While it's admittedly hard to shake the feeling that Avengers: Secret Wars will be the true cameo-fest, there's still plenty to look forward to in next December's Avengers: Doomsday.
For starters, we're going to see the Avengers, Fantastic Four, and X-Men all share the screen for the first time. If various rumours are to be believed, you can add Spider-Man (or one of his Variants) and Ghost Rider to that list.
The trades have confirmed that Ryan Reynolds will reprise his role as Deadpool, and Hugh Jackman's Wolverine surely won't be far behind.
If the Russo Brothers plan to follow the comics, then many of these heroes will likely fight each other before teaming up to battle a greater threat. Alan Cumming, for example, has hinted in interviews that we'll see Nightcrawler squaring off with Pedro Pascal's Mister Fantastic.
Today, The Cosmic Circus' Alex Perez brings word that Reed Richards will also square off with Deadpool!
As if that wasn't enough, both he and Daniel Richtman have pointed to Jackman's Wolverine going toe-to-toe with Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige always wanted them to share the screen—he pushed for Logan to appear at the end of 2002's Spider-Man—and it seems he'll finally get his wish next year.
Clashes like these are a dream come true for most fans. In the late 2000s, it was nigh-on impossible to picture The Avengers assembling on screen. A few years later, we couldn't imagine Spidey being in the MCU, and now we're on the cusp of those characters being thrown into the mix with the Fantastic Four and X-Men. Mind-blowing, right?
These are just rumours for now, but it seems several insiders have gained access to concept art that has offered them a much better idea of what to expect from the next Avengers movie.
In related news, a video of Avengers: Doomsday composer Alan Silvestri performing the theme heard in the recent teasers has found its way online:
Avengers: Doomsday officially stars Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Mackie, Winston Duke, Tom Hiddleston, Sebastian Stan, Letitia Wright, Paul Rudd, and Robert Downey Jr. Wyatt Russell, Simu Liu, Tenoch Huerta Mejia, Florence Pugh, Danny Ramirez, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, and Lewis Pullman all make their Avengers franchise debuts in the movie.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps leads Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn join them, as do X-Men franchise stars Kelsey Grammer, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn, James Marsden, with Deadpool & Wolverine star Channing Tatum.
Chris Evans is also officially confirmed to reprise his role as Steve Rogers, as is India Rose Hemsworth as Love. The Hollywood trades have reported that Hayley Atwell and Ryan Reynolds will appear as Peggy Carter and Deadpool, respectively.
The Russo Brothers direct Avengers: Doomsday from a screenplay by Stephen McFeely, with whom they previously collaborated on the Avengers and Captain America franchises. Loki and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness's Michael Waldron is also working on the script.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released on December 18, 2026, with Avengers: Secret Wars scheduled to arrive on December 17, 2027.