Avengers: Endgame brought together heroes from every corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe for one of the most memorable action sequences of all time. How can Avengers: Secret Wars top that portal scene? By bringing together heroes from every corner of every Marvel movie universe. And a new rumor suggests that’s just what will happen.
@MyTimeToShineH has shared that Tobey Maguire and Hugh Jackman are rumored to team-up and fight “alongside” each other in Marvel Studios big saga-ending event in 2026.
Yes Tobey Maguire and Hugh Jackman will meet and fight alongside each other in Secret Wars
Maguire recently revisited the role of Peter Parker in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Jackman finalized a deal to return as Wolverine in Deadpool 3 and both actors have been rumored to make an appearance in Avengers: Secret Wars. Seeing their respective versions of these characters, who were the superheroes of the 2000s, come together on screen would certainly be the type of major crossover that would allow Secret Wars to feel “bigger” than Endgame. However, given that the script for the film is still being written and production is years away, don’t get too attached to any ideas about Secret Wars no matter how great they might sound.
Murphy’s Multiverse’s Extremely Talented João Roque Pinto
The Marvel Cinematic Universe
This should come as no surprise. Of course, fans flock to MCU news. Splitting it into films and Disney+ series, the biggest movie news seems predictable. But our readers’ interest in the series is perhaps a bit unique. Of course, in general, the most interesting MCU news this year came from San Diego Comic Con’s debut of Marvel Studios’ slate for Phases 5 and 6, culminating in Avengers: Secret Wars.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was a big moment in 2022 for countless reasons. The MCU's newest anti-hero, Namor, finally made his live-action debut. While many want to see the return of the character, it may not be in the form of a solo film. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever producer Nate Moore confirmed that the character can definitely return in a future project, but Disney is not able to produce a standalone project based around the character. It seems the rights are still with Universal, who also holds the rights to Hulk and was the reason that character never got a sequel since the Edward Norton film back in 2008.
As a side note, MM readers apparently got a kick out of our Ultimate Lists of What to Watch Before Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder. If you thought the Multiverse of Madness list was chaos, just imagine what the Ultimate List for Secret Wars will look like (hint: the entire MCU and then some). Rest assured, an Ultimate List for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will hit the internet soon.
Readers also flocked to news about the upcoming Secret Invasion. Perhaps fitting for the show, some of the most-read articles involved leaked set photos or rumors about the identity of characters—specifically Emilia Clarke's character—whose identity will further be questioned throughout the series.
To be honest, DC has been a mess for quite some time. Whether you love(d) the DCEU (and/or all of the things that were in the DC multiverse but not the DC Extended Universe, which makes no sense), hated it, or (most likely) were indifferent to it, it existed. However, late this year all of it was thrown into complete additional chaos when it was announced that James GunnandPeter Safran would be taking over as co-leaders of the newly-formed DC Studios. There is plenty to try and unpack so far—for example, Henry Cavill is no longer Superman. Who else will be recast? What will they do with their current 2023 slate that includes The Flash, Aquaman 2, Blue Beetle, and Shazam 2?
Given they distract from the movies, aren’t always followed through on and the disturbing trend in their quality, it really is time for the Marvel post-credit scene to be retired. We’ll always have that kiss between Jane and Thor…before Jane disappeared for a decade.
Charles Murphy
If you still have too many opinions about it, feel free to hop right back into that conversation. But screaming into the Twitter void about movies feels so 2022. 2023 is better...right?
Honorable Mentions
It's not all about superheroes, though MM readers certainly love them. But in 2022 we had some major interest in several other things. Check out some of the most noteworthy ones below.
The X-Men are coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Marvel Studios has no small task ahead of them in making sure that the iconic team can lead the franchise in Phase 7 and beyond. Marvel Studios is also sure to make every effort to separate their adaptation of the team(s) from what came before. To celebrate the 12 Days of Christmas, we’ve decided to put together a list of which characters might play a key role and how Marvel Studios can ensure nobody will confuse them with their Fox counterparts or, in this case.
The Kitten
Another victim of Fox’s focus on cool displays of powers rather than proper characterization, Kitty Pryde was reduced to meme status after being Juggernaut bitched in X-Men: The Last Stand. The character returned in 2014 for a role in X-Men: Days of Future Past where she got to touch Logan’s temples for a while and then became a teacher in the new timeline established at the end of the film. In essentially every way possible, Fox wasted a top-tier X-Men character who was portrayed by an incredibly talented actor. Outside of correctly using her phasing ability, Fox seemed to have absolutely no understanding of Kitty nor how important of a character she could be. That’s something that Kevin Feige will almost certainly remedy when he brings his version of the X-Men to the MCU.
