With additional photography on Avengers: Doomsday and principal photography on Avengers: Secret Wars all the remain on the docket for the Multiverse Saga, Marvel Studios looks to be fully invested in making sure the next saga gets off to a solid start.
Though nothing has been made official yet, the new saga–which will get underway in 2028–looks be kicking off with Jake Schreier‘s X-Men reboot and Ryan Coogler‘s Black Panther 3with a sequel to The Fantastic: Four First Steps and a potential team-up film, Midnight Sons, among the projects reported and rumored to be on the way. While MCU fans wait for Marvel Studios to give some insight into what to expect, another project may find itself in contention for a spot in the first phase of the new saga.
According to industry insider Daniel Richtman, Marvel Studios has decided to move ahead with an X-Force project in the new saga.
With nearly a year to go before it hits theaters, Marvel Studios has already begun marketing Avengers: Doomsday and building a good deal of buzz around the film. A series of short teasers have revealed the return of Chris Evans, a more serious Thor, James Marsden sporting a comic accurate look and a meeting between Earth 616’s Wakandans and Earth-828’s Ben Grimm.
Reactions to the teasers have been largely positive and though they haven’t really provided any real indication of what the film’s story might be, the promise of more character interactions like M’Baku and Thing have fans excited. With additional photography for the project set to get underway this spring, rumors of multiple stars who were not available to film during principal photography, which wrapped in September, have begun to spring up. And according to one of Marvel Comics legendary creators, another of the stars of Fox’s original X-Men trilogy will be one of them.
In an interview shared by Power of X-Men, Chris Claremont claimed that Famke Janssen will have a role in Avengers: Doomsday.
This isn’t the first time that Claremont has claimed to know that Janssen would return as Jean Grey in Avengers: Doomsday nor the first time she’s been rumored to be joining the cast, though the actress has repeatedly denied it and stated she’s not interested in revisiting the role. Of course, Janssen would hardly be the first star to deny being in a Marvel Studios project despite being in it and there are plenty of other actors and actresses who are believed to be in the film whose roles have yet to be confirmed. With the X-Men expected to play a large role in Avengers: Doomsday, it does seem as though there would be room for several more characters from the Fox films to appear.
As the calendar rolls over to 2026, Marvel Studios prepares to begin production on the final projects of its Multiverse Saga. Both Season 3 of Daredevil: Born Again and Avengers: Secret Wars are expected to kick off principal photography in either the late first quarter or early second quarter of the year, ahead of their 2027 releases. That leaves a lot of time in the second half of the year for the studio to get to work on whatever it is they’re going to call the next saga and while that might be unclear at present, the first several projects of it are far more defined.
What I can say is, it’s just inherently interesting and complex material. The core idea of what X-Men is involves complexity.
Black Panther 3 is also on track for a 2028 release and a sequel to The Fantastic Four: First Steps will likely land there as well. In addition, Thor, Doctor Strange and Shang-Chi sequels could be on the docket in 2028 and beyond, as well as the studio’s long-awaited Blade reboot or the Midnight Sons ensemble film or Ryan Reynolds X-Men team-up film. As ordered as the theatrical side of the slate seems to be, streaming appears a bit more chaotic.
Outside of a potential fourth season of Daredevil: Born Again and third seasons of X-Men ’97 and Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Marvel Television’s post-Secret Wars slate is pretty undefined. However, a new report might provide a potential outline for what’s to come over the next several years.
According to Daniel Richtman, Marvel Television is developing a Jessica Jones project and its long-developing Champions project alongside the recently revived Strange Academy for the new saga. Additionally, a Ghost Rider project is said to be underway, though Richtman didn’t indicate which branch of the studio would be working on it.
In the case of Ghost Rider, rumors have ranged from the studio having lined up The Walking Dead star Norman Reedus to portray Johnny Blaze to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. actor Gabriel Luna jumping to the MCU to reprise the role of Robbie Reyes to Nicholas Cage making a cameo appearance as the character in Deadpool & Wolverine. To date, of course, there’s been nary a Ghost Rider to be found but that may change soon if Marvel’s head of streaming, television and animation, Brad Winderbaum, gets his way. “I would wanna do the Danny Ketch era of Ghost Rider,” revealed Winderbaum in 2024 interview. “I think there are a lot of people who would be here for some Ghost Rider.”
