With so many AI "leaks" out there, it's hard to know what is and isn't real these days. However, recent months have seen several images—initially dismissed as fakes—confirmed as legitimate, including shots from Spider-Man: Brand New Day showing Jean Grey with The Punisher and Tombstone battling the web-slinger.
Going back to late last year, an entire gallery of character portraits from Avengers: Doomsday appeared online that were quickly labelled as being bogus. The trailers have since confirmed their legitimacy, as did the D23 Special Look, which revealed that the leaked footage of the Multiverse's Mightiest Heroes assembling to battle Doctor Doom's Sentinels was also real.
Now, we have some newly leaked photos featuring Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds), and Spider-Man (Tobey Maguire). We've confirmed that these are real, as have various trusted social media insiders, including Daniel Richtman.
In the photos, we see Reynolds suited up as the Merc with the Mouth and a clash between Logan and Spidey. Maguire is wearing a motion-capture costume, and Jackman's mask is clearly set to be added in post-production.
Images of the trio have been circulating for months, but because they were low-res shots enhanced by AI, no one really believed they were from the movie. Now, we know they were, and that Avengers: Doomsday likely does open with an Incursion between Earth-10005 (the X-Men Universe) and the home of Maguire's Peter Parker.
Plot leaks have revealed that the X-Men have fashioned a device to destroy worlds about to collide with their own, similar to the Illuminati in the pages of Jonathan Hickman's New Avengers. While Deadpool escapes, Wolverine and Spider-Man are believed dead after the Incursion, though we'd be gobsmacked if they don't make it back in time for the final battle.
In other news, Loki star Sophia Di Martino may have confirmed that Sylvie will be one of Avengers: Doomsday's Lavertian Witches. The other two are theorised to be Clea and the Scarlet Witch.
Even though Sylvie, a female Loki Variant, has often been more villain than hero in the MCU, it's going to be fascinating to learn what's led to her falling under Doctor Doom's sway and why she's chosen to ally with him. Of course, the same could be said for Doctor Strange.
In Avengers: Doomsday, beloved heroes from three distinct universes will be set on a deadly collision course and face an existential threat unlike anything they’ve ever encountered.
Avengers: Doomsday stars Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Mackie, Winston Duke, Tom Hiddleston, Sebastian Stan, Letitia Wright, Paul Rudd, and Robert Downey Jr. Wyatt Russell, Simu Liu, Tenoch Huerta Mejia, Mabel Cadena, Florence Pugh, Danny Ramirez, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, Lewis Pullman, India Rose Hemsworth, and Wesley Holloway all make their Avengers franchise debuts.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps leads Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn join them, as do X-Men franchise stars Kelsey Grammer, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn, James Marsden, with Deadpool & Wolverine star Channing Tatum.
The Russo Brothers direct Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars from a screenplay by Stephen McFeely, with whom they previously collaborated on the Avengers and Captain America franchises. The movie is produced by Kevin Feige, Louis D'Esposito, and Jonathan Schwartz, with Callum McDougall serving as executive producer.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released on December 18.