Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman helped write Avengers: Doomsday — and that tells us a lot

Marvel never could resist a hectic bit of spectacle, and now it looks like Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman are bringing their brand of chaos to Avengers: Doomsday — not just on screen, but on the script as well. This time, they've managed to sneak into the Writers Guild of America credits. What's actually going on here? Well, if you keep an eye on the official WGA listings (always fascinating reading, honestly), both Reynolds and Jackman are down for 'additional literary material' on the upcoming Avengers behemoth. That doesn’t mean you’ll see their names splashed on the big screen, but it’s about as close as Marvel ever comes to confirming they're in the film, especially since the studio’s been pretending Wade Wilson and Logan aren’t even in the same postcode as this story.

Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman are credited with 'additional literary material' alongside several other writers for Avengers: Doomsday in the Writers Guild of America database.

For those wondering: 'additional literary material' is the polite industry way of saying 'helped with the script but not enough for a main credit.' Even so, this is pretty much Marvel’s tip of the hat that Deadpool and Wolverine are likely to show up for another round.

The Writing Team Pile-On

Just to make things even busier, here's who’s officially shepherding this mammoth project:

• Stephen McFeely (Avengers: Endgame) and Michael Waldron (Loki): Main screenplay credits.
• ‘Additional literary material’ — Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Eric Pearson (The Fantastic Four: First Steps), Chris McKenna & Erik Sommers (Spider-Man: Brand New Day), Jeff Loveness (Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania), Andrew Lanham & Destin Daniel Cretton (both from Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings).

This line-up genuinely rivals the number of costumed heroes supposedly assembling to take on Robert Downey Jr.—who, yes, is apparently playing Doctor Doom this time, which is a casting flex if ever there was one. If you’re counting at home, that’s nine scribes with fingerprints on the screenplay. It’s a miracle anything cohesive ever emerges from a process like this—but then again, miracles and Marvel are a package deal.

Deadpool, Wolverine, and the Punch-Up Club

Now, if you’re thinking Reynolds is just tossing in a few cheeky ad-libs, think bigger. He’s actually a seasoned writer on these films—he co-wrote both Deadpool sequels and even dabbled in scripting Welcome to Wrexham for TV. Jackman, meanwhile, hasn’t had an official ‘written by’ credit, but there’s industry lore about him helping to shape Logan’s character and dialogue, even if his name doesn’t always make the crawl. Long story short: if you want Deadpool and Wolverine to feel like themselves, these are the actual blokes you want fussing over their lines.

Of course, the one worry here—shared by anyone who remembers the bad old days of studio muck-ups—is that a script this crowded sometimes ends up with too many clashing voices and not enough actual jokes. But look, if Reynolds and Jackman are on hand, at the very least someone’s making sure their own scenes aren’t a total tonal car crash. Avengers: Doomsday is due on 18 December, which isn’t far at all in blockbuster terms.

Avengers: Doomsday lands in cinemas on 18 December 2026.