As the Marvel Cinematic Universe hurtles toward the collision of realities in Avengers: Doomsday, the power vacuum left by the Multiverse’s decay is beginning to fill with some familiar, yet formidable, faces. While fans have been catching up on plot leaks detailing Victor von Doom’s plans, a new report from industry insider Daniel Richtman suggests that Doom won’t be ruling alone.
According to Richtman, Stephen Strange is set to serve as Doom’s primary lieutenant—a move that mirrors one of the most iconic dynamics in modern Marvel Comics history. Richtman’s report claims that “Doom’s right-hand man is “a wizard who can use a sling ring. He wears a mask similar to Doom’s, but with a slot for a third eye on his forehead.”
For those well-versed in Jonathan Hickman’s 2015 Secret Wars, this development feels like destiny. In that storyline, Strange takes on the mantle of Sheriff Strange, the high justice of Battleworld who serves at the right hand of God Emperor Doom. Strange’s decision wasn’t born of a heel turn, but of a desperate pragmatism; he believed Doom was the only being capable of stitching together the fragments of a dying multiverse. If this rumor holds true, Avengers: Doomsday may find our Master of the Mystic Arts making a similarly impossible choice—sacrificing his morality to preserve what’s left of existence.
Strange’s absence from the recent round spoilers left many with questions about why the only 616 hero with intimate knowledge of Incursions was nowhere to be found in the action. Richtman’s report would go a long way in explaining this, while setting up what would likely be a key reveal either late in Avengers: Doomsday or in its follow up, Avengers: Secret Wars.
After accumulating over one billions views, it seems as though the four short teasers for Avengers: Doomsday have generated some true excitement for the film, which will hit theaters this December. Despite some hand-wringing over Steve Rogers’ “central role” in the film and outrage over concerns that the film will just be a “fan service” mash-up, it’s clear that the project already has the attention of the masses. And some new details might begin to move the needle even more.
With the Russo brothers back in the fold.to direct Avengers: Doomsday, big action seemed a certainty. After all, the pair directed Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which may remain the MCU’s exemplar for action excellence, as well as Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, each of which feature memorable large-scale battles. It sounds as though the Russos set about the task of outdoing all of those projects when they decided to direct Avengers: Doomsday.
According to YouTuber John Campea, who has often been a reliable source in the past, the brothers Russo were able to “eclipse everything else Marvel’s ever done” in terms of the “sheer volume of action” in Avengers: Doomsday.
I have something I haven’t told you yet. What this person indicated to me was the sheer volume of action is going to eclipse everything else Marvel’s ever done.
-John Campea
According to Campea, the film “shoots you like a cannon out of the gate” and the “massive action…doesn’t let up.”
People are going to lose their minds. This movie starts with its foot through the floor and shoots you like a cannon out of the gate. There’s no slow start—it’s massive action right from the beginning, the scale is insane, and it doesn’t let up
-John Campea
Given that the film is expected to deal with universe-ending incursions, a potential Avengers vs. X-Men battle and introduce and establish Victor Von Doom as a Multiversal threat, there seems to be more than enough opportunity for the film to be wall-to-wall action. Of course, with extensive additional photography set to take place early this year, it might be a bit too premature to develop any opinion at all about the film given Marvel’s propensity to overhaul projects in post-production.
For a project which has never been formally addressed by anyone at Marvel Studios, the rumored Midnight Sons film certainly has quite an archive of potential information. From rumored writers to directors and cast members, the big screen team-up flick has allegedly been in development since 2022 and its potential to be a hit is undeniable.
According to social media’s busiest bee, My Time To Shine Hello, the MCU’s Midnight Sons team will be made up of Dane Whitman, Blade, Elsa Bloodstone, Ghost Rider, Man-Thing, Moon Knight, Werewolf By Night and Wong.
An Ali and Oscar Isaac-led project would carry some cache and the supporting cast, should the rumor be accurate, would be among the studio’s most impressive–and that’s without knowing who they’d cast as whichever Ghost Rider is supposed to be on the squad.
