Five years on to the month since Avengers: Endgame cemented the MCU‘s status as the biggest movie franchise of all time, the world of Marvel Studios finds itself in much different health. While Endgame brought home $3 billion worldwide, its most recent production The Marvels could barely scrape together $200 million at the box office. Clearly, something needs to be done.

Disney chief Bob Iger thinks he knows what that something is. As per the company’s quarterly earnings call (via Variety), Iger decreed that Marvel is “slowly going to decrease volume” over the next couple of years and he’s working to have the studio release “two TV series a year instead of what had become four” and “reduce our film output from maybe four a year to two, or a maximum of three.”

To recap, it looks like we’re heading for two movies and TV series a year. And, as you would expect, the fandom is reacting entirely calmly and is in total agreement about this. As Cyclops would say… NOT! On the one hand, many are firmly of the belief this is a cap Marvel should’ve had in place since the start of the Multiverse Saga, clearly feeling that the splurge of content we’ve had since 2021 is to blame for the steady decline in audience interest.

Others, meanwhile, are taking a more Magneto-like extremist viewpoint and think Iger should limit Marvel to a single movie a year!

Of course, not everyone’s going to love the idea of less MCU content. So some believe that Iger should really be focusing on quality, not quantity.

Elsewhere, we have those who haven’t kept up with the MCU at all and are stunned that four productions per calendar year is considered a strict limit. Oh honey, wait ’til you find out we had four movies and five TV shows in 2021!

Is Marvel Ant-Manning the MCU the right thing to do?

Naturally, every fan has their own opinion on the MCU’s shrinking strategy, but is it really a good thing or not? First of all, I think we have to accept that, at this point, quality is almost a non-factor. As everyone found out when they belatedly caught it on streaming, The Marvels is a completely solid slice of superhero entertainment and far from deserving of its status as Marvel’s lowest-grossing film. Clearly, audiences had just reached a zenith of exhaustion with the franchise by last November.

A long break has certainly helped, as all the signs are pointing to Deadpool & Wolverine winning a lot of drifted viewers back into the fold. That certainly suggests that “less is more” for the MCU, meaning the Iger Cap — not to be confused with the Feige Cap, which the Marvel prez wears on his head at all times — is surely a good thing.

That said, all those fans noting how this should’ve been in play all along are making a vital point. It is possible that, outside of “special” releases like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Deadpool & Wolverine, the audience just isn’t interested anymore. To test that theory, we’ll really have to see how more regular MCU fare like Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts perform in 2025. If they sink in a similar fashion to The Marvels, it might be time for Marvel to admit that viewers are just bored of the whole “shared universe” model altogether.

Who knows, maybe Ant-Manning the MCU will turn out to be a good thing. Or maybe, the franchise is just like the giant Paul Rudd skull in Deadpool 3; no amount of cuts can make a difference because the scythe has already been swung.

We have our new Fantastic Four, there’s no doubt about that, but what there is doubt about is how much Marvel is actually going to use the superhero quartet we thought were going to be all over the MCU following their introduction in July 2025’s The Fantastic Four.

Don’t take it as a sure thing just yet, but rumors — which gel with everything else we’ve heard about the film’s storyline, to be fair — are claiming that Avengers 5 (aka The Film Formerly Known as The Kang Dynasty) will not feature any of the fabulous foursome. That’s right: Don’t expect to see Pedro Pascal (Mr. Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby (Sue Storm), Joseph Queen (Human Torch), or Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Thing) team up with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in the big Marvel event.

If you ask us, that’s a huge waste of potential given that Avengers 5 must match up to the cross-the-streams extravaganza that was Avengers: Infinity War. But, OK, we get it, Pedro and pals are very busy people. Thankfully, there’s a little thing called the multiverse at play, which could allow Marvel to introduce a whole other variant team of Fantastic Four heroes across both Avengers 5 and Secret Wars.

John Krasinski has already turned up as Earth-838’s Reed Richards, so we know it can be done. In that vein, why couldn’t varying squadrons of Marvel’s First Family assemble before the Avengers meet the actual motley crew? Let’s keep the fancast-to-reality trend going and bring in all the Fantastic Four possibilities as the Multiverse Saga builds to its (hopefully) stunning climax. Kevin Feige, if you’re looking for ideas, here are some free of charge — excepting a six-figure consultant’s fee, but we’ll discuss that later.

