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We’re still a long ways away from learning how Marvel Studios plans on introducing Robert Downey Jr.’s villainous Doctor Doom to an MCU that saw the same man heroically save the day multiple times as Iron Man and while there are many theories and rumors about how exactly this will pan out, we’re now getting information on how Marvel landed back on the man who helped jumpstart the MCU in the first place.
According to Deadline, the idea to bring back RDJ as arguably the most popular villain in Marvel Comics came from none other than Marvel Studios head honcho, Kevin Feige. While it had been rumored for a while that Marvel would be going the Doctor Doom direction following the fallout of Jonathan Majors domestic abuse allegations, no one knew who was going to be taking on the role and absolutely did not expect that it would be Tony Stark (RDJ) returning to play Victor Von Doom.
But according to one half of the Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars directors, Joe Russo, Kevin Feige wanted Robert to return to the MCU and apparently they felt it was a good idea given the storyline that had in mind.
Per Deadline:
“That was Kevin,” the younger Russo recently told the online outlet Omelete. “Interestingly enough about that, that conversation was had a while ago.”
Though Robert Downey Jr. is said to have agreed to return as Doctor Doom for quite some time, the Russo Brothers (Joe and Anthony) were hesitant to return to direct the next two Avengers films given the massive success they achieved with their two previous installments, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. It wasn’t until they felt they had the perfect idea in mind for the story and plot for Doomsday and Secret Wars that they decided to come back and give the MCU a new beginning after giving it a proper finish in Endgame.
“Robert tried to talk us into doing it and we said ‘no.’ We just didn’t have a story. We didn’t have a way in. We were resistant for a while.”
The brothers did eventually spark to a concept.
“One day Steve McFeely, one of our chief collaborators, said, ‘I have an idea.’ We went, ‘That’s the story!’ That story has to be told. It’s a really powerful story.”
What is that concept? Neither of the directors would divulge much until Joe offered, “The only thing I will say about the movie is this: We love villains who think they’re the hero of their own stories. That’s when they become three dimensional and they become more interesting. And when you have an actor like Robert Downey, you have to create a well shaped, three-dimensional character for the audience.”
We. Can’t. Wait.
While many fans are letdown that Jonathan Majors Kang The Conqueror’s storyline didn’t get any finality, it is rumored that he will return in Avengers: Doomsday to get killed off by Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom, thus solidifying Doom as the ultimate badass in the MCU. Whether or not that’s true remains to be seen but we wouldn’t mind seeing that play out on the big screen as the Russo brothers are looking to tie up all the loose ends they can in the next two Avengers films.
What do y’all expect from the next two Avengers films? Should Marvel have casted another actor other than Robert Downey Jr. to take on the role of Doctor Doom? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Source: Netflix / Netflix
Daredevil: Born Again hasn’t even premiered on Disney+ yet, but Marvel is already looking towards the future of one of its most prominent characters and have committed to bringing back a fan favorite ass-kicking classic antihero.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Jon Bernthal’s The Punisher will be returning with his own one-shot story in the near future after he makes his long-awaited return in Daredevil: Born Again. Much in the vein of Werewolf by Night and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday, the one-time special should be a bloody affair, as we all know Frank Castle aka The Punisher lives to hurt and kill his Ops. With word that the new Daredevil series is actually more violent than its predecessors, a Punisher one-off should be taking the ultraviolence sequences to another level.
Per Entertainment Weekly:
Bernthal is also writing the script with his We Own This City director Reinaldo Marcus Green, who will helm this standalone special. “It’s like a shotgun blast of a story, but also has all the pathos and emotion that you want out of a Frank Castle story,” Brad Winderbaum, the head of Marvel Television, tells EW. “It’s so exciting.”
Winderbaum tells EW the story concept for the Punisher special came while filming season 1 of Daredevil: Born Again, which will premiere two episodes on Disney+ this March 4. On that show, Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock goes to Frank “because he needs something done that he’s unwilling to do,” Winderbaum previously teased. “And Frank, a bull in a china shop, drives right to the heart of the matter.”