A bit of a child prodigy, Kitty showed genius-level aptitude in computer science and attended a prestigious engineering school as a child. She joined Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters and became a member of the X-Men when she was just 13 or 14 years old. Kitty is just about the perfect poster child for Wolverine’s side of the debate with Cyclops over using teens as “soldiers” in Xavier’s crusade. Over the years, Kitty has grown close with Storm, Wolverine and Colossus, with whom she’s had an on-again-off-again romantic relationship. Kitty has arguably had one of the most chaotic and interesting lives of any X-Man and has battled demons, vampires, aliens and all other sorts of baddies and has always emerged from her battles as a central figure to the success of the team.
What Fox failed to understand about Kitty Pryde is that despite being introduced in the comics as a teenager, she’s no sidekick. In fact, used appropriately, Kitty is probably the perfect point-of-view character to launch the MCU’s look at the inner workings of Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. That’s not to say that the other characters aren’t incredibly important, only that Marvel Studios could take the unique approach of giving the audience Kitty’s perspective of entering the madness of the mutant world. Though Fox’s X-Men were always in danger, the question of whether they should have been was never fully explored in the Singer or Kinberg films. The Fox films never explored the true nature of Charles Xavier (as detailed here), something that could be done wonderfully by changing the lens through which he’s viewed. Marvel Studios has many characters from which to choose as they think about which character they want to be the eyes through which they meet the larger world of the X-Men, but there’s no better choice than Kitty Pryde. Shadowcat should be right out front as mutants step into the spotlight in the MCU.
There have been many stories on what exactly the future has in store for Marvel Studios’ 2023 slate. We have quite a few projects initially mapped out with Secret Invasion, Echo, Loki’s second season, Ironheart, and Agatha: Coven of Chaos on Disney+. That is all on top of three films that would find their way into theaters throughout the year. Many have been worried about Marvel Studios trying to push out too much with rumors even hinting that they are rescheduling their approach.
A tweet by Marvel Studios UK hinted that they were still set to release those projects while rumors hinted at something else. Yet, it turns out that this tweet has been deleted adding to the confusion. Echo has currently been reported to get pushed back by the series’ showrunner as it would have to release before Daredevil: Born Again. Agatha was already hinted at a potential 2024 release but that tweet added the confusion.
It would make sense to dial it back for Marvel Studios as they finally caught up with the projects that were all developed around the same time window. Plus, Bob Iger also retook the seat as Disney’s CEO meaning we’ll see some new developments over at Marvel Studios with more control back in the hands of Kevin Feige. Whatever may happen in 2023 remains to be seen, but we may be looking at a very different Marvel Cinematic Universe once Phase 5 rolls around next year.
The X-Men are coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Marvel Studios has no small task ahead of them in making sure that the iconic team can lead the franchise in Phase 7 and beyond. Marvel Studios is also sure to make every effort to separate their adaptation of the team(s) from what came before. To celebrate the 12 Days of Christmas, we’ve decided to put together a list of which characters might play a key role and how Marvel Studios can ensure nobody will confuse them with their Fox counterparts.
The Russkie
Piotr Rasputin was given a pretty fair shake in Deadpool and was characterized pretty much in line with who he’s been in the comics since first appearing in 1975’s Giant-Size X-Men #1. However, much like his buddy Nightcrawler, Piotr’s best work comes as part of a team, something which he wasn’t able to be in Deadpool and was certainly robbed of in the nearly criminal portrayal of him in the X-Men films. A metal man with a soft heart, Petey may be more defined by his relationships with others than any other member of the team. Time and time again, Colossus has proven his willingness to sacrifice himself for those closest to him, including his sister, Ilyana, his friends Nightcrawler and Storm, his fastball special buddy, Wolverine, and the love of his life, Kitty Pryde.
Colossus was central to many of the X-Men’s major adventures in the pages of Uncanny X-Men over the years and again in the early 2000s in the pages of Astonishing X-Men. Astonishingly enough, not only did Fox fail to utilize Colussus to his full capacity, they also didn’t adapt any of the wonderful stories to which he was so vital. From the rescue mission on Krakoa, to the major conflict with the Shi’ar, to his “adventures” in the Savage Land, to the horrors of Inferno and the sacrifice of his own life to help cure the Legacy Virus, Marvel Studios will have its pick of great stories involving Colossus thanks to Fox’s desire to make Wolverine and the X-Men films.