The Driver team

Remember when we were all convinced that Adam Driver was going to be the MCU’s Reed Richards? That was wild. Well, it can still conceivably be made canon thanks to the multiverse. If we were to build a variant team around him, Adria Arjona would make a great Sue. She reliably gives her all to every project she’s in (see Andor) and she truly deserves another crack at the Marvel whip after Morbius. Meanwhile, Jay Lycurgo has already stormed the DC multiverse thanks to Titans and The Batman, so ticking the MCU off his to-do list as Johnny Storm only makes sense. Last but not least… Jack Black as the Thing. I mean, that says it all, right? The defense rests.

The Badgley team

Want another walk down memory lane? Forget Driver ⏤ at one point, the whole internet was certain that Penn Badgley, Jodie Comer, Joe Keery, and Jason Segel had been officially cast as the Four, with Badgley and Comer as Reed and Sue, Keery as Johnny, and Segel as Ben Grimm. They did make for an intriguing ensemble, so it would be rather fun to see them suit up for a brief cameo in Secret Wars. Comer already has previous practice doing this in Disney movies after her Rise of Skywalker role. That said, it might be creepy to see Comer and Keery play siblings after being love interests in Free Guy.

The fans’ dream team

Fans have been salty about how John Krasinski‘s Reed was treated ever since Wanda turned him into spaghetti in Doctor Strange 2. Similarly, it was also a bit of a bummer that Marvel didn’t complete the dream team by having him share the screen with IRL wife Emily Blunt as Sue. There’s still time to put this right, though, before the Multiverse Saga calls it quits. As for who could be their cohorts, John Boyega was always a popular choice for Johnny, and Disney still owes him for doing Finn dirty. And Alan Ritchson would be a perfect Thing, assuming James Gunn doesn’t hoover him up as Batman first.

The near-misses team

If Secret Wars really does become a way for Marvel to apologize to all the actors it’s failed to cast over the years, then this lineup would make a lot of sense for a variant Fantastic Four. Jamie Dornan is the kind of actor whose name gets thrown around for various superhero roles, but he’s never taken one to date. Amanda Seyfried was almost Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy. Zac Efron was everyone’s top pick for Adam Warlock, and Seth Rogen feels like a Marvel cameo waiting to happen. So make it happen, Marvel!

The so-wild-it-just-might-work team

The exhilarating thing about the concept of Marvel introducing another Fantastic Four team for a scene in Secret Wars is that they can make some bizarre, yet winning, actor pairings. So how about Jason Sudeikis as Mr. F, Kevin Hart as The Thing, the internet’s boyfriend Jacob Elordi as Human Torch, and Ryan Reynolds’ other half Blake Lively as Sue. And, yes, in this imaginary scenario, Deadpool would get to meet this Sue variant and probably have a crush on her. It’s the Green Lantern reunion we’ve all been waiting for. You’re welcome.

The curveball team

On a similar theme, Marvel could ignore all your fan casts and hire whoever they like to play the FF for five seconds of screentime and watch everyone’s jaws drop. John Cho could be a brilliant yet completely unexpected Mr. Fantastic and Jessica Chastain definitely deserves another shot at a Marvel role after Dark Phoenix let her down. Liam Hemsworth is long overdue for a spot in the MCU after losing Thor to his brother and Peacemaker has proven that John Cena is a better actor than we realized.

The refreshing team

In a similar vein, it would be really refreshing to have a Fantastic Four made up of these four actors. Despite Marvel’s increasing interest in diversifying its cache of characters, the studio still went with a fully Caucasian cast for the FF reboot. It could always put that right by having a variant team made up of people of color ⏤ like, say, Dev Patel, Constance Wu, and Terry Crews, all of whom would be amazing additions to the franchise. And John David Washington would just be keeping things in the family after his dad becomes Kang (we can dream, can’t we?)

