Avengers: Doomsday is on the way, and fans seem to be hanging on every single morsel of information they can get their hands on. Of course, the cast and crew behind the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s latest team-up film mostly seem to be doing a solid job of not saying too much. Yet, a few months ago, Sir Ian McKellen went viral for seemingly dropping a spoiler regarding Magneto (his character) destroying New Jersey. Producer Kevin Feige has since downplayed that notion, and superfan Kevin Smith had a great response.
This past week, Kevin Feige promoted Doomsday at CinemaCon alongside directors Joe and Anthony Russo. All three also took part in some interviews after their presentation at the convention and, at that time, Feige fielded a question about Ian McKellen’s comments during one interview. When asked if New Jersey would be destroyed, he merely said there would be “a New Jersey presence.” That sentiment isn’t too much to go off, but it was enough for Kevin Smith to react by sharing an A+ nod to his own body of work:
Hilariously, the video Smith shared to Instagram showed a report on Feige’s comments, and the Avengers theme music plays in the background. The Alan Silvestri-written music, however, gets cut off by a quick clip of Smith and longtime friend and co-star Jay Mewes in character as Jay and Silent Bob. Smith’s nod to the lovable stoner characters plays on Feige’s mention of a “New Jersey presence,” since the pair appear in the New Jersey-set View Askewniverse.
Article continues belowBoth Smith and Mewes themselves are also New Jersey natives, and I love that the former took the opportunity to reference his home state and his own movies using this funny clip. I’d like to think that Feige could also appreciate this gag, given his love of movies and his own connection to “The Garden State.” Feige himself was raised in NJ, so it wouldn’t surprise me at all if Smith’s clip were to get a good chuckle out of him.
Kevin Smith may have jokes, but trust and believe that he has an extreme amount of reverence for what Kevin Feige and co. have done at Marvel Studios. Over the years, Smith has long hyped up the MCU films and showered some major praise on Avengers: Endgame. Smith was also emotional after learning that Captain Marvel referenced one of his most famous films, Mallrats, specifically Stan Lee’s cameo in it. So trust and believe Smith is really looking forward to Doomsday.
On that note, something fans have seemed particularly excited about with Doomsday is the return of the OG X-Men cast, including franchise veterans like McKellen, Patrick Stewart, Rebecca Romijn and James Marsden. Apparently, McKellen was quite a force on set, as the 86-year-old actor’s eagerness to do stunts made Marsden more comfortable with doing them at his own age (52). From a narrative standpoint, it’s looking like the X-Men and Avengers will do battle in the movie, and it should be a sight to behold.
I’d be lying I didn’t have plans to be amongst those who end up seeing Doomsday amid its opening weekend. What I’ll also be looking out for is to see whether or not Magneto actually lays waste to New Jersey. Regardless of whatever that “presence” Kevin Feige is referring to ends up being, I’ll be eager to hear what Kevin Smith has to say about it.
Avengers: Doomsday opens in theaters on December 18 as part of the 2026 movie schedule. In the meantime, stream other MCU films as well as the original X-Men flicks using a Disney+ subscription.
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