Marvel Studios should have no problem providing a prominent role for Piotr in their X-plans. A proper presentation of Колосс may not require a story spread out over several solo projects, like Storm, for example, it’s essential that any stories being told involving Colossus touch on a few key things. Peter’s place as a mountain of a man who would rather not stand out in a crowd has always been an interesting part of his group dynamic. His bashfulness in the comics has always played such an integral role not only in his reluctance as a leader but also in the development of his romantic relationship with Kitty Pryde. His fearlessness in the face of danger, especially where his sister, the X-Man known as Magik, is concerned has often found him on the frontline where even his strength and stamina are stretched to their limits. Finally, the conflict that often brews within him as he balances his desire to live a peaceful life with the rage he feels when he sees wrong being done in the world. His inner conflict and sense of duty have pulled him in many directions over the years and are among the reasons he and Kitty drift apart and find each other again. It won’t take much planning for the creatives at Marvel Studios to find their way to a much more complete portrayal of the X-Men’s Chrome Dome should they choose to bring him into the MCU.
The X-Men are coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Marvel Studios has no small task ahead of them in making sure that the iconic team can lead the franchise in Phase 7 and beyond. Marvel Studios is also sure to make every effort to separate their adaptation of the team(s) from what came before. To celebrate the 12 Days of Christmas, we’ve decided to put together a list of which characters might play a key role and how Marvel Studios can ensure nobody will confuse them with their Fox counterparts.
Kurt Wagner made his way into both of Fox’s X-Men trilogies and, surprisingly enough, was not characterized nearly as poorly as many of his teammates. In fact, both Alan Cumming and Kodi Smit-McPhee brought the requisite pathos to their performances to make the character memorable despite not really playing a major role. Fox did a nice job with the look of both versions and found clever ways to showcase his trademark BAMFing. However, one of the greatest shortcomings with Fox’s X-Men films was responsible for inadvertently giving Nightcrawler short shrift.
Though the character was created by Len Wein and Dave Cockrum for 1975’s Giant-Size X-Men #1, the personality of Nightcrawler that comic book fans know and love was, by and large, the creation of legendary X-Men writer Chris Claremont. In a 2019 interview with SYFY, Claremont described Nightcrawler’s core characteristics and inadvertently (or perhaps deliberately) captured the problem with Fox’s character.
The thing with Kurt is, in his heart of hearts, he wants to be Errol Flynn, he wants to be a swashbuckler, he wants to kick the living daylights out of bad guys with a sword. Actually with three swords, using his tail as well. And he wants to be a romantic lead, and he wants to save the day, and he wants to be friends with everyone.
Chris Claremont
While Fox’s X-Men films were certainly quite full of teams of X-Men, they never really felt like teams. Short of some cool scenes where the X-Men teamed up to use their powers together in some neat sequences, the writing often made the X-Men feel like a collection of individuals rather than the close-knit surrogate family they often were in the comics. For lack of a better counter-example, Fox’s X-Men never had the same family feel as James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy. No character suffered more from this than Nightcrawler who, as Claremont said, wants to be friends with everyone.
Claremont, of course, is right. Comic book Kurt is a friend and sounding board to so many of his teammates it’s hard to pinpoint just which one he means the most to. Wolverine? Storm? Colossus? Kitty? While there’s no argument that he is Wolverine’s best friend an easy argument could be made that he means just as much to the others it’s only that Wolverine’s otherwise loner status makes his relationship with Kurt seem more important. As Marvel Studios begins to outline what’s sure to be an X-Men universe within a universe, establishing a greater sense of family within the teams of X-Men should be a priority allowing for a truer portrayal of Nightcrawler’s greatest power: his love for his friends.
Captain America: New World Order has made more than its fair share of news lately as rumors of its plot have gotten fans excited about the possibilities for the 2024 film. The plot is heavily rumored to involve the discovery of Adamantium on the corpse of Tiamut, the Celestial who had been growing inside Earth and was killed in Eternals. If that’s the case, Sam Wilson’s first theatrical outing as Captain America is shaping up to be a wild ride as it will see Sam and a group of heroes foil some sort of villainous plot to obtain the Adamantium hatched by Harrison Ford‘s Thaddeus Ross, Julia Louis-Dreyfus‘ CIA Director Valentina Allegre de Fontain and Tim Blake Nelson‘s Leader. Now, a spicy new rumor sure to be a YouTube pundit pleaser has another villain joining the fray and Marvel Studios has an Oscar-winning actress in mind for the role.