The internet-breaking team

The ultimate aim with any cameo in a Marvel movie is to grab our attention, right? In this case, Marvel should absolutely find a spot for these guys in Avengers 5 and 6, as social media might just spontaneously combust if it does. Imagine Bridgerton heartthrob Regé-Jean Page turning up as one of the Council of Reeds? Or X-Men alum Jennifer Lawrence randomly returning to the Marvel multiverse as Sue? Meanwhile, Outer Banks fave Rudy Pankow has a lot of feral supporters while the hilarity of casting the actual Rock Dwayne Johnson as the rock-based the Thing speaks for itself.

To be clear, The Fantastic Four cast we do have is terrific, but there’s no harm in kicking up a storm by multiplying their number a few times, is there? It’s not called the Multiverse Saga for nothing, after all!

There is so much we still don’t know about Deadpool & Wolverine, thanks to the trailers doing an exceptional job of holding back many of its secrets, but if there’s one thing that has been made abundantly clear it’s that there will be no end to the Easter eggs, cameos, and crossovers to the Marvel movies of yesteryear.

Mostly Fox’s original X-Men movies, of course, but with Jennifer Garner confirmed to return as Daredevil‘s Elektra the door is open for other Marvel legacy characters, as we might call them, to drop by too. One of the MCU fandom’s biggest pie-in-the-sky hopes? That Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man could be among them.

That might seem a bit too much for the already stacked threequel to add to its plate, but the latest snippet of fresh Deadpool 3 footage definitely opens the door to some form of crossover with the Sam Raimi Spider-Verse. See if you can spot the big clue in the promo below:

Did you spot it? Don’t feel bad if you didn’t as you need to flip the screen to do so. The menu written on the window of the diner Wade and Wolvie are shown sitting in, once flipped, reveals that the diner is called Joe’s and uses a very familiar font — it’s the same font used by Joe’s Pizza, the NYC pizza parlor Peter Parker memorably worked for in Spider-Man 2!

Some are doubting this is an actual reference to Spider-Man 2, however. For starters, this is clearly a roadside diner and not the same inner-city restaurant Joe’s Pizzas was in that film. Not to mention that Joe’s is the most common name for an eating establishment there is!

Having said that, this is Deadpool & Wolverine we’re talking about, a film whose every shot we’ve seen so far has been marinated in Marvel lore and winks to the audience. There’s little chance that the set designers simply accidentally stumbled on the same name and font as Joe’s Pizzas from Spider-Man 2.

That doesn’t mean, of course, that scene takes place in the Raimiverse and that Maguire is about to join Wade and Logan at their table. However, this subtle nod to the OG Sony trilogy reminds us that Maguire is out there somewhere in the Marvel multiverse. Which may just set the stage for an actual team-up with Jackman’s Wolverine in Avengers: Secret Wars, if you believe the rumors (which we desperately want to).

Deadpool & Wolverine will unveil which of the many theories we have are fact or fiction when it hits cinemas on July 26.

The challenge of adapting comics is the number of characters to draw from. The character of Ant-Man features one of these challenges.

For a long time, Hank Pym was the one and only Ant-Man in Marvel comic continuity. He and Janet took on the mantle of the insect-related superheroes and had a fine time doing it. Scott Lang was only added later. While Hank’s (Michael Douglas) contribution to the Ant-Man mythos is acknowledged in the Marvel films, there is no denying that Paul Rudd in the role of Scott is the main draw of the films. His humor and unlikely heroism make him one of the most enjoyable characters in the franchise. But this switcheroo adds fuel to the fire of the questions prevalent in another Marvel entity. 

Deadpool & Wolverine unites the Merc With the Mouth (Ryan Reynolds) and Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) at last in a multiverse-heavy film. The Deadpool franchise has always pushed the envelope with its content, so it’s anyone’s guess who the man behind the Ant-Man of the film will be.

Who is Ant-Man in Deadpool 3?

The trailer for Deadpool 3 has such sensory overload that there are many blink-and-you-’ll-miss-it moments. Many old-school Marvel villains, such as Pyro (Aaron Stanford) and Azazel (Jason Flemyng), appear in quick flashes in the trailer. But more prevalent is the giant Ant-Man skull being used as a hide-out. The trailer doesn’t indicate the identity of this dead Ant-Man, but as luck would have it, Deadpool 3 released more footage that hinted at the sad demise of our favorite six-legged superhero. A new clip posted on X (formerly Twitter) gives some context to the giant head as Deadpool offers a quippy line of dialogue.

