor Kingpin on the horizon, the Avengers will need all the help that they can get, so extending membership to Swordsman may not be completely far-fetched.

The Black Knight mantle has been passed down through the same family since the time of King Arthur. When Iron Man came to blows with him, it was Nathan Garrett who wielded the cursed sword known as the Ebony Blade. But Roy Thomas and John Buscema continued with the theme of second chances by introducing an all-new Black Knight. That’s when Dane Whitman donned the regalia to restore honor to his family’s lineage. At first, Whitman was mistaken for his Uncle Nathan and attacked by the Avengers. Once they realized their mistake, they used this to their advantage by having him infiltrate the Masters of Evil before joining battles over the years against Kang the Conqueror, Morgan le Fay, and the Kree Empire.

In the MCU, where the character is played by “Game of Thrones” star Kit Harington, Black Knight is less active. Dane appears in “Eternals” as a history professor at London’s Natural History Museum who is dating Gemma Chan’s Sersi. After a brief Deviant skirmish, we don’t see him again until the end of the film, where he watches Arishem abduct his girlfriend. Then, in a post-credits scene, he opens the case containing the Ebony Blade. Though the MCU’s Black Knight didn’t exactly make a splash in this appearance, he could be recruited by the Avengers in their fight against Doctor Doom.

In addition to Black Knight, “Eternals” also features the live-action debut of Starfox. Also known as Eros or Knave of Hearts, the character created by Jim Starlin is a charming, carefree rogue with the power to control people’s emotions. While he typically uses his powers to do good, Starfox’s intergalactic tomcatting ways place him in the dictionary under “chaotic bisexual.” And in addition to being a card-carrying Avenger, he is also the brother of Thanos and an Eternal. While Starfox’s hedonistic lifestyle screams that he’s only here for the vibes, his association with the Avengers has come in handy in a number of cosmic conflicts. 

Although, despite giving off main character energy, the character played by Harry Styles hasn’t exactly become a main character in the MCU just yet. Along with Pip the Troll (voiced by Patton Oswalt), Starfox makes his presence known to the other Eternals in a post-credits scene for the Phase Four film. Since then, the only thread from that movie that was picked up was the giant Celestial protruding from the ocean, which factored into “Captain America: Brave New World.” But considering that “Doomsday” and “Secret Wars” will span the entirety of the multiverse, it might not be a bad idea for the Avengers to enlist someone from the same family tree as arguably their biggest foe to date.

Not to be confused with Starfox’s Knave of Hearts alias, Jack of Hearts is a completely different Avenger. He was the son of a human man and a Contraxian woman who gained superpowers after being doused in the mysterious Zero Fluid. Now with the ability to expel his body’s energy, Jack Hart donned a containment suit that resembles the playing card he’s named after to become a hero. However, despite the suit, there were still instances where he was unable to control his powers. This became a focal point of the classic “Avengers Disassembled” storyline, where his death was one of many tragedies that led to the Avengers disbanding in favor of new teams like the New Avengers and the Young Avengers.

But if one of his biggest claims to fame is his death, then why would Jack of Hearts be included in “Avengers: Doomsday”? Well, if they’re facing a threat big enough to jeopardize the entire multiverse, then the Avengers need an army. Tony Stark’s sacrifice in “Endgame” inspired a whole generation of heroes. And thanks to the Sokovia Accords, the governments of the world have a huge list of powered individuals like Jack of Hearts who can be soldiers in this Avengers army.

In other words, he could be a redshirt in the Russos’ upcoming blockbusters. But with the New Avengers already entering the fray and the Ms. Marvel-led Young Avengers rumored to be on their way, Jack’s presence could also signal bits of “Avengers Disassembled” being incorporated into the MCU as a massive shake-up to kick off Phase Seven and beyond.

Whether it was found, chosen, or blood-related, the MCU has always been about family. When it comes to Hulk, though, his support system wasn’t as fleshed out until “She-Hulk: Attorney At Law” dropped on Disney+. Not only did we meet Bruce Banner’s (Mark Ruffalo) cousin and series star Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany), but we were also introduced to his son, Skaar.

Created by Greg Pak and John Romita Jr. for the acclaimed “Planet Hulk” storyline (which partially inspired the film “Thor: Ragnarok”), Skaar is the offspring of Hulk and Caiera, a native of the gladiatorial planet Sakaar. He makes his way to Earth after the destruction of his home planet to confront and kill his father. But when he realizes that Banner is not the same revenge-fueled, savage “War Hulk” that sired him, Skaar and his father embark on various missions to take on Mole Man, Doctor Doom, and Wolverine’s son Daken.

Skaar eventually joins Norman Osborn’s Dark Avengers during the “Fear Itself” crossover. However, he is a double agent for Captain America and the New Avengers who helps them escape from Osborn’s grasp. But unlike his comic book counterpart, the only appearance of the MCU’s Skaar to date has been in the season one finale of She-Hulk’s series, where Wil Deusner makes a non-speaking cameo as the character. Since he’s already with his heroic father and his aunt when that show wraps up, maybe he’ll be trained enough to fight alongside Earth’s Mightiest Heroes when “Doomsday” comes around.

Like Jack of Hearts, Tigra has not appeared in the MCU. However, she was supposed to. Back in 2019, Hulu and Marvel Television announced four animated comedies coming to the streamer. After “M.O.D.O.K.” and “Hit Monkey” debuted, a shake-up behind the scenes saw Jeph Loeb’s TV division folded into Kevin Feige’s Marvel Studios purview. As a result, Kevin Smith’s “Howard the Duck” and “The Tigra & Dazzler Show” from Erica Rivinoja and Chelsea Handler became casualties of Marvel’s restructuring.