For what it’s worth, in the comics, the Children of Midnight have typically had 9 members, meaning there’s room for one more surprise on the supernatural squad’s lineup as they potentially take on Mia Goth’s Lilith while also dealing with the machinations of Mephisto!
Cameras have been rolling on Avengers: Doomsday for just over five months and Marvel Studios has gone to great lengths to try to keep details about the 2026 film in house. With most of the movie being filmed either on a soundstage or in locations that are very secluded and/or secure, the studio has managed to limit the major leaks that have plagued almost every project it has produced in the past five years…until now, perhaps.
A recent rumor indicated that Chris Evans –who has not been officially announced as part of the cast of the film–would be reprising tlhis role as Steve Rogers and that his story would pick up where itedt off in Avengers: Endgame. Now, a pair of social media reports have combined to shed an even brighter light on the role and reveal the first truly major spoiler from the project. Proceed with caution…
The rumor mill began rolling when photographer UnBoxPHD shared the news that Tom Hiddleston was on the set of Avengers: Doomsday to film. That information could in no way be considered spoilery given that Hiddleston was among those announced as part of the cast in March; however, a follow-up report by a trusted Marvel insider may have connected a series of dots and revealed a major plot point.
According to longtime social media scooper Daniel Richtman, Hiddleston filmed his scenes along with Evans and Haley Atwell, presumably at the “Luke Cage house.”
Tom Hiddleston has filmed a scene in Steve and Peggy’s home where he’s having a [conversation] with them.
-Daniel Richtman
If accurate, it means that the God of Stories will have left his throne at the Citadel at the End of Time from where he protects the Multiverse. And it would take something incredibly important to cause him to make that choice…
Though it’s far from confirmed, such a scene could very well lend support to rumblings recently making the rounds that suggest Steve Rogers’ decision to live a life “in the past” with Peggy caused the first incursion and has made him the target of Doctor Doom’s ire. Aside from the rich possibilities of Rogers and Loki meeting again on screen (remember, this is the Time Heist Variant of Loki, which means he has a past with Rogers but has evolved over the course of an incredible journey), having Avengers: Doomsday tie directly into the epilogue of Avengers: Endgame would be a smart move for the studio. It also presents an intriguing dynamic in which Rogers–The Man Out of Time who led Earth’s Mightiest Heroes to victory over Thanos–inadvertently started the destruction of the Multiverse while Loki–the God of Lies whose attempt to conquer Earth assembled the Avengers–must now try to save it…again.
In June, after filming scenes at Windsor Castle production on Avengers: Doomsday moved to a secluded area in Windsor Great Park where a 1960s-era house was constructed. While the castle scenes were rumored to take place at Magneto’s mutant stronghold, there were never any solid reports on who inhabited the Great Park house. Though on set it was referred to as the “Luke Cage” house, not too many folks believed that Power Man was going to make his MCU debut in the new Avengers film. And so, after a couple of weeks in the spotlight, the “Luke Cage” house was forgotten and nobody was ever too sure what went down there. However, a new rumor may provide that answer and, if true, mean the MCU’s first Avenger will indeed return for Avengers: Doomsday.
According to social media scooper My Time To Shine Hello, Chris Evans has already filmed scenes for Avengers: Doomsday, doing so under the codename “Luke Cage.” Some simple math offers the possibility that the 1960s-era “Luke Cage” house is the home of Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter.
Assuming the information in MTTSH’s post is accurate, at least some portion of Avengers: Doomsday will likely work as a direct follow-up to the events of Avengers: Endgame which saw Rogers time travel to 1949, creating an alternate timeline in which he lived a full life with Carter before returning to 2023 to give Sam Wilson the shield.
Yeah, maybe. I’ll never say never, just because it was such a wonderful experience. But I’m also very precious with it. It’s something that I am very proud of. And like I said, sometimes I can’t believe it even happened. And I wouldn’t want the black eye if it felt like a cash grab or if it didn’t live up to expectations or if it just felt like it wasn’t connected to that original thing. So, no time soon. And ultimately I really hope to just maybe act a little bit less in my life. I have a lot of other interests.