There’s a lot of stuff that I’ve felt there was room to explore, and Brad and I talked about it and I am not going to say any of it, because we’re going to be doing it.
After less than a decade of (at best) half-assed efforts to create a Spider-Man Universe without a Spider-Man, Sony finally threw in the towel afterKraven the Hunter hit the screen as a lame duck in 2024. When it was all said and done, the so-called SSU gave fans some of the worst superhero films in the history of the genre; however, an argument can be made that Tom Hardy‘s Venom trilogy provided at least a few highlights.
In the comics, Mac Gargan’s tenure as Venom is distinguished primarily by its sheer brutality and a complete lack of the moral “Lethal Protector” code that defined Eddie Brock. Unlike other hosts who viewed the symbiote as a partner or a tool for justice, Gargan experienced a parasitic relationship fueled by the career criminal’s base instincts. This led to a version of the character defined by cannibalism and animalistic savagery; Gargan famously gave in to the suit’s hunger for human flesh, consuming enemies and even Skrulls during his time on the Dark Avengers. This loss of control was often reflected in his physical appearance, as he was frequently depicted as a massive, hulking monster with human eyes visible through the symbiote’s mask, highlighting the terrifying reality of a man being swallowed by an addiction-like bond.
Beyond his personality, Gargan’s Venom was unique because of the biological synergy between the alien and his original Scorpion powers. He maintained his “Scorpion-sense” and enhanced durability, often manifesting a massive, prehensile symbiote tail that allowed him to strike with the lethal precision of his former namesake. This made him one of the most physically formidable iterations of the character, possessing a raw power level that surpassed Brock’s. His unique role reached its peak when he masqueraded as a sinister version of Spider-Man under Norman Osborn’s leadership. By using chemical suppressants to shrink the symbiote’s mass, he was able to hide his monstrous nature in plain sight, serving as a government-sanctioned “hero” while secretly remaining a feral killer.
Of course, there’s always the very good possibility that Marvel will simply wait until Avengers: Secret Wars to introduce its own version of the symbiote, paying homage 1984’s Secret Wars when Peter Parker found himself wearing a new black suit that was revealed to be Venom.
Following the conclusion of the Infinity Saga, it was hard to imagine how much more Marvel Studios was going to squeeze out of Tom Hiddleston‘s Loki. Fortunately, Michael Waldron, Eric Martin, Kate Herron, Justin Benson and Aaron Moorehead found a way to breathe new life into the God of Mischief, putting together two seasons of an incredible journey into mystery that allowed Hiddleston to fulfill Loki’s glorious purpose.
As brilliant as Hiddleston was in Loki, the chemistry between him and his co-stars, specifically Owen Wilson and Sophia Di Martino, helped make both seasons work so well. With the L1130 Variant of Loki now set up as the MCU’s keeper of the timeline–the God of Stories, it was no surprise that Hiddleston was among those announced as part of the main cast of Avengers: Doomsday last year. It’s not yet entirely clear exactly what role Loki will play in attempting to stop Doctor Doom from unleashing a “cascading crisis across the entire multiverse,” but according to a new report, he’ll have his best buddy at his side.
My contribution has been contributed. It is monumental. The centre of the story is absolutely brilliant, and was so surprising when I read it. It just has never been done before.
-Tom Hiddleston
According to industry insider Daniel Richtman, Owen Wilson will return in Avengers: Doomsday as TVA timecop Mobius.
We have different styles. You’re a man of action, which is fine. I take a more slow, deliberate, cerebral approach because I see everything. I notice everything.
-Mobius
When last seen in the Loki series finale, Mobius had left the TVA to enjoy the freedom to live his own life free from the machinations of He Who Remains. However, it was made pretty clear that there was room more Mobius and, with the Multiverse at stake, it sounds like it’s time for him to get off the couch.