“Huh, Paul Rudd finally aged,” Deadpool comments about the skull. This quick line plays on Rudd’s reputation as an ageless immortal and also has the benefit of revealing which Ant-Man is in question. Despite exploring the multiverse, Deadpool 3 does not appear to use Hank as the prime Ant-Man. Unfortunately for Scott Lang fans, he apparently does not survive in whatever timeline Deadpool is traversing in the ambitious film.

But that doesn’t exactly make Ant-Man dead in the water. At least, not forever. If Logan can return after his definitive death in his titular 2017 film, there is still hope for Rudd’s Ant-Man. Who knows exactly what timeline that skull is from? And after all, the entirety of Deadpool 2 changed after Wade time-traveled to save Vanessa (Morena Baccarin). That’s how that works in the MCU, right? Fans will have to wait to see what rules Deadpool follows and breaks when the film premieres in theaters on July 26.

Deadpool & Wolverine is going to be on our doorsteps any day now, and for those who have made the remarkably curious choice of only ever following the canon in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Merc With the Mouth may be new ground for some.

Thanks to the trailers, such folk are at least aware that Deadpool fancies the help of swords and bullets when it comes to dispatching his opponents, and they also know that he has a humorous side that quite violently oversteps the “obnoxious” line, often to the amusement of we audience members, but to the disdain of his allies and enemies alike.

And the worst part for said enemies? Not even a guillotine can shut him up, which may be the news that first-timers to Wade Wilson haven’t yet heard.

Is Deadpool immortal?

While the exact power scale of Deadpool’s current cinematic iteration has yet to be truly tested, the character has historically boasted a universal healing factor that almost always manages to keep death at bay (comic book characters in general tend to be impervious to absolute death, but Deadpool’s resistance to it is nevertheless more independent than most).

Indeed, in addition to immunity of death by natural causes such as aging or illness, past comic iterations of Wade Wilson also saw him perform such feats as regrowing his head after getting effectively decapitated. Suffice to say, then, that Deadpool is immortal in every way that matters.

Whether or not this “immortal in every way that matters” shtick will be challenged in the MCU is another story. Unlike comic books, where continuity and canon can be considered dirty words, the MCU prefers a more fixed timeline with stakes that can’t so easily be avoided with the promise of a new issue or franchise relaunch (although they’d be wise to at least consider the latter at this point, depending on how Deadpool & Wolverine goes).

In saying that, perhaps the Feigeverse may elect to put a bit of a cap on Deadpool’s healing factor; one that results in decapitation being able to accomplish what it usually intends to. Even so, however, Deadpool would probably deflate any dramatic buildup to his death with his trademark nonchalant snark, so it’s probably in the studio’s best interest to leave the dying to those who could actually deliver that tragic gut-punch, and just let Deadpool do his own thing (and judging by that pegging joke in the first trailer, that seems to be what they’re doing anyway).

Deadpool & Wolverine slices and dices into theaters on July 26.

It’s been a little rough over the past few years, but the MCU is about to treat its fans very well over the next 12 months or so. First, we have the world of the X-Men colliding with the Marvel Studios multiverse in Deadpool & Wolverine and then summer 2025 delivers the long-awaited Fantastic Four reboot. But, wait, there may be a disappointing catch to the First Family’s MCU debut.

Aside from the brilliant casting of Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby et al as Reed Richards and company, The Fantastic Four is so exciting because it drops the characters into the wider Marvel cinematic sandbox for the first time ever, after 20 years of underwhelming solo films. Just in time to have some kind of presence in the two Avengers movies that will conclude the Multiverse Saga.

That’s why the latest rumors to do with The Movie Formerly Known As The Kang Dynasty are so crushing. Self-proclaimed scoopers Murphy’s Multiverse and Daniel RPK are reporting that the studio’s plans for Avengers 5 do not involve the Fantastic Four. As you may have already heard, the cast is supposedly coming together for the film, which currently has no director attached, but Marvel allegedly isn’t bothering to give Pascal and his co-stars a call for this one.

