Over the past few years, Ryan Reynolds has become synonymous with playing the title character of the Deadpool franchise (which is streaming with a Disney+ subscription). The threequel Deadpool & Wolverine broke records and became the highest-grossing R-rated movie ever. That project has since been dethroned by Christopher Nolan's movie The Odyssey, and now Reynolds has reacted to the book-to-screen adaptation dethroning his latest outing as Wade Wilson.

Folks who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order will recall the humble beginnings of the Deadpool franchise, which got produced largely thanks to that leaked footage. It's now a beloved franchise, and Hugh Jackman's return as Wolverine for the threequel resulted in insane box office numbers. But The Odyssey has dethroned it as the highest-grossing R-rated film, and in a clip from Variety's Instagram, Reynolds was asked about that. He responded with:

It certainly sounds like the Green Lantern actor isn't too sore about how Deadpool & Wolverine was beaten out by Nolan's latest big-screen success. The Odyssey started raking in the dough immediately after being released, and it's continued for weeks, as folks clamor to see the epic drama in IMAX. And while Marvel movies are capable of making a ton of money, Nolan's reputation, the movie's great cast, and The Odyssey's reviews resulted in folks showing up at theaters in a major way.

While Ryan Reynolds is known for his quick wit and sense of humor, he got real about the importance of movies being on the big screen and performing during their theatrical runs. In the same interview, the 49-year-old actor went on to say:

He's not wrong. As much as streaming is popular and I love to watch movies from the comfort of my home, it doesn't compare to the theatrical experience. This is especially true for some of my favorite genres. The best horror movies are even more powerful with an audience full of people sharing the experience. The same can also be said for comedies, because what's more fun than being with a room full of people collectively laughing at the same joke?

Fingers crossed that Ryan Reynolds returns as Deadpool in upcoming Marvel movies soon, either with a fourth solo movie or in a crossover event like The Avengers. While his threequel is no longer the highest-grossing R-rated movie, smart money says his tenure as Wade Wilson is going to continue.

The Deadpool franchise is streaming on Disney+ now and The Odyssey is still in theaters as part of the 2026 movie release list.

When DC co-CEO James Gunn created a new shared universe, actors like Henry Cavill and Gal Gadot were left behind. But a few actors managed to stick around from the DCEU (which is streaming with an HBO Max subscription), chief among them being the cast of Peacemaker. I've been wondering whether or not Season 3 is ever going to happen, but luckily Gunn confirmed one fan favorite character is going to return to the shared universe.

Peacemaker's Season 2 finale had a bunch of cliffhangers, including the formation of Checkmate and John Cena's title character being trapped in Salvation. A fan recently reached out to James Gunn on Threads asking about Freddie Stroma's Vigilante, and their back-and-forth can be seen below:

• Fan: just tell me we're seeing more adrian in something please
• Gunn: Ok

This might have been a one-word response, but it's sure to please Peacemaker fans out there who are desperate for more of Stroma's beloved character. Adrian Chase / Vigilante steals every scene he's in, thanks to his unhinged mind and penchant for violence. And it looks like we'll be seeing him in upcoming DC movies or TV shows. Fingers crossed it's sooner rather than later.

This is just the latest time that the Guardians of the Galaxy filmmaker has subtly fanned the flames of folks hoping for more Peacemaker. Earlier this week, Gunn posted a winking emoji when asked if Season 3 was happening, so hopefully that means we'll get more of Cena's title character and the 11th Street Kids.

I have to say that Vigilante is my favorite character in the Peacemaker cast, mostly thanks to Freddie Stroma's truly unhinged performance. Basically, every word that comes out of his mouth makes me laugh, because Adrian is a legit psycho. To this day, I can't stop thinking about the scene where Vigilante met an alternate version of himself, recreating the Spider-Man pointing meme in the process.

Peacemaker Season 2 retconned the DCEU and the Justice League, helping to transition the audience over to the newly formed DCU. And after John Cena had a cameo in Superman as his character, it certainly seemed like Chris Smith was going to be an important player in the shared universe as a whole. But he hasn't been seen since the Season 2 finale, as he was the first inmate of Paradise, a pocket universe that used to jail metahumans. We'll just have to see if this shows up in Man of Tomorrow, or if a Season 3 announcement will come soon. Fingers crossed.

The next DC movie hitting theaters is Clayface on October 23rd as part of the 2026 movie release list. For now, Peacemaker is streaming in its entirety over on HBO Max.

We're getting deeper into the newly formed DCU, which co-CEO James Gunn has methodically crafted. The latest installment from phase one, aka Gods and Monsters, is the Lanterns series, which is available on HBO (and streaming with an HBO Max subscription). The Green Lantern Corps is back on our screens, but would Ryan Reynolds ever return to the franchise? Here's what the actor recently said, including the potential to cameo in the DC series.

What we know about Lanterns has been limited, but we're already a few episodes into this wild new series. Ryan Reynolds' Green Lantern movie was a notorious flop, but it's come back up thanks to the HBO series. In a clip from ET's TikTok, the Deadpool star was asked if he's going to make a cameo in Lanterns, to which he said:

Despite how Deadpool 2 joked about Green Lantern, and the countless times Reynolds has poked fun at it over the years, it's interesting to hear the silver lining about the actor/writer's experience. While the movie was not a success, it was clearly a good learning experience, and he even admits that he owes a lot to the DC blockbuster.

While Ryan Reynolds seems like he'd be down to cameo in Lanterns, it seems unlikely that it'll happen in the show's first season. Either that or he's really good at keeping secrets. Superhero actors are known for this; just look at how Andrew Garfield lied about his Spider-Man: No Way Home role ahead of its release.

Obviously, Reynolds wouldn't be able to play Hal Jordan on Lanterns, that role is being played by Kyle Chandler. But maybe he could be a fan on Earth, or even voice one of the alien members of the Green Lantern Corps. if they ever show up. Right now the show has mostly been a detective series that happens to feature a superhero or two.

Despite focusing on the same intergalactic law enforcement group, the Green Lantern movie and Lanterns couldn't feel more different. The series is less of a traditional superhero story and more of a gritty and realistic crime drama. It feels more like showrunner Chris Mundy's other shows like Ozark, but with a comic book twist. We'll just have to see if the story gets more cosmic as time goes on.

Lanterns airs new episodes on Sundays on HBO as part of the 2026 TV schedule. The streaming service is also the home of the Green Lantern movie and all things DC.

Few upcoming 2026 movies have the hype going for them that Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Doomsday does, though I guess Secret Wars isn’t so far behind it. As news surfaces about the newest cast member to join the MCU, the latest Scarlet Witch reports point to the character being utilized as Doomsday reshoots are wrapping up. Of course, it’s not so cut and dry as “Elizabeth Olsen was clearly seen on set in costume,” because that would be too easy.

As it often goes with MCU hearsay, the latest rumor mill fodder came from online scoopers. Daniel Richtman (via Patreon) claims that the Russo brothers’ reshoots are completed, and that Scarlet Witch and Sue Storm are among the characters who were filmed. Meanwhile, on X, MyTimeToShineHello is saying that it was Elizabeth Olsen’s stunt double that was involved with the additional filming, and that it was for a post-credits sequence.

To be sure, even if these reports are true, it’s still unclear if this would be the only point in the film where Scarlet Witch appears, given Olsen’s unwavering stance that she knows nothing about her next MCU project. Despite other rumors claiming she’ll be a major villain for the Mutant Saga, and that she’s also supposed to be utilized for Secret Wars. Which brings me to this question…

What If Only Scarlet Witch, Not Elizabeth Olsen, Appears In Avengers: Doomsday?

Hear me out. What if it's both true that Scarlet Witch will appear in Doomsday and also that Olsen did not do any filming for the movie, and was purposefully kept out of the loop so that she wouldn't be lying about that when asked during interviews? It'd be the perfect crime. Well, no, not a crime, and not quite a diversion, but still sly and tricky.

In the first place, Olsen was revealed to be pregnant in June, and while that obviously wouldn't rule her out of filming anything, it does make it slightly less likely.

Additionally, I've previously shared my own conjecture that — based on rumors of Wanda being Doctor Doom's henchwitch — the character will be the one under the Latverian Witch mask, and that she was actually the one who appeared to Franklin in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Even if that second part isn't real, Scarlet Witch being masked until the very end would also be a way to have the character in the movie without the need for Olsen to be on the set.

My final totally-not-flimsy piece of circumstantial evidence is the fact that Agatha All Along alluded to Wanda's presence without the need to show her face. So it's not out of the question to think that the Doomsday post-credits scene could involve her being unmasked from behind, so that all audiences see is her long red hair as "proof."

What are we thinking? Am I way offbase? Do we think Olsen has just been lying and that Scarlet Witch is all over Doomsday? What about VisionQuest? [Brain glitches.] Everything is normal. Wanda is not in movies. Olsen is right all along. Continue. Continue. Have good day. [Brain glitches again.]

Check out Avengers: Doomsday in theaters on December 18, 2026.

If you ask me, there are no “bad” Batman movies. Sure, I think Batman Forever is the “worst” of the bunch, and yes, I know, you think it's Batman & Robin. I disagree with you. When it comes right down to it, I think Batman has an overall pretty good track record when it comes to films.

That said, when I ranked the Batman movies a while back, I put Matt Reeves’ The Batman at number 3. However, after a rewatch, I'm now comfortable putting it at number 1. Here's why.

I Know Everybody's Favorite Batman Movie Is The Dark Knight, But I Think This Is The Most Compelling Batman Movie Yet

It's safe to say that everybody and their mama thinks Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight is the greatest Batman movie of all time, and hey, I once thought that, too. When it came to The New York Times list of the 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century, The Dark Knight landed at number 28. It’s considered by many to be the greatest superhero movie ever made, and it deserves every accolade that it’s ever received. I am taking nothing away from it.

And yet…I think Matt Reeves’ The Batman is the most compelling version of the Caped Crusader to date. I mainly think it's because the villains don't overshadow Batman for a change (which I'll get into more detail a bit later). The reason everybody adores The Dark Knight is because of Heath Ledger's electric performance as The Joker. Sure, Christian Bale is a serviceable enough Batman, but he doesn't even feel like the most important character in his own movie. Also, like many, I'm a massive fan of Michael Keaton as Batman, but with the Tim Burton movies, the main star is really Gotham City itself.

Matt Reeves puts Batman front and center in his movie, and he's a Batman unlike any other we've ever seen. Unlike most Batmen who are a version of Bruce Wayne moonlighting as Batman, Robert Pattinson's version feels like the inverse, as this is a Batman who takes off his mask only to reveal another mask, that being Bruce Wayne, who seems totally uninterested in being a playboy. It's a fascinating approach to a Batman movie, and one that is even better with a second viewing.

This Is Also My Favorite Version Of Gotham City, By Far

Gotham City has so much personality that it's always a character in itself. As I mentioned earlier, Tim Burton's films really just felt like an invitation into his creative mind, as the strangeness, colors, and darkness really did feel like they took center stage in his Batman movies. In other words, it’s Tim Burton’s world, and Batman and his rogue’s gallery were just living in it. And that’s cool.

I love the Tim Burton movies (Especially his version of The Joker). That said, his Gotham City kind of takes my focus away from the stories of his two films, as I’m so enraptured by his world that I sometimes lose sight of the narratives. Joel Schumacher’s Gotham City is like a kaleidoscope of colors, which worked for his heightened (and often silly) approach, but it’s probably my least favorite version of Gotham City. Christopher Nolan’s take was pretty much just Chicago and Pittsburgh, which really added to his more realistic approach.

Matt Reeves’ Gotham? Well, it feels like the world is trapped in a perpetual nighttime, even when it’s not. I love this aspect because it’s always, always unsettling, and the kind of place where you really do feel like some terrible stuff goes on both in plain view and behind closed doors. I think it’s the perfect Gotham City, and I like it even more on a subsequent viewing.

I Also Adore How The Bad Guys Are The Most Grounded They've Ever Been In A Batman Film

Now, here might be a strike AGAINST The Batman for many people, but I really like how normal the villains feel. We’ve gotten three live-action versions of The Riddler thus far: Frank Gorshin, Jim Carrey, and Paul Dano, and out of those three, only one of them has managed to feel scary, and that’s Dano.

Gorshin was silly, of course, because the ‘60s Batman was silly. Jim Carrey (whom I LOVED as a child) was probably the most annoying part about Batman Forever for me. However, I love how Paul Dano’s Riddler just feels like a terrorist who likes to play games with his targets. It reminds me of the Zodiac Killer, which is no coincidence, as that was intentional. I really love that.

This is a different Batman movie, one where the Caped Crusader is a detective (as Batman is), and what better villain to have him go against than a terroristic version of The Riddler? It’s the most grounded Batman villain we’ve ever gotten in a film, which is great. I also love Colin Farrell’s version of The Penguin, who isn't in the film long (Though, he’s arguably in the best part of the entire movie with that car chase), but he leaves a memorable impression all the same. He doesn’t look like a penguin like Danny DeVito, but that’s what makes him even better.

Same for Zoe Kravitz’s Catwoman and John Turturro’s Carmine Falcone. They both feel grounded, which is good, since they never overshadow Batman. They inhabit his world, but they don’t overtake it like Heath Ledger’s Joker or Danny DeVito’s Penguin. Oh, and speaking of The Penguin...

Plus, We Got My Favorite Batman Thing Ever From This Film, That Being The Penguin

I don’t think I’ve ever loved anything Batman-related as much as I loved the HBO series, The Penguin starring Colin Farrell in the title role. I loved everything about it! I loved how much I detested Oz Cobb. I loved how much it leaned into feminism. I loved its side characters. Seriously, there’s nothing I don't love about the series.

We wouldn’t have gotten it if not for Matt Reeves’ The Batman. The Penguin is kind of like the cherry on top of an already stellar movie. I don’t know if The Penguin would even work if not for all of the things I mentioned earlier. The show never features Batman, but that’s okay since The Riddler flooded Gotham City, so you get a sense that Robert Pattison’s Batman has bigger issues to worry about than an on-the-rise Oz Cobb.

Gotham City is a mess, but it’s a realistic mess that’s full of dread, and it works in the show’s favor, since you always feel unsettled. And the bad guys on the show also feel grounded, as you never get a sense that these characters are more than just drug lords or gangsters, so it’s all consistent with the film.

Seriously, it’s for all of these reasons and more that I cannot WAIT for The Batman II. Hopefully, it will actually make its current February 18, 2028 release date. Because Lord knows how long we’ve been waiting for this sequel.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is known for constantly expanding, with exciting titles arriving in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. Fans who have spent years watching the Marvel movies in order know that there have been a few struggles since Avengers: Endgame became the highest grossing movie of all time. Chief among them is Eternals, although I've been wondering if Kit Harington is ever going to return in upcoming Marvel movies. Someone recently asked the actor, and he had a refreshingly honest answer.

After its release Eternals got some backlash for its runtime and overstuffed cast. There hasn't been any news about a sequel, although the Eternals post-credits scene teased that Harington's Dane Whitman would eventually become Black Knight. During a clip from MovieWeb's Instagram, the actor was asked if he'll ever return to the MCU, responding with:

Well, that was pretty cut and dry. While the Game of Thrones actor would love to return as Dane Whitman in the MCU, he doesn't seem to think that's actually going to happen. So despite the set up of Dane using the Ebony Blade and becoming Black Knight, we might never actually see that pay off. Talk about a bummer.

Despite the movie ending with the message "Eternals will return" there's been no indication that the studio is actually moving forward with a sequel to Chloé Zhao's blockbuster. Harington's above comments certainly don't offer any encouragement to fans hoping for the story to continue on the big screen.

Even if Eternals' sequel wasn't happening, some fans held out hope that we would still see Kit Harington return as Dane in a future MCU project. After all, the credits scene featured a connection to Mahershala Ali's Blade, with that character heard in the sequence with the Ebony Blade. Although now that the Blade movie is seemingly dead, things aren't looking good for Harington's return.

While audiences didn't respond to Eternals, the fact that the movie hasn't really been addressed in the years that have followed is frustrating. While Captain America: Brave New World featured an arms war over Celestial Tiamut's body, we don't know what happened to the Eternals after they were taken away. What's more, we haven't seen Harry Styles return as Eros since his brief cameo.

The next Marvel movie hitting theaters is Avengers: Doomsday as part of the 2026 movie release list. As for Kit Harington, he's kept busy on both TV and film, and was recently cast as Gilderoy Lockhart for Season 2 of the Harry Potter TV show.

Adria Arjona is officially part of James Gunn’s growing DC Movie Universe, but good luck getting her to tell us who she is playing in her 2027 movie schedule debut. Despite months of fan theories and some pretty intense superhero training, the Andor star has managed to keep her Man of Tomorrow character under wraps. At this point, the secrecy is practically becoming its own supporting character. Arjona did, however, open up about what it was like stepping onto Gunn’s set again.

Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, the actress explained that returning to work with Gunn and DC Studios co-head Peter Safran gave her something actors rarely have on the first day of a movie: familiarity. The three previously worked together on 2017’s The Belko Experiment, which Gunn wrote and produced alongside Safran. She explained:

That has to be particularly useful when your first day involves joining a new Superhero movie, especially one as anticipated as the next entry in the Superman series.

Arjona has credited Gunn and Safran with helping launch her movie career through The Belko Experiment, long before she became Bix Caleen in Andor or starred opposite Glen Powell in Hit Man. Now she is returning to that creative relationship on a considerably larger stage. She continued:

That sounds like a pretty nice way to enter a superhero franchise where half the internet is already trying to identify you from workout comments. The Morbius star has been remarkably good at keeping her character secret.

