Following yesterday's big rumour (which, as expected, has split opinions), more Avengers: Doomsday details have just dropped. This time, they're from Daniel Richtman, who has shared insights on plans for a handful of key characters.
According to the insider, Tom Hiddleston only has a "small" role in the movie. However, making up for that disappointment is the news that Ms. Marvel, Kate Bishop, and Cassie Lang are set to share scenes, seemingly confirming plans to finally assemble the Young Avengers.
Loki sits at the centre of the Multiverse, but can't leave without the whole thing falling apart thanks to the machinations of He Who Remains. Had Kang the Conqueror remained this Saga's big bad, perhaps the former God of Mischief would have had more to do.
Last summer, Richtman said, "Tom Hiddleston has filmed a scene in Steve and Peggy's home where he's having a [conversation] with them." So, the Asgardian will somehow leave the remnants of the Citadel at the End of Time to share the screen with Chris Evans' Steve Rogers and Hayley Atwell's Peggy Carter.
For what it's worth, we've heard that Hiddleston has two scenes in Avengers: Doomsday, with the second coming somewhere near the end of the movie.
"[I'm] very excited," Hiddleston previously said of his upcoming MCU return. "It’s been an extraordinary chapter in my life playing Loki, and it's not over yet."
"It's really remarkable, actually, that I can talk about it because mostly I'm in a position of knowing and not being able to say anything," the actor continued. "It’s strange, you know, you have to be disciplined about carrying this secret around."
Back to the Young Avengers, and in many ways, the moment has passed for the team to assemble...with that moniker, at least (perhaps explaining rumblings they'll be rebranded as the Champions).
The upcoming Avengers movies are an ideal place to establish this new superhero team. In terms of who will assemble as the MCU's Champions, Wiccan (Joe Locke), Speed (Ruaridh Mollica), Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani), Hawkeye (Hailee Steinfeld), America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton), and Ironheart (Dominique Thorne) are all likely contenders.
Concept art for the next Avengers movies showed the team alongside Star-Lord and Wong. It's not clear whether that's still the plan for the young heroes, as the Russos previously said the artwork wasn't representative of what we'll see in the Doomsday and Secret Wars.
Avengers: Doomsday officially stars Chris Evans, 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, Mabel Cadena, Florence Pugh, Danny Ramirez, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, Lewis Pullman, and India Rose Hemsworth all make their Avengers franchise debuts.
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. The trades have pointed to Ryan Reynolds and Hayley Atwell also appearing in Avengers: Doomsday.
The Russo Brothers direct Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars 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 has also been enlisted to help.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released on December 18, with Avengers: Secret Wars scheduled to arrive on December 17, 2027.