This is immensely crushing for multiple reasons. The Infinity Saga had a knack for having its new additions partner up with other heroes practically as soon as they were introduced — think Black Panther and Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War — but the Multiverse Saga has been much slower on its feet in this department. With The Fantastic Four coming out less than a year ahead of Avengers 5, the timing seemed perfect for Mr. Fantastic and friends to play a role in the movie, but — if we’re to believe the scuttlebutt — this isn’t the case.

And if this is the case then Avengers 5 is immediately falling short of Avengers: Infinity War, which so adeptly assembled the various heroes of the Infinity Saga to set the stage for an epic finale in Endgame. If Avengers 5 isn’t going to do the same then it’s arguably failing in its job to be as big an event as the Multiverse Saga deserves. Sure, it’s easy to speculate that the Fantastic Four are simply being held back until Avengers 6 AKA Secret Wars, but that movie has enough on its plate as it is. There’s a risk that Avengers 5 could be severely underpopulated while Avengers 6 becomes dangerously overpopulated.

Plus, on a very simple, primal level, we just want to see the Fantastic Four and Avengers engage in that classic superhero staple — having a fight before they realize they are on the same side. Give us stretchy daddy Reed versus Spidey or Human Torch battling Captain Marvel already. Please don’t make us wait until 2027.

Fulfilling decades-long dreams and after making the galaxy far, far away even more interesting, Giancarlo Esposito is officially joining the MCU. Going bonkers over the news is justified, but in all this excitement the biggest detail that erases every fan theory about who the actor will play in Marvel Studios’ cinematic universe is weirdly being overlooked.

Esposito rose to stardom after playing the gentle gangster Gus Fringe in the Breaking Bad series. Since then, he has been chosen to play the charismatically evil bad guy in other famous properties, including the Star Wars spinoff TV show The Mandalorian. However, he has been tentatively thinking about becoming a hero in another major franchise for a long time, with Marvel topping his wishlist.

In the past, Esposito has been fan-cast as Charles Xavier, the leader of the X-Men, when rumors of the mutants joining the MCU had just begun. He also seconded the choice but expressed his reluctance to play Professor X since it would mean his character would be stuck in a wheelchair most of the time. But since he is officially joining the franchise that has been flung wide open in terms of having multiple actors playing different versions of the same character, is Esposito appearing as Charles still on the cards?

Nope. In fact, during the recent CCXP panel (via Collider), where the actor revealed the major news and assured us that we can count on his appearance happening “sooner rather than late,” he also dropped the bigger bomb — he will be playing a “new” and “original” character, i.e, someone who will be created from scratch and not adapted from the comic books.

You would think that the pumped-up fandom would make it as far as reading every detail about his casting. Well, that didn’t happen as fans are still busy speculating about which comic book character he will be playing.

And of course, despite him stating why Professor X is not on the cards for him, the mutant leader is also in the mix.

Whew! By the looks of the ongoing chatter, the masses are not going to realize anytime soon that all of their theories are in vain. As for the idea of Esposito playing an original character in the MCU, it is intriguing, to say the least. So far, Marvel Studios has used comic book characters as inspiration for their cinematic universe, and even created a new hero – Kahhori, who appears in the Multiverse and low-stakes animated series What If…? Since the character proved to be a success, it sparks confidence that the MCU is ready to introduce new characters in live-action and do it well.

The question now is where Esposito will appear. One option is Deadpool & Wolverine. The movie is undergoing reshoots to include last-minute cameos, so one could be Esposito. It’s unlikely Marvel Studios would hire a star of his caliber to play a one-shot cameo, but Deadpool 3 could serve to introduce his original character.

Then again, the studio has already wasted exceptional actors in subpar roles before.

Next in the theatrical schedule of Marvel Studios comes Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts, which revolves around antiheroes falling into the U.S. service. Given Esposito’s knack for playing layered bad guys, he would fit into this new team like a glove. Of course, he can also pop up in Fantastic Four somehow, but since he claimed he’ll appear soon, it’s hard to imagine we would have to wait more than a full year to meet his “original” character.

Marvel Studios can also introduce Esposito into the MCU through its packed slate of TV shows. In 2024, unless some last-minute delays happen, we’ll supposedly get to watch Agatha: Darkhold Diaries, Eyes of Wakanda, and Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. The WandaVision spin-off deals with the occult and paranormal entities, allowing Esposito to play a new demon or monster. The deeper dive into T’Challa’s homeland might have the actor voicing a major Wakandan warrior. Finally, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man takes place in an alternate timeline, which gives Marvel Studios plenty of freedom to try out new original characters without compromising the Sacred Timeline.