“Bernthal is a generational actor,” Winderbaum says. “He’s incredible what he brings to all the roles he plays, but particularly Frank Castle. And he’s a great writer. He knows the character inside and out…. Also, I love Punisher, but I love Jon’s Punisher in particular. The idea that he’s in the MCU and can bring that to the greater universe, especially the more grounded street-level stuff, is a huge opportunity and, as a fan, the greatest thing ever.”
We. Can’t. Wait.
While we don’t know how big of a role The Punisher will have in Born Again, we know he’ll be helping the Man With No Fear dish out some harsh justice on the streets of New York, and we’re all for it. Where he goes from there will probably be explored in the new Punisher special (unless it’s a prequel of sorts) and hopefully we’ll get some cameos from some of his fellow vigilantes in the Big Apple. Luke Cage maybe? One can only hope, right?
What do y’all think about The Punisher getting his own one-time story? Should it be a series? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Source: JoJo Whilden / Sony Pictures
Sorry Spider-Man fans, but it looks like y’all will have to wait a bit longer to see the fourth installment of the MCU’s Spidey series, as Spider-Man 4 has been delayed to make room for another blockbuster film starring your friendly neighborhood wall crawler.
According to Hypebeast, Sony has moved the release date of the still untitled Spider-Man 4 from July 2026 to August 2026. They’re banking on Christopher Nolan’s epic The Odyssey to make huge waves as it also stars Tom Holland along with Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, and Zendaya (she and Tom really do everything together) amongst many other stars. Based on Homer’s famous Greek poem, The Odyssey is a fantasy film centered around the Greek King of Ithaca and his return home from the Trojan War in which he crosses paths with all kinds of supernatural beings including a cyclops, sea sirens and even a witch.
Needless to say, that film is bound to make bank at the box office.
Per Hypebeast:
Both of Holland’s films will be coming out a week from one another and the schedule shift is said to give the actor some breathing room between both blockbuster premieres. Zendaya is rumored to also be in Spider-Man 4 and is currently confirmed to be in The Odyssey as well. Had Sony not changed the schedule, the newest Spider-Man film would come just a week after The Odyssey, which continues to be a nod to Nolan’s decades-long relationship with Imax. Nolan is said to be shooting with Imax’s powerful cameras and is negotiating a dedicated theatrical window that will show the film at Imax dedicated auditoriums. Sony is presumably also looking to show on Imax. similar to previous Marvel adaptations.
The Odyssey is set to drop July 31, 2026 with Spider-Man 4 following two weeks later. Unfortunately, not much is known about the fourth installment about Spider-Man other than rumors suggesting it will be set in Battle World following the events of Avengers: Doomsday. With word that Doctor Doom is set to merge all kinds of Marvel superheroes and villains in one set reality, rumors suggest that we’ll finally get to see Tom Hardy’s Venom and Tom Holland’s Spider-Man finally cross paths. Whether they’ll be friends or foes is anyone’s guess, but regardless to whom or what, we’ll definitely be checking it out.
Which film are you more excited for, The Odyssey or Spider-Man 4? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Source: Netflix / Netflix
Ever since it was announced that Charlie Cox would be reprising his role as Daredevil in the current Marvel Cinematic Universe, many fans have been clamoring for the return of Luke Cage and Jessica Jones (Iron Fist not so much) and we get a glimmer of hope as it seems like Marvel Studios might actually bring said characters back.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Marvel Studios’ streaming and TV boss Brad Winderbaum and his team have been brainstorming on how to bring back Mike Colter’s Luke Cage, Krysten Ritter’s Jessica Jones and even Finn Jone’s Iron Fist for another run at some point in the future now that Daredevil: Born Again is just a few weeks from premiering on Disney+. While we wouldn’t be heartbroken if we never see Iron Fist again (no shots), fans would very much love to see Luke Cage and Jessica Jones standing side-by-side some of your favorite Marvel superheroes at some point.
