Over the weekend, we learned that Marvel Studios reportedly has plans for James Spader's Ultron to be featured in multiple MCU projects after the Vision TV series.
Fans have argued since 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron that Ultron is too good a character to be a one-and-done big bad, so the fact that things are likely about to change has been welcomed. Now, there's a strong indication we're going to see another Infinity Saga villain step back into the spotlight.
According to @MyTimeToShineH, Thanos will make his MCU return in a future project. We'd bet on it being Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars, particularly if we're going to see Doctor Doom take him out in the same brutal manner as what was shown in the Secret Wars comic book.
For what it's worth, after playing the Mad Titan in Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame, Josh Brolin has expressed an interest in reprising the role...if the Russo Brothers give him a call.
"I’m not kidding — there’s a thing with playing Thanos. It’s like, 'Oh, they’re gonna bring Thanos back.' It’s like Sicario; it has to be right," he teased last year. "It's like Ryan Reynolds and I talking about Taylor Swift, and we should be talking about Deadpool 4. But we go back and forth."
"Again, it’s what in his mind fits, what in my mind fits. Thanos has to fit if you’re going to bring him back. I would do anything that the Russos wanted me to do." Asked if Marvel Studios has reached out, the actor declined to answer but did cough, so, uh, take that as you will!
The Multiverse opens the door to an infinite number of Thanos Variants stepping into the spotlight, something Marvel Animation's What If...? has explored in multiple episodes.
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.