We know she trained extensively for Man of Tomorrow, previously revealing that she was working out two to three hours a day and developing muscles she had never had before. Naturally, that sent DC fans sprinting toward Wonder Woman theories and several other possibilities, none of which have been confirmed.

Gunn has already wrapped principal photography on Man of Tomorrow, so whatever the Hit Man actress did in the movie is safely tucked away somewhere on a Warner Bros. hard drive. At least we know plenty about the company she will be keeping. David Corenswet returns as Superman, Nicholas Hoult is back as Lex Luthor, and Lars Eidinger will play Brainiac. The story will force Superman and Luthor into an unlikely alliance against the new threat.

And somewhere in there is Adria Arjona, apparently very muscular and refusing to tell us why. Honestly, I respect the commitment to secrecy. I just wish it made me less curious.

Man of Tomorrow arrives in theaters July 9, 2027, giving DC fans plenty of time to continue guessing wildly until Arjona or Gunn finally decides to put us out of our misery. Until then, you can enjoy Superman (2025) streaming with an HBO Max subscription.

It's an exciting time for fans who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order. While fans are looking forward o the release of Avengers: Doomsday, news about other upcoming Marvel movies have been trickling out. Case in point: the casting of Jake Schreier's X-Men movie, revealing the actors who will make up the beloved team of mutants. Broadway actress Maya Boyd will be portraying Storm in the highly anticipated blockbuster, and her recent IG Story post about her research is going to make the hardcore fans happy.

The X-Men were noticeably missing from the first few phases of the MCU, but once Disney acquired 20th Century Fox and its properties the doors were finally opened for the mutants to join the fun. The new movie will come out in 2028, with Boyd debuting as Storm in the process. She recently shared a fun image on her Instagram Story of her clutching Storm comics, which you can see below:

An Omega Level mutant has entered the chat, and clearly Boyd is going straight to the source material for her research. In this image we can see her clutching an armful of Storm comics, where her character Ororo Munroe was able to take center stage in her very own storyline. Of course, she's also got a long history as part of the X-Men comics. Still, the fact that the actress is going to the page will likely please the hardcore Marvel fans out there.

Maya Boyd has some big shoes to fill in the MCU movie, as folks already watched two different actresses play Storm in the X-Men movies. Obviously the first was Halle Berry, who some fans still want to see pop up in Avengers: Doomsday. Later Alexandra Shipp debuted as a younger Storm in Apocalypse, before reprising her role in Dark Phoenix.

Given the wild popularity of the mutants, The pressure is on for Boyd and the rest of the cast to play their roles in the new X-Men film. Luckily filmmaker Jake Schreier has already proven his ability to work on an ensemble Marvel movie, since he crushed it as the director of Thunderbolts* (which is streaming with a Disney+ subscription). And he's assembled a killer cast to bring the long-awaited movie to life. Joining Boyd are Sadie Sink as Jean Grey, Samara Weaving as Emma Frost, Kit Connor as Cyclops, Inde Navarrette as Rogue, Christopher Abbott as Professor X, and Adam Driver as the villainous Mr. Sinister.

Hopefully this stellar group of actors get their nose in the comic book ahead of filming. Maya Boyd is leading by example here, and likely got some serious brownie points from Marvel fans out there. And I can't wait to see what she brings to the role.

The new X-Men movie is currently expected to arrive in theaters on May 5th, 2028. But first a handful of the OGs will reprise their signature characters in Avengers: Doomsday, which arrives December 18th as part of the 2026 movie release list.

It’s been 14 years since the release of The Amazing Spider-Man, and Andrew Garfield’s career is still thriving. However, before he was cast as Peter Parker in his Spider-Man movies, his dream was to play the webslinger. So, after he did it, did he ever think about quitting acting? Well, he got candid about his outlook on his career and life after he played the iconic Marvel hero.

Now, this topic came up because Garfield was asked what his dream was 15 years ago by Variety. At that time, he was in the midst of making his first Spider-Man movie. And it was a childhood dream come true, as the Oscar nominee explained:

Andrew Garfield once told us that he’d dreamed of playing Spider-Man since he was 4 years old. So, obviously, being cast as Peter Parker was a very big achievement for him.

The Amazing Spider-Man came around about a decade into Garfield’s career. It was made right on the heels of The Social Network (which he should have gotten an Oscar nomination for), and these movies helped define his early career.

Now, it’s been over a decade since his Spider-Man movies were released, and five years since his cameo in Spider-Man: No Way Home. He’s filled those years with other great projects (like Tick, Tick…Boom! and Hacksaw Ridge, for example) that have helped shape him into the actor he is today. But has he ever thought about leaving the craft behind? According to him, he thinks about it often:

Well, thinking about doing something and actually doing it are two very different things. While Garfield says he’s thought about stopping, he really isn’t slowing down. In fact, he has three releases on the 2026 movie schedule – The Magic Faraway Tree, which is already out, The Uprising, which premieres on September 11, and Luca Guadagnino’s Artificial, which will premiere at the New York Film Festival on October 5.

So, his Spider-Man years may be behind him, and his priorities may have changed; however, he’s still acting.

While I expect we’ll continue to see Garfield on our screens for years to come, I do wonder how his outlook on life will impact the projects he picks. He said these days he’s more focused on a “certain quality of life” and his relationship with his friends and family. I love that for him, and I cannot wait to see how it impacts his work.

That’s maybe looking too far into the future, though. If you want to see what Andrew Garfield is up to now, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to watch his work in theaters this fall. If you want to see his dream of playing Spider-Man come true, you can stream The Amazing Spider-Man with a Disney+ subscription.

While Avengers: Doomsday has yet to be released, fans are already starting to ask questions about its follow-up, Avengers: Secret Wars. The 2027 movie release is still well over a year away but, at the moment, it’s in pre-production, which means details are slowly being reported. A big piece of news just hit this week, as the superhero team-up film has reportedly tapped a Marvel Cinematic Universe newcomer for an undisclosed role. Despite that, I have a wild idea regarding who he’s playing.

Avengers: Secret Wars Enlists A Quiet Place Alum

Marvel Studios can certainly attract talent, and it’s just proven that yet again by casting Noah Jupe in Secret Wars, which starts filming later this year. Deadline couldn’t confirm Jupe’s role, but it did allege that the actor is set to play an important role in the film, which serves as the culmination of the Multiverse Saga. Unsurprisingly, none of the bigwigs at the studio have provided any comment on the casting. The lack of concrete details don’t extinguish any of my excitement, though, as I’m more than pleased to see Jupe joining the MCU.

Jupe may only be 21, but he’s amassed a solid number of credits over the past several years. A former child actor, Jupe rose to prominence through his role as Marcus Abbott in 2018’s A Quiet Place and reprised it in the 2021 sequel. (He’ll play Marcus again in the upcoming third movie). The star really garnered attention, though, due to his role in Honey Boy. Shia LaBeouf's 2019 semi-autographical drama film. Since then he’s appeared in films like No Sudden Move, (the Oscar-winning) Hamnet and The Death of Robin Hood.

Another detail that makes this casting so sweet is that Jupe has ties to a relatively new MCU star: Sadie Sink. Earlier this year, Sink made his debut as Jean Grey in the box office behemoth that is Spider-Man: Brand New Day. She and Jupe starred alongside each other in the West End’s production of Romeo & Juliet. Personally, I’d love for the two actors to share some scenes in Secret Wars. Of course, there’s still the matter of who the Carpenter’s Son star is playing in the Marvel flick.

I Think This MCU Newbie Is Playing A Powerful Character

Considering Doomsday hasn’t even hit theaters yet, it’s hard to speculate on Secret Wars’ plot. What producer and Marvel Studios head honcho Kevin Feige has confirmed, however, is that both films take heavy inspiration from Jonathan Hickman’s 2015 Secret Wars run. That story contains a smattering of different characters, including one known as The Maker, who’s a younger and more dangerous version of Reed Richards from an alternate universe. That’s who I think Jupe might be playing.

Maker was originally the Reed of Earth-1610, which is known as the Ultimate Marvel universe. While this variation of Richards begins as an upbeat and well-meaning man of science, he eventually developed into a malevolent force after experiencing a series of personal tragedies. This Reed eventually becomes a fixture within the main Earth-616 universe and, in 2015’s Secret Wars, he’s amongst those impacted by Doctor Doom’s multiverse-shattering actions. In this story, Maker also forges a shaky partnership with the main Reed.

Jupe definitely has the gravitas to play a character as flawed and layered as Maker and has the ability to be both charming and somewhat unpredictable. While I mentioned the notion of Jupe sharing the screen with Sink, what I’d really love is to see him chop it up with Reed Richards actor Pedro Pascal. What’s more is that I’d completely buy Jupe as a younger version of Pascal’s character.

It may be a while before we get a definitive answer regarding Noah Jupe’s role, but I’m hopeful that directors Joe and Anthony Russo will effectively utilize his talents. And, of course, I’m also curious as to what other non-MCU alums may be tapped to step into this continuity for the first time alongside Jupe. Keep those eyes peeled, folks, because this casting news is surely just the beginning!

Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released on December 18 as part of the 2026 movie schedule, while Avengers: Secret Wars hits theaters on December 17, 2027. In the meantime, prepare yourself by streaming the various MCU movies and shows using a Disney+ subscription.

After plenty of delays, Matt Reeves’ The Batman: Part II is finally in production, with filming underway in the UK. Leading man Robert Pattinson has been on hand since the cameras started rolling earlier this summer and, by all accounts, he’s already been putting in work. Of course, the fan-favorite actor is currently unable to share any details regarding the plot of the highly anticipated superhero sequel. Yet he did just share one way that filming has been “significantly harder” compared to his first outing as the Caped Crusader.

Pattinson – who’s been scoring gigs left and right as of late – was recently named the latest global ambassador for Jaeger-LeCoultre. The British actor promoted that partnership during an interview with GQ, where he was also asked about the Batman sequel. The ever-savvy Pattinson didn’t spill many beans, though he did admit that one aspect of filming has changed in the years since he shot the film’s 2022 predecessor. And, quite frankly, this makes a lot of sense:

Honestly, I can understand why filming fight sequences would hit differently (no pun intended) this time around. 40-year-old Pattinson began filming The Batman in January 2020, shortly before the onset of the COVID pandemic. With that, the star was only in his mid-30s when he first started production. Given that he’s now hit the big 4-0, it’s only natural that it would be trickier to shoot scenes that involve a lot of physicality. Nevertheless, it sounds like the Good Time star is still enjoying the experience overall.

Pattinson’s commitment to the physical requirements of this DC franchise was evident from the jump. After being cast, he threw himself into his training and, eventually he found a regimen that worked for him. As for his work on this latest movie, that work ethic is seemingly still intact. Pattinson was asked about recent set photos that saw a Batman actor riding a motorcycle and said that one of those was him. However, given the apparent laughter accompanying his answer, I can’t tell if the witty star is lying (as he’s known to do now and then).

What the Odyssey star hasn’t been lying about, though, is the major amount of work that goes into making this kind of superhero flick. Months ago, he said that he’d been told he’d have 11 straight weeks of night shoots, which sound so tiring. Of course, when an actor is playing a vigilante who operates during late hours, such shoots are par for the course.

During his recent interview, Robert Pattinson also confirmed that he would remain in London “till the end of the year” to film this Batman flick. So he may still have quite a few fight scenes to shoot before principal photography comes to an end. Regardless, I’m glad that Pattinson has an upbeat take on the work and is excited about the “big swings” the film is set to take.

The Batman: Part II opens in theaters on February 18, 2028. While fans wait, they can grab an HBO Max subscription to stream the first movie as well as the spinoff series, The Penguin.

Spoilers ahead for Lanterns Episode 3 "Outkast."

The DCU's first slate of projects is titled Gods and Monsters, and includes stories told on both the big screen and streaming with a HBO Max subscription. The latest release is the new show Lanterns, which features both Kyle Chandler's Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre's John Stewart. The third episode "Outkast" showed the latter's backstory, and now one writer is responding to claims the show is "woke".

What we know about Lanterns has been limited, and there's been a ton of discourse over the new series online. While there was some backlash to there not being enough green in early footage, there's been a ton of chatter lately about John's history. Specifically how the Stewart family spoke about the Black experience in "Outkast", with some naysayers claiming the show was "too woke." Writer Vanessa Baden Kelly responded to these claims in an interview with The Wrap, saying:

There you go. It seems like Baden Kelly isn't taking the Lanterns backlash to heart. Namely because John Stewart's Blackness has always been a major aspect of the long-running superhero's history. She's seemingly standing by the script she wrote for "Outkast" and is pointing the source material for folks who are unhappy with the episode's contents and calling it "woke".

Episode 3 revealed John's childhood decades earlier, where racial inequality was worse than it is now. In the flashbacks his mother Bernadette (played by OG Hamilton star Jasmine Cephas Jones) spoke about how Black people needed to work twice as hard to get half as far, and also cued in Laura Linney's Lianna to how racism works on Earth. As the writer went on to explain, this was key to crafting a new backstory for Aaron Pierre's hero. In her words:

Personally, I thought that these discussions were part of what made "Outkast" such a strong episode of Lanterns. Seeing how John's family struggled with his father almost being chosen to be a Green Lantern was fascinating, along with the unconventional way they tried to raise him to be fearless. And while we're following a show involving an intergalactic law enforcement agency, including discussions about the Black experience helped make the story feel all the more real and human. As the writer points out, this has always been part of John's character on the page.

Lanterns airs new episodes Sundays on HBO as part of the 2026 TV schedule. We'll just have to wait and see how John and Hal's relationship changes throughout the rest of the show's first season.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is always releasing exciting new content, both in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. The latest big screen release was Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which broke records at the box office and is still making money to this day. And Kevin Feige recently explained the wild way that Brand New Day's ending mirrored the first day of shooting the blockbuster. Let's break it all down.

While fans are still trying to decode Brand New Day's credits scene, more information about its production is slowly trickling out. Marvel boss Kevin Feige recently spoke at his alma matter USC about the movie's production (via Instagram) where she spoke about the explosive way filming began. In his words:

This definitely got the internet talking, on top of attracting crowds to watch as Spider-Man swung through the air practically. On top of starting off production for Destin Daniel Cretton's movie with a bang, this moment of fan excitement came full circle when it came to shooting the movie's ending hospital scene.

The Punisher accidentally shoots Spidey during the movie's final battle, and he spends time in the hospital as a result. Frank Castle helps him leave the place undetected, as a crowd of adoring fans waited outside. In the same appearance, Kevin Feige shared how this connected to Brand New Day's first day of filming, offering:

Talk about a full circle moment. Sometimes art can imitate life, and it seems like that's exactly what happened during the production of Spider-Man: Brand New Day. In the end this synergy helped make the movie one of Marvel's biggest success stories in years. And fans are already hoping to see Spidey back on the big screen in one of the upcoming Marvel movies like Avengers: Doomsday or Secret Wars.

Brand New Day is still in theaters now as part of the 2026 movie release list. The next Marvel movie hitting theaters will be Doomsday on December 18th. Hopefully Peter Parker will get in on the fun.

Ever since Agatha All Along's conclusion, I’ve been patiently waiting for VisionQuest, which is the conclusion to the trilogy that began with WandaVision. With that, I have been eagerly soaking up every single tease I can get. Though until I saw the full trailer, I never thought I'd be this excited to see Ultron again. And I'm also now loving the crazy way Paul Bettany and James Spader sum up the genocidal robot's dynamic with Vision in the new series.

Bettany and Spader are now starting to speak more about their experience making this upcoming Marvel show. Earlier this summer, Bettany even described his co-star as “delicious” to work with. The new trailer shows the various AIs that are populating the "ghastly mansion" in Vision's Mindspace. Their different personalities offer him feedback as he gathers information about human beings. But the most important "guide" seems to be Ultron, who has taken on the unlikely role of mentor. During Disney's D23, Bettany discussed that dynamic with Rotten Tomatoes:

Given his actions in Age of Ultron, it’s hard to imagine the Avengers' technological adversary as someone who'd be sought out for advice. That said, I love this kind of quirky relationship between the robotic father and son, and I’m sensing we have another fan-favorite MCU pairing on the horizon. What's more is that this 2026 TV schedule release is also following the same theme of parenthood covered by its predecessors.

WandaVision explored Wanda Maximoff and Vision's burgeoning roles as parental partners, while Agatha All Along focused on motherhood. (That latter also gave us an amazing performance from Kathryn Hahn.) VisionQuest is expected to specifically play with themes of fatherhood. In fact, series creator Terry Matalas said his initial pitch was greatly inspired by the scene in Age of Ultron that sees Vision and the titular character having one last conversation. Bettany described the dynamic in the show with some more funny and intriguing thoughts:

During the interview, Bettany was asked to further clarify who was the therapist and who was the patient in this scenario. After he pointed to Spader, the two exchanged some humorous comments:

• Bettany: [Points to Spader]. Which is the craziest idea ever! [Laughs]
• Spader: Thank you, Terry Metalas. Because I'm giving him life advice. I'm his life coach.
• Bettany: My psychopathic life coach.

What also stands out amongst Bettany’s is hisWandaVision. It's making me wonder how similar this latest dynamic will be to Wanda and Agatha’s. Hahn’s character both taught and antagonized Wanda, which makes me feel like Ultron will take on a similar (though more humorous) role for Vision.

