The Avengers will assemble again, albeit in a few years’ time, but what we don’t know is which of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes will be on the roster when they do. The Multiverse Saga has moved so many pieces around on the board, and added a whole wave of new action figures to Kevin Feige’s toybox, that it’s hard to predict who could achieve official Avengers status in the next big team-up event movie and who will be benched.
At least one long-term MCU veteran has helpfully clarified that they’re wholeheartedly still committed to this franchise, even if this isn’t something that Marvel probably wanted them to admit just yet…
Paul Bettany risks Marvel snipers by revealing he’s “100%” coming back as Vision
Get ready to see the vision again! You know how Marvel actors should never announce anything about their MCU futures by pain of death? Well, clearly Paul Bettany — who’s been killed off twice in this franchise already — thinks he’s immune as one of Marvel’s longest-serving actors has admitted he’s “100%” coming back as his superhero synthezoid. While he didn’t go so far as to confirm which project he’ll return in, we can assume he’s talking about Vision Quest, the second WandaVision spinoff which was announced way back in fall 2022 and has been stuck in limbo ever since. Now if his on-screen wife Elizabeth Olsen could just make a similar slip and reveal when Scarlet Witch will get resurrected, that’d be fabulous.
Doctor Strange no more? Avengers 5 rumors claim Benedict Cumberbatch’s impending MCU exit
On the other end of the reliable sources scale, we have this rather alarmist rumor concerning the future of Doctor Strange. While Vision’s return came from Paul Bettany’s own mouth, during an appearance at Orlando’s MegaCon, this claim is totally uncorroborated so don’t get yourselves too worked up. As it is, this rumor alleges that Benedict Cumberbatch will not appear in Avengers 5 as the Master of the Mystic Arts. Apparently, Marvel knows Strange is too powerful so he will be kept out of play in the next film in order to allow the heroes to lose to Kang/Doctor Doom/whoever, in a repeat of Infinity War‘s shock cliffhanger ending. Marvel generally is a big fan of the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” philosophy, but would they really reheat one of the MCU’s most iconic moments wholesale like that? Where’s Stephen Strange when you need him to peek into the future? Oh wait, I guess that’s why they might want to bench him.
Kevin Feige becomes that which he hates by spoiling Deadpool 3‘s new logo and title (kinda)
Paul Bettany, who’s been hanging around the MCU since Iron Man, is dropping Marvel spoilers with reckless abandon? Who’s next, Kevin Feige? Well, yes, actually. During an appearance at the Saturn Awards, the studio prez showed up with one of his patented baseball caps that went and gave us our first look at Deadpool 3‘s new logo. At the same time, the back of his hat appeared to reveal the film’s actual title, but the canny Kevin made sure not to give photographers a clear shot at it so the exact wording remains a mystery. Fingers crossed all will be unveiled come DP3‘s teaser trailer, expected to drop during the Super Bowl on Sunday, Feb. 11. So long as it’s not called Deadpool and Wolverine: Multiverse of Poolmania, I’ll be happy.