Whether or not that will come to pass remains to be seen, but it just might as Winderbaum wouldn’t let something like this slip if they didn’t intend on making it happen.
Per Variety:
“I can’t say much, but I’ll tell you that it’s so exciting to be able to play in that sandbox,” Winderbaum says. “Obviously we don’t have the unlimited storytelling resources like a comic book. If you can draw it, you can do it. It’s dealing with actors and time and the massive scale of production in order to build a cinematic universe, especially on television. But I can just say that all those variables taken into account, it is certainly something that is creatively extremely exciting and that we are very much exploring.”
Keep in mind, there was word that the Russo Brothers were planning on adding Luke Cage to Avengers: Infinity War and having him save Iron Man’s butt when he was getting his ass handed to him during his fight with Black Dwarf in the beginning of the film. Ultimately, they decided against it as they felt Luke wouldn’t fit into the overall story and had Spider-Man get involved in that fight. So we understand why they might feel the need to give them more backstory before having them appear in big budget Marvel movies. Still, that would’ve been dope.
Now that it seems like Luke Cage and company might be joining the main MCU at some point, that leaves questions about additional side characters that have appeared in Marvel’s Netflix series as well and whether or not there’s hope for them too.
When asked about characters like Elektra (played by Elodie Young across the Netflix run) and ninja clan the Hand, Winderbaum says, “Who knows what the future brings? Once we arc out here, there’s obviously any number of stories that we’d want to revisit or pull from the comics that involve Elektra or the Hand or any part of the Daredevil mythos.”
“100 percent it’s in the back of our heads,” Sana Amanat, another executive producer on Daredevil: Born Again, comments to EW separately of Elektra and the Hand. “Eventually we’ll try to figure out a bit more with that.”
Never give up hope, y’all.
What do y’all think? Should Marvel bring back Luke Cage, Jessica Jones and Iron Fist? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Source: NetEase / Marvel Rivals
Marvel Rivals is one of the most popular games out at the moment, so it’s shocking to hear that its development team is experiencing layoffs.
Spotted on Insider Gaming, multiple social media reports state that NetEase has laid off Marvel Rivals’ entire development team. Marvel Rivals’ game director Thaddeus Sasser revealed the sad and surprising news in a post on LinkedIn he shared on Tuesday afternoon.
“This is such a weird industry…” Sasser wrote. “My stellar, talented team just helped deliver an incredibly successful new franchise in Marvel Rivals for NetEase Games…and were just laid off!”
According to Sasser, NetEase laid off the Seattle-based team that was tasked with “coming up with new level design mechanics, gameplay mechanics, and so on.”
Level designer Garry McGee, one of the affected developers, and level designer Jack Burrows, who confirmed the news via his post on LinkedIn, were among those who lost their jobs.
Social Media Is Stunned
According to Circana data from industry analyst Mat Piscatella, Marvel Rivals is one of the top five games with the most active users across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Steam, so it’s not surprising that social media is stunned by the news.
“Marvel Rivals is the hottest game out rn, just revealed 2 banger characters, and people still got laid off. The industry is cooked,” one user on X, formerly Twitter, wrote.
Journalist Alyssa Mercante wrote, “Even successful game devs are not safe, because THE PROBLEMS ARE AT THE TOP.”
SpawnOnMe’s Kahlief Adams wrote on X, “Rivals a super popular and profitable game letting go their Game Director the same day as they debut new content seems like Bizzaro land and business as usual at the same time. Success is also in the upside down…”
As Adams mentioned, this tragic news came as Marvel Rivals announced that The Thing and Human Torch from The Fantastic 4 will be in the game this Friday. Blade, the vampire hunter, has also been teased.