Having followed Esposito’s exceptional roles so far, there will be no qualms about him doing justice to his character, no matter whenever and wherever he pops up in the MCU.

Kevin Feige usually isn’t one to blab too much about his own movies — in fact, he’s usually more tight-lipped than Nick Fury — but he’s being uncharacteristically chatty about his concerns and worries for Deadpool & Wolverine. Which either means that the Marvel Studios prez is so sure he’s got a winner on his hands it doesn’t matter what he says or he’s publicly washing his hands of the film already.

But first, is Marvel’s original Guardian Devil making a shocking transfer from the Distinguished Competition?

Ben Affleck reportedly in talks to return to the Marvel multiverse, but as Daredevil or someone new?

His ex-wife Jennifer Garner — who he met on set of 2003’s Daredevil — may be back in Deadpool 3, but so far there’s been no real indication that Ben Affleck could make a multiversal cameo in the same film. That said, new rumors are claiming that he’s in talks with Marvel Studios for some top-secret upcoming project. The expectation would be that he’s back as Matt Murdock, perhaps for some Secret Wars crossover, but additional info purports that it’s definitely not a DD-related project.

Whatever the truth, the hearts of DC fans everywhere might be breaking that he’s returning to Marvel, dooming his final Batman appearance to come in the tasteless IP soup that was The Flash (I said what I said).

Kevin Feige admits he tried to destroy ‘Deadpool 3’ but he mercifully didn’t succeed

Is Kevin Feige OK? Can Iman Vellani or somebody send him a quick check-in text? I’m only asking because he’s being shockingly open about how he almost derailed Deadpool & Wolverine before it could begin. In an eye-opening interview with Empire, Feige admitted that he turned down Ryan Reynolds’ first pitch for the threequel. “I thought it needed to be more than just playing the hits,” he explained. Does that mean that DP3 won’t just be playing the hits or that he ultimately came around to the idea? Honestly, by the look of the trailers, it might be the latter.

As if that wasn’t enough, Feige also admitted that he originally told Hugh Jackman to turn down the movie. Kevin, do you actually want your franchise to succeed? Has the Multiverse Saga just been one long Springtime for Hitler act of self-sabotage? Come to think of it, that would make a lot of sense.

Sam Wilson’s new Captain America suit is unveiled, and now disappointment reigns

We hoped it wasn’t true, but the leaked concept art and set photos weren’t lying. A new promo image for Captain America: Brave New World confirms that Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson will be getting a brand, although not so brave, new suit in his upcoming cinematic return. The problem is Marvel fans loved his old one just fine and are miffed that it’s been mothballed after about five minutes of screentime in the Falcon and the Winter Soldier finale. Especially as it’s a bare-faced attempt to recapture the look of Steve Rogers’ Captain America 2 costume. Let Sam be his own hero, Marvel! We all know how much Mackie likes being left alone, after all…

Hugh Jackman, do you never rest? The ever-busy movie and theater star hasn’t even released his grand return to the Marvel blockbuster business in Deadpool & Wolverine yet and he’s already landed his next major role, playing a truly legendary character. What’s more, it’s a role that, if we squint a bit, may just help us deduce who could take over from him in the part of Logan.

In an unexpected career move, Jackman has signed up to star in The Death of Robin Hood, a bleaker-than-usual reimagining of the heroic archer from English folklore. Directed by Michael Sarnoski (A Quiet Place: Day One) and co-starring Killing Eve icon Jodie Comer, Jackman’s Robin will be a darker take on the character, as he’ll be “grappling with his past after a life of crime and murder.” 

So even after he sheathes his adamantium claws once more, Jackman will be hopping over to another larger-than-life hero. But who could fill in for him as Wolverine, as the MCU invariably introduces a rebooted version native to Earth-19999? One of the most popular fan suggestions, one that’s taken on such life that many believe it to be fact, is Taron Egerton. Here’s how Jackman just made that possibility even more probable.

