We're living in crazy times, and with theaters closed and Hollywood at a standstill, the news cycle is starting to slow down. There's still plenty of amazing content that we cover for you here at CBM, but a lot of bogus and hard to believe rumors are starting to circulate which have grabbed our attention.
We're not in the business of sharing fake news, so these haven't landed on the site for obvious reasons. However, they all make for very interesting reading, and are amusing if nothing else!
There's chatter about Thor: Love and Thunder casting, rumblings about Robert Downey Jr. returning as Iron Man, and even possible leaks about each of Black Widow's post-credits scenes.
To take a deep dive into this feature, you just need to use the NEXT button below to check it out!
10. Robert Downey Jr. Is Returning To The MCU!
The @marvel.beats Instagram account (which has a whopping 182,000 followers) claims that Marvel Studios and Robert Downey Jr. have reached a deal for the actor to return to the MCU!
Tony Stark/Iron Man is to remain dead, but he would be an A.I. assistant or mentor to Riri Williams in a Disney+ series titled Iron Hearts. A move like this would follow the comics, and the charismatic Downey could probably do with a Disney paycheck after Dolittle, but you would think Variety or The Hollywood Reporter would break a major story like this!
We'd love to see this, but we're not convinced, and Avengers: Endgame only just happened.
Likelihood to happen? 4/10
9. Something "Big" Is Coming To Disney+!
The always hungry for attention Jeremy Conrad enjoys making vague claims on Twitter which he can later claim as scoops when something vaguely similar happens, so we're going to say right now that we think this is one of the most unlikely to happen rumors in this entire article!
In a Tweet sure to be deleted if he's proven incorrect, the MCU Cosmic boss says he's, "Hearing some rumors of big things coming to Disney+ very soon (no, not the Marvel shows early). Will make staying at home through April much more fun if it happens."
That could mean literally anything, and the recent addition of Frozen 2 and Onward we reported on proves that Disney+ is going to deliver some big surprises whatever happens.
Likelihood to happen? 0/10
8. Captain Marvel 2 Will Assemble A-Force!
One Redditor who has since had their post removed recently made some bold Captain Marvel 2 claims, stating that S.W.O.R.D., Nick Fury, Talos, and Yon-Rogg will all be part of the sequel. That's easy to believe, but they go on to promise that Carol Danvers is going to assemble an A-Force made up of Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk, Spider-Woman, Scarlet Witch, The Mighty Thor, Valkyrie, and Spectrum.
Why would Carol need such a formidable team? It's said that the terrifying Brood will be the big bads in Captain Marvel 2, and an attempted invasion would be require some powerful heroes.
These plot elements are likely, but this sounds like fan-fiction, so it would just be a coincidence!
Likelihood to happen? 1/10
7. Black Widow's Mid-Credits Scene!
BGR.com has shared an apparent leak from Black Widow which sounds surprisingly believable and definitely the sort of intel which could be learned from a past test screening.
Try not to get too excited, because this sounds a little too good to be true, but the mid-credits scene sees Yelena Belova and Taskmaster delivering a flash drive to General Ross as he tells them they're just getting started. A pretty blatant nod to the formation of the Thunderbolts, this fits with past rumors, but could be a bit too on the nose!
Marvel Studios doesn't tend to do the obvious, and this is arguably a little too expected.
Likelihood to happen? 5/10
6. Black Widow's Post-Credits Scene!
Set in the present day, this scene supposedly sees Hawkeye and his kids pay a visit to Natasha Romanoff's grave to pay his respects to his best friend and fellow Avenger.
There's not much beyond that, though you have to believe this would be Marvel Studios' response to the backlash surrounding their decision not to give the badass superspy a proper funeral in Avengers: Endgame. Tony Stark got one, but Black Widow's sacrifice was just as significant, so paying tribute to her with a scene like this feels like the right thing to do at the end of her solo flick.
This comes from the same source, but makes a lot more sense, so we won't be surprised if it happens!
Likelihood to happen? 6/10
5. Spider-Man 2 Has A Holiday 2021 Release Date!
Spider-Man was a spectacular romp for video game and Spidey fans alike, and a subreddit dedicated to the game claims that the sequel is going to be released as soon as this summer!
It will be a PS5-exclusive, and both Queens and Brooklyn will now be open to us along with Manhattan itself. Miles Morales will be a playable character again, and Venom, Carnage, and Mysterio are all expected to appear after the first game post-credits scene teased the Venom symbiote.
A holiday 2021 release date is mentioned, and while this appears to be somewhat baseless, we can't deny that it sounds like a very real possibility for the highly anticipated video game.
Likelihood to happen? 7/10
4. Thor: Love And Thunder Cast Members Revealed!
A post on 4Chan (yes, it still exists!) has dropped some major Thor: Love and Thunder casting details, claiming that Jodie Cormer will play Angela, an Asgardian refugee who Valkyrie falls for.
Ryan Gosling, meanwhile, is said to be making his MCU debut as Beta Ray Bill, and that's probably the hardest to believe part of this entire rumour. As for Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard, he's supposed to be playing Kid Loki after first being introduced in the upcoming Loki TV series.
This all sounds quite good, but not something we're ever expecting to become a reality.
Likelihood to happen? 0/10
3. Avengers Movies Getting A US Re-Release!
Reports recently did the rounds claiming that the four Avengers movies will be released in China to entice filmgoers back to theaters after they were forced to close as a result of COVID-19.
TheDisInsider's EIC Skyler Shuler has said that the same will happen right here in the United States, and it would certainly be a welcome way to get superhero fans back into theaters.
A lot can change, but we're fairly confident that this is one rumor that has some merit to it.
Likelihood to happen? 9/10
2. She-Hulk Is Joining The Avengers!
The Independent is supposed to be a well-respected publication across the pond, so we're surprised that their story about She-Hulk joining the ranks of The Avengers hasn't received some love.
In their report, the newspaper says that She-Hulk is going to be in Avengers 5/the next iteration of the team, and while we're not entirely sure that's a "scoop," it does sound pretty feasible.
Unfortunately, we think this is probably speculation, and even though She-Hulk will likely join Earth's Mightiest Heroes one day, we're pretty sure nothing is set in stone quite yet.
Likelihood to happen? 4/10
1. Christian Bale's Thor: Love And Thunder Role!
Another big 4Chan Thor: Love and Thunder rumor says that former Batman Christian Bale is going to wind up playing the villainous Dario Agger in Taika Waititi's Thor: Ragnarok follow-up.
While there have been claims that Bale is taking on the role of some sort of "intergalactic" baddie, this sounds far more plausible, and seems like a fitting part for the talented Oscar winner.
This is probably going to happen regardless, but we'll give this rumor the benefit of the doubt.
Likelihood to happen? 8/10