Paul Bettany's last MCU appearance was in that aforementioned 2021 show, in which Wanda created a living version of him in the Hex. At the same time, the government rebuilt the real Vision, but gave him a white coating. Those two androids came into contact with each other and, ultimately, White Vision gained the memories of his predecessor before flying off to parts unknown.

There are still plenty of details fans don't know when it comes to what's in store for White Vision's latest chapter. However, I'm excited by Marvel TV boss Brad Winderbaum's tease about the new show being “so rewarding” for fans of both the trilogy and the MCU, specifically the Infinity Saga. So I’m expecting great things, especially in regard to Paul Bettany and James Spader bringing their A-game to their roles.

Be sure to grab a Disney+ subscription so you can check out VisionQuest when it premieres on October 14 and airs episodes weekly afterwards. In the meantime, stream both WandaVision and Agatha All Along (even if they aren't on the watchlist for Avengers: Doomsday.)

Turns out if you watched Multiverse of Madness, and something about the Scarlet Witch’s story bothered you, it may not be in your head. Apparently, even Elizabeth Olsen knew something was different with this particular storyline for her fan-favorite character. And, as it turns out, there’s a reason for it. The actor admitted that the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness writers weren't aware of the finer details within WandaVision, which is why we got that evil Scarlet Witch story.

In the movie, Wanda Maximoff embarks upon a destructive path through the multiverse in an attempt to get back her children, given they faded away with the Hex at the end of WandaVision. However, at the end of the movie, she makes the ultimate sacrifice. Again. As for how much the writers knew about the parallels between the script and the show, Maximoff said this to No Script Needed:

Yikes. I’m not sure if Olsen meant to be so blunt, yet I appreciate having an answer after all this time. I can also understand how it would be a bit jarring for her to go from that Bewitched-inspired series with Paul Bettany’s Vision to an all-out villainous arc in Doctor Strange. And Wanda's story REALLY goes there.

Multiverse of Madness sees Maximoff tearing through an assortment of multiverse characters in creative yet gruesome ways. (I've still not recovered from Black Bolt's demise.) While her actions are more violent than what she does in the sitcom dome in WandaVision, the themes of grief and the pain of loss are the same. And Wanda comes to similar realizations at the end of both arcs, something which Olsen admits was difficult for her:

However, despite the dark and tragic turn for the Scarlet Witch, it hasn’t stopped rumors from swirling around the upcoming Mutant Saga and how she might factor in. The speculation suggests that Wanda will be “one of the main leads - and villains.” Given one of the origins for Wanda ties to mutants in the comics, specifically Magneto and her twin, Quicksilver, it’s not an improbable rumor. Additionally, Olsen has shared that the comic she most wants to adapt is House of M, which is a storyline that finds Wanda saying “no more mutants” and taking away their powers. With Marvel Studios' X-Men reboot on the way, I'm not sure that'll happen but, hey, wilder things have happened.

For now, I'm looking forward to the VisionQuest series finally hitting the 2026 TV schedule on October 14. It's unknown if the seemingly deceased Wanda will make an appearance, yet Marvel TV's Brad Winderbaum says the show is “rewarding for fans of the WandaVision trilogy.” I'd personally love to see Elizabeth Olsen play the character again but, as of right now, she's denied that she'll return as the Scarlet Witch anytime soon.

And, while I'm glad we have answer to that Wanda story, I hope that if we do see her again, any writers involved are aware of the more nuanced details of her journey And, with that, they could can offer us (and Olsen) something new. For now, stream all of Wanda's MCU appearances using a Disney+ subscription.

Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne survived a lot during The Batman. He was shot, nearly blown up and electrocuted while trying to save Gotham from flooding. Apparently, Matt Reeves looked at all that punishment and decided Bruce still had a few hit points left, because new footage from the set of the upcoming The Batman: Part II appears to show Pattinson’s Bruce in very rough shape. That’s right, we have some behind-the-scenes footage, and it seems to spell disaster for Master Bruce.

Why The Footage Spells Bad News For Bruce

In a video shared by Cinema Solace on X, Andy Serkis’ Alfred is seen kneeling beside an apparently unconscious Bruce Wayne, trying to revive him. Toward the end of the clip, Pattinson sits up, and the white adhesive pads from a heart monitor are visible on his chest. We have no context for what put him on the ground, but Alfred performing CPR on Batman’s alter ego is a pretty strong sign that somebody’s day has gone very badly.

The footage was captured during production on Reeves’ long-awaited sequel and shows Bruce out of costume while Alfred works over him. A woman stands nearby as crew members surround the scene. The biggest question is what happened before the cameras started rolling.

Set videos rarely provide enough context to determine exactly what we are watching. But it does raise questions because Bruce appears to be injured as Bruce Wayne rather than Batman. Reeves’ first film spent plenty of time showing how reckless Pattinson’s Dark Knight could be once he put on the suit. This could suggest his civilian identity is getting dragged deeper into the danger this time.

Or Bruce could have slipped on some ice. I have no idea. What we do know is that Pattinson and Serkis are back alongside Jeffrey Wright and Colin Farrell, with several newcomers joining the sequel. But what are fans saying about the bts look?

Fans Have Jokes, But One Theory Has Me Thinking

As expected, Batman fans saw a few seconds of out-of-context set footage and immediately started trying to solve the entire movie. The Court of Owls came up repeatedly, while plenty of others were simply enjoying the steady drip of leaks. Whatever big swings are taking place on the set of the upcoming DC flick, here are some of the best (funniest?) responses:

• @MuhammadMu86979: “Court of owls fasho lesgo”
• @MioTaken: “This has to be Court of Owls”
• @MovieMedia: “Jokes on us, Bruce dies in this one”
• @de_fluffy_panda: “It’s called method acting 🤣”
• @DYounglings: “The context was that he was trying to pursue Surfing Joker but took water in his lungs”
• @DeAllas9: “Batman getting his ass shipped this week 😭😭😭”

But @VeryBullishGuy noticed the detail that suddenly makes this footage a lot more interesting. The fan wrote:

The fan goes on to theorize that Bruce may have been restrained so he could not swim, possibly by corrupt members of Gotham law enforcement or someone with access to police equipment. Considering how much of The Batman revolved around institutional corruption, that is a much more interesting possibility than Bruce simply losing another fight.

There is another piece of that theory I really like: this is happening to Bruce Wayne, not Batman. If somebody deliberately cuffed Bruce, dumped him near the water and left Alfred trying to restart his heart, then his civilian identity may be in considerably more danger this time around. And if whoever did this knows Bruce Wayne and Batman are the same person, Reeves could be setting up a nightmare far bigger than another bruising encounter with a Gotham criminal.

Obviously, a blurry set video cannot confirm any of this. We could be looking at a rehearsal, a stunt setup or a scene that plays very differently once we have the full context. Still, those cuffs are hard to ignore. Yeah, I’m looking at the cuffs now.

Bruce survived the Riddler, but fans are going to have to wait a while to find out what exactly is happening here. The Batman: Part II will skip both the 2026 and 2027 movie calendars before finally arriving in theaters in 2028. Until then, you can revisit Pattinson’s first trip through Gotham with an HBO Max subscription.

Avengers: Doomsday is the next of the upcoming Marvel movies, and naturally that’s inspiring me to go back and watch movies from The Multiverse Saga so far. The one I chose to rewatch the most recently was last year’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps. I really enjoyed it the first time, and wanted to dive back into its retro-futuristic world again before the heroes collide with other characters in Doomsday. But this time around, one issue really stuck out to me like a sore thumb, and it was a whole character.

What’s Up With Natasha Lyonne In Fantastic Four?

Funny enough, after my first viewing, I thought the one thing about the movie that would bother me the second time around was the CGI baby, but honestly, it was fine. The human baby they chose is cute as heck, and the times in which it was a CGI baby, I get it. It ages just fine to me.

However, one character did really bother me: Natasha Lyonne’s Rachel Rozman. The thing is I love Lyonne, and remember being excited about her mysterious casting before it was revealed. The first time I saw First Steps, I thought it was just nice to see her in a Marvel movie, and I was taking in the whole film.

This time I was getting so distressed seeing her on the screen. Her character is literally pointless. The movie does slow down when she and The Thing are flirting, but I found myself getting restless about her character being there because I knew she had zero payoff, and I’m just so done with Marvel giving these great actors bit parts that seem to hint at something greater, but never turn into anything.

And, The Thing Deserved A Lot Better

Again, it’s not Natasha Lyonne’s fault. She did great with what she had, but her part in the film actually underlines a larger issue I had with the movie. First Steps used these scenes with The Thing as his subplot in the movie, and it doesn’t do anything to make the character very interesting or move him along emotionally. That adorable baby had more character development than The Thing gets because of how they waste our time with Rachel Rozman.

I mean, the guy has turned into a literal rock. I get that we want to humanize him, and we should, but this was such a shallow way to go about it in my opinion. I think the filmmakers wanted to go with a lighter approach than the original Fantastic Four movies did with the iconic superhero, but giving a character a love interest shouldn’t come in place of giving him a personality. I have to wonder if there was more going on in the script, and they decided to cut it in post-production?

And, since First Steps didn’t become a big hit at the box office, I wonder if Natasha Lyonne’s character will ever amount to anything. Anyways, you can check out the movie yourself now with a Disney+ subscription and decide whether you agree with me.

The comic book genre has been thriving for years now, thanks to various shared universes occupying the big screen. Folks who watched the DC movies in order will recall that Gal Gadot played Wonder Woman for years, with her DCEU appearances steaming with a HBO Max subscription. And the Fast and Furious actress recently spoke about ending her tenure as Diana Prince, and the way that her co-stars like Henry Cavill were dropped by the studio.

When co-CEO James Gunn was brought on to lead DC Studios, the entire DCEU was dropped in favor of a new shared universe. We're a few titles into the first phase of projects Gods and Monsters, but information about the handoff is still trickling out. While promoting her new movie The Runner on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, host Josh Horowitz asked when she was told her time as Diana Prince had come to an end. It turns out that's not what happened, as she told it:

How interesting is that? It sounds like Gadot was originally told she'd stay on as Wonder Woman, but after seeing how Henry Cavill returned as Superman in Black Adam just to be dropped by the studio, the writing was on the wall. Still, it's interesting to hear that Gal Gadot was originally told she'd be back in her signature role.

This is likely why Gadot said in 2023 that Wonder Woman 3 was still on... shortly before exiting DC altogether. Later in the same podcast, the 41 year-old actress spoke more about her perspective about the passing of the baton at DC Studios. In her words:

That sounds like a healthy way at thinking about things. While Gadot spent years playing Wonder Woman, including two solo movies, Batman v Superman and Justice League, ultimately she didn't have ownership over the beloved DC character. Instead she was just its "vessel", and eventually someone else will have that same honor.

For months now rumor swirled that actress Adria Arjona might be playing Wonder Woman in Man of Tomorrow, but her role in the upcoming DC movie has not officially been revealed just yet. We'll just have to wait and see who ends up taking on the mantle in the new shared universe; they're going to have some big boots to fill.

Gal Gadot's tenure as Wonder Woman is streaming now on HBO Max, and her new movie The Runner arrives on September 2nd for those with an Amazon Prime subscription. As for DC, the next movie hitting theaters is Clayface on October 23rd, just in time for Spooky Season.

Spoilers below for the third episode of Lanterns for anyone who hasn’t watched it yet on HBO or streamed it via HBO Max subscription, so be warned!

Tonight’s “OutKast” was big for Aaron Pierre’s John Stewart, as audiences learned about more from his childhood and time working with Hal, as well as more context behind the past events we were shown already. Nothing seemed to debunk my biggest theory about Hal’s death, which I’m okay with given it was another fun and methodical installment, and we finally got to meet Laura Linney’s long-mysterious character, the Guardian that put John on the path to Green Lantern-dom. Now who else caught the almost immediate DC lore namecheck?

Right after John lands on that big beautiful pile of mattresses, mall store signs for the closed-down Janus Cosmetics are seen in the background, and it’s either a wildly clever comic book nod that won’t have any further impact on the story, or it’s a wildly clever comic book nod that ALSO potentially confirms a personal favorite rogues-gallery villain for the DCU’s Batman. Let's talk about that one first.

Janus Cosmetics May Imply Black Mask's DCU Existence

Introduced in 1985's Batman #386, Janus Cosmetics was a company owned by Charles Sionis that was eventually run by his son Roman, but only after the latter burned both of his parents to death specifically to take over the family business. Roman was obsessed with masks of all kinds, and essentially bankrupted the company after taking over. He lost control of it to the Wayne Foundation, and that's where Black Mask was born.

Black Mask's front-cover description beats all, too: "Crazier than The Joker, Deadlier than Ra's Al Ghul." He's since become one of Gotham City's most power-hungry villains, with an ego as vast and gnarled as the Batcave's walls. As cool as it'd be to see that character introdcued in Lanterns, though, I don't fully think that this was a stealth nod to his arrival. This show already has a potential villain with a "Black" moniker that we're waiting to see. (Also worth noting that Zack Snyder reframed as "Janus Corp." for Justice League, with Ewan McGregor's take on Black Mask introduced in Birds of Prey.)

I Think It's More Of A Nod To The Roman God Who Inspired Wonder Woman And Hawkman Villains

In Roman mythology, Janus is often depicted as a double-faced being, and has been known to be the god of concepts such as beginnings, endings, time, transitions, duality, doorways, gates, passages and more. Speaking to "beginnings," Janus is where January got its name.

Lanterns' central story and relationship between Hal and John pretty much speaks to all of those elements, both on the macro and the micro. There's the duality of two Green Lanterns vying for the same ring, as well as the (albeit complicated) transition of authority between them, which obviously also speaks to starts and finishes. The episodic format also plays into it, given all the flashbacks, and the further duality of the 2016 and 2026 timelines.

The Wonder Woman villain, created in 2021 by Michael W. Conrad, Becky Cloonan and artist Andy MacDonald, was expressed through a split between a male representing the past, and a female representing the future. Plus, Lanterns co-creator Tom King took over writing the solo Wonder Woman book after Conrad and Cloonan's line concluded, making the connective tissue feel even more germane.

So if Janus Cosmetics actually was only meant to be a nod to Roman Sionis' Black Mask existing in the DCU, then it's one hell of a coincidence that everything elsem entioned above worked out so well.

Other Uses Of Janus In DC Lore

For what it's worth, the name Janus has come up in other DC works as well. Doom Patrol introduced a Doctor Janus, a planet named Janus was introduced in 1991's Legion of Super-Heroes Annual, and Top 10's Linda Burnett is an interation of Janus in a world where the Roman Empire was never toppled. An 11-part 1989 crossover featured all of DC's government and military agencies being duped into in-fighting over a piece of falsified intel, the titular "Janus Directive."

The last example I'll mention is the only other one that I think would actually fly as legitimate DCU connective tissue. Alton Janus was introduced in Justice League: Generation Lost as a minion of Maxwell Lord working as a King within the organization Checkmate. That group was made DCU official in Peacemaker, and James Gunn did seem to imply Checkmate tethers those worlds together. Although I'd rather see the actual organization making an impact, as opposed to just the Janus surname being the only tie-in.

Other minor examples exist, and I'm sure there are also some relevant details that I whiffed on mentioning earlier. So feel free to comment with any key info you all can think of, as well as your undying agreement with my thoughts.

Stay on the lookout for more answers, clues, easter eggs and more when Lanterns airs new episodes every Sunday night on HBO and HBO Max at 9:00 p.m. ET.

As Tom Holland’s fourth Spidey movie continues to crush at the box office five weeks after its release, I can’t help but think about his first solo outing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Spider-Man: Homecoming completely shifted tonal expectations for an MCU movie when it came out in 2017. And, when CinemaBlend spoke to the Homecoming screenwriters (who shared a delightful Ryan Reynolds story and more), they mentioned a memorable point the character’s own creator, Stan Lee, once made to them.

Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley were two of the scribes behind the screenplay for Tom Holland’s first Spider-Man movie. In terms of their approach to Peter Parker, Daley had this to say during our interview:

Homecoming feels like a John Hughes movies, which just happens to take place in the MCU. And, as the filmmakers told us, that was the result of staying true to one important element of the character, which Goldstein said he and Daly discussed with the late Lee:

While most people probably can’t relate to Tony Stark's status as an industrialist or Steve Rogers' position as a super soldier, everyone can see themselves in Spider-Man. And that was a guiding light for the writing partners while working on Homecoming. It’s essentially a high school movie about a character who also has superpowers and connections with an Avenger. However, he still has homework, awkward peer-related moments, insecurities and a big crush.

Of course, Stan Lee and his collaborators were insistent on maintaining the humanity of their characters while also emphasizing their extraordinary responsibilities. I'd say that Daly and Goldstein were smart to stick to that for their first MCU flick.

Almost a decade later, Tom Holland’s Peter Parker is still very much that hero in Brand New Day. For example, the movie even got attention from the autism community this time around, as many found their own ways to relate to Peter. But, if it wasn’t for the tone that Homecoming set, we simply wouldn’t be here with the beloved character. Goldstein also told us this about setting the tone:

Since their work on Homecoming, Goldstein and Daley have become powerhouse filmmakers. They’ve written and directed Game Night and Dungeons & Dragons (they’ve even written a sequel) and, now, they have their new movie, Mayday. Mayday stars Ryan Reynolds as an 1980s-era Air Force pilot, who crash lands in Soviet territory and forms an unlikely friendship with an ex-KGB agent played by Kenneth Branagh. You can check it out with an Apple TV subscription starting Friday September 4.