Despite being two of Marvel’s most popular icons, Spider-Man and Wolverine spent the first few decades of their history largely avoiding each other. The pair finally met in 1982’s Marvel Team-Up #117 and then in 2005, Brian Michael Bendis struck gold when he added both characters to the roster of his New Avengers.
Living together in Avengers Tower, the two quickly developed into the publishing house’s premier “odd couple” with Spider-Man as the talkative, moral optimist and Wolverine as the silent, lethal cynic. Eventually, Wolverine admitted that he respects Peter Parker more than almost anyone because of his unwavering moral compass, telling his fellow heroes that he believed Parker to be “the best of us.” Now it looks as though Marvel Studios is looking to tap into that magic in Avengers: Secret Wars.
According to MTTSH, “The end of Doomsday set up Tobey [Maguire] and Hugh Jackman as the leads of Secret Wars.” Prior reports have indicated that the two heroes will square off in the final act of Avengers: Doomsday before making nice and FINALLY teaming up on the big screen. With reports that Marvel Studios is prepping a new, Hugh Jackman-less Wolverine project, it sounds as though the studio is willimg to give Jackman and Maguire‘s heroes a fitting send off as a thank you for starting the ball rolling on the modern CBM genre in 2000 and 2002, respectively.
Slowly but surely, fans are starting to believe that Avengers: Doomsday might not be so bad after all. Teaser trailers featuring Steve Rogers, Thor, Magneto, Charles Xavier and Cyclops have all generated significant buzz and it sounds as though the studio plans on keeping the momentum going with additional teasers yet to come.
The marketing for the film has cleverly appealed to multiple different demographics but there’s one large sect of the fandom that hasn’t had reason to be excited just yet. However, a new rumor may be about to change that and get the Wandas back in the game.
John “The Outlaw” Rocha shared an update on an old rumor about Avengers: Doomsday featuring multiple Doctors Doom. According to Rocha’s source, “Doom has a female sidekick [who] also has a mask. This person thinks it is a female Doom. You’ll get a male and female Doom team.”
A “female Doom” is interesting enough on its own but it’s also not something that would seem to serve the story well when there are so many other options available to the Russo brothers that would.
As Rocha’s news makes its way around the usual spots, social media scoopers and leakers and bullshitters have begun chiming in about the true identity of Doom’s masked “sidekick.” While some have suggested it’ll be Lucia Von Bardas–Latveria’s Prime Minister in the comics–her inclusion wouldn’t really move the needle for fans. However, another rumor about who is behind the mask that seems to be gaining traction would indeed move the needle, perhaps to 11: Wanda Maximoff.
There really is so much more to explore. We still haven’t touched on many of her core storylines from the comics. I don’t know that we saw her under rubble? I saw a tower coming down, and a little red flash. I don’t know what that means.
On the surface, adapting The Children’s Crusade provides the perfect opportunity to continue the story of Wanda Maximoff in the MCU. Following her multi-year arc as a villain which concluded in House of M, Wanda Maximoff lived powerlessly and without her memories for years. It wasn’t until her son, Billy Maximoff, aka Wiccan, began to lose control of his own immense powers that a search began for her in earnest.
While it’s hardly the same sequence of events, Wanda’s heel-turn as the Scarlet Witch over the course of WandaVision and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and her apparent death in the final act of the latter provide the opportunity for a similar story to be told within the shared tapestry of the MCU,. especially once Billy and Tommy are reunited, presumably by the conclusion of Marvel Television’s upcoming D+ streaming series VisionQuest.
Revealing the “female Doom” an amnesiac Wanda would retcon Doctor Doom’s presence in the MCU back to the conclusion of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, provide a reason for the Young Avengers/Champions to become involved in the plot(s) of Avengers: Doomsday and/or Avengers: Secret Wars and get one Marvel’s most talented stars involved in the two biggest projects of the decade. Obviously it’s nothing more than a barely-sourced rumor (and likely just a guess) at this point but it makes more sense than any other option in terms of the story-telling possibilities it opens up.
In response to a post on X which shared the news about Marvel’s interest in teaming up with Peele, Monkeypaw Productions, founded by the creative in 2012, reshared the tweet with the eyes emoji.