But just like the stars of Fox’s X-Men series, maybe “Avengers: Doomsday” could be a second chance for Tigra. In the comics, Greer Nelson becomes a mighty half-human, half-feline warrior thanks to the magic, science, and mental power of the ancient Cat People. She is also given a magical amulet that allows her to revert to her human form, but she rarely uses it. Instead, she proudly touts her orange fur, pointy ears, and slitted irises as a member of the Avengers, the West Coast Avengers, and the Avengers Academy. As part of these teams, Tigra also forms a close bond with Hank Pym under his Yellowjacket mantle. 

With many of Pym’s storylines transferred to Scott Lang in the MCU, it’s possible that Greer could be a new love interest for Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man, especially since Evangeline Lilly’s Hope Van Dyne hasn’t been announced as part of the cast yet.

Shortly after they first met, Thor Odinson told Jane Foster, “Your ancestors called it magic, but you call it science. I come from a land where they are one and the same.” In the world of Marvel, the same can be said about gods and aliens. When Thor’s Asgardian ancestors first made contact with people from Earth, the humans considered them gods despite only visiting from another realm/planet. For the Greeks and Romans, their gods came from an adjacent dimension to Earth known as Olympus. And like Thor, Hercules finds himself on Earth often to defend its inhabitants.

While the Prince of Power is mighty on his own, he finds allies all over the pages of Marvel Comics. Not only is he a member of The Avengers, but he’s also affiliated with The Champions, The Defenders, Heroes For Hire, S.H.I.E.L.D., and more. Basically, he’s ready and willing to help any noble cause that might need him.

Unfortunately for the Asgardian Avenger, the MCU’s version of the Lion of Olympus (played by “Ted Lasso” star Brett Goldstein) hasn’t reached that point in his story yet. Instead, his father, Zeus, tasks him with tracking down and killing Thor after the events of “Thor: Love & Thunder.” But with the multiverse in danger, potentially including Olympus, it’s possible that Hercules and Thor could put their differences aside to face off against Doctor Doom and whatever master plan he’s cooking up in “Avengers: Doomsday” and “Avengers: Secret Wars.”

In both the MCU and its source material, Vision and Scarlet Witch’s twin boys, William and Thomas, are created when Wanda Maximoff gains access to some extremely powerful magic. However, when her spell is ended, their boys dissipate along with it. Somehow, their souls endure and find other vessels to inhabit. William becomes Billy Kaplan and eventually embraces his identity as the powerful wizard Wiccan. In the comics, this comes after many trials and tribulations with the Young Avengers. Meanwhile, Billy’s (Joe Locke) journey of self-discovery in the MCU is chronicled in “Agatha All Along,” where he joins Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) and her coven on the Witch’s Road.

Since Doctor Doom has been known to dabble in magic as well as science, it wouldn’t hurt to have someone as powerful as Wiccan on the Avengers roster. Of course, they have already have Doctor Strange, Wong, and the other sorcerers of Kamar-Taj (possibly including America Chavez) on speed dial, but it wouldn’t hurt to over-prepare for what is probably going to be the biggest threat to the MCU thus far.

And with “Vision Quest” (or whatever they’re officially calling the upcoming Vision series on Disney+) in the pipeline, maybe we can even get both of Vision and Scarlet Witch’s kids on the big screen in 2027.

“It’s all connected.” When “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” premiered in 2013, we were meant to get a seamless experience between this show and the Marvel Studios films. However, as the seasons progressed, none of the ABC show’s stars (except for Clark Gregg’s Phil Coulson) made the jump to the big screen. Well, now the House of Ideas finally has the chance to remedy this injustice by bringing Quake to “Avengers: Secret Wars,” which would be fitting because she was first introduced in the comics during the 2004 storyline “Secret War.”

Daisy Johnson is the Inhuman daughter of supervillain Mister Hyde who gained seismic activity-inducing powers from Terrigenesis. During “Secret War,” Nick Fury takes her under his wing and turns her into a top S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. And though she’s typically seen with S.H.I.E.L.D. or the Secret Warriors, Daisy was chosen for the Avengers by Captain America himself after the “Fear Itself” storyline concluded. 

Over the years, fans of the ABC series hoped that Chloe Bennet would reprise her role in many Marvel Studios projects. But now that Sony’s Spider-Man films, Fox’s X-Men movies, and even Wesley Snipes’ Blade have been integrated into the MCU, hopefully Kevin Feige and the Russos do the same for this beloved character as well.

After the love letter to the ghosts of Marvel movies past that was “Deadpool & Wolverine,” one hero that didn’t get as much love was Ghost Rider. While the team tried to get Nicolas Cage to reprise his role from the 2007 movie and its 2012 sequel, things just couldn’t come together. So what better place to finally make this happen than the grand finale of the Multiverse Saga? Furthermore, why don’t we bring in all of the live-action Ghost Riders since multiple hosts have been members of the Avengers roster on various occasions? 

Along with Cage as Johnny Blaze, the Russo Brothers should also bring in Gabriel Luna to play Robbie Reyes again. After his short stint on “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” he was meant to get a spin-off series on Hulu as part of Marvel Television’s Adventure Into Fear label, along with “Helstrom” and a crossover similar to Netflix’s “Defenders” with Lilith, Mother of All Demons as the villain. But again, restructuring squashed these plans.

And to sweeten the pot, the MCU can introduce Danny Ketch’s version of the Spirit of Vengeance as well. Ryan Gosling’s name has been thrown around as a rumored choice, but no matter who hops on this Ghost Rider’s signature motorcycle, the visual of all three variants would look incredible. Those flaming skulls would certainly intimidate any possible foes that stand across the battlefield from them, no matter what corner of the multiverse they come from.