Though the casting of Robert Downey Jr. as Victor Von Doom has been met with heavy skepticism, the villain’s arrival in the MCU is certainly overdue. Downey’s Doom, rumored to debut in a post-credit scene in The Fantastic Four: First Steps ahead of his first major role in Avengers: Doomsday, will be the third live-action iteration of the character, following the late Julian McMahon‘s vain and menacing Victor and Toby Kebbell‘s hacker Doom. While it’s unclear what Marvel Studios has planned for Doom, it seems likely Downey’s version will have little in common with the previous versions and likely be a bit more comic accurate in terms of his roots as a mystic. What the studio plans to do with Doom beyond the Multiverse Saga isn’t clear but a new rumor claims that Marvel has plans to introduce its own version of another villain who, like Doom, has previously been portrayed by a pair of actors.
According to Marvel insider Daniel Richtman, Kevin Feige and crew are “planning to introduce the MCU version of Norman Osborn” in an unnamed project.
Played first, most famously and most recently by Willem Dafoe in Sam Raimi‘s Spider-Man and Spider-Man: No Way Home and briefly by Chris Cooper in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Osborn is considered not only Spider-Man’s greatest villain but one of the House of Ideas most menacing baddies. Though he’s recently been an ally of the Web-Slinger in the comics, including in Joe Kelly’s ongoing series, he’s the type of villain who, when utilized properly, can threaten the entire Marvel Universe. Though Richtman’s report doesn’t give any details on the studio’s plans for Osborn–nor indicate when to expect him–it may be versatility and potential to serve as a large-scale villain that the studio values most.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which begins filming soon, could provide an opportunity to introduce the MCU’s own Osborn, though it sounds as though it may be a bit too busy to allow much room for Norman to stir the pot. Whatever the case, it’ll interesting to see how the studio folds the character, who according to Dafoe’s deranged version does not exist on Earth-616, into its future plans.
Kevin Feige‘s announcement that Marvel was developing a Blade film with Mahershala Ali on board as the Daywalker was not only the highlight of SDCC ’19 but also one of the studio’s biggest-ever Hall H bombshells. However, six years later, fans are still waiting to see Ali in action as the studio struggles to crack the story. While the studio may well continue to develop the film, a new report claims the character may end up on the big screen in the maybe-sort of-near future.
According to Marvel Studios insider Daniel Richtman, Ali’s Blade will appear in the supernatural ensemble film, Midnight Sons.
First assembled to battle Lilith in 1992’s Ghost Rider #31, the roster of the Midnight Sons/Midnight Suns team has changed greatly with each iteration though the mission has mostly remained the same: stop supernatural shit from happening on Earth. And that’s where Giachhino fits in.
On the subject of the roster, Richtman also reported that Midnight Sons will feature the MCU’s Ghost Rider, who is rumored to appear in Avengers: Doomsday and possibly played by star Ryan Gosling. Should that work out, a team led by Gosling, Ali and Oscar Isaac‘s Moon Knight would provide plenty of star power to bring audiences to the theater.
In late March, Marvel Studios captivated the world for hours by revealing part of the cast of Avengers: Doomsday in an unannounced live stream across Twitter and YouTube. Shortly afterwards, the studio made it clear that more stars would join the impressive list of 27 talented actors and actreses, though they didn’t give any indication of when or just how many more there would be. And while we still don’t know what Marvel’s plans might be, a recent leak by a familiar insider may have let the cat(s) out of the bag.
Longtime Hollywood scooper and shortime Marvel shit lister, Jeff “The In” Sneider, recently rolled out a list of 33 stars that he was told would join the film, bringing the total number to an impressive 60. While even Sneider was a bit skeptical, if for the purposes of this exercise, we take the list at face value, it could shed some serious light on what to expect in Avengers: Doomsday.
Let’s break down what each of the 60 MCU stars might bring to the landscape of the 2026 team-up. The rumored new members of the cast are in green.