I'd still argue, however, that Spider-Man: Homecoming will remain a crowning jewel within their filmography. And I would imagine that experience is made even sweeter knowing that they were able to consult with "Stan The Man." Do yourself a favor and check out that first movie, which is streamable with a Disney+ subscription. Nuff said.

DCU co-chief James Gunn recently revealed his Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow wrapped filming, and the post sent fans down a speculation rabbit hole theorizing that Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor ends up on the prison planet Salvation. Given that location’s formal introduction in Peacemaker’s twisty Season 2 finale, and that Frank Grillo’s Rick Flag Sr. appears in MoT, fans are definitely still curious to learn whether John Cena’s vigilante is getting a Season 3 or not. And James Gunn’s latest response is a thinker.

No, like, I’m talking very literally in this case. When asked on Threads if there was any chance for Peacemaker Season 3, Gunn shared this no-word response:

Let me hurry up and play the devil's advocate Negative Nancy for this one before jumping into the far more enjoyable speculation. Gunn sharing a contemplation emoji on social media is hardly proof of anything, much less a confirmation that a new season of a TV show is potentially in the works. It could just be a blanketed indication that anything technically has a chance of happening.

As well, Gunn may have just been sharing a sense of confusion over why a fan asked about Peacemaker Season 3 as a comment under a fan's post arguing that Superman's hair is supposed to be blue (as "proven" by color shading in specific instances). Gunn responded in snarky agreement, saying he'd get Man of Tomorrow's VFX team to give David Corenswet's on-screen 'do a new hue, and joked that fans can look forward to a Superman Blue Cut coming soon. I admittedly like the idea of Gunn being genuinely confused by a left-field Peacemaker inquiry coming in.

Now let's get ride of all that negativity and focus on the optimistic side of things, where we can freely assume that the filmmaker was goading followers into getting excited about seeming more from Christopher Smith, Adebayo, Harcourt, Vigilante, Judomaster and there rest in new episodes. But as other fans also suggested in the comments, I don't think that Peacemaker Season 3 is the ideal way in, and I think the organization founded in the Season 2 finale should be where the DCU goes next.

Peacemaker's crew made the hugely important comic book connection in Season 2's finale by founding the covert ops outfit Checkmate. The agency was first created by Amanda Waller as a branch of Task Force X, but was later taken over by Harry Stein, and it's run using a chess-based hierarchy, with the leaders (Kings/Queens) tasking Rooks to plan out nefarious missions, which Bishops are required to carry out, while Pawns serve in a support position.

Gunn previously addressed the idea that Checkmate connects the stories of Peacemaker and Lanterns, so it's technically possible fans could see characters from the prior HBO Max series popping up in the current one. But even if not, it seems like the org could also be utilized in other projects down the line.

Considering Gunn & Co. are spinning the Jimmy Olsen-starring HBO Max series The People vs. Gorilla Grodd as a spinoff, it's not against the rules of normalcy that DC execs could want another signature streaming series in the mix that doesn't require an all-new cast and all-new characters. And I think most would agree that, at least in terms of the storytelling so far, Chris Smith didn't have a ton of open-ended storylines to dig into for a third season of Peacemaker, so it makes sense to me that the goal (if it exists) would be to make it more of a group-based project.

But just in case everything I said above is completely off-base, I'd like to also quietly agree with the one commenter who (assumedly jokingly) guessed that the emoji was a clue that the DC villain The Thinker will be a Season 3 antagonist. The internet should always be so clever.

Without a real clue of what John Cena's Chris will be up to in the coming years, we're hoping to see him in an upcoming DC movie or two, including Man of Tomorrow, which is hitting theaters in 2027 on July 9, 2027.

Chris Evans spent nearly a decade turning Steve Rogers into one of the defining superheroes of the MCU. But, of course, Captain America was not his first trip through new Marvel movie territory. Years before donning the shield, Evans was yelling “Flame on!” as Johnny Storm in two Fantastic Four films. Apparently, going back to the Human Torch after all those years required very little warming up. He even has a pretty funny take on playing that character compared to the Sentinel of Liberty.

Evans recently reflected on his surprise Deadpool & Wolverine return as Storm during an appearance at Fan Expo Boston. In a video from the convention posted on YouTube, the actor was asked what it was like to slip back into Johnny Storm nearly two decades after Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. He explained:

Steve Rogers is honorable, disciplined and (usually) focused on the greater good. Johnny Storm is the guy who would discover he can burst into flames and immediately start wondering how much attention he can get with it. The longtime Marvel Cinematic Universe star first played him in 2005's Fantastic Four and returned for Rise of the Silver Surfer in 2007, four years before Captain America: The First Avenger completely changed his career and put him down a different superhero movie path.

That history helped make his Deadpool & Wolverine appearance such a great fake-out. When Evans appeared, audiences had every reason to expect Captain America. Instead, Johnny shouted his old catchphrase and joined the collection of Fox-era Marvel characters Ryan Reynolds' movie gleefully dragged back into circulation. The Gray Man star clearly enjoyed being allowed to act like a jerk again.

Evans explained that spending so many years playing Steve eventually gave him a new appreciation for just how much freedom he once had as the Human Torch:

That makes complete sense. Captain America can be funny, and Evans got some fantastic jokes during his MCU run. However, Steve is still the guy everyone looks toward when the building is collapsing. Johnny can enter the same building and immediately start running his mouth. I can definitely understand why there would be something freeing about returning to a character whose internal filter barely exists.

Of course, the Red One actor isn't finished with Steve Rogers either. He's set to return in Avengers: Doomsday, after recently discussing how carefully he considered bringing the character back following Endgame. The movie hits the 2026 movie schedule on Dec. 18.

As someone who's watched every Marvel movie in release order since I was in middle school, obviously I love Steve Rogers. But, after hearing Chris Evans talk about Johnny, I'm starting to think I need to revisit his tenure as Storm, given those Fantastic Four flicks are streaming with a Disney+ subscription.

There's been a lot of emotional Marvel scenes over the years, like when MJ doesn’t remember Peter Parker at all in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, or Steve Rogers' last appearance as an old man in Avengers: Endgame. However, to me, nothing signified a shift in Marvel's tone more blatantly than Tom Holland’s death scene in Avengers: Infinity War. While it was only a temporary departure of that character, it was still extremely emotional, and truly one of the most memorable scenes in the MCU. Now, Robert Downey Jr. is opening up about filming the scene in 2017, and the acting chops Holland had that blew everyone away.

Downey and directors Joe and Anthony Russo opened up about filming Infinity War with CBR. At the time, it was a truly uncertain point for multiple MCU characters, as half of them disintegrated at the end of the film, with the future of their characters in question. Chris Pratt nobly volunteered to go first, infusing some humor into his death scene, but they also wanted to have a more gut-wrenching death as well. Thankfully, Holland was up for the task. Downey explained:

Not only did Holland’s performance break the hearts of the audience members who saw Infinity War in theaters, but it also broke the hearts of the Russo Brothers. They admitted to crying at the monitor during this scene because Holland’s boyish innocence made them think about their own kids. Downey also noted that this kind of emotional performance was a key for him to take a step back with his own, and let Holland command the scene. He said:

Joe Russo explained that while Holland had words like “I’m sorry” and “I don’t feel so good” in the script, direction really helped him get all the way there. He told Holland that his character, Peter Parker, was only 16 years old and wasn’t ready to go. The actor may now be playing Peter in his 30s, but Holland was only 21 when they were filming Infinity War. He took the note and delivered a gut-wrenching, childlike performance as he held Tony Stark, played by Downey. The Oscar winner was beyond impressed by the performance from such a young actor, saying:

It truly is a masterclass in acting. In that moment, the tone shifts completely, and the audience understands the true gravity of the situation. The heroes lost, and now they are dying. It also totally sets the tone for the dark place Avengers: Endgame stars in, raising the stakes for everything to come, including real character deaths that are even more permanent, like the passing of Black Widow and Tony Stark himself. It is a scene that rarely gets its flowers, and I’m glad this trio took the time to give Holland the praise he deserves for this performance.

You can revisit Tom Holland’s gut-wrenching performance in Avengers: Infinity War with a Disney+ subscription. Fans can also look forward to Robert Downey Jr. returning to the MCU for Avengers: Doomsday, which hits theaters on December 18, 2026.

It’s been six years since Hollywood and the world at large lost Chadwick Boseman, and many still feel the gravity of that loss. The beloved Black Panther star died on August 28, 2020 at the age of 43 following a private battle with colon cancer. Many continue to pay tribute to the late actor today, and that’s especially true when it comes to the anniversary of his death. This year, fans did that yet again, and joining them was David Jonsson, the new lead of the aforementioned Marvel franchise.

Jonsson is set to take on the role of T’Challa II in the upcoming Marvel movie Black Panther 3. So it’s incredibly fitting that the rising British actor would take a moment to pay tribute to the man whose footsteps he’s following in. The Rye Lane alum shared a post on his Instagram story, which included a sweet photo of Boseman doing the Wakanda salute during an event. Jonsson also added a tender caption to the post:

To say that I agree with the assertion that Boseman is an “inspiration” would be an understatement. For starters, the Get On Up star brought a regalness and an unparalleled sense of energy or restraint to his performances. Boseman not only inspired people through his work as an artist, though, as many marveled at the way in which he carried himself as a human being. He seemed to be a man of high character, and the same can definitely be said of his beloved Marvel Cinematic Universe character.

It was decided by Marvel and Black Panther franchise helmer Ryan Coogler that T’Challa wouldn’t be recast, and the character was killed off in 2022’s Wakanda Forever (which is streamable with a Disney+ subscription). That film serves not only as a continuation of the mythos but also as a tribute to both Boseman and his on-screen alter ego. Letitia Wright’s Shuri became Wakanda’s new protector, but many wondered what the reveal of T’Challa II (or Toussaint) at the end of Forever.

That answer finally came at San Diego Comic-Con 2026, during which David Jonsson’s casting was met with applause in Hall H. While fans like myself are excited to see what the Alien: Romulus star brings to the role, he also has support from his co-stars. Wright called the casting news “beautiful” and explained that she and Jonsson already had a personal connection. Also, M’Baku actor Winston Duke welcomed Jonsson not by giving him advice, but by giving him the space to spread his wings as a performer. Duke said that same “grace” was extended to him when he joined the franchise years ago.

So far, details on the third Black Panther movie are scarce, though Duke did vaguely hype Coogler’s approach to the work. Rumors, of course, have already begun to swirl around the film, and one piece of gossip suggests that Angela Bassett’s Ramonda will somehow appear following her much-discussed death in the previous movie.

Whatever happens, I’m confident that Ryan Coogler, David Jonsson and co. have something special planned for the Black Panther threequel. On top of that, it seems evident that they’ll not only seek to push the series forward but continue to honor Chadwick Boseman’s legacy as they do so. That combined with the various memories people still share about Boseman should help ensure that he’s never forgotten.

Lanterns is keeping the suspense and intrigue rolling on the 2026 TV schedule, as the DC TV series finally got to the root of Hal's big mission for the Green Lantern Corps. Somewhere in this town, a Manhunter is in hiding, and just when I thought I so obviously figured out who it was, I realized others had the same thought.

John Stewart is an odd case. While we saw he had a very bizarre and odd upbringing, he also has had some scenes that show he's become a pretty well-adjusted adult. I find it bizarre, almost alien, which had me thinking: Is he the Manhunter that Hal is looking for?

I Have A Theory John Stewart Is Actually The Manhunter Hal Is Looking For, And I'm Not Alone

I felt so smart for thinking that, but now I'm realizing, as I read more responses around the internet, that I'm not alone. In fact, it seems Lanterns deliberately set that up, with Sinestro putting Hal on his trainee's trail toward the end of the episode. Should Hal trust the villain that there's something sketchy about his partner, or is this just a villain trying to pit two Green Lanterns against each other?

I'll fess up to the fact that I initially thought this was all a lead-up to a reveal that John Stewart was actually J'onn J'onzz, the Martian Manhunter, but that hero is completely unrelated to the Manhunters that are enemies to the Green Lantern Corps. Plus, Aaron Pierre explicitly said he only wanted to play John Stewart, so it would be a pretty dirty misdirect to trade out the beloved character for another hero entirely. All that being said, is it possible for John Stewart to be a Green Lantern while also being a weapon for the Manhunters at the same time?

Did Lanterns Set This Up As A Red Herring?

I'm now of the mind that Lanterns deliberately puts the target on John, and that Hal will suspect he's a Manhunter. This not only keeps the series grounded on Earth as Hal is forced to further suss out his trainee, but also plays into any feelings he may have about passing the ring over to Stewart.

And yes, I said passing the ring, as TVLine points out that seems to be the new rule Lanterns establishes. John Stewart is seemingly trained from a young age to become Green Lantern and is being trained by Hal despite not having his own ring. In the flash-forward, we see neither has a ring, and Guy Gardner does in Superman, so can there only be one human with the ring at a time?

In any case, I expect Hal to grow increasingly suspicious of John, and maybe John to learn some things about himself he didn't know previously. Suffice to say, I'm glued to my HBO Max subscription on Sundays, because I'm committed to figuring out this mystery before it's explained to me on the show!

Maybe all my questions will be answered by the next episode of Lanterns, and I'll be down the rabbit hole on a whole new path. I won't be mad if so, because who doesn't love a good mystery mixed in with their superhero fun?

Sony Pictures once had plans for a ‘fresh reboot’ of the Spider-Man live-action universe. However, those plans seemed shaky at best after the underperformance of Madame Web and Kraven the Hunter at the box office. Ever since, I’ve been wondering what’s going on with Sony’s Marvel spin-offs, and someone finally asked an executive.

Chairman Tom Rothman spoke with Variety about the huge success of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and any plans Sony has for other Marvel characters. For the most part, I saw his answer coming. But the executive got straight to the point:

While the Venom trilogy with Tom Hardy did decent, until The Last Dance, other attempts for Sony haven’t done as well. However, the character is going to live again with Sony focusing on an animated movie starring the Spider-Man villain. Animation seems to be the direction the production company is leaning toward following the brutal reviews for S. J. Clarkson’s Madame Web and lackluster performance of J.C. Chandor’s Kraven the Hunter. (However, both movies have gotten a second life with streaming after doing well on Netflix.) Though there is no other details for the Venom project at this time.

Before these spin-offs, Sony also released Daniel Espinosa’s Morbius, starring Jared Leto, which also had negative reviews and didn’t do well at theaters. Given these iffy box office performances, it put the future of the Sony-Marvel projects up in the air. But now, Rothman gives us an answer:

This may be a disappointment for some, but I have some good news. The animated Spider-Verse is continuing with Beyond the Spider-Verse on the slate for Sony’s upcoming 2027 releases. The movie seems to be a tentative conclusion for the trilogy. However, there are rumored spin-offs, Spider-Punk and Spider-Gwen, in development.

Additionally, the enjoyable Nicholas Cage-led Spider-Noir did well with audiences. Though we don’t know if there will be a Season 2 for the series. As for Tom Holland’s future as Spider-Man, Rothman “doesn’t know at this point,” but he “certainly hopes” to keep the actor for another sequel in the future. And the company does have other non-Marvel upcoming 2026 movies, such as Jumanji: Open World, coming out.

While there's nothing new in development for live-action spin-offs, I'm confident they'll have success with Beyond the Spider-Verse. And then maybe we can see that world expand.

We're still early in the life of the DCU, with co-CEO James Gunn methodically releasing projects in theaters and streaming with an HBO Max subscription. There are countless rumors about upcoming DC movies, one of the most popular being that Adria Arjona might be playing Wonder Woman in Man of Tomorrow. The actress recently spoke about getting into shape for her mysterious role in that blockbuster, and the speculation about who she's playing probably isn't going to quiet down anytime soon.

Man of Tomorrow started filming back in April, and fans are curious about what'll go down and what heroes pop up throughout its runtime. Ever since it was revealed she was cast, there's been a popular fan theory that Arjona might be playing Wonder Woman. During an interview with ScreenRant about her new movie Onslaught, the Andor actress stayed tight-lipped about her role, but spoke about the physical transformation she's been making for the movie. In her words:

Well, this is certainly intriguing. Since Adria Arjona is getting so ripped for Man of Tomorrow, one would assume that she's got a physically demanding role. Whether or not she's actually Wonder Woman remains to be seen, but I think we should expect her to get into some action sequences either way. Fingers crossed that we learn more about her role sooner rather than later.

Folks who spent years watching the DC movies in order have been curious about which actors will play major heroes in the newly formed DCU. Gal Gadot was the Wonder Woman of the former shared universe, but that mantle will presumably go to someone else. Later in the same interview, Arjona shared how excited she is to be reunited with James Gunn, who previously directed her in the horror flick The Belko Experiment. In her words:

While her Man of Tomorrow role is still a mystery, Adria Arjona has already gotten the ropes of guarding against spoilers. It seems she doesn't want to join the ranks of superhero actors like Tom Holland, who is known for accidentally letting details slip. Only time will tell who she actually ends up playing in the Superman sequel, but smart money says the Wonder Woman chatter will continue into the foreseeable future.

Gal Gadot was famously the first live-action Wonder Woman on the big screen, debuting in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice before reprising her role in two Wonder Woman movies, both versions of Justice League, and a cameo in The Flash. Whoever takes on the role next will have some big shoes to fill, whether or not it's actually Arjona.

All will be revealed when Man of Tomorrow hits theaters on July 9th, 2027. First up is Adria Adjona's new A24 movie Onslaught, which will be released September 4th as part of the 2026 movie release list.

