After The Fantastic Four: First Steps arrives in theaters next week, it's going to be a long wait for the next MCU movie. Spider-Man: Brand New Day is scheduled for July, while Avengers: Doomsday isn't heading our way until December after moving from its original May release date.
Rumours are bound to be plentiful until then, and we have a possible update for you today about who will lead Earth's Mightiest Heroes in Avengers: Doomsday.
Recently, comments from filmmaker Matt Shakman suggesting Mister Fantastic will take charge of the Avengers were taken out of context before going viral on social media (it's likely that he was referring to Reed Richards' comic book journey). Now, that's been backed up by a new post from @MyTimeToShineH.
"Okay, so I just checked with my source," the insider wrote, "and they told me that Reed Richards is NOT the leader of the Avengers in Doomsday and Secret Wars. Sam and Yelena are the ones leading the team(s)."
This lines up with what we've previously heard, so it's unlikely to come as a surprise to most of you.
Neither will this: according to scooper Daniel Richtman, Sacha Baron Cohen's Mephisto "will be in Midnight Sons/Suns." Following his debut in Ironheart, the MCU's devil is expected to be front and centre in at least a few upcoming projects. So, with Ghost Rider set to appear in Avengers: Doomsday, we may even see him there, too.
Finally, Steven Sater, a Tony Award, Grammy Award, and Laurence Olivier Award-winning American poet, playwright, lyricist, television writer and screenwriter, was asked during a recent Q&A about possibly meeting with Joe Locke in London to discuss a Spring Awakening revival.
Sater replied, "I didn't see him. I didn't reach out. I know he's doing a Marvel movie and he's doing 'Heartstopper,' so he's been crazy, and my friends are producing the play he's about to do on the West End, so I just know how crazy his schedule is, so I left him alone."
A Marvel movie? He might have been referring to the Vision TV series that's been shooting in the UK, but this could also be confirmation that the Agatha All Along star will reprise his role as Wiccan in Avengers: Doomsday.
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.
The Russo Brothers direct the movie from a script by Stephen McFeely, with whom they previously collaborated on the Captain America and Avengers franchises.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released on December 18, 2026, with Avengers: Secret Wars scheduled to arrive on December 17, 2027.