Hugh Jackman and Taron Egerton now share one role, so could they share another?

Egerton has been inadvertently circling the role of Wolverine ever since he co-starred opposite Jackman in 2016’s Eddie the Eagle and the world realized that the Kingsman star actually looks more like the comic book Wolverine than Hugh does, what with his relatively short stature. The poor man has been having to deny the rumors in every single interview he’s ever done since. Or at least until Daniel Radcliffe started getting the same treatment.

Now, though, Jackman is threatening to kick the conspiracy off again with his new Robin Hood role. If you’re thinking that Hollywood only just did a Robin Hood movie, that’s because they did — it came out in 2018 and starred Taron Egerton in the lead. After working together in Eddie the Eagle and both playing Robin Hood, it seems Jackman and Egerton’s careers are cosmically intertwined, which only makes the prospect of the latter becoming Logan that much more likely. Somewhere out there in the multiverse, the Watcher is watching the timelines coalesce.

What if… Taron Egerton one day becomes Wolverine? That’s definitely a question worth pondering.

Most of the time, Marvel Studios leaks only serve to make folks more excited for upcoming MCU movies. We’ve seen it just recently with Captain America: Brave New World. As the movie was supposed to be coming out this spring, McDonalds has been unfolding its Happy Meal promotion early, meaning we’ve got an early taste of various new and returning characters.

Then again, sometimes a Marvel leak has the opposite effect, and unfortunately Captain America 4 has suffered from this too. For the longest time, concept art and set pics have made it clear that Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson would get a new suit in his inaugural cinematic outing as the second Sentinel of Liberty… Even though he only just got his first suit in the series finale of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

This fact is now 100% official thanks to Marvel unveiling Sam’s new look in a fresh promo image. As you can see, Sam’s revamped uniform junks the shining white and light blue palette of his Falcon suit in favor of dark blues and grays.

So now we’ve got our first proper look at Sam Suit Mk 2, the vast majority of the fandom is voicing the same response: thanks, but no thanks. If you ask most folks, Marvel could have saved themselves a lot of money in the costuming department by simply reusing the fresh-off-the-rack costume used in Falcon, which was a flawless recreation of Sam’s Captain America design in the comics.

Yes, sadly Sam’s original suit died on its way back to its home planet.

Let the hate flow through you.

Does this Cap 4 change bode bad things for Spider-Man 4? Some think that Tom Holland’s brilliant new suit debuted at the end of No Way Home is destined to suffer the same fate.

The revamped suit isn’t winning the popularity contest.

X user capital spidey expertly summed up why this is such a bad look, from both a literal and figurative sense. “remember [sic] when miles got his iconic black and red suit at the end of his show and then they put him in peter’s suit for the movie after?” they wrote, ironically.

The above post draws a neat parallel between Miles Morales and Sam Wilson, both characters of color who took on the mantles of Caucasian heroes in Marvel movies. The big difference is that when Miles gets his own suit in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse he continued wearing that in sequel Across the Spider-Verse. Meanwhile, Sam got to don his own distinct suit for five minutes before being given one that’s clearly modeled after Steve Rogers’ togs.

Of course, there are many positive reactions to this costume out there as well, with some praising it for reminding them of Steve’s Winter Soldier suit — which is no doubt the point, as Marvel has been obsessively trying to recreate that Phase Two favorite for a full decade now. What with all the Hulk crossovers and Avengers plate-spinning Cap 4 has to do, we’re definitely starting to worry if Brave New World is going to successfully honor Sam’s character. Less of the emphasis on “New” and more on the “Brave,” please, Marvel.

The Fantastic Four has found its sixth fantastic star! Casting info has been mostly quiet ever since Marvel announced its quite sensational quartet of leads for the upcoming reboot of the First Family back on Valentine’s Day. April then delivered the news that Julia Garner was on board too, as a female iteration of the Silver Surfer.

Further rumors have swirled around since, concerning Galactus and, um, another Silver Surfer, but now we officially have another name to add to the list. Paul Walter Hauser has been added to the cast of director Matt Shakman’s film, joining the aforementioned Garner, not to mention Pedro Pascal (Mr. Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby (Invisible Woman), Joseph Quinn (Human Torch), and Ebon Moss Bachrach (The Thing).

