Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman Rumored to Assemble for Avengers: Doomsday as Marvel Hype Surges

If you ever wondered what the phrase 'too many cooks in the kitchen' would look like in superhero movie form, Avengers: Doomsday just might answer that question. There are so many stars (and I mean, so many) involved in this thing, it's almost impressive they haven't announced your next-door neighbor yet. And now, two more huge names with serious Marvel history are floating into the mix—maybe. Let's break down where this wild movie is headed.

More Heroes Than a Comic-Con Photo Op

To start: we're talking more than 30 confirmed cast members for Doomsday. And that's just the ones they're willing to tell us about. The movie already boasts basically every MCU favorite you can name, plus a handful of so-called 'legacy' stars that never actually fit into the Marvel Cinematic Universe proper.

What makes these legacy additions fun (and let's face it, a little nostalgia-bait-ish) is that plenty of them are mutants from the old Fox X-Men movies. Finally, a version of the X-Men that looks like the comics, in an Avengers movie, for the first time ever. If you're an X-Men fan who remembers the good, the bad, and the strange from that old franchise, this is basically your fever dream.

Oh, and let's not gloss over who's running the show: Joe and Anthony Russo, the directors who gave us Infinity War and Endgame (back when 'universe-ending stakes' was still a fresh idea). After this? All signs point to Avengers: Secret Wars in 2027, which has reboot written all over it.

A Wild New Rumor: Two Familiar Faces

As always, the rumor mill can't help itself. According to the very plugged-in Daniel Richtman, Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds are lined up to appear in Doomsday, reprising (again) their roles as Wolverine and Deadpool. Before you imagine them front and center, here's the catch: Richtman claims they'll 'film at least one scene' during upcoming reshoots, but nobody knows how much screen time that involves or what shenanigans they'll get up to this time.

Worth noting: this would be their second official MCU appearance after 2024's Deadpool and Wolverine, which, for the record, broke box office records for R-rated superhero movies.

Both actors have publicly denied being involved in Doomsday. (Which, in Marvel PR speak, is about as reliable as Loki promising not to cause mischief.) There's even a separate rumor floating around about a dramatic opener where Deadpool and Wolverine watch their entire universe explode—no confirmation, just whispers and nods for now.

Meet the Giant Cast

• Robert Downey Jr. flips to the dark side as Doctor Doom, basically carrying the main plot—think Thanos in Infinity War, but snarkier and with a mask.
• Legacy X-Men cast (like mutants from the old 20th Century Fox run), finally pieced together and interacting the way fans have wanted for ages.
• The usual MCU suspects, plus a promised handful of surprise faces teased for later trailers or for that one guy who stalks set photos on Twitter.
• Possible extra cameos if the rumors play out: Jackman's Wolverine and Reynolds' Deadpool, both of whom are among the few Marvel characters who actually know the multiverse is a thing.

A Multiverse with Room for (Almost) Everybody

So if you were wondering how Deadpool and Wolverine fit, it actually makes sense: both characters are meta enough to get what's happening, and Wolverine's tangled history with the X-Men squad always gives him an in with this kind of lineup. With massive reshoots scheduled, the Russos have time to adjust or add just about anything—a luxury and a curse when your cast barely fits on the poster.

'Jackman and Reynolds will film at least one scene.'
— Daniel Richtman (longtime Marvel scooper)

Marvel won't say how long reshoots will go, but the only thing that seems certain is Doomsday is shaping up to be a monster of a movie, in every sense. Some heroes will obviously get more focus (expect Downey's Doctor Doom to eat up attention), but there's no way a crossover this big doesn't have at least a few fan-favorite surprises hiding in the wings.

Mark Your Calendars (And Your Bingo Cards)

Avengers: Doomsday is scheduled to hit theaters December 18, 2026. Maybe jot down every Marvel actor you think might appear—at this rate, the odds are pretty good you'll be right once or twice.