Twitter user MyTimeToShineHello claims that Jessica Chastain, who as you all remember well played the memorable villain Vuk in Simon Kinberg‘s magnum opus, Dark Phoenix, is Marvel Studios’ choice for the “main villain” of Captain America: New World Order.
Jessica Chastain is being eyed to play the main villain in Captain America: New World Order.
This is a spicy rumor, to be sure, given that whatever character Marvel Studios allegedly wants Chastain to portray is now the third character that’s been described as the main villain of the film. If the film’s plot does indeed revolve around the discovery of Adamantium on Tiamut’s body, which resides in the Indian Ocean, the rumor that the film would have multiple heroes and villains does make sense, however, as it would stand to reason that governments around the world would want to get their hands on the precious metal for their own ends. Given Chastain’s prominence and the number of juicy roles she could be up for, this rumor is one worth keeping an eye on as production on Captain America: New World Order draws nearer.
Marvel Studios’ Eternals is suddenly back in the conversation, and its possible resurgence could open quite a few doors for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A new rumor making the rounds online has the film’s third act impacting several future MCU projects, with 2024’s Thunderbolts at the center of it all. Industry insider Daniel RPK reports that the reformed supervillain team will gather for a trip to Tiamut, the massive Celestial that froze solid in the middle of the ocean at the end of Eternals, which has since become a full-blown island. According to RPK, there’s a chance Tiamut has become a natural supplier of a valuable new resource, Adamantium, which the team and several other parties have grown an interest in. How this could potentially play out is still a mystery, but if true, it might indicate the surprise return of a major Eternals character – Ikaris.
Ikaris, portrayed by Richard Madden in his first cinematic appearance, was last seen flying directly into the sun after betraying his fellow Eternals in the name of Arishem and the Emergence. It was assumed this act of self-punishment resulted in Ikaris’ death, but as Eternals so distinctly showcased, this does not exactly spell the ultimate end of an Eternal. Created by Celestials, the Eternals are built to last, and come with a near-endless amount of backup bodies should their current form be destroyed. It’s not a stretch to imagine Ikaris will make a comeback at some point in the MCU’s next phase, even if it’s not the exact version of the cosmic warrior fans previously saw perish. In fact, if Ikaris’ body was completely melted by the intensity of Earth’s sun, it would stand to reason Arishem and the Celestials would feel there’s enough at stake to send out another Ikaris with a new mind and a new mission. Return to Earth, and protect what’s left of Tiamut.
The Celestials, or at least Arishem, are now keeping a keen eye on Earth and its people. If Tiamut is actually an unexpected means of the MCU gaining Adamantium, the Celestials could view that as an undue advancement of humanity and send Ikaris to prevent the massive changes that might come with societies claiming the alien metal as their own. Whether or not this could make Ikaris the “evil Superman” figure rumored to act as the secret villain of Thunderboltsis, of course, still unknown. Other reports have made claims for the Sentry fitting that role, starting as part of the Thunderbolts roster sent after Tiamut’s Adamantium before losing his mind and becoming the main threat of the film. Perhaps both Sentry and Ikaris will appear in the movie, becoming rivals throughout the story. After all, if Sentry is a major antagonist in the project, the Thunderbolts will need a little extra help from someone a little more powerful if they have any hope of emerging victorious.
Aside from the undeniable “cool factor” of pitting two God-like superbeings against each other, the inclusion of Ikaris in Thunderbolts could also be a very smart “big picture” move on Marvel Studios’ part. If Eternals 2 is indeed coming, and it’s truly based on the recent Judgement Day comics written by Kieron Gillen, then Ikaris’ potential role in Thunderbolts would become a very useful throughline between the Eternals and the wider MCU. Judgement Day features a conflict between the Eternals, the Avengers, and the X-Men, over new discoveries in the Eternals’ purpose and the mutants’ gene code. If Tiamut is actually destined to transform into Genosha and play a role in the impending mutant side of the MCU, having a version of Ikaris aware of the way it affects the planet would act as an excellent prelude to an Eternals: Judgement Day film. Maybe, if Marvel Studios really wanted to get crazy, they could even have Ikaris’ meddling on “Genosha” factor into the island’s mutant evolution. It’s important to remember these are all just rumors at the moment. However, the events of Eternals and the franchise’s future playing such a vital role in the MCU would be a wonderfully unexpected way to resolve the Eternals’ arc and push the greater universe forward in a creative manner.
