Yesterday, Screen Rant released a list of the seven MCU heroes that are most likely to die in Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars. This article will examine every listed hero to determine realistically (contractually) if these rumored deaths have any validity.  

The first MCU hero listed was Hawkeye, or Clint Barton, played by Jeremy Renner. His last appearance was in the Disney+ series Hawkeye in 2021, starring alongside Hailey Steinfeld as Kate Bishop. One could wonder when or if Renner will return to the MCU after the projects above. While there is no public knowledge on Renner’s contract with the MCU, he did express excitement about returning to the character in his interview with Empire in July 2025. Renner commented, “I love all those guys, I love the character…I’m sure we’ll end up doing Season 2, and do other things. And I’m happy to do it.” Safe to say, Hawkeye is here to stay. 

Another MCU character that doesn’t seem to be going anywhere is the great Nick Fury, played by the even greater Samuel L. Jackson. Whose nine-picture Marvel deal ended with 2019’s Captain Marvel, but has appeared in three other MCU projects since, as well as lead his own Disney+ series Secret Invasion in 2023. In 2019, when The Hollywood Reporter asked about his future in the MCU, he said that “ he would happily play Nick Fury into his ’80s.” Chris Pratt, known as the MCU’s Peter Quill aka Starlord, also seems to be here to stay as he commented about his two year absence from MCU projects in a February 2025 interview with Jimmy Kimmel, saying, “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was the last time you saw Star-Lord, and there was a promise that Star-Lord would return. All I can say is we will make good on that promise.” 

Benedict Wong, who portrayed Wong in the MCU, is confirmed to appear in Doomsday and Secret Wars; but there is no knowledge about his deal with Marvel. Wong has expressed interest in a standalone Wong film in an interview with Variety back in 2022, but nothing has been slated or confirmed since. While Sebastian Stan just appeared as Bucky Barnes on our screen this year with MCU’s Thunderbolts*, contractually, his nine-picture deal with Marvel is up. But this could be taken as a sign that Stan will continue to appear in more MCU projects, as he is confirmed to be in Doomsday, his tenth Marvel film. 

Two more actors who are murky on whether they will return to the MCU past Doomsday and Secret Wars or not are Tom Hiddleston, Loki, and Chris Hemsworth, Thor. For Hiddleston, it seems like this could be the final time fans will see him as the God of Mischief because of how the Loki series ended, but either way, Hiddleston seems to be  “very, very excited” about being back in the role once more. For Hemsworth, his end seems a bit more confirmed as he is among the last standing of the original Avengers, even more so when the actor posted a tribute video of his time playing the beloved character on his personal YouTube channel. Hemsworth wrote in the caption of the video, “Playing Thor has been one of the greatest honors of my life. For the last 15 years I’ve held Mjolnir and then Stormbreaker as the God of Thunder, but what made it truly special… was sharing it with all of you. Your passion, your cheers, and your love for this character have meant everything to me. Thank you for making my journey through the Marvel Cinematic Universe unforgettable…Next up, Doomsday!” Whatever Hemsworth’s Thor’s end may be, we can all say he did a fantastic job of bringing an incredible character to life. 

Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released in theaters on December 18th, 2026, while Avengers: Secret Wars will be released in theaters on December 17th, 2027.