Having discovered earlier this week that Chris Evans will return to the MCU in The Russo Brothers’ forthcoming Avengers: Doomsday, we would be untruthful if we didn’t anticipate more casting announcements for the onset of the conclusion of Marvel’s Multiverse Saga to arrive shortly afterward. Indeed, once Evans’ return was verified, Anthony Mackie’s role as the Avengers’ Captain America for Doomsday was solidified (we have more about the Avengers’ future here); Benedict Cumberbatch has praised Doctor Strange’s role in the film at Tokyo Comic Con; and now an additional crucial piece of the puzzle has been confirmed. According to Deadline’s report, Hayley Atwell is anticipated to return as Agent Peggy Carter in the fifth Avengers movie.
The most recent appearance of Atwell in the MCU was as a member of the Illuminati (not that Illuminati) in Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness, portraying a multiverse variant of Peggy Carter — one who had received super serum and was seen gallivanting with the Union Jack on her chest. However, naturally, the most recent time we encountered Peggy Carter was at the conclusion of Avengers: Endgame, where she was with her cherished Steve Rogers after he traveled back in time to fulfill his promise of a dance with his favorite girl. The precise nature of Peggy and Steve’s relationship in Doomsday (assuming Evans is portraying Steve Rogers) remains quite unclear at this moment. They might not even be portraying the same Peggy and Steve we cherish: if Robert Downey Jr.’s unexpected role as Doctor Doom has shown us anything, it’s that anything is possible when it comes to the multiverse.
However, despite the relative lack of specific details about what Doomsday will involve at this time, each passing day makes the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s upcoming major team-up film increasingly thrilling. When Evans and Atwell come back to our screens on May 1, 2026, it will astonishingly have been seven years, 15 movies, 19 TV shows, and countless long, dark nights of introspection since we last witnessed them together in the MCU. While we confront the existential crisis brought on by just typing those statistics, we at least have a major new Marvel film coming soon: Captain America: Brave New World. If you’re not already thrilled beyond measure for Anthony Mackie’s Cap and Harrison Ford’s Red Hulk to unleash chaos, grab this month’s world-exclusive Captain America issue of Empire, and you’ll discover numerous reasons to feel extremely, extremely enthusiastic. Avengers… unite!