Marvel Studios’ Phase 5 slate kicks off in less than two months with Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania and concludes in the Fall of 2024 with Deadpool 3. Phase 5 will explore cryptic MCU divisions such as the Quantum Realm, the supernatural and, of course, the Multiverse. It will also tackle some geopolitical stories and the real world-building will be done by two movies that will come back-to-back in 2024: Captain America: New World Order and Thunderbolts.
A fourth Captain America project was confirmed to be in the works at SDCC ’22 after Sam Wilson picked up the shield in The Falcon And The Winter Soldier. Set to be directed by Julius Onah and scribed by Malcolm Spellman and Dalan Musson, the film will see the return of Tim Blake Nelson‘s Samuel Sterns as the villain after nearly 16 years of absence from the MCU.
A new rumor from insider Daniel RPK continues to tie the two films together. The rumor states that the plot of Captain America: New World Order will focus on an international conflict over Adamantium, discovered on Tiamut. Harrison Ford‘s Thunderbolt Ross (the POTUS) will join in on the Adamantium Rush and be the main antagonist of the film. Sam Wilson will oppose his plan and assemble a new team of superheroes to put an end to his scheme. This rumor didn’t spring up long after another rumor, very similar to this one, surfaced on the internet. The only difference between the two was that the other rumor described the situation from the Thunderbolts’ perspective, suggesting that both movies might be part of the same duology of a major power struggle over Genosha.
Captain America: New World Order releases in theaters on May 3, 2024. Thunderbolts arrives in theaters on July 26, 2024.
The X-Men are coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Marvel Studios has no small task ahead of them in making sure that the iconic team can lead the franchise in Phase 7 and beyond. Marvel Studios is also sure to make every effort to separate their adaptation of the team(s) from what came before. To celebrate the 12 Days of Christmas, we’ve decided to put together a list of which characters might play a key role and how Marvel Studios can ensure nobody will confuse them with their Fox counterparts.
The First X-Man
No character took it on the chin harder during Fox’s reign of terror with the X-Men than Scott Summers. The original trilogy sideline James Marsden‘s version and the Simon Kinberg films reduced him to a guy who just screamed an awful lot. A properly planned out X-Men franchise within a franchise should take Scott Summers on a 10-year arc from Xavier’s yes-man to a controversial mutant revolutionary. Anything less is doing the character yet another disservice.
One of the easiest ways for Marvel Studios to set their vision for the X-Men apart from Fox’s is to put Scott, in fact, the entire Summers family, at the center of it. One way to ensure the Summers become integral to the future of the X-Men in the MCU is by introducing them and telling their story through a Starjammers trilogy. The first film could introduce Christopher and Katherine Sommers and their two, young sons, Scott and Alex, tell the tragic story of their separation, and tell parallel stories in space and on Earth. On Earth, Scott and Alex end up in an orphanage and come under the care of Doctor Essex, setting up a villain in Mister Sinister that Fox failed to capitalize on.
In the comics, Sinister took a great interest in Scott Sommers and believed that the child of Scott and Jean Grey would perhaps be one of the most powerful mutants to ever live. Starting Scott’s MCU story at a young age and including the connection to Sinister would put the spotlight on the Sommers’ line and set up an ongoing antagonist who could cause all sorts of problems over a decade of X-Men stories. Of course, that’s only a part of Scott’s potential MCU story.
The real work ahead for Kevin Feige and the Marvel Studios Parliament is to find a way to evolve Scott over the course of 6 or so films. Cyclops is a divisive character in the comics and while they certainly won’t go beat for beat in adapting him to the MCU, they should certainly take inspiration from his journey over the years. Introducing Scott as a strong, young leader of the X-Men who whole-heartedly believes in Charles Xavier’s dream and then setting him on a path to develop his own, radical ideas about what Xavier’s dream really should be and ultimately rebel against Xavier would present a compelling character arc. After doing so much to save humanity time and time again, Cyclops became convinced that humanity would never accept them. It’s a lost opportunity for the MCU if at some point in time in Cyclops’ story, they don’t find a way to work in one of the most popular Marvel Comics memes ever: Cyclops was right!
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