In today's MCU rumor roundup, we have some updates on the actors Marvel Studios is said to be looking at to fill the lead roles in the long-awaited X-Men reboot, another "surprise" Avengers: Doomsday character, and more.
So far, the only actor to be officially cast in the planned X-Men movie is Samara Weaving (Emma Frost), but we have heard that Adam Driver is also on board (Magneto, or maybe Mr. Sinister, or possibly William Stryker), and several other names continue to circulate online as actors the studio is keen to nail down.
According to Daniel Richtman, Bill Skarsgård (It, The Death of Robin Hood) and Tom Pelphrey (Task, Iron Fist) have emerged as Marvel's "top choices" to play Charles Xavier. MTTSH, meanwhile, reports that Jean Grey (Sadie Sink) will be a "POV character" in the reboot, serving as a co-lead alongside Scott Summers.
Whether there's any truth to these rumors obviously remains to be seen, but we expect some more casting news fairly soon. Marvel Studios is said to be "scrambling" to lock the main cast down ahead of an official announcement at D23 later this month.
Richtman has also heard that Marvel may be thinking about redeveloping the planned Strange Academy and Champions Disney+ shows for the big screen.
Champions is believed to be the title (the series hasn't actually been officially announced yet) for Marvel's Young Avengers show, which will focus on the likes of Kate Bishop, Kamala Khan, Wiccan, and Speed, who will make his debut in VisionQuest.
We know very little about Strange Academy, but in the comics, the school was founded by Doctor Strange following the restoration of magic, in order to train the young sorcerers of all worlds in the use of sorcery and magical artefacts. A diverse ensemble of professors was enlisted to help the students perfect their abilities, and the comic featured appearances from the likes of Man-Thing, Magik, the Scarlet Witch, Agatha Harkness, and many more.
As for the students, the roster consisted of Alvi Brorson, Calvin Morse, Dessy, Doyle Dormammu, Eva Quintero, Germán Aguilar, Guslaug, Howie, Pia, Shaylee Moonpeddle, Toth, and Zoe Laveau.
Possible spoilers ahead.
Finally, Richtman claims to have confirmed that Gwyneth Paltrow will return as Pepper Potts for Avengers: Doomsday. Apparently, she'll be "shown at Tony's funeral" (in a flashback, presumably).
Paltrow debuted as Tony Stark's (Robert Downey Jr.) love interest in the first Iron Man movie, and has since made several notable Marvel Cinematic Universe appearances, ultimately getting the chance to suit up as Rescue in Endgame.
Despite donning armor of her own and getting more screen time than she had in a lot of her previous MCU appearances, Paltrow revealed that she still hasn't watched the movie during a 2024 interview.
“To be honest, I stopped watching them at some point," the Academy Award-winner said of Marvel Studios' output. "I’ve never seen Endgame. I can’t keep track of who’s what. But I probably should at some point.”
As for why she gradually became disillusioned with the MCU, Paltrow feels that the franchise hasn't been the same for a while, suggesting that the movies gradually lost their "independent" feel as they went on.
“The first film we did was very different from the rest because the studio didn’t think it was going to be a big hit,” she said. “They hired Jon Favreau to direct who was great. And they hired Robert Downey Jr., who was unhireable at the time. His career was at a very low point.”
“We improvised almost every scene of that movie," the actress continued. "We would write scenes in the morning in Jon’s trailer. It was like doing an independent film. Then the movie was such a huge hit that then we didn’t make them like that anymore.”
Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars were hit with significant delays last year, with Doomsday now set to arrive in theaters on December 18, 2026, and Secret Wars positioned for December 17, 2027.
Both movies will be directed by the Russo brothers, who also make their MCU return after helming Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
"Universes collide and the Multiverse Saga begins its final chapter in Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Doomsday. Beloved heroes from three distinct universes will be set on a deadly collision course and ultimately face an existential threat unlike anything they’ve ever encountered. This epic film will lay the foundation for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe."
Doomsday will star:
Paul Rudd as Ant-Man, Simu Liu as Shang-Chi, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Lewis Pullman as Sentry, Florence Pugh as Yelena, Danny Ramirez as Falcon, Ian McKellen as Magneto, Sebastian Stan as Bucky, Winston Duke as M’Baku, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Kelsey Grammer as Beast, James Marsden as Cyclops, Channing Tatum as Gambit, and Wyatt Russell as U.S. Agent
Along with Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm, Rebecca Romijn as Mystique, Patrick Stewart as Professor X, Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler, Letitia Wright as Black Panther, Tenoch Huerta Mejia as Namor, Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards, Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm, David Harbour as Red Guardian, Ebon Moss-Bachrach as The Thing, Anthony Mackie as Captain America, and, of course, Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom.