Only 1 Original Avenger's Future is Unclear After Avengers: Endgame Encore

Published Sep 29, 2026, 9:01 AM EDT Simon Gallagher has worked in movie and TV journalism for more than 17 years. He has written more than 6000 articles and reviews, and edited thousands more. He is an expert in the entertainment industry, particularly in the golden age of screen superheroes. Simon is also a Rotten Tomatoes approved critic. Even Marvel Studios knows that no matter how far away from Phase 1 we move, the original Avengers lineup remains the at the heart of the entire franchise. Avengers: Age of Ultron tried to introduce a new lineup, which backfired spectacularly in comically quick time, and everything since then has been geared around either the dissolution of the team, who might replace them, or how the MCU can bring them back for one last swansong. Just look at Avengers: Doomsday. The almighty power of Marvel’s promotional machine has relied just as heavily on Multiverse Saga nostalgia as it has on Doctor Doom’s arrival (which obviously has a major OG Avengers boost in itself). Chris Evans’ return as Steve Rogers was officially revealed months before the first official Doomsday trailer, and Thor’s key role in battling Doctor Doom was laid out just as quickly. Add in Robert Downey Jr’s Doom symbolically replacing Iron Man, and you’ve got half the original team fron and center in the marketing. Obviously, Black Widow remains out of commission because she’s legitimately dead, so she’s forgiven for not having an MCU future, and we all suspected that Hulk would return sooner or later, even if the manner of that reveal in Avengers: Endgame Encore proved shocking. And then there’s Nick Fury, who is missing in action, but who was never a real Avenger, and will likely turn up when Captain Marvel’s inevitable return is also announced. So that leaves just one hero who is unaccounted for. Now, the Russos have already openly admitted that the full Avengers: Doomsday cast has yet to be revealed - as Benedict Cumberbatch’s absence essentially confirms, given the strength of the rumors he’s behind a mask as Doom ally Boris - but do we really think there’s a similar secret around, the only missing OG Avenger, Hawkeye? Avengers: Endgame Encore Just Revealed Hulk's Future The new cut of Avengers: Endgame Encore did far more than give fans another chance to experience the Infinity Saga’s climax on the giant screen. It confirmed Hulk’s involvement in Avengers: Doomsday, with mystery of Mark Ruffalo’s future resolved by a new credits scene showing Doctor Doom recruiting him from his self-imposed imprisonment. Ruffalo had denied he was involved in Doomsday at all, following the tried and tested Andrew Garfield playbook, and now we know that either the Jade Giant or Banner - or both - will be aligned with Doctor Doom. Perhaps under duress, but who knows at this point - there's a chance Doom will appeal to Banner's intellect to justify his drastic plan to save the Multiverse. However it shakes out, it officially means Hawkeye is the only Avenger without a resolved future. Seriously, Why Is Hawkeye Missing From Avengers: Doomsday?! Hawkeye is conspicuously missing from the official Avengers: Doomsday cast list, and his absence is difficult to square away with what we know about his MCU story so far. When pressed in interviews - like every other Marvel star - Jeremy Renner has always been cagey, saying he wasn’t aware of Robert Downey Jr’s return in 2024 and then outright saying “no” in 2025 when asked about Hawkeye being in Doomsday. He has, of course, fueled rumors more recently, by posting Hawkeye’s costume on Instagram, mysteriously, but as of now, Hawkeye is not an official part of the upcoming ensemble. And it’s hard to understand why. There surely can’t be a Hulk-like twist to his story that’s worth protecting, because - and I say this with the greatest respect - why on Earth would Doom recruit the archer? And it’s not like hiding Hawkeye’s return protects other spoilers. On top of that, we know from Doomsday’s trailer campaign that Doctor Doom seems to be targeting the MCU’s heroes because they are living “stolen lives” after the Time Heist corrupted the timeline and caused incursions. That may relate solely to the original Captain America and Peggy, but if you extrapolate why Doom would consider them temporal abominations, so too are Hawkeye’s family, who were only saved from the Snap because of the Time Heist. Surely he and his family lived stolen lives too? And even if that’s not the angle, the idea of Hawkeye sitting out the fight simply doesn’t fit with his MCU arc. He’s retired multiple times and has been drawn back into the action because he’s a good man whose duty to the Avengers and Earth tragically pulled him away from the peace and safety of his family. There’s just no logical way to explain why he wouldn’t turn up again. Avengers: Endgame Encore is in theaters worldwide now. Avengers: Endgame Encore Release Date September 25, 2026 Runtime 185 Minutes