The Villain
Robert Downey Jr./Victor von Doom
In what will remain the studio’s most controversial casting decision ever until fans finally see Avengers: Doomsday, Kevin Feige and crew brought the actor behind the MCU’s greatest hero back to play on of the greatest villains ever created. Nobody will argue that Downey is one of the most versatile and talented actors working in Hollywood now but it’s still very much a concern for fans that he’s not right for the role of Doom and it’s just a nostalgia-driven marketing ploy.
As revealed by director Jake Schreier, the Thunderbolts* extended post-credit scene was directed by Anthony and Joe Russo and is indeed a scene from Avengers: Doomsday. That confirmation makes the exposition-heavy scene even more important, though we don’t know at what point in Doomsday it takes place. However, it does lay out that Yelena’s New Avengers are aware of a “space crisis” and will be the first heroes on Earth-616 to meet up with whichever members of the Fantastic Four are aboard the Excelsior.
While it may have been mildly surprising to see Hiddleston’s name among those originally revealed, it’s no surprise at all that the Time Variance Authority, which first appeared in Loki, will have a role in Avengers: Doomsday. Before the studio pivoted from the original idea for the project, first known as Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, the TVA likely would have played a more integral role in the film. Still, given Loki’s position as the God of Stories and the nature of the TVA, these characters and their stories still easily connect to a film about the collapse of the Multiverse…and Loki may just be set for another, other death.
The Old Avengers
Don Cheadle/James Rhodes
Chris Hemsworth/Thor
Samuel L. Jackson/Fury, Nicholas J.
Brie Larson/Carol Danvers
Chris Pratt/The Legendary Star-Lord
Jeremy Renner/Clint Barton
Paul Rudd/Scott Lang
Mark Ruffalo/Bruce Banner
Tessa Thompson/Valkyrie
Benedict Wong/Wong
Even as new teams form in their absence, there’s no possibility that the surviving members of the Avengers who defeated Thanos would stay on the sidelines while their reality falls apart. Certainly, some of these heroes my join up with either Sam or Yelena’s team, but it’s also starting to look like there will be plenty to do for all of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. At this point, it seems like Avengers: Doomsday will likely mark the end of the road for a few Marvel lifers.
Concept art revealed that this group of young heroes was set to assemble in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty; however, when the original idea was scrapped in favor of whatever it is that Avengers: Doomsday is all about, it wasn’t clear how many, if any, of these characters would still show up. Interestingly, this lineup matches nicely with insider Daniel Richtman’s January 2025 report that indicated the studio had locked in its roster of Champions…with one notable exception: Joe Locke was not among those listed by “The In” Sneider.
The Wakandans + 1
Winston Duke/M’Baku
Danai Gurira/Okoye
Tenoch Huerta Mejia/Namor
Letitia Wright/Shuri
With Wakanda likely still recovering from the Talokanil-Wakandan War, it’ll will be very interesting to see what Anthony and Joe Russo have in mind for the country. With M’Baku currently sitting the throne as the King of Wakanda, Okoye working as a Midnight Angel, Shuri out of the country and Namor pledged to aid them, the Wakandans have some things to sort out before they are ready to help save the world once more.
Seemingly made possible by the divergent timeline created in X-Men: Days of Future Past, the original Fox X-Men trilogy stars will reunite in Avengers: Doomsday. It seems likely, though far from certain, that their universe is the one in which Teyonah Parris‘ Monica Rambeau became stranded in during the final act of The Marvels which means she should be playing a central role in the film. Carol Danvers will certainly be trying to bring her home and the X-Men will likely learn the consequences of prolonged Multiversal travel. Will the result be Avengers vs. X-Men? Or will Doom best everyone to it and expedite the end of the Fox universe?
Incursion Experts
Benedict Cumberbatch/Doctor Strange
Charlize Theron/Clea
If both these characters are indeed in the film, it stands to reason that they’ll be the walking, talking expository devices of the film, explaining Incursions to the audience and Avengers alike. When last seen, the pair we’re headed out to “fix” one of the Incursions caused by Strange’s Multiversal adventure. Can Incursions be fixed? Will the Dark Dimension, where Clea is from, be a key setting in the film, allowing teams and individuals to travel inter-dimensionally?
