The Multiverse Saga's conclusion is on the horizon, and before we enter a new era of storytelling for Marvel Studios, Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars will pay homage to Marvel's past.
That extends beyond just the MCU, as both 20th Century Fox's X-Men and Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man are expected to appear in Doomsday this December. Now, following rumours about Spidey's clash with Deadpool and Wolverine being even bigger than anticipated, we have an intriguing casting update.
We recently heard that Avengers: Doomsday will open with Magneto and some of Spider-Man's villains entering the fray, and the latest from @MyTimeToShineH is that Alfred Molina will reprise his role as Doctor Octopus.
Presumably, this will be the now-heroic version of Doc Ock last seen lending a helping tentacle to the Spider-Men at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Sticking with Avengers: Doomsday, the insider has shared a familiar claim, writing, "Benedict Cumberbatch will reportedly play Doctor Doom's sidekick, Boris, in Avengers: Doomsday. He is said to wield a sling ring and be portrayed as a wizard alongside Doctor Doom."
As a reminder, "Boris" is believed to be a codename, hiding Cumberbatch's return as the former Sorcerer Supreme. Whether we'll learn what's led to him allying with Doctor Doom remains to be seen, though Stephen did seem to be heading down a dark route when we last saw him.
Finally, while the project isn't specified, it's also said that Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige is eager to bring Anya Taylor-Joy back as Magik. The Furiosa: A Mad Max Story star was the only part of The New Mutants that everyone seemed to love, so whether this is a Multiversal cameo or a role in a future X-Men movie, it's not hard to see why Feige wants her back as Magik.
Of course, there's nothing to say she'll actually agree to return, and with all the rumours presented here, they're best taken with a pinch of salt for now. Still, it's fun to speculate about what all this could mean for the MCU moving forward.
Avengers: Doomsday 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, India Rose Hemsworth, and Wesley Holloway 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 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. The movie is produced by Kevin Feige, Louis D'Esposito, and Jonathan Schwartz, with Callum McDougall serving as executive producer.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released on December 18.