The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a well-oiled machine, one that's constantly releasing new content in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. The most highly anticipated upcoming Marvel movie is currently Avengers: Doomsday, which will be the shared universe's next big crossover event. There are countless questions about what might be coming with that blockbuster, and another Marvel actor recently offered a cryptic answer about whether or not he'll appear.
What we know about Avengers: Doomsday is limited, which is why there are countless theories and rumors about what might appear. While the Doomsday cast announcement revealed most of the actors who will appear, fans are expecting some surprise pop ups as well. Actor Tim Blake Nelson plays The Leader and recently asked by ComicBook if he'll have a role in the next Avengers movie, especially given the ending of Captain America: Brave New World. He played coy, saying:
I can confirm that if I have my way, they won’t have to wait 16 years.
Nelson isn't going to give away any spoilers, thanks to Marvel's tight security. But he certainly made it seem like he'll be back sooner rather than later. Whether or not that's in Avengers: Doomsday remains to be seen, but he's confident fans won't have to wait another decade and change for him to once again return to the shared universe.
Nelson debuted as Samuel Sterns in The Incredible Hulk, and it took a long time before he returned to that role as The Leader in Brave New World. But he came back with a vengeance (literally) and was responsible for the story's events including Ross becoming Red Hulk.
Nelson was no doubt asked about this thanks to the post-credits scene that came at the end of Captain America 4. In it Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson visits him in prison, where Stern teases that a threat was coming from another world. Fans widely believed this was a reference to Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom, who was also briefly shown in the Fantastic Four: First Steps credits scene. Since The Leader saw this villain coming, it would make sense if he somehow factored into the action of Doomsday.
Unfortunately, there's been no official confirmation that Tim Blake Nelson will actually appear in the next Avengers movie. But Kevin Feige teased that many but not all of the Doomsday actors were revealed. As such, it's more than possible that we'll end up seeing The Leader at some point throughout its mysterious runtime.
All will be revealed when Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters on December 18th of next year as part of the 2026 movie release list. We've got over a year to wait, but hopefully we get more more information about that blockbuster sooner rather than later. For now, Nelson's MCU appearance can be streamed on Disney+.
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