In the two decades since The Notebook came out, Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams and James Marsden have cemented themselves as certified stars thanks to their diverse filmographies. However, now, they all have something in common (other than the great 2000s movie) thanks to Gosling being announced as Ghost Rider. Marsden commented on this connection too, and it honestly blew my mind.
This connection is that the three major stars from The Notebook are now all, officially, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
That’s thanks to two relatively recent developments. First of all, while James Marsden made his Marvel debut four years before the Nicholas Sparks adaptation even came out, he will make his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut when he returns as Cyclops in Avengers: Doomsday. Secondly, Ryan Gosling is now joining this universe as Ghost Rider. Meanwhile, Rachel McAdams entered Marvel's world in 2016 as Dr. Christine Palmer in Doctor Strange. Reacting to this revelation that they’re all in the MCU now, James Marsden told ET:
Who would’ve said that? Who would’ve predicted that years ago? …. All of the cast of The Notebook would be in the Marvel Universe.
Truly, this is mind-blowing to think about. I think it’s because they all came to Marvel in such different ways at such different times too.
As I mentioned, Marsden started playing Cyclops in 2000’s X-Men. He then reprised the role in 2003’s X2, 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand, and 2014’s X-Men: Days of Future Past. Between X2 and The Last Stand, he played Lon Hammond in The Notebook.
Now, 20 years after The Last Stand and 12 years after Days of Future Past, the Jury Duty star will make his long-awaited return as Scott Summers in Doomsday, which will also be his first foray into the MCU.
Rachel McAdams didn’t join the MCU until 12 years after The Notebook’s release, and that 2004 movie marked one of her first major leading roles.
Like McAdams, The Notebook was also a major breakout moment for Gosling. Now, 22 years later, after releasing “banger after banger,” as Kevin Feige would say, the Barbie star has joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Ghost Rider, a character he’s wanted to play for a long time.
All of them coming to Marvel made Marsden happy, and it elated me too, especially once the Enchanted actor said:
Makes me happy. Maybe there’ll be a scene with all of us someday in our suits doing a recreation of a Notebook scene.
Now I have a vision of Cyclops and Ghost Rider saying “if you’re a superhero, I’m a superhero,” and that’s a very fun thing to think about. Plus, the idea of these guys reuniting with Rachel McAdams has always excited me.
Will it ever really happen? I feel like it’s a bit far-fetched. However, it is wonderful to fantasize about, and pretty soon we’ll get to see both Marsden and Gosling make their MCU entrances. So, mark your calendars, because Avengers: Doomsday will be released on the 2026 movie schedule on December 18, and then in 2028, Ghost Rider will ride on to the big screen.
In the meantime, you can see Rachel McAdams, James Marsden and Ryan Gosling creating the iconic scenes from The Notebook that the Cyclops actor referenced with an Amazon Prime subscription.
