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‘Avengers: Infinity War’ Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch Added, Plus Confirmed And Rumored Cast Members

By Clare Mulligan
Published on: 12:48 PST, Sep 27, 2016

It’s almost two years away, but the Avengers: Infinity War cast is already shaping up to be huge and star-studded. According to Bustle, Benedict Cumberbatch confirmed that he will make an appearance as Doctor Strange in Avengers: Infinity War.

We don’t know for sure how big his role will be, but November’s Doctor Strange could give us some hints as to the extent of his powers and his connections to the greater Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Here’s an overview of who else is confirmed as an Avengers: Infinity War cast member:

Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man: It’s pretty clear that RDJ is more than happy to keep playing Tony Stark, especially if he keeps receiving $40 million paychecks like he did for Avengers: Age of Ultron. The actor is confirmed for both Spider-Man: Homecoming in 2017 and Avengers: Infinity War the following year.

[Image by Marvel Studios/Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures]

Chris Evans as Steve Rogers: Steve Rogers will be in Avengers: InfinityWar, but he might have a different alter ego. After throwing down his shield and leaving the Avengers at the end of Captain America: Civil War, Rogers showed that he was no longer interested in being Captain America. Infinity War is Evans’ last film under his contract with Marvel, so unless he renews, this could be the last we see of Steve Rogers.

[Image by Marvel Studios/Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures]

Chris Hemsworth as Thor: Hemsworth has three Marvel films left under his contract: Thor: Ragnarok in 2017, Avengers: Infinity War in 2018, and the untitled fourth Avengers film in 2019.

Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch: Maximoff was just beginning to understand her powers during her first two films as an Avenger, and Avengers: Infinity War will build on her character arc. During a Captain America: Civil War press conference reported by Clevver Movies, Infinity War co-director Joe Russo described her arc.

“She is on a growth arc, and it is part of her development. It is very tricky with powerful characters, because unless they have an internal struggle or a flaw that limits them then they do become limitless, and the storytelling becomes muddled and not very interesting… So it really has to do her character specifically going on a journey to understand what the limits of her powers are.”

Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier: Sebastian Stan will probably still be serving his whopping nine-film Marvel contract when he’s Stan Lee’s age. For now, Bucky is only confirmed to appear in Infinity War, but rumors abound as to whether he’ll pop up in Black Panther before then.

[Image by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images]

Brie Larson as Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel: While the Russo brothers are still trying to play coy about Captain Marvel’s potential in the Avengers: Infinity War cast, they slipped up at an event earlier this year and mentioned her as a cast member, /Film reports. This means we’ll get a glimpse of Larson as Captain Marvel even before her first solo film (due out in 2019).

Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton/Hawkeye: Renner is not only confirmed for Infinity War but also a potential Hawkeye solo movie “in case they wanted to do a Hawkeye spinoff,” according to Screenrant.

Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Hulk: Even though Banner ditched the Avengers in Age of Ultron, Ruffalo will be back in both Thor: Ragnarok and Avengers: Infinity War.

[Image by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney]

Paul Bettany as Vision: I mean, duh. One of the Infinity Stones is currently sitting in the middle of his head. Vision isn’t going anywhere.

Tom Hiddleston as Loki: It’s not confirmed whether Loki will be a good guy or a bad guy in Infinity War, but he has possession of an Infinity Stone. He’ll also be making an appearance in Thor: Ragnarok.

[Image by Kevin Winter/Getty Images]

Chris Pratt, Bradley Cooper, Zoe Saldana, Vin Diesel, and Dave Bautista as Peter Quill/Star-Lord, Rocket Raccoon, Gamora, Groot, and Drax (the Guardians of the Galaxy): It only makes sense that the Guardians would be back to help defeat Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, since their storylines tie in with his. Thanos killed Gamora’s parents, and their ability to control and wield an Infinity Stone will certainly come in handy for getting revenge.

Josh Brolin as Thanos: I mean, it wouldn’t exactly be an Infinity War without Thanos, would it? However, don’t expect to see him before Avengers: Infinity War, even though Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 comes out next year. In a Facebook Q&A, director James Gunn confirmed that he won’t be the villain in GotG2.

“As I’ve said before, Thanos isn’t in this movie. I think he’s gonna have a little bit to do and say when it comes to a certain wars and infinity. We’ve got other fish to fry in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.”

But who else could be joining the Avengers: Infinity War cast? I’ve identified other key Marvel Cinematic Universe stars and ranked their likelihood of showing up in Infinity War on a scale of one to six Infinity Stones.

Tom Holland as Peter Parker/Spider-Man: Spider-Man was an adorable fan favorite in Civil War, and he’s one of the most iconic Marvel heroes of all time. Sure, we don’t necessarily need another Spider-Man movie, but it’d be cool to see Spidey level up from saving New York to saving the world. Infinity War likelihood: five out of six Infinity Stones.

Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man: In a Hollywood Reporter interview, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said of Paul Rudd’s contract, “Three [films] is the minimum. But I think it’s three-plus-plus to appear in other things.” The upcoming Ant-Man and the Wasp makes the third film, but Rudd could potentially be part of the Avengers: Infinity War cast if both he and Marvel are interested. Then again, Infinity War already has plenty of comic relief thanks to Tony Stark and the Guardians, so maybe Rudd will sit this one out. Infinity War likelihood: three out of six Infinity Stones.

Don Cheadle as James “Rhodey” Rhodes/War Machine: After Vision accidentally paralyzed Rhodey during the events of Captain America: Civil War, it’s doubtful that we’ll get to see War Machine back in action as an Avenger anytime soon. The terms of Cheadle’s Marvel contract aren’t publicly available, but his IMDb page doesn’t list anything after 2016. Infinity War likelihood: two out of six Infinity Stones.

Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa/Black Panther: Boseman is signed on for five films, including the Black Panther solo film due in February of 2018. According to Hollywood Reporter, Kevin Feige said that “T’Challa’s story is very important to us as it links to the next Avengers films, which is why we brought it forward.” Infinity War likelihood: six out of six Infinity Stones.

Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Falcon: We last saw Falcon leaving the Avengers with Steve Rogers at the end of Captain America: Civil War. Sam and Steve are best friends and always have each other’s backs. “I do what he does, just slower,” says Sam in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Sam even popped up in Avengers: Age of Ultron to listen to Steve complain about apartment prices in Brooklyn – what a supportive boyfriend! Infinity War likelihood: four out of six Infinity Stones.

Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow: They wouldn’t have an Avengers movie without the sixth (and only female) original Avenger, right? Plus, Johansson was the second-highest-paid Avenger in Age of Ultron after Robert Downey Jr. Adding Black Widow to the Avengers: Infinity War cast and paying her a ton of money for it would just be the feminist thing to do. Infinity War likelihood: six out of six Infinity Stones.

Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury: S.H.I.E.L.D. is going to need to redeem itself eventually, right? Also, Jackson still has two films left on his Marvel contract. Infinity War likelihood: four out of six Infinity Stones.

[Featured Image by Marvel Studios/Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures]

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marvel cinematic universe doctor strange benedict cumberbatch avengers infinity war Robert Downey Jr Chris Evans
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