- Marvel movies and TV shows are on pause due to the coronavirus pandemic. Disney has just delayed Black Widow, and WandaVision will be the only MCU Phase 4 adventure to launch in 2020.
- A new rumor says that Marvel is working tirelessly behind closed doors to score a few impressive cameos for what will turn out to be one of the most exciting MCU Phase 4 film.
- Among the high-profile actors that Feige wants in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is Hugh Jackman, who would reprise role as Wolverine.
WandaVision will be the first and only MCU Phase 4 adventure coming out this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Disney delayed Black Widow once again a few days ago, and every other Marvel movie will be pushed back accordingly. Two of the TV series expected to launch this year have also been postponed: The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Loki.
It isn’t just production issues forcing Disney to delay their debut. All of the Marvel TV shows will be inextricably tied to the movies, and Marvel has a very specific plan for moving forward with its story. We already have reason to believe that The Falcon and the Winter Soldier can’t run on Disney+ until Black Widow delivers a key connecting detail. As for TV shows that should have entered production next year, the future is still unwritten. We did see Marvel cast several future Avengers, but it’s unclear when those TV series will start shooting.
That said, there’s no shortage of exciting Marvel rumors. The latest one concerns one of the pivotal movies of Phase 4, which will set up various other stories, and potentially introduce the key elements that Marvel needs to bring into the MCU.
Several months ago, we covered several Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness rumors that said the film might bring various characters into the MCU. Some of those stories seemed wild at the time, suggesting that Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine might make a cameo. Deadpool was also mentioned as a possible appearance. A huge plot leak suggested that WandaVision will tie directly into the Strange sequel by providing the film’s real villain.
Just like that, Marvel could give us a better look at the multiverse than we got to see so far and introduce the kind of heroes that were not available in the past. The X-Men, Deadpool, and Fantastic Four will all have to join the MCU soon, and Strange 2 could be used for that. The film could also play a crucial role in steering the action to the highly anticipated Secret Wars storyline, by first introducing these alternate hero versions.
Secret Wars might actually offer Marvel a great way to bring Robert Downey Jr. back as Tony Stark without ruining Endgame. But this time around, we’d be looking at a version of Iron Man hailing from a different universe.
More recently, these rumors got an amazing twist. Rather than having the actors that played our beloved Avengers appear in Strange 2 as alternate Avengers, Marvel would tap other big names. We’re looking at actors who might not have the time to ink multi-film deals with Disney, but who might cameo in some movies. We’re also looking at actors that either wanted to appear in Marvel movies, or were shortlisted for the roles that eventually went to the actors portraying the current team of Avengers.
Tom Cruise would play Iron Man, one of these rumors said, while a wilder report said that John Krasinski would be a different version of Captain America.
YouTuber Grace Randolph claims to know Kevin Feige’s plans, and the word on the street is that Marvel wants to beat DC Comics again. Feige reportedly made Civil War to beat Batman v Superman. There’s no question which one was the better film.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is Feige’s chance to go after The Flash, which is expected to be DC’s own multiverse film that would bring back a few of the previous Batman actors.
Randolph says that Cruise has not signed on for Iron Man, but things could change. But the YouTuber also lists other cameos that Feige is considering. For example, the Marvel chief looks at having Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield back as Spider-Men from different universes. Jamie Foxx would also return as Electro, a previous report said.
But the best part of Randolph clip concerns the character we’d all love to see play with the Avengers: Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine. “He also would like to bring back Hugh Jackman for one last round as Wolverine. Now, again, this is right now, Kevin Feige’s wish list. We’ll see what he can actually do,” she said.
Jackman famously hanged his adamantium claws with Logan, saying that he got too old for the role. But, as Cosmic Book News points, he left a door open to returning.
“The Avengers would prove too much to turn down,” Jackman back in February of 2017, at a time when Fox was not a done deal for Marvel. “Because I always love the idea of him [Wolverine] within that dynamic, with the Hulk obviously, with Iron Man but there are a lot of smarter people with MBAs who can’t figure that out [laughter]. You never know. At the moment, honestly, if I really did have them there, I probably wouldn’t have said this is the last [about Logan]. It just feels like this is the right time [to leave the character].”
Jackman would be a huge win for Marvel, and a perfect way to add this version of Wolverine to MCU canon. Not to mention that it would give Marvel a clever way to have Deadpool, Wolverine, and Doctor Strange in the same scenes. I’m just speculating, but this would be pure gold for fans.
None of this can be confirmed at this time, and it’s unclear what Feige and co. will do with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. But that one word — Madness — gives Marvel free reign to do whatever it wants with the film. And the pandemic gives the studio even more time to negotiate any necessary deals.
I already thought Strange 2 would be the most exciting film in Phase 4. Add in the rumored cameos, and Strange 2 has the potential to be one of the best Avengers crossovers without “Avengers” in the title. Randolph’s full video follows below:
