It was earlier this month that we first heard about a supposed clash between two actors on the set of Avengers: Doomsday. A joke was said to have been received poorly, prompting a verbal altercation that saw Marvel Studios offer the aggrieved, unnamed star the opportunity to shoot all future scenes separately.
The fact that would cost millions of dollars showed the actor that the studio had taken their complaints seriously, and it was enough for them to let bygones be bygones. Both parties reportedly shook hands and moved on, but speculation ran rampant online about who was involved.
Somewhere along the line, theories that it might be Robert Downey Jr. and Ryan Reynolds were soon presented as fact. The source for the rumour, John Rocha and Jeff Sneider's podcast, The Hot Mic, never named them, so the Doctor Doom and Deadpool actors being at odds was completely fabricated.
It appears attempts are being made to stop the story from getting any further out of control, as PEOPLE has now chimed in with its take on these obviously baseless claims.
"There is 'zero bad blood,' a source tells PEOPLE exclusively, between the two Marvel Cinematic Universe superstars," reads the site's report. "Furthermore, the insider notes to PEOPLE, 'The two have never met in person.'"
Adding some context, the piece reminds us, "In 2019, Reynolds and Downey Jr. squared off via playful messages while supporting Joe and Anthony Russo’s AGBO Superhero Fantasy Football League, which featured celebrities competing against each other in support of charities of their choosing."
"After Downey Jr. quipped, 'Eat me' in a video to his competitor, Reynolds responded with a clip of him eating a cookie with the Sherlock Holmes star’s face on it."
It's alarming how quickly this BS story spread. While The Hollywood Reporter recently revealed that Reynolds will return as Deadpool in Avengers: Doomsday, we've done some digging, and, yes, the actor has yet to report to the movie's set in London. In fact, like many actors, he's expected to shoot his scenes much further into production as the script continues to take shape.
Avengers: Doomsday 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 the 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, and Deadpool & Wolverine star Channing Tatum.
Chris Evans, Hayley Atwell, and Ryan Reynolds are also set to appear, according to recent reports from the trades.
The Russo Brothers direct the movie 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.