Bruh, the video game industry is on one right now. You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
5. When all else fails blame Donald Trump
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Jonathan Majors was poised to become the next “big bad” for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, widely referred to as the MCU, but was removed from the roster after his legal issues. While rumors persist that Jonathan Majors will return to the MCU, inside sources say that a return is not imminent.
According to an exclusive account from TMZ, Jonathan Majors has not entered into talks with Marvel Studios nor has studio head Kevin Feige made any mention of Majors returning to the fold despite his popularity.
Majors, 35, was found guilty in 2023 of one count of reckless assault in the 3rd degree along with a charge of harassment as a violation. This was in connection to an assault matter brought to light by his former romantic partner, Grace Jabbari, who accused Majors of domestic violence. This led to Majors losing out on brand deals and movie roles, including the role of Kang The Conqueror.
Jabbari brought a lawsuit against Majors in March of last year for defamation, assault, and battery. However, Jabbari dropped the lawsuit without prejudice, leading many to assume that this would lead to exoneration for the actor.
Since splitting with Jabbari, Majors is now engaged to actress Meagan Good with the couple announcing their engagement in 2024.
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Photo: Getty
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Source: Marvel Studios / Marvel
We’re just a few weeks away from Marvel Studios getting back into the cinematic mix with the premier of their first 2025 project, Captain America: Brave New World and though test screenings for the film have led to numerous reshoots over the last few years, fans can’t wait to finally see Harrison Ford’s Red Hulk in live-action.
In the latest teaser trailer to the upcoming film, we find Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) continuing to carry the mantle of Captain America and doing his best to honor the legacy of his predecessor, Steve Rogers (Chris Evans). Unfortunately things seem to get a bit too much to handle for him as not only does he have to deal with Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford) turning into an out of control Red Hulk, but also deal with The Leader (Tim Blake Nelson) and Sidewinder (Giancarlo Esposito) who’s got guns for days and is looking to take out the high-flying superhero.
Fortunately Sam has an alley in his new sidekick Joaquin Torres a.k.a the new Falcon, who’ll fight alongside him throughout this new threat.
With Sam using his wings to cut through plane wings and his shield to fend off bullets and protect himself from baton wielding henchmen before ultimately playing tag with the Red Hulk, it will be interesting to see how this film will be enough to get fans interested in the MCU again or if it’ll be another bomb with audiences.
Check out the latest trailer for Captain America: Brave New World below and let us know if you’ll be checking for it when it hits theaters on Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14) in the comments section below.
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Source: Michael Buckner / Getty
It’s official, Captain America is returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the Russo brothers Avengers: Doomsday and no, we’re not talking about the Papa Doc version of the character.
According to Deadline, Chris Evans is set to return to the MCU for the highly anticipated fifth installment to the Avengers franchise and though we all know and love him for his iteration of Steve Rogers a.k.a Captain America, that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll once again be rocking the Stars and Stripes on his costume. In Deadpool & Wolverine he returned to his original Marvel superhero form of Johnny Storm a.k.a The Human Torch of the Fantastic 4, so don’t be surprised if the Russo brothers have an entirely different character in mind for Evans as the MCU is experiencing a multiverse event in which your favorite movie stars are taking on entirely new roles.
With that being said, there are also rumors that the plot will revolve around Robert Downey Jr.’s Dr. Doom recruiting evil versions of the OG Avengers to help him execute his evil plot of creating Battle World where all your favorite multiverse heroes and villains exist in a single reality. So there’s a chance we may get our first live-action look at the Hydra version of Captain America.
Per Deadline:
As Deadline previously reported, expect many MCU OG characters to return in the Russo Brothers’ latest. As unveiled at San Diego Comic-Con back in July, Robert Downey Jr. ne Iron Man will be stepping into the role as the main baddie, Dr. Doom — if that isn’t upside down multi-universe enough.
Evans was always iffy as he would need a strong reason to return. The new Fantastic Four of Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Vanessa Kirby and Ebon Moss-Bachrach are also set to star in Avengers: Doomsday.