I’ll never forget when I heard Robert Downey Jr. was going to be in Avengers: Doomsday. It happened at the Hall H Marvel panel at 2024’s San Diego Comic-Con when the Iron Man actor surprised the audience with the reveal. It was the perfect viral moment to get fans hyped for the next Avengers movie after what happened with Kang. But I just got a reminder recently that not everyone is terminally online like I am.

My Dad Has No Idea About RDJ In Doomsday

Growing up, my dad was the one who got me into comic books and superheroes. We’ve seen most of the Marvel movies in order together over the years, too. I mean, I was twelve when Iron Man came out, so there’s been plenty of daddy/daughter bonding with the MCU. Now my dad is 67 years old, and these days he’s not spending his time scrolling social media, reading the latest on all the Marvel rumors and thinkpieces.

Recently, when I went to see him, we watched The Fantastic Four: First Steps together, which is streaming right now with a Disney+ subscription. When we got to the Doctor Doom tease at the end, something dawned on me… he has no idea RDJ is under that mask. I proceeded to show him the latest Doomsday trailer and realized he doesn’t have to know (and probably won’t) until the movie comes out.

Honestly, I Wish That Was Me Too

There was a moment during our visit when I asked him if he wanted to know who Doctor Doom is, but he declined. I think he made the right move. I actually hope he never finds out until the movie makes the reveal somehow.

I mean, how cool is it going to be for him to experience Doomsday without an awareness that Iron Man is the Avengers' latest greatest villain? Certainly, for most of the movie the team of superheroes won’t have any idea. There has to be a scene when Downey uncovers his mask somehow, and everyone looks in shock and surprise. While I’ll have been anticipating this for years, and probably be let down somehow thanks to all the piled up excitement, but my dad is going to be just as much in disbelief as the likes of Thor or Captain America.

I assume Doomsday has a lot more surprises in store for fans than the Doctor Doom unmasking (which isn’t much of a surprise for most), but now I’m thinking about how much fun it would have been if Marvel never revealed Downey was Doctor Doom. I see why they did it. Too many leaks spoil Marvel surprises all the time, and having RDJ help promote your movie is a great thing to have in your arsenal if you want people to show up for the fifth Avengers movie. But, yeah… I’m jealous of my pops!

I mean, if anything, maybe this is a good reason for me to go see it with him. And maybe you should take note and find your closest family member who doesn’t pay attention to the internet. If you do, you have until December 18 to find your offline Doomsday buddy.

In less than four months we’ll see Earth's Mightiest Heroes take on their first big villain since Thanos in Avengers: Doomsday. While we wait for the latest of new Marvel movies, it’s definitely worth looking back at what made the last two Avengers films great: its villain. And the movies’ co-director Joe Russo recently compared him to another famous big bad I wouldn’t have thought of myself.

Thanos has definitely done the most damage in the MCU considering he snapped half of the universe from existence. He had the Avengers defeated for five years before those who were left were able to come together and reverse what he did. When looking back at the evildoer to CBR, Russo said this:

Whoa, what a statement! Anton Chigurh is Javier Bardem’s character in 2007’s No Country For Old Men, which is based on the novel of the same name. And you know what, I see it.

Anton Chigurh is characterized as a man who’s especially chilling to us because he’s someone who doesn’t feel remorse or compassion. And as a hitman, he’ll pretty much kill anyone who stands in the way of him. He’s a total psychopath. The villain was actually named one the best movie characters of all time (via Empire) last year.

Thanos’ mission of killing half the population in the universe due to his experiences on Titan. His failure to see how much pain and death he inflicts because of it is very Anton Chigurh. I think because the movies are in completely different genres, I wouldn’t have thought of the connection. But funny enough, there is one: Josh Brolin’s character of Llewelyn Moss is obviously the main protagonist of No Country For Old Men.

When it comes to Brolin taking on Thanos, it looks very different on set than on the big screen. As the actor said it before, he’s in a “fucking onesie” when he plays the role and really has to “rely on your imagination.” Here’s what Robert Downey Jr. said about getting to work with the actor as Thanos:

What a great compliment to Brolin, who was fantastic as Thanos in the MCU. You can watch all the Avengers movies right now with a Disney+ subscription, and see Avengers: Endgame back on the big screen starting September 25, 2026. Downey has quite the act to follow as he takes on the next villain role of Doctor Doom, but something tells me he’s going to deliver.

Tom Holland and Zendaya are just married. Despite the rumor mill and the coincidence that was Zendaya method dressing for her hit 2026 movie release The Drama, Law Roach and finally the couple themselves confirmed the nuptials happened. It was about time, too, as the game of talking around it was starting to get a little stale.

What’s not stale? Holland his partner (nicknamed Maree by the Spidey star)’s full romance timeline. It’s amazing they’ve been spending time together for over a decade, now, and managed to maintain a lovely, private, but fully blossoming romance while still spending a ton of time in the public eye. This is how they did it.

Mid-Late 2016: Remember When Both Stars Were Very Active On Instagram?

Tom Holland and Zendaya made their big screen debut together in Spider-Man: Homecoming. That one came out in 2017, but as often happens with big movie releases, it actually started filming quite a bit earlier. Zendaya and Tom Holland actually had a lot of heartwarming moments on the press, starting in the summer of 2016 when the movie filmed and continuing ahead of release.

At the time, they couldn’t have known what was ahead from both career and relationship standpoints.

July, 2017 – Rumors Start To Spread About Them Dating (Plus, Lip Sync Battle)

Tom Holland and Zendaya filmed Spider-Man: Homecoming together a year prior to the release of the actual Marvel movie, but from early on after Z was confirmed to play MJ, there were plenty of rumors flying around about their relationship. At the time of the flick’s release, an insider seemingly confirmed (via People) they’d been seeing one another for a while.

That month, Holland and Zendaya also famously appeared on the popular series Lip Sync Battle, otherwise known as the episode where Tom Holland dressed in drag and performed Rihanna’s "Umbrella." People still ask the actor about his Lip Sync Battle to this day, and it’s clear from the appearance the two were spending time together.

August, 2017: Zendaya Says That They're Just Friends

Per usual, Zendaya liked to throw a little water on the fire. A month after rumors ran around they might very well be seeing one another, she dissented saying in a famous interview with interview with Variety they were “just friends.”

Listen, Zendaya, I’ve seen that Ryan Reynolds movie and I know how it ends.

May, 2018: Met Gala Momentum

In May of 2018, Zendaya was seen in armor for “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination.” She’s been in wilder outfits at this point, including her Dune C3P0 armor, but out the time this was pretty outlandish for the star, and a very memorable celebrity fashion moment. Tom Holland didn’t attend with her, but he did say the following on social media:

They were leaving breadcrumbs at this point, but very much in the pal "mate" phase on social media.

June, 2019: Peter and MJ Shared Their First On-Screen Kiss In Spider-Man: Far From Home

Tom Holland and Zendaya were not officially confirmed to be together when they filmed Spider-Man: Far From Home. In fact, we were more than a year away from a confirmation at this point, but MJ and Peter Parker taking things a step forward certainly did nothing to dissuade the rumor mill.

Jul-Sept, 2021: Tom Holland And Zendaya In A Car, K-I-S-S-I-N-G (+ Instagram Official)

By 2021, the rumors Zendaya and Tom Holland had gone on date nights seemed pretty substantial, and were seemingly confirmed when Page Six caught them kissing in a car in July of that year. Would Tom Holland and Zendaya have confirmed they were dating otherwise? We'll probably never know, because they were caught.

With the cat out of the bag, just a couple of months later, Tom Holland celebrated Zendaya's birthday with this cool post:

In 2021, a lot of famous a-listers were still frequent posters and Holland was no exception. He's said several times over the past few years he'll delete Instagram on his phone for his mental health. There are some exceptions, like specifically popping on for a Bero campaign, etc, but he was much more online still around this time.

October, 2021: Zendaya Shared What She Likes About Tom Holland

If this were a Zendaya article, I'd be talking about her awesome In Style cover. It's bomb.com, but what she said inside about her new beau Tom Holland was the real page-turner.

I have seen separate footage of Tom Holland offering Zendaya a Jaffa Cake, and in no way, shape or form, does she sound British.

January, 2022: The One Where We Thought Tom Holland Would Cameo In Euphoria

By 2022, the two were posting about one another on social media on the regular for releases like Spider-Man: No Way Home or other events when Zendaya looked stunning on the red carpet. In January of that year, Zendaya also spilled the beans about Tom Holland popping by the Euphoria set during Season 2. At the time, she even teased a cameo in an interview with Access Hollywood, noting, "Maybe we can get him in the background of a shot eventually."

Chloe Cherry later confirmed to CinemaBlend he would just pop by, telling us:

There was a long period of time when I hoped this cameo would happen, but given the way Euphoria Season 3 ended, that feels unlikely now.

Feb, 2022-Early 2023: The Two Glowed On The Red Carpet (And At Other Events)

As often happens with a-lister celebrity couples, Tom Holland and Zendaya were mostly noted for their work and their red carpet appearances in 2022 and 2023. They were firmly together in the public eye at this point and were photographed together for all of the Spider-Man promotional stuff at the end of 2021. In 2022, Holland's blockbuster Uncharted debuted, and Zendaya was seen holding hands with him in New York around the time he was doing press. They visited the Louvre and also reportedly took a trip to see Usher in Mumbai.

Closer to home, they were photographed together during a Los Angeles Lakers vs. the Golden State Warriors game in May of 2023. The two got around. During this period, Tom Holland also famously got sober.

June, 2023: Tom Holland Opened Up About Keeping Their Relationship Private

In 2023, Tom Holland first got candid about taking initiative to keep his relationship with Zendaya private. He said at the time:

This was the first time he really got candid about their philosophy. However, In the time since, this has become a common theme for both stars. Zendaya spoke about this again a few years later when she confirmed she likes to keep things under lock and key so the Internet doesn't catch wind of it.

February, 2024: Tom Holland And Zendaya Perfected Privacy In The Moment With Dune 2

We know Tom Holland and Zendaya like privacy, and while they often have to do red carpets together when they star in the same movie, when it is their time to shine, they have a system. This was reported on in a big way with Dune 2 when Zendaya walked the red carpet alone, and Tom Holland joined her at the afterparty following the event in Leicester Square in which she donned her now-infamous armored look. Way to have your cake and eat it too.

January, 2025: Tom Holland And Zendaya Got Engaged!

While rumors began spreading at the 2025 Golden Globes thanks to the rock on Zendaya's finger, and independent outlets seemingly confirmed it, Tom Holland’s father actually confirmed the couple got engaged a short time later. He said it happened over the holidays, and that his son had done the traditional thing and asked for permission from Zendaya's dad in advance. So, it didn't take long for this cat to be out of the bag.

March, 2026: A Real Wedding Or Just The Drama?

In March of 2026, an insider said Tom Holland and Zendaya had gotten married. She was seen out in public for weeks with a ring on her finger, but the story was muddied a bit due to Zendaya wearing a slew of wedding-themed clothing for her movie The Drama with Robert Pattinson. Was it method dressing at its finest or a hint she was already married? You can definitely say she brought the drama to the press tour.

Her famous stylist eventually confirmed we weren't going to get to see Zendaya's dress because they were already married. That put the rumor mill to rest, mostly, but thankfully Holland also admitted AI photos running around didn't phase (most of) his family because they'd all been at his real wedding. He also joked about his wedding on The Odyssey press tour, taking some pressure off the question.

August, 2026: The Summer Of Tom Holland And Zendaya Continues With A Second Wedidng

We'd been talking about it being a big summer for Tom Holland and Zendaya well before all of the marriage rumors came down the pipeline. With all of the press tour work the two did for The Odyssey and then Spider-Man: Brand New Day the couple had been together a lot over the summer months. There were interviews. There were photocalls. There were red carpets. There was a lot of press work, but after it was all over, the couple also opted for a second wedding.

This one people found out about the weekend it happened at the Beaverbrook Hotel near their home in London. I'm not sure if the leak was intentional or an accident, but fans were happy to hear some of the details this time. It certainly put the wedding rumors to rest for good.

Tom Holland and Zendaya both turn 30 this year, and still have a lot of life ahead of them. For now, we're sending our congrats to the happy couple and a hope for many felicitous returns.

Tom Holland’s Spider-Man franchise couldn’t be in a better place these days. Its latest movie, Brand New Day, has become the highest-grossing 2026 movie release in the world, and fans love it, too! But, there was a time when Sony was having Spidey troubles, and sadly Shailene Woodley’s cut role as Mary Jane Watson was a casualty. The actress just talked about what happened exactly with her Amazing Spider-Man past.

If you were following along with The Amazing Spider-Man movies back in the early 2010s, you probably know Woodley was cast as Mary Jane Watson. She was even seen on the set of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (red hair and all) filming a scene with Andrew Garfield. But, it never made it to the big screen. Here’s how things went down, per Woodley:

Whoa, three scenes! That’s rather sizable. Woodley reflected on the Spider-Man role that got away during a career retrospective with the SAG-AFTRA Foundation. As she added:

Woodley was 21 years old at the time, and had recently had awards buzz for her role in The Descendants with George Clooney. The movie earned her a meeting with The Amazing Spider-Man director Marc Webb, which led to her booking the role of MJ. However, ultimately, it was apparently decided that they wouldn’t introduce Peter Parker’s new love interest so soon after Emma Stone’s Gwen Stacy dies in TASM2 until the planned third movie.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 left a lot of unresolved things, which never had the chance to be explored. Sony scrapped The Amazing Spider-Man 3 back in February 2015. A few months later, Tom Holland was cast as Spider-Man and the character joined the MCU. Woodley also said this about her cut role:

Based on what we know about the fall of Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man and the rise of Tom Holland’s version had very little to do with the actors part of them. At the time, Sony initially hoped to launch an expanded universe to compete with the MCU that involved Spider-Man spinoff films. After TASM2 wasn’t well received, it instead led to a deal between Sony and Marvel Studios.

Ultimately, Andrew Garfield had the chance to return to the role of Spider-Man for 2021’s No Way Home alongside Tobey Maguire and Tom Holland. As for Shailene Woodley, Mary Jane Watson role, we’ll always wonder what that could have been like. Where’s the justice for her?

Though the superhero movie rumor mill may be currently inundated with hearsay about Avengers: Doomsday ahead of the 2026 film’s release date, there is more than enough Man of Tomorrow speculation about the cast and more to go around , and I’m sure those conversations will only become more prominent as the months pass. As such, it’s always a plus when director James Gunn gives fans updates directly from the set.

Case in point: Gunn dropped quite the doozy by revealing that principal photography has now concluded for the Superman sequel, which kicked off production in April. That’ll allow for nearly a full year of pre-production and additional filming ahead of the upcoming DC movie’s release date of July 9, 2027, and is definitely worth celebrating for the cast, crew and fandom. I only wish I had a setting as gorgeous as they did to engage in such celebrating, as seen in the theory-sparking post seen below.

Nothing like a dip in some lovely waters to de-Lex Luthorize yourself. Or at least that's what I read in a book somewhere, as I'm not Lex Luthor myself. [Whistles menacingly...I mean innocently.] But wait! Is this really just an innocent look at the film's co-star cooling off, or could it possibly be a clue for the end of the entire movie?

I know, I know. It's probably the former. But here to make the case for the latter point is The James Gunn Instagram Post Comment Section. (Available to perform at weddings and other events.) Quite a few people chimed in with questions, assumptions and confident declarations that the filmmaker's pics imply that Man of Tomorrow will end with Lex Luthor being sent(enced) to the Salvation prison dimension that Peacemaker Season 2 ended on.

Comments For Salvation

• oh Lex Luthor sending to Planet Salvation? 🤔 - @alexandrematiasreal
• Salvation? - @mike_h849
• Is that where i think it could be 👀☮️ - @yvngbadger71
• That has to be Salvation - @venomhology
• Lex in salvation as the ending shot?
  Yeah I need the peak - @sanvidvaidya
• Oh this forest is DEFINITELY Salvation. - @helio.hd
• What the ?!??!? Was Lex thrown onto Salvation? - @sherry.dongg
• I would call these photos major quasi-spoilers, but I’ve been assuming said location since the ‘Peacemaker’ S2 (series??) finale. - @docdaytona_108
• Wheres my goat peacemaker - @ujjwalrko619

Could this location surrounding Gunn and his all-star crew potentially be one where Salvation-set scenes were filmed? Sure, in that it's outside in lush nature and not in the concrete jungle of Metropolis or the desolate cold surrounding the Fortress of Solitude. But it could also...just be somewhere outdoors on Earth. There's plenty of that kind of thing here, after all.

Also, I guess James Gunn could have filmed the last shot of the movie on the last day of production, and then felt safe enough to share that exact location with his social media followers, despite all of his efforts to keep spoilers as limited as possible. But is that really the most likely way that things went?

Even if this location is filmed to be Salvation in Man of Tomorrow, I highly doubt that the movie will end with Lex being sent there, if only because I don't for a second think that Gunn would show us anything this early that could realistically lead to such presumptions. So if I have to make an argument for the Salvation comments, I'd rather hope to see Lex and others show up on the pocket planet to find Peacemaker and bring him into the fight against Brainiac.

If Lanterns' John Stewart is in the mix, and also maybe possibly Blue Beetle, I don't see why John Cena's skull-crushing vigilante should be left out.

To lean even more into the conspiracy theory-ness of it all, look at the two DCU stars who commented on the post:

• STEVE AGEE: 👏👏
• ROBERT PATRICK: 👏👏👏

Both are Peacemaker stars, naturally. I don't want to go all-in on theorizing that one or more other stars from the show will be in Man of Tomorrow, but this would be a good starting point if I did. Or I guess Gunn's wife Jennifer Holland would be the best starting point. In any case, I still don't wanna.