No character details have emerged as to his role in the 2025 summer blockbuster as yet, but once we put together Hauser’s casting with one character we 100% know will make their cinematic debut in the film, then there’s surely only one logical answer who he could be playing. Everybody say “Hi, H.E.R.B.I.E.!”

Paul Walter Hauser would be the perfect H.E.R.B.I.E.

The curious way Marvel chose to announce Pascal et al’s casting told us a lot more about The Fantastic Four than just its lead cast. The actors were unveiled in the form of a piece of promo art, which confirmed the 1960s aesthetic the movie will sport. Not to mention it depicted the Four hanging out with a very familiar friend to comics readers and old-school cartoon readers: the FF’s robot sidekick, H.E.R.B.I.E. (Humanoid Experimental Robot, B-type, Integrated Electronics).

The last update we heard, Marvel Studios was searching for a talented comedic actor to voice the helpful android. Well, Hauser is one of the best comedic character actors working today, as anyone who’s seen him in everything from Cruella to Cobra Kai can attest. He’s also extremely in demand right now — he’s set to play the lead in a Chris Farley biopic, he’s signed up for the Naked Gun reboot, and he’s voicing a new emotion in Disney’s own Inside Out 2.

Hauser could certainly bring a lot of personality and charisma to the part of H.E.R.B.I.E. And given Marvel’s knack for loveable animal and/or digital sidekicks — see J.A.R.V.I.S., Goose, Cosmo, and others — he could well steal every scene he’s in. Even when he’s sharing those scenes with Pascal, Kirby, and the rest of the cosmic clan.

Then again, maybe he’s Galactus! Maybe he’s H.E.R.B.I.E. and then it turns out H.E.R.B.I.E. is Galactus in disguise!

Oh. I’ve finally realized why Kevin Feige never returns my calls.

If you’re a Loki superfan, then there’s a good chance you’re familiar with one very special character from the show: Alligator Loki. Appearing in season one episodes “The Nexus Event” and “Journey Into Mystery,” the hilarious scaled Loki variant quickly became a fan favorite. Unfortunately, the alligator that served as the model for Alligator Loki is missing, and its owners sent out a plea for help.

Before we get into that, lets review just how awesome this character is on the show. Alligator Loki has has horns, is green (super important) and hangs out with all the other Loki variants.

The original Loki, Tom Hiddleston, recently commented on the obvious ambiguity of alligator Loki. “The question is, ‘Is he really Loki? Or is he just green?’” Hiddleston told Marvel.com. “It’s such a funny question that [the Lokis] all bicker about. One thing about Loki is that Loki loves to be right. And they all have a different opinion about this alligator.”

As for Alligator Loki’s origin, we know that he was “pruned by the Time Variance Authority” for committing a very serious crime. That crime? Eating a neighbor’s cat. His punishment? Banishment to the void. If you’ve never heard of Alligator Loki, but you’re familiar with the comics, you may be wondering “did I miss this character? Am I crazy?” …While we can’t help you with the latter, we can tell you that you are not wrong; Alligator Loki is a completely original character made specifically for the TV show.

Now to the alligator that was used as a model for the character. His name is  Wally The Emotional Support Alligator, and unfortunately he’s gone missing. In fact, someone posted on r/marvelstudios and laid out the whole troubling issue.

It turns out that Wally’s owner, Joie, took Wally to Georgia, where the poor alligator was kidnapped from his enclosure. He was then placed “on another person’s front yard.” That person, not knowing that Wally was one of the most famous alligators around, called a tracker. The tracker came and picked up Wally, thinking he was just another alligator on the loose.

When Joie asked about Wally’s whereabouts, the tracker said he “released Wally into a swamp with over 20 other alligators and said there was ‘little to no hope of finding Wally.'” That’s not a good sign. To add insult to injury, the tracker “has been reluctant to provide additional information and seemingly has changed their story a few times.”

While the owner is devastated, it’s no easy ride for Wally either. Poor Wally had “everything he’s ever known ripped away from him,” which is “extremely worrisome,” because Wally is a domesticated animal that often eats Cheetos.

The writer of the post asks that people go to “Wally’s Facebook page or his TikTok account” for more information. Hopefully they find Wally soon!