The New Guardians of the Galaxy
Maria Bakalova/Cosmo
Bradley Cooper/Rocket
Vin Diesel/Groot
Karen Gillan/Nebula
Will Poulter/Adam Warlock
Kai Zen/Phyla
A relatively surprising choice to be part of Avengers: Doomsday, it seems as though the New Guardians May find themselves working with Captain Marvel and crew to solve their part of the “space crisis.” But where is Sean Gunn‘s Kraglin and why do the Russos hate him?
The Wild Cards
Hayley Atwell
Chris Evans
Channing Tatum/Gambit
Evans has been rumored and reported to be part of Avengers: Doomsday before the project has a title. Will he be Nomad? Will he be the original Steve Rogers, whose decision to travel to and remain in the past with Peggy Carter will lead to an Incursion? Will he be Hydra Cap? Will he be all of the above?
Like Evans, Atwell was reported to have joined the cast in December 2024 but was absent from the first round of reveals by Marvel. And also like Evans, Atwell could be playing regular old Peggy, Captain Carter or another Variant we haven’t met yet.
Tatum‘s card-throwing Gambit presents an entirely different type of X-factor than either Atwell or Evans. As seen in Deadpool & Wolverine, Tatum’s Le Diable Blanc doesn’t know what universe he used to call home, positing at one point that perhaps he was even born in the Void at the End of Time. With that in mind, perhaps he has a much larger and surprising role to play in Avengers: Doomsday than you might expect…or perhaps he’s just there because he made a name for himself as Gambit after waiting so long to bring the character to life.
With such a large cast and so many others left out entirely, it seems highly unlikely that all 60 of these folks will make it to Avengers: Secret Wars and the end of the Multiverse Saga. With Marvel’s own X-Men set to take center stage for the next decade, fans should start preparing to say goodbye to some old favorites.
All Chris Evans wants is to be done with his Marvel roles…but he won’t quit coming back. While he’s yet to step back into to MCU as its First Avenger after 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, Evans reprised the role of Johnny Storm for a foul-mouthed appearance in 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine. Beyond that, Evans has been true to his word, having yet to pick up the shield again despite regular rumors to the contrary.
Yeah, maybe. I’ll never say never, just because it was such a wonderful experience. But I’m also very precious with it. It’s something that I am very proud of. And like I said, sometimes I can’t believe it even happened. And I wouldn’t want the black eye if it felt like a cash grab or if it didn’t live up to expectations or if it just felt like it wasn’t connected to that original thing. So, no time soon. And ultimately I really hope to just maybe act a little bit less in my life. I have a lot of other interests.
First shared by social media’s busiest bee, My Time To Shine Hello, then given support by other similar online personalities, the latest rumor has Evans suiting up in an unknown role in The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
Treating it simply as nothing more than an interesting possibility, one can quickly wonder if Evans‘ return in that film might well be as the Sacred Timeline’s Steve Rogers. Much has been made of the retrofuturistic 1960s setting of The Fantastic Four: First Steps and that could tie neatly into Steve Rogers’ decision to leave the Sacred Timeline to live a life with Peggy Carter in 1949. While there are plenty of other options, such as Evans appearing as Hydra Supreme or even another Variant of Johnny Storm, reprising his original role would neatly dovetail Marvel’s two Sagas together. Given what’s been explained about Incursions so far, it would seem Captain America’s presence in another timeline would be somewhat problematic.
Marvel Studios’ impressive Avengers: Doomsday cast reveal had fans immediately wondering where the majority of the MCU’s biggest stars were. Sure, long-timers Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth and Sebastian Stan but plenty of questions arose about why Chris Evans, Lizzie Olsen, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Benedict Cumberbatch and Tom Holland didn’t get their own fancy chairs. It wasn’t long before Marvel Studios calmed some of those concerns by teasing further casting announcements down the road. Even then, concerns arose over how big of a role any of those stars might play in the film with the already loaded cast. As it turns out, despite being consistently rumored to be a big factor in Avengers: Doomsday, one star may not have any role at all.