Man of Tomorrow is set to join a bunch of other 2027 releases when it hits theaters on July 9.

Tom Holland's Peter Parker probably wasn't trying to become the world's biggest box office while trying to stop Sadie Sink's Jean Gray from mentally taking over New York City, but that's exactly what's been happening since Destin Daniel Cretton's Spider-Man; Brand New Day nearly hit $1 billion in its first week in theaters. It remained in the top spot the next week, as well as each week after that. And it looks like James Cameron's Titanic is the next box office king the webslinger will soon bypass.

First released in 1997 (and then later for limited theatrical rereleases), Titanic has been the lone pre-2000 holdout in the Top 10 highest global box office earners, with Star Wars: The Phantom Menace as the only other '90s movie in the Top 25. But the historical romantic drama will almost definitely get overtaken soon by Brand New Day, the second-fastest movie to reach $2 billion. Meaning the disaster flick will at last get ousted from its lofty spot in the Top 5. Here are the most current tracking totals:

Top 10 Worldwide Lifetime Grosses

1. Avatar - $2.923,710,708
2. Avengers: Endgame - $2,799,439,100
3. Avatar: The Way of Water - $2,334,484,620
4. Ne Zha 2 - $2,270,700,370
5. Titanic - $2,264,812,968
6. Spider-Man: Brand New Day - $2,223,400,177
7. Star Wars: The Force Awakens - $2,071,310,218
8. Avengers: Infinity War - $2,052,415,039
9. Spider-Man: No Way Home - $1,921,426,073
10. Zootopia 2 - $1,866,647,950

As it's made clear, Brand New Day is the only 2026 movie release in the Top 10, though Christopher Nolan's billion-dollar baby The Odyssey is in the #19 slot. And unless a completely unpredictable and unexplainable dearth of Spidey ticket sales is suddenly reported all around the planet, the newest MCU movie could potentially slide up into the #5 spot sooner than you might think.

Check out this math: if we note Spider-Man: Brand New Day's earliest global release date as July 29, and divide its current grosses by the 28 days that have passed since, the movie is averaging a completely bonkers total of over $12.8 million per day.

As such, since it's less than $42 million behind Titanic, Brand New Day could take over that fifth position by the time the weekend gets here. To take it a step further, the movie would only need to earn $7-8 million more to usurp the #3 ranking from the Chinese blockbuster Ne Zha 2. It's still $700 million behind Avatar, though. I'm not saying that's an impossible feat or anything, but it may take another two or three weeks to get there.

The massive box office success isn't just a huge win for Marvel Studios and Disney. Tom Holland himself worked out a stellar deal for his fourth standalone Spidey movie, earning $20 million up front, with a backend agreement that likely puts his total earnings at north of $100 million, without a capped ceiling for said bonus.

Of course, I don't think anyone will be surprised if Titanic later falls down to #7 on the all-time Top 10 list after the upcoming Marvel movie Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters in December. If any superhero movie can somehow steal the 2026 box office crown from Peter Parker, it'd be one fronted by Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom.

When it comes to upcoming Marvel movies, Mahershala Ali’s Blade is a title that fans have been discussing and hoping for since it was announced back in 2019. Unfortunately, the production has seen its share of starts and stops. At this point, it seems as though the movie is now dead, and many have expressed disappointment. One fan even recently went as far as to claim Marvel fumbled Ali twice due to his abbreviated role on Luke Cage, but the show’s creator set the record straight.

Years before Ali signed on to play the Daywalker, he portrayed the slippery Cornell “Cottonmouth” Stokes during the first season of Luke Cage. Cottonmouth became a favorite amongst the fans and even the series’ cast as well and, because of that, there was an uproar when viewers witnessed Cornell’s death in Episode 7. Considering Ali’s brief tenure on the show, one X user assumed Marvel Television wasted him. However, Cheo Hodrari Coker reposted the message and provided some serious context:

So it seems there’s far more to this story than meets the eye. I honestly was sad to see Ali (and his character) exit the show so early, but I can understand the star’s conditions for signing on. While Ali remains booked and busy today, he was really in demand around the time Cage was in development. So it would’ve been nearly impossible for Coker, Marvel and co. to lock him down for a long-term TV gig. (And, as mentioned, he also would’ve lost out on the film that earned him his second Academy Award.)

So it seems there’s far more to this story than meets the eye. I honestly was sad to see Ali (and his character) exit the show so early, but I can understand the star’s conditions for signing on. While Ali remains booked and busy today, he was really in demand around the time Cage was in development. So it would’ve been nearly impossible for Coker, Marvel and co. to lock him down for a long-term TV gig. (And, as mentioned, he also would’ve lost out on the film that earned him his second Academy Award.)

I was very excited to see Mahershala Ali play Blade (a.k.a. Eric Brooks) in great part due to his stellar performance as Stokes. After the project was announced, it changed hands amongst a number of directors and screenwriters. The production’s setbacks have had some serious ramifications, and they even had an effect on Blade’s inclusion in Marvel Zombies (an animated series). All the while, fans haven’t held back their thoughts on the movie’s apparent demise, and neither has its leading man.

Ali – who made a vocal cameo as Blade in 2021’s Eternals – recently spoke about his superhero film’s reported cancellation. The A-lister sought to show “no offense” towards Marvel Studios, but he opined that if the vampire hunter were to return to the big screen, then it wouldn’t be with him. Ali also stated that “for whatever reason, that project is not for me” and that if the studio “wanted to do it, we would've done it.” For his part, studio head honcho Kevin Feige said he felt like a “failure” for not getting the movie off the ground.

It’s unfortunate that it doesn’t look like Mahershala Ali will get to wield his sword and take on fanged bloodsuckers on the big screen. Fans can debate on their own whether the Blade situation represents a fumble. However, when it comes to Ali’s first MCU character, Cheo Hodari Coker makes it crystal clear that no one dropped the ball on that front.

On that note, check out Ali’s work on Luke Cage by streaming the show with a Disney+ subscription.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a well-oiled machine at this point, consistently treating folks to new content in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. But while folks who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order have been treated to the shiny final product, actually making each upcoming Marvel movie is far more challenging. And The Russo Brothers recently got real about how difficult it is to please all of the A-listers involved in the Avengers movies.

What we know about Avengers: Doomsday is limited, but moviegoers are hyped that the Russos are once again behind the camera. During an interview with CBR about their work on Infinity War, Joe Russo spoke about a unique challenge to the crossover films: making sure that the cast is happy. In his words,

Honestly, I never thought of this. Since The Russo Brothers filmed Infinity War and Endgame back to back, I assumed that the biggest challenge was the mere scope of those movies, and the scheduling puzzle that it must be to get the cast together. But the directors are also careful to make sure that the starring cast feels good about their character's stories, and that the titles are fulfiling for the talent. Is anyone else's head spinning?

Luckily, The Russo Brothers are accomplished filmmakers who are behind some of the best Marvel movies of all time. While they bring spectacle and action to projects like Captain America: The Winter Soldier and their Avengers flicks, they're rooted in emotionally-driven stories. And I have to assume that's a big reason why the cast was able to feel a sense of accomplishment and pride in their work.

Joe Russo's comments have me thinking about the size of the Avengers: Doomsday cast. If it's hard to make sure all the actors are happy, then it must have been even more challenging for their next blockbuster. After all, there are entire teams of heroes in the movie, namely the Avengers, New Avengers, Fantastic Four, and the OG stars of the X-Men movies. Add in the return of Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans, and that's a ton of characters to service and actors to keep happy.

Of course, The Russos have lots of goodwill from both the actors and Marvel fans thanks to their acclaimed work on the shared universe so far. Still, reading the above comments are sure to alter the way I Watch the new Avengers movies.

Avengers: Doomsday will hit theaters December 18th as part of the 2026 movie release list. For now, fans can re-watch the Russo Brothers' previous MCU credits over on Disney+.

It's almost time. Avengers: Doomsday is coming on the heels of the wildly successful Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The upcoming Marvel movie will be the first movie to feature most of The Avengers since 2019's Avengers: Endgame, and it promises to be a star-studded affair.

Because this 39th installment of the long-running franchise of acclaimed superhero movies is finally bringing in one of the most feared villains in comic book history, Doctor Doom, Kevin Feige and his team are assembling a collection of heroes unlike anything the MCU has seen before. There are familiar faces, newcomers, and even a few people from other corners of the Marvel multiverse who have not been properly introduced into the MCU. Let’s get into who is avenging this time and what else we know about the upcoming superhero movie in the following guide to Avengers: Doomsday.

What Is The Avengers: Doomsday Release Date?

Avengers: Doomsday is set to hit theaters on December 18, 2026.

That date coincides with the release of Dune: Part 3 on the same day of the 2026 movie schedule, and fans have taken to calling it "Dunesday." It's set up a perfect double feature for hardcore movie fans, though it's going to make for a long day, as it's expected both movies will have runtimes around the two-and-a-half-to-three-hour mark.

Avengers: Doomsday Trailer

After years of anticipation, an epic cast reveal, a brief appearance by Doom in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and a series of teasers featuring different characters, our first real look at Avengers: Doomsday came in July 2026 with the release of the first full trailer. Of course, it was talked about as much for what it didn't show as what it did.

What Avengers: Doomsday Is About

Here's basically what we know: Avengers: Doomsday will bring together superhero teams from across the multiverse who will converge in one place to battle Doctor Doom. For the first time, the biggest teams in the Marvel canon will be teaming up in the MCU, including The Avengers, The Fantastic Four, The New Avengers (or The Thunderbolts), and last but certainly not least, The X-Men.

Previously, the plot of the fifth Avengers film was intended to revolve around a different villain and was going to be called Avengers: The Kang Dynasty before Kang the Conqueror actor Jonathan Majors was dropped by Marvel in 2023 following high-profile legal troubles.

The Avengers: Doomsday Cast

As you would expect, the cast for Avengers: Doomsday is huge. The first announcement came way back in the summer of 2024 at San Diego Comic Con. The Hall H crowd erupted into a roar of excitement and confusion when it was revealed that Robert Downey Jr. is returning to the MCU, but not as Iron Man. Instead, the Academy Award winner is the one putting the “doom” in Avengers: Doomsday by starring as Victor von Doom/Doctor Doom.

In March of 2025, Marvel Studios revealed who would be taking on Doom with a live-streamed video on X, which is now available on YouTube, lasting more than five hours. Foldout chairs bearing the actors’ names were placed next to each other, one by one, every 15 minutes. In addition to established veterans of the franchise, the previewed ensemble also includes the stars of the yet-to-be-released Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four: First Steps, as well as a few who are making their MCU debuts but not their Marvel debuts, having previously starred in the live-action X-Men movies.

Check out the full Avengers: Doomsday cast, complete with character names, below:

• Robert Downey Jr. (Victor von Doom / Doctor Doom)
• Chris Hemsworth (Thor)
• Chris Evans (Steve Rogers)
• Patrick Stewart (Charles Xavier / Professor X)
• Ian McKellen (Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto)
• Anthony Mackie (Sam Wilson / Captain America)
• Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes)
• Letitia Wright (Shuri / Black Panther)
• Channing Tatum (Remy LeBeau / Gambit)
• Pedro Pascal (Reed Richards / Mister Fantastic)
• Paul Rudd (Scott Lang / Ant-Man)
• Rebecca Romijn (Raven Darkhölme / Mystique)
• James Marsden (Scott Summers / Cyclops)
• Tom Hiddleston (Loki)
• Vanessa Kirby (Sue Storm / Invisible Woman)
• Simu Liu (Xu Shang-Chi)
• Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova)
• Hayley Atwell (Peggy Carter)
• Wyatt Russell (John Walker / U.S. Agent)
• Tenoch Huerta (Namor)
• Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Ben Grimm / The Thing)
• Kelsey Grammer (Hank McCoy / Beast)
• Lewis Pullman (Bob / Sentry)
• Danny Ramirez (Joaquin Torres / Falcon)
• Joseph Quinn (Johnny Storm / Human Torch)
• David Harbour (Alexei Shostakov / Red Guardian)
• Winston Duke (M'Baku)
• Hannah John-Kamen (Ava Starr / Ghost)
• Alan Cumming (Kurt Wagner / Nightcrawler)

There are a few names you might be wondering about who aren't on that list. There are a few actors who have not been officially confirmed for Doomsday, but there is speculation that at least some of them will appear. This includes Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Strange, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool, and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. Also not on the list is Tom Holland as Spider-Man, and that's because it's very unclear if he'll be in Doomsday or only in the sequel, Avengers: Secret War. There is a lot of chatter that Tobey Maguire may appear as his version of Peter Park/Spider-Man in Doomsday.

Avengers: Secret Wars Is Coming December 17, 2027

Joe and Anthony Russo revealed to Omelete that, while Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame were two halves of a finale to the MCU’s first saga, Avengers: Doomsday will be the first half of a new beginning for the franchise. Avengers: Secret Wars will drop on the 2027 movie schedule next December and will mark the end of Marvel Phase Six and the Multiverse Saga overall.

The sixth Avengers movie shares its name with the aforementioned comic book arc, which ran for 12 issues from 1984 to 1985, in which an omnipotent being called the Beyonder brings various heroes and villains (including Doctor Doom) to the planet Battleworld and pits them against each other like gladiators.

All of this was potentially hinted at in the post-credits scene on Spider-Man: Brand New Day and could explain why Tom Holland won't be in Doomsday, as his version of Spidey is now trapped on Battleworld.

Joe And Anthony Russo Are Directing Avengers: Doomsday

Some of the titles considered to be the absolute best Marvel Cinematic Universe movies include Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame – all of which are directed by Joe and Anthony Russo. The brotherly duo previously claimed they would be walking away from the franchise for good after their 2019 smash, but it looks like you should never say never. The Russos are directing both Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, which, according to Variety, was a top condition for Robert Downey Jr.’s return.

After most recently working with the Russos as the co-writer for their Netflix original movies, The Gray Man and The Electric State, Stephen McFeely is reteaming with them to pen Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars. He had previously written several classic MCU movies, including Endgame, with his frequent partner, Christopher Markus, but this will be his first solo effort with the franchise. Loki creator Michael Waldron was previously serving as the screenwriter when Daniel Destin Cretton was still on board as the director.

What To Watch In Anticipation Of Doomsday

You still have plenty of time to catch up on or revisit all of the Marvel movies in order before Avengers: Doomsday is released if you are up for it. However, Disney and Marvel have also released a list of MCU shows and movies that they say are essential viewing, and thankfully, it's much shorter than diving into everything!

All you need is a Disney+ subscription, and you can watch everything recommended.

• X-Men
• X-Men 2
• Captain America: The First Avenger
• The Avengers
• Avengers: Infinity War
• Avengers: Endgame
• Loki Seasons 1 and 2
• Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
• Spider-Man: No Way Home
• Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
• Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness
• Deadpool and Wolverine
• Captain America: Brave New World
• Thunderbolts*
• The Fantastic Four: First Steps

While there have been some left wondering why certain shows and movies were left out, and others are mad that more of what they watched seemingly isn't important to this installment, I am glad the list isn't too exhaustive. It's hard work keeping up with the MCU, but I'll keep doing it and making updates on this story as often as needed!

The DCU is still in its infancy, with co-CEO James Gunn helping to craft a brand new shared universe for theaters (and streaming with a HBO Max subscription). The first slate of projects is titled Gods and Monsters, and there are tons of rumors swirling around upcoming DC movies and TV shows. Luckily Gunn recently debunked two of them, and I'm honestly so relieved by the news.

Gods and Monsters' announcement revealed that a ton of thrilling projects were in development, but some are coming together quicker than others. There were recently some discouraging reports about Viola Davis' Waller show, as well as Andy Muschietti's The Brave and The Bold aka the first Batman movie of the shared universe. Luckily Gunn has set the record straight.

James Gunn Debunked Rumors About Waller And The Brave And The Bold

The popularity of comic book characters means that there are tons of rumors and theories about that's coming down the line. There was chatter recently that the Waller TV show was being put on pause while Warner Bros.' possible merger with Paramount was worked out. Gunn was recently asked on Threads about the reports of various TV shows are being held, responding with:

Well, that was pretty cut and dry. Despite reports to the contrary, it sounds like Waller as well as other upcoming DC shows like Paradise Lost are not on hold. Instead they're developing as planned, although it's still unclear when we will actually see them on the small screen. But as someone who is a huge fan of Viola Davis' performances in both Suicide Squad movies and the first season of Peacemaker, I'm thrilled that we might get to see Amanda Waller finally take center stage in her own TV show.

Of course, Waller isn't the only title that James Gunn took to Threads to address. There was a report that Andy Muschietti's The Brave and The Bold movie was similarly put on hold until the possible merger was worked out between studios. Gunn similarly shut that chatter down, offering:

Excuse me while I let out a big sigh of relief. The Brave and The Bold is expected to introduce the DCU's version of Batman (and hopefully Robin as well). Moviegoers are hyped about The Dark Knight joining the newly formed shared universe, so it's heartening to hear that the blockbuster hasn't halted development after all.

Gunn previously admitted that we won't see the movie until after The Batman Part II hits theaters, so movieogers are going to have to continue practicing patience. Still, Andy Muschietti's The Brave and the Bold is still in active development, despite rumors to the contrary.

I'm invested in the DCU, so I'm thrilled that James Gunn's updates were so hopeful. Fingers crossed that both Waller and the Batman movie pick up the pace of their development.