While it certainly can’t be counted as any type of confirmation–nor can it be certain that Peele is behind the social media post–it is absolutely one of the most interesting things going on today.
The news comes after Peele‘s next project, originally planned for a 2024 release, was removed from Universal Pictures’ 2026 slate earlier this year.
Marvel Studios certainly had its fair share of missteps during the Multiverse Saga; however, nobody counts the two seasons of Loki–ironically a project directly at the center of the Multiverse plot–among them.
For as complicated as the sci-fi weirdness of the show seemed to be, in the end, Loki remained a fairly straightforward character study of one of the MCU’s greatest characters. And powered by one of the MCU’s greatest talents in Tom Hiddleston, Loki became the warm light for all mankind to share in what became the MCU’s “Breaking Good.” As it concluded, Loki found himself making a choice that nobody, including him, could have ever predicted. No longer the conqueror or mischief maker, Loki reanimated the dead branches of reality and set himself about the endless task of giving life to others at the expense of his own freedom. Free will outside of the boundaries set by He Who Remains, Loki became the God of Stories.
Whatever that role might ultimately be, Hiddleston–as veteran of an MCU actor that exists–is not ready to share it; he is, however, very ready to let everyone know that they’re in for something “brilliant” in Avengers: Doomsday.
Speaking to GQ, Hiddleston confirmed that while there’s scheduled additional photography for the project, he has completed his “contribution” to Avengers: Doomsday, which he hyped as something “monumental” and “surprising” while insisting the film’s story is something that “just has never been done before.”
My contribution has been contributed. It is monumental. The centre of the story is absolutely brilliant, and was so surprising when I read it. It just has never been done before.
–Tom Hiddleston on Avengers: Doomsday
Its no small praise coming from Hiddleston. For over a decade, the star has remained devoted to curating and protecting the legacy of Loki in the MCU, making it unlikely he’s return simply for a payday nor to slather praise over a story that didn’t do his character’s arc justice. Now the author of not only his own story but also those of the entire Multiverse, Loki is a true hero, fulfilled in his quest for glorious purpose and the timeline–his timeline–won’t fall without a fight.
With a pretty clear path established to the end of the Multiverse Saga, Marvel Studios has begun the brick-by-brick process of building its post-Secret Wars slate. As it stands, a sequel to Fantastic Four: First Steps, Black Panther 3—to be written and directed by Ryan Coogler–and an X-Men film directed by Jake Schreier are believed to be among the studio’s first theatrical projects in Phase 7. That’s a pretty robust start to the MCU’s new saga; however, the studio currently has dates set aside for four films in 2028 and a new report has shed some light on who the studio may want to bring it to the big screen.
According to industry insider Daniel Richtman, Marvel Studios has circled back to Jordan Peele, who they originally approached to direct X-Men, to direct an unknown Phase 7 project.
Though he’s only directed four projects to date, Peele boasts and incredibly impressive resume as a screenwriter, with an Academy Award for his screenplay for Get Out, which he also helmed. Peele also wrote the screenplay for Nope, 2021’s Candyman, 20 episodes of Paramount+’s The Twilight Zone and Us, which he also directed. With that horror-heavy filmography, it would seem as though Marvel may be looking to Peele to take the reigns of the long-delayed Blade film or perhaps the rumored Midnight Sons team-up film, which would reportedly see Sacha Baron Cohen reprise his role as Mephisto.
You can start and have a good script and make it a great script through production, but we didn’t feel confident we could do that on Blade. We didn’t want to do that to Mahershala and didn’t want to do that to us. We didn’t want to put a leather outfit on [Ali] and have him start killing vampires. [We] landed on modern day and that’s what we’re focusing on.
-Kevin Feige on Blade
However, even as synonymous with horror as Peele‘s name has become, Marvel’s interest in having him direct its X-Men film would seem to indicate they haven’t pigeonholed the talented creative. Reports indicated that Peele and Marvel Studios cordially parted ways on X-Men over the dormer’s desire to both write and direct the project. Perhaps Peele and Marvel have found a project–whether it be Blade, Midnight Sons or something else entirely–on which Peele can have more of the creative control he’s accustomed to.
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