According to a report from Jeff “The In” Sneider, the omission of Holland from the casting reveal for Avengers: Doomsday was not because the studio planned to announce it at a later date but rather because the Spider-Man star won’t be in the film at all.
Every Marvel Studios’ project finds itself subjected to a near endless onslaught of reports, rumors and straight up bullshit but since Marvel struck a deal with Sony to incorporate Spider-Man into the MCU, the character seems to have a special place in the rumor mill. Since confirming Spider-Man 4 was set to head into production this summer, the status of Holland’s role in Doomsday has seemingly been in chaos. One day, Spidey is a main character; the next, he’s not. And now, he’s not in it at all because, as Sneider shared, Spider-Man 4 will be set synchronously with the events of Avengers: Doomsday. It would seem that Holland’s work on Christopher Nolan‘s Odyssey, in which he plays Telemachus, son of Odysseus, may have ultimately made it too tough to write his character into the script.
Should this indeed be the case, it would seem a near certainty that Holland will be ready to play a key role in Avengers: Secret Wars, closing out the Multiverse Saga and, perhaps, his time as the Web-Slinger. With Kevin Feige recently teasing the addition of Miles Morales to the MCU, it would seem as though the time is near for Holland to unburden himself of the great responsibility that comes with bringing one of Marvel’s most beloved characters to life.
Cookie Consent
We use cookies to improve your experience on our site. By using our site, you consent to cookies.
This website uses cookies
Websites store cookies to enhance functionality and personalise your experience. You can manage your preferences, but blocking some cookies may impact site performance and services.
Essential cookies enable basic functions and are necessary for the proper function of the website.
Name
Description
Duration
Cookie Preferences
This cookie is used to store the user's cookie consent preferences.
30 days
These cookies are needed for adding comments on this website.
Name
Description
Duration
comment_author_email
Used to track the user across multiple sessions.
Session
comment_author_url
Used to track the user across multiple sessions.
Session
comment_author
Used to track the user across multiple sessions.
Session
Statistics cookies collect information anonymously. This information helps us understand how visitors use our website.
Google Analytics is a powerful tool that tracks and analyzes website traffic for informed marketing decisions.
Contains information related to marketing campaigns of the user. These are shared with Google AdWords / Google Ads when the Google Ads and Google Analytics accounts are linked together.
90 days
__utma
ID used to identify users and sessions
2 years after last activity
__utmt
Used to monitor number of Google Analytics server requests
10 minutes
__utmb
Used to distinguish new sessions and visits. This cookie is set when the GA.js javascript library is loaded and there is no existing __utmb cookie. The cookie is updated every time data is sent to the Google Analytics server.
30 minutes after last activity
__utmc
Used only with old Urchin versions of Google Analytics and not with GA.js. Was used to distinguish between new sessions and visits at the end of a session.
End of session (browser)
__utmz
Contains information about the traffic source or campaign that directed user to the website. The cookie is set when the GA.js javascript is loaded and updated when data is sent to the Google Anaytics server
6 months after last activity
__utmv
Contains custom information set by the web developer via the _setCustomVar method in Google Analytics. This cookie is updated every time new data is sent to the Google Analytics server.
2 years after last activity
__utmx
Used to determine whether a user is included in an A / B or Multivariate test.
18 months
_ga
ID used to identify users
2 years
_gali
Used by Google Analytics to determine which links on a page are being clicked
30 seconds
_ga_
ID used to identify users
2 years
_gid
ID used to identify users for 24 hours after last activity
24 hours
_gat
Used to monitor number of Google Analytics server requests when using Google Tag Manager
1 minute
Marketing cookies are used to follow visitors to websites. The intention is to show ads that are relevant and engaging to the individual user.
Pinterest Tag is a web analytics service that tracks and reports website traffic.
