By now, we're sure you've seen one of the many rumours about Avengers: Doomsday opening with a clash between the X-Men and Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man. Similar to the Illuminati in the comics, it seems the mutant team will be destroying parallel realities before their world falls.
That has some significant moral implications, and it's been reported that this will be where Magneto uses his powers to lay waste to New Jersey. As for Spider-Man, both he and Wolverine are believed dead after the clash, emphasising the stakes of this adventure.
The expectation is that both heroes will return before Avengers: Doomsday ends, as this does seem like a terrible waste of two iconic characters. Then again, the Russo Brothers may have had limited options if certain actors, like Maguire and Hugh Jackman, only had extremely limited availability.
Today, insider @MyTimeToShineH is reporting that Spider-Man and Wolverine will only have "3 minutes of screen time before being killed in Avengers: Doomsday."
Once again, this doesn't necessarily mean they won't be back later in the movie, and everyone who dies is expected to be resurrected on Battleworld. It's hard not to feel some measure of disappointment reading this, though, and scheduling issues—as well as a budget that may not have accommodated bringing back someone like Halle Berry—could be Avengers: Doomsday's biggest flaw.
Avengers: Secret Wars is expected to reunite the three live-action Spider-Men, though we've heard very little about potential plans for Jackman's Wolverine. As things stand, we may not get to see him alongside his fellow X-Men this December.
"It’s going back to the serum of the human archetypes that our art is built off of," Sentry actor Lewis Pullman previously said of Avengers: Doomsday not being a cameo-fest. "Every character has their moment that builds the dimensions of them. The Russo brothers did that so well."
"They do not want anyone just sitting in the background. They really took to heart the responsibility of having some of the best actors in the world all together," he continued. "There’s a lot of really exciting pair-ups that happen. A lot of fans will be really excited. It’s so fun to dream about. What if A and B would work together? You get to see a lot of those fantasies come into fruition."
Let us know your thoughts on this latest Avengers: Doomsday rumour in the comments section.
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.