The next DC movie hitting theaters is Clayface on October 23rd as part of the 2026 movie release list. On the small screen, Lanterns airs new episodes Sundays on HBO.

It's a good time to be a Marvel fan, thanks to exciting titles hitting theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. Fans who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order are still reeling from Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which was an insane box office hit. Unfortunately Destin Daniel Cretton's blockbuster did leave some material on the cutting room floor, including Rosario Dawson's deleted scene as Claire Temple. And it turns out that the movie featured another connection to Daredevil that we never saw.

Folks who watched the Netflix Marvel shows are thrilled that characters have returned to the shared universe, such as Daredevil and Punisher. But we've also got some FOMO, thanks to Dawson's Claire Temple nearly having a role in Brand New Day. Over on Twitter, a crew member who designed props for the movie revealed a slick connection to Daredevil that didn't get featured in the theatrical cut. Check it out below:

I LOVE this attention to detail. While Charlie Cox's MCU character doesn't appear in Brand New Day, he was clearly still there in spirit. Because inside Peter Parker's wallet included a business card for Matt Murdock's practice, which is an A+ reference to Cox's cameo in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Even if the business card wasn't actually shown in the new movie, these small details help to make the shared universe feel like a real, interconnected place.

Obviously Doctor Strange's spell during No Way Home's ending resulted in Matt Murdock (and the entire world) forgetting who Peter Parker was. But it's fun that Tom Holland's hero kept the card just in case he needed some legal help from his former lawyer.

I'm still holding out hope that Rosario Dawson's Claire Temple gets to return to the MCU sometime soon. She was the connective tissue between almost all the Marvel Netflix shows, with Claire assisting heroes in Daredevil, Iron Fist, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and The Defenders. And since the actress continues to work with Disney as the live-action Ahsoka in the Star Wars universe, it would make sense for her to pop up in the MCU eventually. Fingers crossed that we don't have to wait much longer... or that we eventually see the deleted Brand New Day scene with her.

Fans are also hoping to see Daredevil and Spider-Man suited up and fighting bad guys in the shared universe. While Matt and Peter interacted, the same can't be said for their superhero alter egos. And since they're both New York City-based heroes, it would make sense if their paths eventually crossed.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is still in theaters now, and Avengers: Doomsday will follow suit on December 18th as part of the 2026 movie release list. We'll just have to see if/when Claire Temple re-enters the MCU.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is known for constantly treating fans to new content, both in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. There are a number of upcoming Marvel movies that fans are curious about, chief among them being Jake Schreier's developing X-Men movie. And a new rumor about that blockbuster has me confused about Hugh Jackman's future as Wolverine.

The Greatest Showman actor returned as Logan in Deadpool & Wolverine, which broke records at the box office and seemingly confirmed he'd continue playing the clawed mutant. But Jackman was noticeably missing from X-Men's casting announcement, and a new rumor listed a bunch of other mutants who might pop up during the movie's runtime. That viral tweet alleges:

Well, I'm stumped. Hugh Jackman was the face of the original X-Men movies, starring in seven titles (as well as a handful of cameos). And after he returned to Wolverine in the third Deadpool movie, it seemed clear he was going to be playing the role "till he's 90." But if this rumor is to be believed, he's not going to be included in the fun of Schreier's MCU blockbuster. Talk about a bummer.

Of course, this isn't official just yet, and there are countless Marvel rumors that don't actually end up coming to fruition. The cast that was announced seems to indicate that the team of mutants will be a bit younger than the OGs, which might be the reason for leaving Wolverine out... at least for now. Still, it's hard to imagine a new X-Men movie without Weapon X. This is especially noteworthy since Deadpool 3 was such a wild financial success, coming shortly after box office bombs like The Marvels.

What Ryan Reynolds Has Said About Deadpool's Future.

If this rumor turns out to be legit and Wolverine won't be in the X-Men movie, I have to assume that he'll pop up in whatever comes next for Deadpool. Jackman and Reynolds were both not included in the Avengers: Doomsday cast announcement, but plenty of folks are hoping they appear in either that title or Secret Wars. For his part, Reynolds has denied appearing in the next Avenger movie.

So, if Jackman isn't going to be in Doomsday or X-Men, then fans might have to wait for a fourth Deadpool flick. Shortly after the threequel was released Reynolds mentioned wanting to take a break from Wade Wilson, saying:

While this seemed pretty cut and dry, rumor swirled about Ryan Reynolds developing Deadpool 4 sooner rather than later, especially amidst his wife Blake Lively's ongoing (and expensive) legal battle with Justin Baldoni. Is anyone else's head spinning?

Overall I feel totally clueless about when and where we should expect Hugh Jackman's Wolverine to return to the big screen. I personally feel like there's going to be a Logan-Sized hole in the X-Men movie, but maybe he'll end up having a surprise role after all. Fingers crossed.

The next MCU movie hitting theaters is Avengers: Doomsday on December 18th as part of the 2026 movie release list. As for X-Men, that project is currently expected to hit theaters on May 5th 2028... with or without Wolverine.

While Marvel fans have largely been busy anticipating upcoming MCU movies like Avengers: Doomsday and the X-Men reboot, Kevin Feige has taken some critical flak from the fandom recently for Wonder Man's cancellation. Two weeks after receiving an Emmy nomination, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II learned Wonder Man Season 2 had been nixed despite Season 2 already being confirmed. Since then, the lead actor has been addressing why he thinks the renewal was reversed, and has given his take on why he believes it takes longer for Black audiences to find projects like Wonder Man.

Part of the fans’ criticism is that along with Wonder Man, other Black-led projects have been shelved, which has many calling out an alleged pattern Marvel has. Tonya Mosley, from NPR Fresh Air, is one of many who have asked Abdul-Mateen his opinion on this pattern and how it connects to Black audiences:

In the case of Wonder Man, Abdul-Mateen was told that the viewership numbers couldn’t make the math work to balance against production costs. Many lapsed fans saw the series as the perfect show to return to Marvel for, so the loss hits hard. I’m still hopeful we’ll see Simon (and Trevor) again in a future project, even if it’s part of an ensemble. (Meanwhile, you can still watch the award-nominated first season with a Disney+ subscription.)

However, fans are also pointing out canceled plans for Armor Wars (which was supposed to focus on Don Cheadle’s Rhodey) and the shelving of the Blade movie. Mahershala Ali has since been candid about Blade going nowhere, though he harbors no ill will toward the studio, and has moved on to other things. But it still isn't the best optics for Marvel's part. Especially after another project led by a Black star, Ironheart, had poor viewership for its first season, while the animated series Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur was canceled after two seasons.

Seeing all these projects gone so soon, Abdul-Mateen admits:

Despite the unfortunate outcome, the actor continues to feel “thankful and blessed” to be part of the series. Abdul-Mateen feels the love from fans and believes it’s because people “love that show.” He has since shared what his dreams were for a Season 2 and at the time, stated his believed solution: “So our show does deserve some study and some real, hard information about why a show like this did not continue forward.”

Additionally, Wonder Man co-creator Destin Daniel Cretton has defended Kevin Feige after the news was announced. He said that he believed, “If it were up to Kevin, we’d be doing that show,” and spoke about how much the Marvel CEO loved the series. Hopefully, this means we Simon and Trevor’s adventures will live to see another day.

Hopefully, Marvel will produce plenty of future projects led by POC talents. And if that includes bringing Abdul-Mateen back in some way, that's just fine with us.

Currently, one of the most talked about upcoming Marvel movies (aside from Doomsday) is the developing X-Men reboot movie. While most details have been limited, the casting announcement at D23 has given us a huge tease at what to expect. And everyone has an opinion on what the new movie should (and shouldn’t) be. Even X-Men ‘97 EPs Eric and Julia Lewald have some advice for the MCU’s reboot. And honestly, I hope the creative team is listening.

Some of my favorite X-Men projects have focused on the humanity of the characters and not just their cool superpowers. And the Lewald duo know what they’re talking about. Fans have fallen in love with the X-Men all over again thanks to their animated series, which has had stand out episodes like the Gambit one. But no one says it better than Julia Lewald who told Collider:

I hope Marvel is taking notes. One thing I’ve always loved about the mutant characters is their humanity and the found family of the X-Men team. That's also why I loved recently cancelled Wonder Man so much. Thankfully, it seems that Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier is taking the movie seriously, as he described it as an “incredible opportunity and quite a responsibility.” The desire Marvel has to do something new with the characters has me both excited and nervous.

But we have seen some success with that mentality. Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Thunderbolts* performed well at the box office. And it seems that fans are getting excited again to see what Marvel has to offer. This is, in part, thanks to X-Men ‘97 Season 2 which was part of this summer’s new releases and can be checked out with a Disney+ subscription. It also proves that the EPs know what they’re talking about. And why I can’t help agreeing with the moving piece of advice Eric Lewald offers:

It can be easy to get carried away with superpowers and fight scenes over character-driven storytelling. We’ve seen this with Marvel. But we’ve also seen the studio get it completely right. I think Eric Lewald describes it in the loveliest way: “You want to challenge the characters, but you can’t change them. You have to be true to them. That’s the core of all storytelling.” Keeping this in mind and knowing the script is being written by Joanna Calo (The Bear) and Lee Sung Jin (Beef), my confidence is tentatively high.

For now, details are limited about that film. But we do have the main cast (so far) already announced. Some fan-favorites getting new life with Samara Weaving as Emma Frost, Sadie Sink as Jean Grey, Kit Connor as Cyclops, Christopher Abbott as Professor X, Inde Navarette as Rogue, and Adam Driver as Mr. Sinister. However, currently we haven’t received any news about a Magneto casting or if we’ll see the character in the upcoming movie.

That said, I hope that whatever direction Marvel takes they listen to advice like what the Lewalds shared and focus on the characters. If they do this, then I think the MCU’s future is going to be amazing!

Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds is one of the biggest movie stars working in Hollywood right now, and he's collaborated with various filmmakers as a result. He and his latest director go way back, though. Like, I'm talking back when Reynolds was filming Blade: Trinity. With that, the director can even recall the Canadian actor scarfing down turkey on the set of the Marvel movie, as CinemaBlend learned.

John Francis Daley, who was famously in Freaks and Geeks and Bones, is also one half of a writer/director partnership that also includes John Goldstein. They've been the driving force behind a lot of solid movies, given they made Game Night, the Dungeons & Dragons movie (of which there's a written sequel) and now, Ryan Reynolds' latest movie, Mayday. When CinemaBlend spoke to them, Daley recalled his history with Reynolds. In his words:

What a time to meet Ryan Reynolds! Is eating turkey slices all day OK for your health? Probably not, but it’s apparently one thing the actor was doing to beef up for the Marvel role. Waiting… is one of Reynolds’ early comedies, and it also stars Justin Long, Anna Faris and Daley, who was probably like nineteen or twenty at the time. Here they are as they appear in the movie:

It's amazing that that was over twenty years ago, and he never forgot what it was like to work with Reynolds. As for Blade: Trinity, it isn't just Wesley Snipes' third Marvel movie. It's also the first superhero flick in Reynolds' filmography, and it was actually the reason he was first introduced to Deadpool.

Show business relationships can vary, as people may lose contact over time. Daley went on to explain how he and Reynolds kept up with each other:

John Francis Daley and John Goldstein have been on an interesting path as filmmakers. They first movie they co-wrote that got made was 2011’s Horrible Bosses, but they really got some notoriety with their second directorial effort, 2018's Game Night, really earned them some notoriety. When Reynolds saw it, he went out of his way to reach out to Daley and express his interest in working together. And, now, they’ve finally got one in Mayday.

Daley and Goldstein told us they started writing Mayday, which is being called Misery meets Top Gun, while in post-production on Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. They knew their Soviet Era action comedy might be a “tough sell” but, once they got Reynolds and his company on board, everything seemed to fall into place. Check out the trailer below:

The film sees Reynolds playing a US Air Force Pilot who gets into an accident that leaves him in the Russian wilderness. There he befriends an ex-KGB agent played by Kenneth Branagh. Based on what's been shown of the film thus far, it looks like it's going to be a wild, good time.

I think what's most satisfying about this production right now, though, is that it's partially born from a friendship that started decades ago. I can only imagine what it was like for Ryan Reynolds and John Francis Daley to work alongside each other on set again. Here's hoping that when they get some downtime, they can split a bit of turkey and celebrate their new flick.

You can watch Reynolds and Daley’s first collaboration in two decades, Mayday, with an Apple TV subscription starting on September 4. Also, for anyone interested, Blade: Trinity is available to rent or buy on digital platforms.

Spoilers below for anyone who hasn’t yet watched Lanterns’ latest episode on HBO or streaming via HBO Max subscription, so be warned!

After a premiere that seemingly killed off its iconic superhero — though I’m not fully convinced that’s the case — on top of some NSFW uses of the Green Lantern ring, Lanterns’ second episode introduced audiences to the iconic DC comic book villain Sinestro. The scene in question, which features Hal Jordan flying out to meet his former mentor in a space prison, is where the promotional first look at the villain was taken from. So fans may be wondering just how much more of the critical character we’ll be seeing this season.

If the co-creators are to be believed: not all that much. Which isn’t to say that Ulrich Thomsen’s Sinestro will be wasted with his on-screen time or anything. Just that there won’t be an overabundance of on-screen time. Which is something executive producer Damon Lindelof says is a calculated move that played firmly into the idea that Season 1’s murder-mystery narrative doesn’t have a textbook “big bad” for the heroes to face off against and defeat in the most traditional sense.

Though more direct forms of antagonism may come in the future, SInestro’s role in Season 1 seems to be as a motivating factor for Hal, even if said motivating isn’t through good-natured encouragement. As Lindelof explained to EW, the writers conceived this version of Sinestro to be Lanterns’ take on Silence of the Lambs’ most eloquent monster.

Though it's unclear just how closely Lanterns' "intense" backstory for Hal and Sinestro will reflect one or more of their comic book arcs, the general idea is that Sinestro was Hal's fatherly figure within the Green Lantern Corps, and he inevitably let the Yellow Lantern's fear take over his willpower, causing his turn to villainy. Sinestro's actions did a lot of damage to Hal's optimism and ability to see the good in others, which is why he's such a surly squirrel with Aaron Pierre's John.

Showrunner Chris Mundy more directly lays out an explanation for why Sinestro isn't getting his villainous due in this particular season, saying:

Whether or not one thinks the co-creators' plan was a solid idea, everything Mundy says does make logical sense. If this fairly grounded show added a hyper-intelligent alien nemesis into the mix, it could create a narrative overload that would get criticized for different reasons. Damned if you do, and so on.

Plus, the dual-timeline nature of events would also create complications when introducing an overarching villain. Would Sinestro break out of his jail in 2006, and then not get stopped until 2016, or some other situation?

Damon Lindelof shared that the starting point was the most extreme version of events, in which Sinestro was never seen nor heard, and that they built the story out from there, as opposed to conceiving of a villainous endgame and then working backwards. In the live-action Watchmen creator's words:

Also logical enough at face value, and is smart from a TV-writing perspective. But then there's that question about expectations, which spins all of these comments back around to being a bit maddening. Which I say even as someone who genuinely enjoys Lanterns for withholding the spectacle early on.

Maddening in that Sinestro's sparse usage is being explained away using a narrative conceit that the creators crafted specifically for this show. Nothing was being foisted upon them from outside forces, and they weren't sourcing specific "light-on-villainy" storylines. It stands to reason that if any of them despero-tely wanted to tell a Sinestro-centric story for Hal and John, they wouldn't have gone the murder-mystery route in the first place.

I understand the need to keep things easy to understand for viewers who aren't familiar with Green Lantern's lore, and that it'll be easier to build up to space-faring adventures rather than starting there. But it's wild to hear that they asked themselves, "What would drive me the most nuts" as fans, but didn't foresee other fans being driven nuts by a story and aesthetic that looks and acts so differently from the comic book stories that made them Green Lantern fans.

So does this mean Sinestro and Parallax will team up in Season 2? Obviously not, but it sure would be nice if enough people are watching to convince HBO to up the budget to deliver a proper Good vs. Evil-ish story next time around.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a giant franchise, one that's constantly expanding thanks to projects in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. Fans who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order know that Hayley Atwell has a habit of making cameos as Peggy Carter, including in Sam Raimi's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. And the actress can't stop, won't stop complaining about how her signature character was treated in that blockbuster.

You never which upcoming Marvel movies Hayley Atwell will pop up in, and her appearing as Captain Carter in Doctor Strange 2 was a thrilling moment. But Atwell has been open about how "frustrating" the cameo was, mostly because of how quickly Wanda killed Peggy. During a recent convention appearance (via Instagram), the Mission: Impossible actress spoke more about her disappointment in Captain Carter's first live-action appearance, saying:

Honestly, I get it. Atwell has been playing version of Peggy Carter since 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger, so she's got understandably strong feelings about her signature character. Captain Carter previously debuted in What If...?, so the idea of bringing her to live-action was thrilling. Unfortunately she had a brief role and was unceremoniously murdered by Wanda.

Haley Atwell took umbrage with Peggy's treatment in the Sam Raimi flick, and years later she hasn't changed her tune. Later in the same convention appearance, she expanded upon her feelings, offering:

Points were made. As much as I loved seeing Wanda rip apart the Illumanti in Doctor Strange 2, Captain Carter's death was a bummer... especially after she said Steve Roger's signature line.

