Photo Credit: Marvel Studios
A new rumor explains why two former Avengers won’t be returning in Avengers: Doomsday.

Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Doomsday is currently in post-production. Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, also known as the Russo Brothers, the movie is scheduled to arrive in just a little over a year. A sequel, titled Avengers: Secret Wars, is then dated for December 2027.

Not included in the cast for Avengers: Doomsday are Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye/Clint Barton and Don Cheadle’s James “Rhodey” Rhodes/War Machine. Both Renner and Cheadle have been part of the MCU since the franchise’s very first phase; however, up until now, there hasn’t been any clear reason or explanation given as to why they won’t be showing up in Doomsday.

Why won’t Hawkeye and War Machine be back in Avengers: Doomsday?

Scooper Alex Perez of The Cosmic Circus was asked if Marvel secretly had plans to bring Hawkeye and/or War Machine into Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars. Perez said he didn’t know for sure; however, he did offer an answer as to what the characters are currently up to.

“Rhodey is currently in recovery since the events of Secret Invasion, and Marvel is still reeling with that fallout. And Clint is retired. I don’t know if they’ll be back,” Perez wrote.

Whether or not Avengers: Doomsday acknowledges their absence at all remains to be seen. The film — which features an all-star ensemble cast that includes Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom, Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Anthony Mackie as Captain America, Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Channing Tatum as Gambit, Letitia Wright as Black Panther, and many more — will be released on December 18, 2026, as part of Phase 6 of the MCU. Avengers: Secret Wars follows on December 17, 2027.