While the rumors about Chris Evans return has been circulating for the past year or so, it was believed he’d return as Captain America in a Disney+ series centered around Cap returning the infinity stones to their proper realities. We were all on board for that as we wanted to see Captain America’s interaction with the Red Skull who went on to become the guardian of the Soul Stone. But this is also cool too.
Could Chris Evans return as the OG Captain America? Hydra’s Captain America? The Human Torch? Old Man Cap? With the Russo brothers you never know but what we do know is it won’t be boring. That’s for damn sure.
What do y’all think about Chris Evans returning to the MCU? Who would you like to see him return as? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Source: Marvel / Disney+
After the massive success of Avengers: Endgame, it felt like Marvel fans began to get a bit of that superhero fatigue as the MCU’s following projects either struggled with popularity or just plain flopped with their audience.
From The Eternals to She-Hulk to Ms. Marvel, fans just weren’t feeling the films or series that Marvel Studios were churning out in recent years. Still, Marvel Studios has been hard at work with some new projects that may turn the tide on their struggling universe, and we got a sneak peak at what to expect in the coming future.
Today (Oct. 30), Marvel revealed what they have in store for their Disney+ subscribing fans with some new exciting series and some that no one actually asked for (no shots). Aside from bringing the new comic book classic film Deadpool & Wolverine to Disney+, Marvel will be dropping some new animated series in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Marvel Zombies, Eyes Of Wakanda and the final season of What If…?.
For their live-action productions, Marvel will be bringing some new superheroes into the MCU fold with the likes of Iron Heart and Wonder Man starring The Candyman himself, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.
On the low, their animated series have always been top-notch compared to their live-action projects. Just sayin’.
But the series everyone has been waiting impatiently for is the return of Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock in Daredevil: Reborn, which will also feature the long-awaited return of Jon Bernthal’s The Punisher and Vincent D’Onofrio’s The Kingpin. Though the series was originally a Netflix exclusive, Marvel promised to keep the violence and action every bit as intense as it used to be now that they’re on the family friendly Disney+ streaming service.
While it was rumored that Daredevil and The Kingpin were going to play a big role in Spider-Man 4, it’s being said that Marvel Studios is now going to turn their next installment of Spider-Man into another multiverse affair with Tom Hardy’s Venom possibly playing a role as Knull might be the main villain of the film. It kind of feels too soon for that, but hey that’s just us.
Check out the trailer for Marvel’s upcoming slate of Disney+ projects below, and let us know which series you’re most looking forward to in the comments section.
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Blade, the long-promised reboot of the popular film series with Mahershala Ali in the titular role, has seen several setbacks but was highly anticipated by fans of the franchise. Collectively, those same fans are decrying Marvel’s decision to remove Blade from its 2025 release slate and sparking a spirited discussion on X.
As reported by Deadline, Blade, which has seen a shuffle of names for directors, was reported for a November 2025 release. Instead, Predator: Badlands has the date slot. As the outlet adds, the reboot of the beloved Wesley Snipes vehicle was announced in 2019 at the San Diego Comic-Con, and the announcement of Mahershala Ali as the Daywalker was met with approval.
However, production on the film was halted after its first director, Bassam Tariq, vacated the project. Yann Demange was then brought in to helm the film but the French film director decided to move on earlier this year. Adding to all of this, production on Blade was beset with delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a series of strikes in the film industry.
Given that Snipes appeared in the well-received Deadpool & Wolverine film in a reprise of the vampire hunter character, it appeared that it was still full speed ahead for the film to come to fruition.
Some MCU fans online, still reeling from the loss of Chadwick Boseman, who played King T’Challa aka Black Panther, were hoping to have another Black character to rally around and show that Black moviegoers are eager to throw their support behind characters that look like them.
There is also a wider discussion happening on the X platform about scrapping the project altogether and reviving the King T’Challa character despite Marvel boss Kevin Feige saying he doesn’t intend to do so.
Check out the replies below.