Luckily for the fandom, Hayley Atwell is expected to reprise her role as part of the Doomsday cast list. Steve will somehow be recruited to battle Doctor Doom after getting his happy ending with Peggy in Endgame. It's unclear how big her role will be, but fans love anytime Atwell appears.

All will be revealed when Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters on December 18th as part of the 2026 movie release list. With the multiverse in play seemingly anything could happen in the next two Avengers flicks.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day gave audiences eager for upcoming Marvel movies a lot to chew on, but don't expect its director to tell you what it all means. Destin Daniel Cretton is being cryptic about the secrets of the latest movie, including the significance of Hulk's son getting a sneaky cameo.

If readers totally forgot that Hulk had a son named Skarr, it's totally understandable. Those who skipped out on streaming She-Hulk via Disney+ subscription may not even be aware the character exists, as he hasn't appeared in any MCU project since. That is, until this latest movie, in which he's seen briefly in a picture on Bruce Banner's desk. Cretton was asked about it by The Wrap, and balked at saying anything beyond this:

That's such a cryptic statement that it's nearly impossible to draw any conclusions from it. Is it a nod that Skaar is going to become a part of the story, or is it more that there had to be some acknowledgement of the character with Hulk appearing? It's just a picture, but obviously, everything is done for a reason. (And if the reason was to put the pic in front of enough moviegoers to earn over $2 billion, then it was a job well done.)

Maybe it's just a reminder from Marvel Studios that they haven't forgotten Skaar, and he'll factor into a future adventure involving Hulk and others. With Avengers: Doomsday on the way, I'm sure we'll see a lot of characters in the mix, so I wouldn't be shocked if he's involved in some way, even for a fleeting moment.

Destin Daniel Cretton also wouldn't say much about the post-credits scene in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which hinted that Peter was somewhere in space. Speculation right now suggests that's something that will be addressed in Avengers: Doomsday or Secret Wars, so it wouldn't be wild to guess the Skaar picture is a hint toward that as well.

Ultimately, if it was just a nod to She-Hulk and an acknowledgement of the short-lived Disney+ series, Cretton could have just said that. His being cagey leads me to the conclusion that it is relevant to something on the horizon for Marvel, but what that means I don't know.

I will say I would love it if there was finally advancement on a potential Hulk solo movie happening. Of course, Universal still famously owns the rights to the character, and unless something has changed as of late, he can only appear as a secondary character in Marvel movies. The franchise has done a solid job of giving him a great character arc throughout various movie appearances, but it's still not the same as seeing a big feature.

Now that we have Hulk, She-Hulk, Skaar, and Red Hulk, it feels like the stage is set for a big feature. Why else is Marvel Studios loading up the MCU with Hulks? Someone has to know the answer, but all we know at this time is that we likely aren't getting the answers from Spider-Man: Brand New Day's director.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day continues its run in theaters, and we're left to wonder what it all means for the future. And here I thought all the big questions left to answer were concerning the arrival of the X-Men!

Head on over to the Marvel section of Disney+, and you'll find a whole section dedicated to movies and TV shows that you should watch in preparation for Avengers: Doomsday, which just so happens to come out on December 18th of the 2026 movie schedule (the same day as Dune: Part Three, making it Dunesday!).

Oh, wait. Did I say TV shows? I meant TV show, singular, as when you go to the “Countdown to Avengers: Doomsday” section, you'll find 14 movies you should watch before seeing the film, and just ONE TV show: Loki.

That this is RIDICULOUS! I’ve spent literally HOURS watching MCU TV shows, and you're telling me that only ONE of them matters when it comes to Avengers: Doomsday? Arg. Let's talk.

For A Time, It Seemed Like All Of The MCU Shows Mattered. Now, Almost None Of Them Do

I'll tell you, when WandaVision debuted back in 2021, I was in love. The show was so weird and experimental that it felt like a revelation. What interested me the most, however, was how it would eventually connect back to the MCU movies, proper. Because back then, that was sort of the promise of these MCU shows - They weren't just standalone programs. They would connect to the movies at some point.

The resulting movie following the events of WandaVision was 2022's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which…well, I'll be frank. I didn't love. Even so, I appreciated that my time didn't feel wasted with WandaVision. The same goes for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, with Captain America: Brave New World being the result of that series. The point I'm making is that for a time (with Ms. Marvel being another example), the shows fed into the movies, and vice versa.

Then something changed. We started getting shows that didn't really seem to connect to the films at all. Now, with the Countdown to Avengers: Doomsday saying that only Loki really matters when it comes to the events for this movie, well…I kind of feel like I wasted my time watching all of these shows, especially a few in particular, which I’ll get into next.

Certain Shows, Like Moon Knight, And She-Hulk Feel Especially Pointless Now

Moon Knight is my favorite Marvel character, so when there was word that we were getting a Moon Knight TV show, I was seriously losing my mind. However, Moon Knight came and went, and while I liked certain aspects about it, I also greatly disliked other aspects about it. Not only that, but I also felt like it could have been a real turning point for the MCU, but that's neither here nor there.

What bugs me, though, is that, as far as we know, Moon Knight will NOT return in Avengers: Doomsday. Plus, his show was so inconsequential that you don't even need to have watched it in preparation for this film. Same goes with She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. I mean, I loved it, but it feels like a forgotten relic now.

Agatha All Along? Unnecessary. Echo? Unnecessary. Hawkeye? Unnecessary. Secret Invasion (which sucked)? Unnecessary. I mean, jeez, now that so many of these shows are not connected to Avengers: Doomsday, they feel like a COMPLETE waste of time to me, which is why…

I Think I'm Done Watching Marvel TV Shows Now...For The Most Part

The other day, somebody asked me what I thought about Wonder Man, and they were shocked when I told them that I didn't even watch it (and now that it's been canceled, I'm glad I didn't watch it).

The truth is, I gave up on the MCU TV shows a while ago. The last one I watched in earnest was Season 2 of Loki (which I guess is a good thing since it's the only show that seems to matter for Doomsday). But Ironheart? Didn't watch. Daredevil: Born Again? Didn't watch. Eyes of Wakanda? Didn’t watch. I probably WILL watch VisionQuest, and because it might connect to Avengers: Secret Wars! And really, that's all it takes.

With HBO’s Lanterns set to feature at least one Season 1 cameo from the mop-headed Guy Gardner (as portrayed by Nathan Fillion) ahead of his big-screen return in James Gunn’s Man of Tomorrow and other upcoming DC movies, comic books fans can feel a certain amount of confidence in the DCU’s ability to connect its worlds across film and TV. Such confidence used to be far less common not that long ago, however, particularly during the Arrowverse era, with Deathstroke as a prime example of the studio’s messy situation.

As fans will no doubt remember, actor Manu Bennett was introduced as Oliver Queen’s former mentor Slade Wilson back in Season 1 of Arrow ahead of his official transition into the lethal machine Deathstroke in Season 2. That arc took place around 2012-2013, around the time Arrow’s creative team introduced its version of DC’s Suicide Squad, only for that to get flipped around by the studio’s head honchos. Co-creator and comic scribe Marc Guggenheim told The Cosmic Circus those same execs were the ones who requested the Squad’s introduction to begin with, saying:

We unfortunately may never know the full "why" behind that initial request; was it to test the Suicide Squad's live-action popularity on a smaller scale? Was it some other kind of rights issue that needed working out? Was The Joker running DC Entertainment in the 2010s?

Fans will no doubt remember Arrow's infamous Harley Quinn tease in Season 2's "Suicide Squad," complete with Tara Strong's vocal cameo, though more from the fact that the character was never formally introduced in an official capacity after that. The episode also introduced Floyd "Deadshot" Lawton, Ben "Bronze Tiger" Turner, and Mark "Shrapnel" Scheffer, but without any of them being turned into huge Arrow characters in the aftermath, thanks in large part to David Ayer's 2016 feature based on Amanda Waller's antihero team.

Even at the time, all of the heightened sensitivity over seeing two different versions of comic book characters seemed overwrought and unnecessary, but that feeling is even more relevant in hindsight, considering neither Ayers' nor Taika Waititi's sequel actually utilized Deathstroke. Which is, it seems, why that character was allowed to make sporadic returns to Arrow, even if that just made Guggenheim & Co.'s jobs harder. As the EP put it:

Deathstroke did appear destined for greatness on the big screen, especially after Joe Manganiello was cast to play the villain for the end credits sequence for Zack Snyder's Justice League. As reported in the years since, that version of Slade Wilson was reportedly set to face off against Ben Affleck's caped crusader in a standalone Batman film. Bizarrely, however, Manganiello's only return to the Deathstroke role was for the team-up movie's Snyder Cut release in 2021.

As such, it's maddening that Arrow's creative team was hampered by anything happening on the cinematic side of the studio. Given Margot Robbie's returns as Harley Quinn in Birds of Prey and The Suicide Squad, I can more easily understand some qualms about having a different iteration of the character on The CW, even if I think audiences are beyond smart enough to handle such a duality.

Those days appear to be long gone, with James Gunn and Peter Safran's DC Studios making it more of a priority to cross-pollinate between mediums. Which is part of why we'll see Aaron Pierre's Lanterns hero John Stewart appearing in Man of Steel along with Supergirl's Milly Alcock and Peacemaker's Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr.

Just don't expect to see Stephen Amell popping up as Oliver Queen; he's set to be a completely different kind of life-saving hero on Baywatch. More red that green on that show, for sure.

VisionQuest is the next Marvel Cinematic Universe TV show that’s set to hit the small screen, and the excitement around the show is really starting to rise. That’s especially true in following the release of the show’s trippy first trailer, which features quirky characters and awesome visuals. It turns out that a major part of the formal pitch for the show involved a major MCU scene (and it’s one I love). With that, I also have a question regarding one aspect of this 2026 TV schedule entry.

Which MCU Scene Served As A Jumping-Off Point For VisionQuest?

The Paul Bettany-led Marvel show is being headed up by veteran producer Terry Matalas, a science-fiction lover with a body of work that includes Star Trek, MacGyver and more. Last weekend, Matalas was on hand for Disney’s D23 in Anaheim, where he sat down with Fandango (as seen on YouTube) to talk about his MCU series. During the chat, the EP was specifically asked about bringing back James Spader’s Ultron and what led to his inclusion. Matalas explained that inspiration came from a major Age of Ultron moment:

I can still remember sitting in a movie theater back in 2015 and witnessing that existential exchange between Vision and Ultron. What’s particularly surreal about it is that the unconventional father and son manage to find some common ground even after Ultron’s attempt to wipe out life on Earth. The exchange ends with the maniacal machine trying to kill Vision before the android uses the Mind Stone to wipe out (what was believed to be) the final copy of his “dad.” Matalas further emphasized the importance of the scene to his show:

In VisionQuest, a copy of (the deliciously portrayed) Ultron, who partially created the original vision, exists within White Vision’s digital subconscious somehow, and the two are constantly at odds with each other. That dynamic is teased in the trailer, and it makes me deliriously excited for what’s to come. Nevertheless, this avid Disney+ subscription holder is wondering one thing.

There’s One VisionQuest Question I Need Answered

When talking about this new MCU show, Matalas has put a considerable amount of emphasis on the relationship between Vision and Ultron. It seems evident that the two will go back and forth, as Bettany’s character attempts to decide on who or what he wants to be. What I’d really like to know right now is how exactly the book might finally be closed on this technologically dysfunctional relationship between father and son.

It’s clear that Bettany’s character has no problem with humanity, while Spader’s has his issues with it. Barring any major surprises, I can’t see Vision yielding to Ultron’s point of view, though could the latter see the error of his ways? I just really need to know whether this show will end with Ultron and Vision finding common ground and reconciling or with the two of them sticking to their guns and remaining in some form of conflict. Check out a little bit of their dynamic by checking out the trailer below:

What’s evident, though, is that Terry Matalas is a strong storyteller with a great appreciation for the MCU. So I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt when it comes to bringing this latest show to a strong conclusion as far as Vision and his papa goes. And, of course, I’ll also be keeping an eye on how the appearance of Vision’s seemingly reincarnated son, Tommy (played by Ruaridh Mollica), factors into the proceedings.

VisionQuest premieres on Disney+ on October 14, and fans will be excited to know that it’ll close out the trilogy that also includes WandaVision and Agatha All Along. MCU lovers can prepare for the latest show by streaming the previously released series now.

Marvel Studios has officially announced its cast for the next generation of X-Men, and while there's a lot of positive buzz right now on the heels of Sadie Sink's Jean Grey in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, I think there's a problem. The franchise has yet to announce who will play Magneto, but I'm wondering how the character can even be the same at all given this new cast.

With this X-Men cast being rooted in the present, and former Girls actor Christopher Abbott playing Charles Xavier at 40-years-old has me speculating that Magneto's actor will remain relatively the same age. In any case, rooting this movie in the present has me wondering if the studio has thought about the character's big origin as a Holocaust survivor, and how that experience shaped his complicated viewpoints on whether humanity and Mutants can co-exist. It has me wondering: are we in for a big Magneto retcon, or does Marvel have other plans?

Can Magneto Be The Same Without His Origin Being Rooted In The Holocaust?

As mentioned, Magneto's core philosophy was shaped by losing his family in the Holocaust and spending time in Auschwitz during WWII. Even though he's skewed the spectrum from supervillain to ally to the X-Men, he's long held the belief that humanity will always turn on the minority amongst them, and several key X-Men storylines have enforced that.

With the median age of a Holocaust Survivor being around mid-80s in 2026, it just doesn't seem feasible that we'll see a version of Magneto that will also be a colleague of Charles Xavier relative to his age. It seems that something will have to change in Marvel Studios' version when it comes to Magneto, but the question is what.

One solution could be to reintroduce the character and tie it to some other modern tragedy. Another possible solution would be to bring in a Magneto from another universe, one in which the historical events on Earth were in line with something that was similar to this younger Magneto's origin.

Of course, there's going to be fan backlash in making any core changes to Magneto, who is one of Marvel's more celebrated characters. Additionally, the optics of drastically changing the character's origin, or keeping it intact under certain circumstances, could be messy. In short, I'm not surprised the X-Men started with casting Mr. Sinister as an X-Men villain, because transforming Magneto might be a tough nut to crack.

Can Marvel Studios, Who Has Steered Away from Controversy, Accurately Tackle The X-Men?

One thing that's consistent about Marvel Studios is that it has tried to steer away from controversy or tackling modern societal issues, even when the opportunity was there. It feels like a problem, then, to be introducing a superhero group that exposes bigotry as a terrible thing, as Stan Lee once stated in a Rolling Stone interview.

Between Magneto's origins as a Holocaust survivor and so many of X-Men's biggest comic stories serving as a mirror to the Civil Rights movement in the United States, is Marvel Studios planning to service that in its stories? If not, then they'll just be nothing more than another generic superhero team.

It's heavy, but so is the world we have that lacks superheroes. I would love to see the X-Men become symbols for a new generation, especially with this talented cast, in a way they were for others in the past. With a cast that seems solidly ready to tell their story in the present day, the ball is in Marvel's court to make it happen.

I'll wait and see what the plans are for Mutants in the MCU, and in the meantime, enjoy older X-Men movies with my Disney+ subscription. I'll be waiting to see who is picked for Magneto, and hopefully they live up to past actors who played the role!

Robert Downey Jr. is a bonafide star in his own right and one of the most esteemed (and highest paid) actors of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Of course, the sprawling franchise is filled with plenty of other heavy hitters, including Chris Pratt. Downey’s Tony Stark/Iron Man and Pratt’s Peter Quill/Star-Lord first crossed paths in 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War, and the results were hilarious, to say the least. What surprises me now is that Downey is opening up about being “mad” at Pratt amid filming, but he means this as a major compliment.

Honestly, it’s hard to believe it’s been over eight years since Infinity War hit theaters, crushed at the box office and delivered that dreary ending. Downey and co-director Joe Russo recently sat down to reflect upon the making of the movie and discuss some of their favorite on-set moments. Eventually, the duo discussed the first scene they shot for the film – Tony Stark concocting a plan with the Guardians of the Galaxy on Titan. Downey recalled went on to recall Pratt’s comedic prowess and why he knew he’d be ready to play:

Downey is certainly no slouch when it comes to comedy, but it’s true that Pratt can operate on an entirely different level. The Jurassic World star’s performance as Andy Dwyer on Parks and Recreation alone is indeed evidence of his ability to generate laughs. During their interview with CBR (part of which was shared to TikTok), Russo asked Downey if he felt “threatened” by Pratt. The Oscar winner admitted to being “mad,” but his reasoning is quite nuanced:

So, while the Sherlock Holmes star was initially miffed over Pratt getting in some great lines, he came to the realization that it was a benefit to be working with a skilled performer. To that point, Stark and Quill’s on-screen interactions are comedic gold, as their specific brands of bravado clash with each other perfectly. It’s that initial conflict that eventually makes it so satisfying when the characters – and their allies – decide to work together to stop Thanos from acquiring the Time Stone.

As for Infinity War as a whole, the movie remains a visceral experience and a defining chapter in the MCU continuity (which can be streamed with a Disney+ subscription). Much of the cast and crew still have plenty of memories from making the movie. For example, Vision actor Paul Bettany has recalled filming his character’s death and having no frame of reference for it. Benedict Cumberbatch – who plays Doctor Strange – has also discussed the deleted scene in which his character wears the Iron Man suit.

Chris Pratt’s prior comments also suggest he enjoyed his time making the third Avengers movie as well, though he can also still remember the passionate responses to Peter Quill’s infamous Thanos moment. In terms of Pratt’s work with Robert Downey Jr., I would hope that he also holds their time working together in high regard.